Oconto County Historical Society
Preserving the History of Oconto County, Wisconsin
Support Oconto County Historical Society
Beyer Home & Carriage
Museum
Copper Culture
Museum
Holt & Balcom Logging Camp
Museum
Featured Article
Baseball
December 11, 1930 Oconto County Reporter Article Recalls Baseball The story of what was essentially Oconto’s first city baseball team, formed in 1886 and winning 23 out of 24 games during its initial years, was recollected […]
Upcoming Events
January Speaker Series
January 9, 2025
SAMUEL THOMAS: THE FISHERMAN – OCHS Speaker Series Program
Join the Oconto County Historical Society on Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 6:30 PM for a fascinating Speaker Series program at the Beyer Home and Carriage Museum, 915 Park Avenue, Oconto. Discover the story of Samuel Thomas, an early commercial fisherman who began his trade in 1854 on Little River’s North Bay Shore. Learn about the Thomaston settlement, its triumphs, tragedies, and connection to the Peshtigo Fire, in this compelling presentation by Peter Stark, OCHS Vice-President and historian.
Stark’s booklets, including Samuel Thomas Family: Pioneer Fisherman, will be available for purchase at the gift shop, open during the event.
Free Admission | All Are Welcome | Light Refreshments Provided
Note: This month’s program is on the second Thursday, not the first. Don’t miss this glimpse into Oconto County’s history! Speaker Series is held the first Thursday of January. The Speaker Series offers to the public free of charge a presentation on a local topic of interest. Please plan to join us. Free cookies and beverages are available while you sit back and enjoy the presentation.
Preserving Oconto County History since 1940
The Oconto County Historical Society, Inc. was founded in 1940. It is based in Oconto, the county seat of Oconto County, Wisconsin, USA. The Society maintains three unique and historically significant museums: (1) the Beyer Home & Carriage Museum where the buildings expand over a city block to include the beautifully restored and completely refurnished 1890s Victorian home of a prominent local family; the Carriage Museum with exhibits and rare vehicles; the George E. Hall Annex with many exhibits within Old Main Street, along with housing of historical records and artifacts; plus an 1870s restored log home and an urban barn; (2) the Copper Culture Museum located within the Copper Culture State Park, which is an archaic copper museum which focuses on the Oconto Site of the Old Copper Complex; and (3) the Holt & Balcom Logging Camp Museum in Lakewood, Wisconsin, which is the oldest logging camp in the United States still standing on its original site.
Our Museums
Beyer Home & Carriage Museum
Visit the Beyer Home built in 1868, preserved as it appeared in the late 1800s Queen Anne-style by the owners, George and Fannie Beyer, which includes antique furnishings of that era. Your tour also includes a visit to our large showroom complete with very rare antique vehicles, a walk down Old Oconto Main Street, a military history exhibit, an authentic log cabin, and more, all situated within an entire city block.
Copper Culture Museum
Visit the location where 6,000 years ago Native Americans returned to the mouth of the Oconto River to bury their loved ones. Their repeated use of this burial ground over a 1,000–year timespan is a historic phenomenon. The fact that they were also interred with copper tools and projectile points makes the Oconto Archaeological Site even more significant. They are believed to be only a small part of a larger population living around the upper three Great Lakes who are the earliest metalsmiths known to exist in the Western Hemisphere.
Holt & Balcom Logging Camp Museum
Relive a vital part of American history at the oldest logging camp still standing at its original site on the banks of the McCauslin Brook, near Lakewood, Wisconsin. The Holt & Balcom Logging Camp stands today as a memorial to the White Pine logging era of Wisconsin. The camp was built in 1880 and was used for over 50 years.
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