Germantown Historical Society - Wisconsin

Germantown Historical Society - Wisconsin The Germantown Historical Society occupies a group of three buildings, all situated at a small cross

Today Concrete Footings PouredMoving along nicely now. Concrete footings poured today.  Cement block frost wall starting...
06/19/2026

Today Concrete Footings Poured

Moving along nicely now. Concrete footings poured today. Cement block frost wall starting next week.

New Construction on the Church Addition Has BegunOn Thursday the footings were dug and set up ready for concrete to be p...
06/19/2026

New Construction on the Church Addition Has Begun

On Thursday the footings were dug and set up ready for concrete to be poured. Once the masonry is all done the job of reconstructing the log cabin will begin probably in July.
Once completed it will hold our display of small farm equipment and tools from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's.

Granary Field Stone MovedThe original foundation field stone ffrom the Caspar granary has been relocated from the farmst...
06/18/2026

Granary Field Stone Moved

The original foundation field stone ffrom the Caspar granary has been relocated from the farmstead to Dheinsville Historical Park.
It will be used when the reconstruction of the granary will be done next spring.

THANK YOU to BRIAN DHEIN who coordinated with HALQUIST STONE to donate their bags that are used to transport such stone.

We really appreciate your contribution.

This was also made possible by the work of MIKE KRASINSKI who used his heavy equipment and trailer to disassemble the stone foundation, BUT then physically picked up each stone by hand and placed them in the bags. Such effort went beyond the call of duty.

Thanks to all involved.

The Demo Has BegunThe 1975 wooden shed at the rear of the Christ Church Museum has been dismantled. It will be replaced ...
05/28/2026

The Demo Has Begun

The 1975 wooden shed at the rear of the Christ Church Museum has been dismantled. It will be replaced with a larger authentic log structure which will house our displays of small antique farm equipment. The logs come from an original Germantown homestead log home built around 1862 on Donges Bay Road.
This log cabin was donated to the Germantown Historical Society by Joey and Angela Carini.
The demolition went well and did not damage the original 1862 stone church building. We will keep you updated as the project progresses.
Thank you to everyone who has been, or will be, involved in this major project. See the attached 12 pics

Wolf Haus Resource Center Opening DelayedDue to a variety of circumstances the Wolf Haus resource center will not be ope...
05/28/2026

Wolf Haus Resource Center Opening Delayed

Due to a variety of circumstances the Wolf Haus resource center will not be opening up until Wednesday, June 17th, from 12 to 4 PM. Volunteers will be available on that day to assist you in your genealogy research or just to visit our three museums. After that we can meet you by appointment during the summer months at a mutually agreeable time, or generally on Wednesdays from 12 to 4. PM.
Thank you.
Jim Dix
President GHS

History of Dheinsville Corners                         The beginning of this intersection began thousands of years ago w...
05/20/2026

History of Dheinsville Corners
The beginning of this intersection began thousands of years ago when Native American used a walking trail between their settlements in Milwaukee to their settlements in Fond du Lac.
The first European settlers in the mid 1800's used this trail to walk out to what would become Germantown. Eventually it was made wider and improved to allow horse drawn wagons to travel on it.
In 1842 Phillip Dhein led a group of pioneer homesteaders out to the far corner of "Germantown" and claimed hundreds of acres of land for themselves and their families and neighbors who would follow in the next 10 years. By 1862 the current buildings had been established as a stagecoach stop, hotel, general store, post office, Christ Church, shoemaker shop, and private homes.
Attached is a picture of one of the first private schools in Germantown. Later it was incorporated into the rear of the Berg Saloon. The second picture is the Berg Saloon in the late 1800's.
Today, that building is STAGS.
Now, many cars and trucks go through that intersection every day, even though it was created for horses and wagons. We should at least slow the traffic on Fond du Lac Ave. The early settlers never imagined cars and heavy trucks going through that intersection at excessive speeds.

Another Bad Accident At Dheinsville CornersToday, we witnessed another serious accident at Dheinsville Corners. When wil...
05/06/2026

Another Bad Accident At Dheinsville Corners

Today, we witnessed another serious accident at Dheinsville Corners.
When will our local Germantown officials talk with the State officials to, AT A MINIMUM, reduce the speed limit to 25 MPH approaching this intersection. Something as simple as that would reduce the chance of a fatal accident at that intersection.

The truck driver needed to be extracted through the front windshield and transported to the hospital, and the driver of the work van also had head injuries and was hospitalized.

Just slowing people down on Fond du Lac would make a huge difference. This should be doable if our officials tried to do SOMETHING to stop these accidents from happening on a regular basis.

CHRIST CHURCH MUSEUM REAR DISPLAY REMODELThe remodeling of the rear display area has begun. A 16 foot long POD was deliv...
04/30/2026

CHRIST CHURCH MUSEUM REAR DISPLAY REMODEL
The remodeling of the rear display area has begun.
A 16 foot long POD was delivered on Tuesday using a very cool lifting device. The rear display area had become so crowded it looked more like a storage area. So how does one begin to carefully organize and move all of these artifacts from the 1800's into a small storage container?
Each item was identified and inventoried. Some suggestions were given by all involved. The Wetterau family sleigh was the last piece to move, and each part had to weigh 200 pounds. It took 4 people to lift it thought the door and into the POD.
After every item was safely secured our mission was accomplished.
The POD will soon be removed from the site for storage until the new addition is completed. It will consist of a larger area with 3 log walls and the church stone wall exposed. The farm implements will be displayed with explanations as to what they are and how they were used back in those homesteading days.
This moving project was completed by volunteers Dave and Mary Bykowski, Jim and Sue Dix, Judy Bast, and Sarah Schowalter. Some heavy lifting was involved, but it was a job that provided joy to those involved. THANK YOU!!!

SPRING CLEANING AT BELL MUSEUM            Spring has sprung, and the grass has ris.   But the weather outside is rainy a...
04/16/2026

SPRING CLEANING AT BELL MUSEUM
Spring has sprung, and the grass has ris. But the weather outside is rainy and frightful, yet the bells inside are delightful.

Inside the Bast Bell Museum, Judy Bast and Mary Bykowski have been spring cleaning the bell display cases. The precious and unique bells require delicate handling, but the resulting clean displays are very gratifying.
Here are a few pics of the brass section of bells and gongs.
Come and visit us this summer to see one of the largest personal bell collections in the Midwest.

Address

N128W18780 Holy Hill Rd
Germantown, WI
53022

Opening Hours

Friday 1pm - 4pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+12626283170

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