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Come with us to find the 7 Wonders of Sheboygan County! This driving tour will take you everywhere from a 400 tall flagpole, to a statue celebrating the dairy industry of Wisconsin, to the natural wonders that surround us. 

The flagpole stands in memory of those lost and the ways that communities came together in the wake of the terrorist attack on America on September 11, 2001. The four attacks at the World Trade Center Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 claimed 2,996 victims (2,763 in the World Trade Center alone--403 of those were first responders).The flagpole was sponsored by Acuity Insurance. As Ben Salmann, President and CEO of Acuity Insurance, stated in the Sheboygan on Press on June 1, 2003: “Having the tallest, largest flag in Wisconsin is not a political statement, nor does it come with any political affiliation. Rather, we proudly fly this flag as a statement of gratitude and recognition that we are blessed to be part of the United States of America.” The first flagpole was dedicated on June 2, 2003, and was 150 feet tall with a 30 ft x 60-foot flag that weighed 90 pounds. A year later, the pole's height was increased by 200 feet. When 40 mph wind gusts hit Sheboygan on New Year’s Eve in 2004, the flagpole snapped and fell to the East. An investigation revealed that more bolts should have been included in the engineering plan.A second flagpole was erected on July 1, 2005 and for safety reasons, the location was moved 350 feet away from public roadways. This new flagpole reached 338 feet tall with a pole that was 6 feet in diameter at its base and 20 inches at the top. The flag was 7,200 square feet, weighed 300 pounds, and featured 3-foot stars. A few years later, the pole was taken down due to safety concerns. In April 2008, a third pole at the same height was installed but was taken down almost immediately for safety concerns after the pole could be seen substantially “swinging” in the wind.After three attempts, the team returned to the drawing board with more research and partners to help engineer a successful flagpole. The flagpole was completely redesigned with the help of ARUP, an international engineering firm whose previous projects included the Dublin Spire and the Miller Park (now American Family Field) retractable roof, and Broadwind Towers and Heavy Industries in Manitowoc, which specializes in wind turbines; and Mortenson Construction.The current flagpole was installed ahead of Memorial Day in 2014. The pole sits on a solid 7-foot wide by 10-foot deep concrete foundation with 55 tons of rebar at its base. If stretched out from end to end, the rebar would be 6 miles long. There are also 148 anchor bolts at the bottom that reach 8 feet into the foundation, ensuring that it can withstand up to 120-mile-per-hour winds.Built in Manitowoc in six sections and assembled over multiple days, one section at a time, the new flagpole reaches 400 feet, and the pole weighs 420,000 pounds. There are two different flags that currently fly depending on the weather conditions. One weighs 220 pounds and the other 350 pounds due to additional counterweights. The current flag is 70 feet by 140 feet and needs to be replaced regularly. When the second flagpole was erected in 2005, a memorial was added to the base to honor the memory of Sheboygan County veterans. The teardrop-shaped memorial includes bricks inscribed with the name of every known local veteran from the Civil War to the present.Founded in Franklin as the Mutual Automobile Insurance Company of the Town of Herman in 1925. In 1957, the company changed its name to Heritage Mutual Insurance Company and purchased a portion of land that had once been the Sheboygan County Insane Asylum in Sheboygan. Heritage Mutual broke ground in 1959 and moved in a year later. The company moved its headquarters to the current site in 1984 after purchasing 72 acres in 1979. On June 2, 2020, a sudden and extreme storm brought winds that registered 90 miles per hour on the flag’s wind gauge. The intensity tore the flag virtually in two. All pieces of the flag were retrieved and retired in a ceremony performed by the local VFW.

Standing 400 feet above Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the Acuity Flagpole is taller than the Statue of Liberty and stands as a reminder of the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001, as well as the Sheboygan County veterans who lost their lives. Since the original flagpole's dedication in 2003, there have been three additional flagpoles, each resulting from additional research and more advanced engineering. The current flagpole was dedicated in 2014 and designed to withstand high winds.

Acuity Flagpole

There are a total of twenty-six jetties built along the shoreline of Sheboygan, protecting it from Lake Michigan. Although there are jetties throughout the Sheboygan shoreline, our stop will be at the four jetties off of Broughton Drive just north of North Side Municipal Beach.A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into a body of water. They are long, narrow structures that are used to protect the shoreline from currents and tides. What’s the difference between a jetty and a pier? A jetty is made of wood, stone or concrete blocks and is built off of the lakebed to protect a harbor or beach, whereas a pier is a raised platform built from the shore out over the water and is supported on pilings. Jetties are also used as mooring points for boats, and are popular spots for diving, sunbathing, and fishing.There are four jetties between North Point and North Side Beach off of Broughton Drive, five along the shore near Vollrath Park and the Water Utility Plant, and seventeen along the southside shoreline from Mead Avenue to the Water Treatment Plant. At a Sheboygan Common Council meeting on September 6, 1934, mayor William Sonnenburg recommended that a lakeshore project be undertaken to develop a lake shore drive and construction of jetties. The jetties would be built to protect the new roadway from erosion and aid in building a larger, natural beach area. The country was in the depths of the Great Depression at this time and many were out of work. This project would provide 50 - 100 men with desperately needed work. Construction began on June 15, 1937 for the first four jetties, located north of what was then known as Northside Bathing Beach. It was a part of the Works Progress Administration Project that was building a lake shore drive from Erie Avenue to Lincoln Avenue. The WPA was an American New Deal agency established in 1935 during the Great Depression that employed millions of people to carry out public works projects including the construction of public buildings and roads. A total of 75 men worked for the duration of the project. After six months, the project was finished and cost $53,000 ($975,000 in today’s currency). Sidney Woods, the inventor of the process used to build the jetties said that “Sheboygan’s jetties were the finest pieces of construction of this type I have ever seen anywhere.” The following year, four jetties were built at the Water Treatment Plant on the South Side. They were built in the same way as the North Point jetties by laying them on the lake bed. These were replaced ten years later when another jetty project began in 1948. The new jetties would reach from the Water Treatment Plant up to Mead Avenue. They were constructed using a new method that drove pilings into the lake bed using compressed air. Once driven to the desired depth, seventeen foot long sections of concrete were fitted over the pilings in a crib fashion with concrete slabs then laid on top for a safe, flat surface. Concrete blocks were also used to create openings for sand to be carried through and deposited to build up a natural sandy shoreline. The final two jetties built at Mead Avenue were completed in 1951. The jetties on the southside were built to develop a beach area at Lakeview Park, but more importantly to fight shoreline erosion at the Water Treatment Plant and areas with bluffs. At points along the shoreline, there were 40 feet of sand deposits from the bluffs into the lake. The jetty extension helped to break the waves away from the shoreline so there is less force hitting the shore.The same year that construction began on the South Side, an additional five jetties were built on the North Side to protect the Water Utility Plant and the newly developed Vollrath Park shoreline. These jetties were built in the new method just as the southside jetties were. The jetties found along Sheboygan’s shoreline have weathered the storms of Lake Michigan for over seventy years. Some are particularly run down and damaged from the abuse of the waves, while a few are completely submerged. There is discussion as to the future of jetties and their usefulness, but for decades these twenty-six jetties have stood guard protecting Sheboygan’s shores.

There are a total of 26 jetties built in Sheboygan, protecting it from Lake Michigan. These jetties are structures that extend into the water and protect the shore from currents and tides. The building of these jetties was originally proposed in 1934 by mayor William Sonnenburg, and construction began in 1937. Although many of these jetties are now in disrepair, they remain a part of Sheboygan history.

Sheboygan North Point Jetties

Located on the Northeast corner of County Line Road and CTH-M (technically Manitowoc County, but it’s a grey area right on the border) sits one of the area’s natural wonders. The natural spring in question is not an unusual occurrence to be found in our area. This section of the county sits in an area that was predisposed to the formation of glacial moraine springs. What is a glacial moraine spring? It is a spring that is formed where the water table finds an opening in the ground as it flows toward a lake or river. In this case, as it flows to reach the level of Lake Michigan. As fresh, clean water was hard to find in the early days of the settlement of the area, the spring was a natural draw for travelers and settlers. The spring has flowed for hundreds of years, quenching the thirst of all those that passed by.The major beneficiaries of the spring would be whoever owned the land it sat on and the land directly to the south. That first person to own the land to the south was Friedrich Michael Andreas Papendieck, who went by Andreas. He purchased the 80 acres to the south and 40 acres to the southwest of the spring, creating a 120 acre farm after his arrival sometime between 1861 and 1865. The spring would be the perfect place for him to supply water to his family, animals, and crops. At the time the Papendiecks owned the land, the house that currently sits directly south of the spring did not exist. That home does not appear on the 1875 Atlas, but does appear on the 1889 Atlas. He would have to carry the water a short distance to his home which was on the west side of CTH-M about halfway between County Line Road and Primrose Lane.In 1885, Papendieck sold a small section of his land (where the current home sits on the corner across from the spring) to John Grunewald. Unfortunately, he only owned the property for a short time and sold it back to Papendieck in 1892. However, at that time the home appears in records, so it is likely that Grunewald was the builder.Our next resident is one Edwin Scheib. Scheib would have been very familiar with the area and the land. As a boy of 16, Edwin was a servant for the Schultz family who owned the property to the South/south. Around 1900, Scheib purchased the property and operated a tavern and lodging business on site. The 1905 census lists Edwin as a “hotel keeper” at the location. The spring would have made a very handy stop and benefited Mr. Scheib’s tavern. It would have been a great place for weary travelers to water their horses and then water themselves across the road at Scheib’s establishment.Only a year later in 1906 the land again changed hands and became the home of Emil Raquet. While Emil used the building as a home, his brother built a blacksmith shop between the house and the home directly to the south. Again, the spring would have provided a necessary resource to any blacksmith shop….water! Without water, it is very difficult to quench hot metal, which is a necessary step in the process. The Raquets lived and operated on the site until 1924 when Emil sold the property. Sometime in 1927 or 1928, the blacksmith shop burnt down. Although they sold that property, the Raquet family remains in the area. Descendants of the family still live a short distance directly west of the property.Although not much remains of the once small, but active farm community, the spring continues to run as it has done for hundreds of years. The spring is a reminder of just how important water is to sustaining life and what a draw it was for early settlers of the area. Take a step back in time and have a small taste of the clear and clean water. The same water that quenched the thirst of those that came before us!

Sitting at the corner of County Line Road and CTH-M is the Spring Corners Spring. This water source is an example of a glacial spring, where water flowing to a lake or river (in this case, Lake Michigan), flows out of an opening in the ground. Springs were important to the early peoples in Wisconsin, as they provided a source of fresh, clean water.

Spring Corners Spring

Located in the northwest corner of the county and covering over 13,000 acres, the marsh is a natural wonder created by the retreat of glaciers that once covered the area nearly 15,000 years ago. As the glaciers moved through the area, their crushing weight carved out a 100 foot deep basin. When temperatures started to rise and the ice began to melt, slowly the basin filled with water creating a massive lake. As the millennia ticked by, decaying plant matter collected in the basin, turning the large glacial lake into a peat-filled marsh.The marsh has always been a sanctuary for a diverse population of plants and animals. Archaeological excavations, and simply pure luck, have turned up remains of a wide variety of animals. The marsh at one point or another has been home to the dire wolf, mastodons, mammoths, musk oxen, giant beavers, barren ground caribou, and big horned bison.Filled with rich and diverse animal life, as well as, ideal soil conditions for growing, it may come as no surprise that the marsh was home to numerous Native American tribes over the centuries. The area was an attractive meeting point for at least five tribes; the Potawatomi, Chippewa, Ottawa, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee. One of the areas surrounding the marsh that is the most well-known is the Henschel Farm. For more than 10,000 years, different tribes have made that land home. The area even contains the oldest known and one of the most richly endowed “Red Ocher” burials in the entire state. When excavations were done, the burial was dated between 600 B.C. and 800 B.C. and finds included sea shells from the Atlantic Coast and copper from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.When the Henschel family, as well as many other immigrant families began arriving in the area, there were still a number of Native American villages surrounding the marsh. For decades, both immigrants and Native Americans co-existed, for the most part, peacefully, and in many cases, forming rather fond friendships. A great example of this is “Old Solomon” whose real name was Thunder Feather. He was perhaps one of the most well known and well liked Native American man in the area. He was also the last to leave Sheboygan County in 1883, moving to the reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin.The marsh has always been an attractive prospect to all who encountered it; however, not everyone wanted to keep the marsh in its natural state. In 1869, Sheboygan businessman John Bertschy purchased the marsh land with dreams of turning it into rich farmland to sell. His vision was ambitious. He took $25,000 of his own money and another $25,000 from the state to widen the channel in the natural limestone ledge to drain water from the marsh. He would then dig a large ditch to funnel water to the drain. However, the ditch turned into a money pit and when bills went unpaid, creditors seized the land back.Later in 1900, Alber G. and William Maurer had plans to drain the marsh as well. They hoped to use the natural marl in the marsh to make a high quality Portland cement. They were able to successfully drain the marsh, but securing additional ingredients to make the cement proved difficult and expensive. After three tough years, the pair gave up and again the marsh was abandoned. By 1916, farmland prices were at an all time high with the United States’ entry into the First World War looming. Sheboygan Valley Land and Lime Company formed to turn the unused land into rich farmland and take advantage of the natural limestone deposits. They dug an additional 20 miles of drainage ditches ranging in depth from 6-20 feet deep. The drainage was successful, however it took until 1921 to complete, by which time the farmland boom prices crashed. Sheboygan Valley Land and Limestone Company filed for bankruptcy shortly after the digging was completed.After multiple failed business ventures that left the marsh a dry and barren landscape, fire became a major issue. Between 1921 and 1927, the dried peat provided ample fuel for almost continual fires. Fire watch patrols inspected the area on a daily basis, but it was not enough to prevent them. At times fires were so large, an orange glow could be seen coming from the marsh at night. In order to stop the fires, the idea of re-flooding the marsh gained momentum in 1927 spearheaded by Charles E. Broughton, editor and publisher of the Sheboygan Press. Broughton not only promoted the idea to fix the fire problem, but also saw the value in returning the marsh to its natural state. By 1933, a temporary dam was constructed to extinguish the flames. Continuing his push to create a natural marsh and park, Broughton purchased 80 acres of land and donated it to Sheboygan County. In his honor, the land is named Sheboygan Broughton Marsh Park. Shortly after his donation, the county acquired an additional 6,349 acres at foreclosure auctions for $17,646.A year later, in 1938, the Works Progress Administration was enlisted to construct a permanent dam on site and the marsh quickly began to return to its natural state. In addition to the dam, other buildings were added to the park, though not by the WPA. The buildings included a concession stand/caretaker's home, a band stand, a boat rental office, and hunting storage lockers. The original concession stand is still on site in the parking lot of Three Guys and a Grill. FUN FACT: In 1938, on the opening day of duck hunting, the marsh was flooded with over 3,000 hunters!One of the marsh’s most interesting and intriguing stories takes place in 1911 and involves the murder of a well known and well liked local man named John Sexton. After his children moved away and he unexpectedly became a widower, John made his home in a small log cabin near the current entrance to the Broughton Sheboygan Marsh Park. He spent his days foraging and collecting Native American artifacts, and documenting and studying the natural flora and fauna of the area. Though he lived alone, John was never short of visitors! He even formed a close friendship with local millionaire Matthais Gottfried. This friendship, however, is believed to be the cause of rumors that John’s cabin hid a large cache of money.On the night of June 28, 1911, an Italian immigrant worker named Anthony Borello decided to find the supposed money that John Sexton had. That night Borello went to the cabin and in a heated brawl, stabbed Sexton multiple times and cut his throat. The next morning a neighbor found the lifeless body of John Sexton and a frantic manhunt ensued. On June 30th, the nearby quarry reported three of its immigrant workers missing, among them, Anthony Borello. After a search of Borello’s room, a watch belonging to Sexton was found. A few days later, $300 worth of certificates of deposits in John Sexton’s name were reported being used in Chicago to purchase steam passage to Italy.After nearly a year of leads and dead ends to locate Anthony Borello, a break was finally made when US agents located Borello in 1912 on a farm just outside Naples, Italy. Two Sheboygan County agents were sent to Italy to extradite Anthony back for a murder trial. After multiple attempts, the agents were sent back empty handed as the Italian government refused to have Borello tried in America. Instead, they held a trial in Italian courts.Here is where things really become interesting. If you have ever read about this story before, you may have read that Mr. Borello was tried and convicted in Italy and sentenced to 17 years in prison for his crime. This information, which originally appeared in Bill Wangemann’s book Sheboygan Tales of the Tragic and Bizzare, may not be the true ending. Through our own research, we discovered an article that ran in The Sheboygan Press in 1917. The paper quotes an answer to an inquiry by the press to the State Department. The State Department reported that Mr. Borello was incarcerated for 6 years following a trial, but he was in fact acquitted of the murder charge and released in 1917.Since its resurrection in 1938, the marsh has continued to be loved, cherished, and even added to. In 2006, the marsh was designated a Wisconsin Land Legacy Place, really securing it as a place to be preserved and protected. In 2009, construction of the 80-foot tower was completed, costing $500,000. The tower, the tallest in the state, provides visitors with breathtaking views of the marsh. The most recent undertaking at the marsh is the construction of the Kohler Center for Marsh Education. The project is being spearheaded by The Friends of the Sheboygan Marsh. The new building will replace the semi-tractor trailer that had been being used for area students to learn about the marsh’s unique ecosystem. Ground was broken on the $2.3 million project in July of 2020. The facility is aimed at fostering conservatism through education.

This location has not always been the beautiful marsh that it is today. Thousands of years ago, as glaciers retreated, they carved out a 100 foot basin. This basin would become a large lake and a center of Native American meetings and trade. Slowly, the lake filled with debris and peat, transforming into a marshland that is home to a diverse population of wildlife.

The Sheboygan Marsh

Located at the intersection of W. Mill Street and S. Milwaukee Street is a larger than life statue of a cow named “Antoinette.” Originally known as simply “The Cow,” this fiberglass statue was erected in 1977 during Plymouth’s centennial celebration as a way to pay homage to the important cheese industry that has shaped the city. Over the years, “The Cow” weathered many storms including vandalism until 1992 when it made statewide and even national news that things had gotten “udderly ridiculous.” A community effort arose to raise money to refurbish the statue. In June of 1992, the cow received some plastic surgery to restore this bovine beauty to her glory. Volunteers stepped in to help with the spa treatment, including Milwaukee artist Ernst-Albrecht Gramatzki, (1937 - 2005) who specialized in museum taxidermy. While working for the Chicago Field Museum for many years, Gramatzki saw a TV report and stepped up to offer his services to repaint and giver her new life. That same month, the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce announced a competition to name the famous landmark. Within a month, the Cow Committee had received over 250 name suggestions from every age. Some names submitted to the “Name the Cow'' contest included Bessie, Bertah, Bitsy, Bovine Betty, Millie, Moo-Moo Moozrella, Moreen Milkicious, Daisy Mae, Daisy Belle, Dairi Ann, Chedarella and Wiscowsin.  On July 18, 1992, the cow was rededicated after her full spa treatment, and the winning name was announced. The cow that weighs 1,000 pounds and stands 13 feet tall (20 feet with her pedestal) and boasts a 12 foot waistline, would now and forever more be known as “Antoinette.” Lois Hodge, age 61, of Plymouth submitted the name in honor of Jack Anton, who had organized the original campaign to build the cow statue. Antoinette is a Holstein, the premiere dairy cow, first imported from Holland in 1870. Cows were and still are very important to Plymouth because of their contributions to the cheese industry. The National Cheese Exchange was established in Plymouth in 1918, which quickly cemented the city as the Cheese Capital of the World. Wisconsin cheesemakers produce approximately 27% of the nation’s cheese, with an estimated 15% of that being processed and sold from facilities based right here in Plymouth. There are over 300,000 square feet of cold storage for cheese in the city. In fact, if Plymouth was a country, it would be the 4th largest cheese producing country in the world! Over 200 cheese factories have operated in Sheboygan County over the years, and Plymouth is still home to four of the largest cheese producers in the country - Sartori Cheese, Sargento Cheese, Master’s Gallery Foods, and Great Lakes Cheese. Believe it or not, Wisconsin was not always known as the Dairy State. The state of New York was considered to have the best cheese that was trusted across the nation, while Wisconsin was considered “foreign.” Early Wisconsin cheesemakers learned the finer points from New York and brought the tips of the trade back with them. Cheese production quickly ramped up in Wisconsin and by 1871, so much cheese was being made, it needed to be exported to, ironically enough, New York, other states, and even countries. Wisconsin surpassed New York in cheese production in 1910 when it produced 148 million pounds of cheese. Today, cheese is still king in Wisconsin. Cheese manufacturing uses 90% of the state’s total milk production to make over 500 different styles, varieties, and types of cheese each year. In 2017, 3.37 billion pounds of cheese came out of Wisconsin!

Antoinette, originally referred to only as "The Cow," stands at the intersection of S Milwaukee and W. Mill street. Erected in 1977, Antoinette represents the importance of the dairy industry in Plymouth. In 1992 Antoinette was refurbished with the help of Milwaukee artist Ernst-Albrecht Gramatzki. It was also in this year that Antoinette was officially named.

Antoinette the Cow

Sponsored by the Cedar Grove Booster Club, the Cedar Grove windmill was built in 1968. Construction of the windmill finished in July, just before the annual Holland Festival was scheduled to take place. Designed to serve as a tourist attraction and an education tool to teach residents about their Dutch heritage, the windmill stands 28 feet tall and 12 feet wide at its base. Each blade is 15 feet long, making the total height from the ground to the tip 41 feet. The windmill is a scale model of a “Stellingmolen” or “Tower Mill,” which are commonly found in Dutch cities. The tall design and long blades allow the mills to still catch wind even when surrounded by other buildings. While the mill is functional with the use of wind, it also uses a motor to power the blades, which turns them at 3.5 revolutions per minute. At the time of its completion, there were plans to add a canal to the grounds that would be circulated by a water pump powered by the mill. There were also great landscaping plans. Originally, the mill was to be surrounded by cedar trees and hundreds of tulips, a popular Dutch flower. The mill is named “De Visch,” which translates to “The Fish.” Windmills are traditionally named by their owners after an animal or plant. Cedar Grove chose “De Visch” to reflect the life of early settlers from the Province of Zeeland who worked as fishermen at nearby Amsterdam Beach in the Town of Holland. A fish is painted above the entrance and hex signs painted on the boards symbolize good luck.Did you know that the position of the blades or sails on a windmill could convey messages? When the blades are at rest and left in specific positions they could be a distress signal, announcing a death in a family, or a joyous celebration such as a wedding. In fact, during World War II, Holland used the sails of windmills as secret signals to warn the locals of Nazi raids. As with most immigrants, there was a combination of factors pushing Dutch immigrants from their old home and into to their new home. The Netherlands was experiencing overcrowding and scarcity of available land. By the 1840s, the Dutch economy was struggling after the industrial revolution failed to take hold in Holland as it had in other European countries. As a result, taxes were extremely high and food was hard to come by due to a devastating potato famine. The country was in turmoil and also faced religious unrest after a newly adopted doctrine within the church proved to be too liberal for many Reformed Dutch Protestants. Immigrants soon left for America hoping to start a new life and find religious freedom. A large number of these immigrants made their way to Wisconsin, settling in Sheboygan County. Early settlers were able to buy farmland at a very inexpensive price and there was plenty of land to be had. Suitable farmland was selling for $8-12 per acre and timbered land sold for $1.25 an acre! The first settlers from the Netherlands arrived in 1845 and 1846. Jan Zeeveld and his father Lawrence are documented as the first Dutch settlers to arrive in the county in 1845, followed by Jacob Smidt and Teunis DeVos in late 1845 and early 1846. The Village of Cedar Grove was founded in 1847 after Gerrit Kolste purchased the land from the U.S. Government. The Reverend Pieter Zonne led a group to the area and it is said that he named the village when he observed a grove of cedar trees from the doorway of a cabin belonging to Sweezy Burr.On November 21, 1847 a group of new Dutch immigrants were 5 miles off Sheboygan’s shore after leaving Manitowoc on the ship, The Phoenix. Around 4am a fire broke out on board. Crew and passengers battled the flames, but to no avail. Sadly, the ship was ill equipped for an emergency and only had two lifeboats. The lifeboats carried 43 people to safety and attempted to go back to rescue more but unfortunately only an additional 3 people survived the icy cold waters of Lake Michigan. The remaining passengers and crew perished in the blaze. Of the 200 men, women, and children on board 175 were Dutch immigrants coming to start their new lives, but only 25 were counted among the survivors. The Village of Oostburg was founded at about the same time as Cedar Grove but not where it stands today. East Oostburg was the original site, which is some distance east of the present village. The move to the present site was precipitated by the arrival of the railroad where Oostburg now stands. In 1872, the Milwaukee, Lake Shore &amp; Western Railroad reached Cedar Grove, giving the village a massive economic boost. Other Dutch communities developed included Amsterdam (1852), Gibbsville (1846), and Hingham (1850). Amsterdam, although a separate city from Cedar Grove, had a significant impact on the community. Founded as a fishing village by someone who was not a dutchman, but a Yankee named Gilbert H. Smith, it provided work to many Dutch living in Cedar Grove and surrounding areas. Many Dutch immigrants also lived there and they are believed to be responsible for naming the town. The town was thriving until the railroad came to Cedar Grove. A decline had already begun, but the arrival of the railroad truly brought the demise. By 1904, 91 of the original 131 plots were listed vacant. By 1916, the fishing village of Amsterdam had completely disappeared, vanishing from all maps. The last fishing business still holding on, closed its doors in the 1940s and 20 years later, the surrounding villages decided to convert the deserted shore into Amsterdam Park. In 2014, Sheboygan County partnered with the Glacial Lakes Conservancy to purchase the 328 acre property, creating the Amsterdam Dunes Preservation Area, which is open to the public.

Celebrating the Dutch heritage of Cedar Grove, the "De Visch" windmill was erected in 1968. It is a scale model of the windmills found in Dutch cities and its height allows its blades to catch wind even when surrounded by other buildings. In addition to generating power, the windmill blades would traditionally be used to communicate messages, such as the death of a family member or an engagement.

Cedar Grove Windmill

The Late Woodland peoples who called Wisconsin home between 1000 and 2000 years ago established a tradition of building large earthen mounds in various shapes. Mounds that are shaped like animals, spirits, or other creatures are called effigy mounds. Today, effigy mounds can still be found throughout southern Wisconsin, including in Sheboygan County. In fact, Wisconsin has more effigy mounds than any other place in North America.Some earthen mounds are cone shaped, some are linear, and some are shaped like creatures. Effigy mounds throughout Wisconsin represent animals and spirits of the air, earth, and water. The mounds were meticulously planned, and their construction required cooperation from many people. In some cases, construction spanned decades or several generations. The shapes were laid out in alignment with the surrounding landscape, with other existing mounds, and in some instances, with complex astronomical and natural phenomena such as true north, the solstice, the equinox, and constellations. The language, science, and cultural and spiritual significance of the mounds is still being revealed. Sheboygan Indian Mound Park’s mound group consists of an arrangement of deer, fawn, panther, oval, linear, and conical mounds. The land formations nearby made this site a suitable place for mound construction. Notice the placement of the mounds--clustered together on flat land, high above the creek and the springs that feed it. Mounds were often built near water and in places where high land meets low wetland or other bodies of water. These places, halfway between the earth and sky, held special religious and ceremonial significance.Once the mound’s layout was arranged, the builders dug the top layer of the surrounding earth, which they carried in handmade baskets and then added to the mound. Portions of some mounds were formed from special soil carried from miles away. Many effigy mounds--perhaps as high as 95%--were used as graves to honor and bury the dead, but that was not their only purpose. Because the Mound Builders left no documentation about their process or intentions, the information we have primarily comes from two sources. One source is the many artifacts found within or near the mounds. The other is knowledge based on oral traditions of modern nations such as the Ho-Chunk people, who are descended from some of the long-ago Mound Builders. For instance, the Ho-Chunk idea of a long-tailed water spirit informs our modern idea of the Panther mounds you see here.In addition to being burial sites, the mounds were places of community and ceremony. They were gathering places for small family groups to come together with their larger clan or tribal group for certain parts of the year. The shapes of the effigy mounds were also a way to honor nature and the beliefs of the Mound Builders.Eventually, Woodland people stopped building mounds in Wisconsin. But the mounds that remain are sacred sites for the descendants of the people who built them, and a treasure from the past for all of humanity to respect and learn from.The majority of mounds in Sheboygan County were destroyed by farming and road construction between 1860 and 1950. Within the City of Sheboygan, mounds are documented to have existed near the south end of Wildwood Avenue, at the east end of Union Avenue, and on the site of Vollrath Park. Mounds were also formally documented in Sheboygan Falls and in the Towns of Holland, Lima, Rhine, Russell, Scott, and Mitchell. The site of Sheboygan’s Indian Mound Park was rescued from subdivision development through the educational and fundraising efforts of nine local garden clubs, led by the Juniper Garden Club. The 15-acre area was dedicated as a city park on June 26, 1966, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places fifteen years later. Also, in 1981, a nature trail leading down to Hartman Creek was dedicated and to this day remains a project of the Town and Country Garden Club.The mounds you see today are largely rebuilt after centuries of weathering as well as an excavation project carried out by the Milwaukee Public Museum in 1927. It is now illegal to dig inside effigy mounds, since a state law protecting them passed in 1986. Just like other graveyards or cemeteries, mounds and mound groups are protected spaces and should be respected. Most mound sites have signs reminding visitors not to walk on the mounds. This is not only to show respect, but also to help preserve the mounds for the future.

This 15-acre area was dedicated as a city park on June 26, 1966. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places fifteen years later. The park features effigy mounds of various shapes built by the Late Woodland peoples of Wisconsin, and are considered sacred spaces. The current mounds are largely rebuilt after a Milwaukee Public Museum excavation of the original mounds in 1927.

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The 7 Wonders of Sheboygan County

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