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
Pensaukee’s Hotel Tycoons
Pensaukee’s Hotel Tycoons By Peter Stark and Monette Bebow-Reinhard In the history of Pensaukee, one name stands out: Freeland B. Gardner. Even though John P. Arndt began Wisconsin’s commercial lumbering there in 1827, […]
Upcoming Events
Annual Fall Antique and Collectibles Sale
November 2, 2024
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Please come to this unique sale of antiques and collectibles to search out treasures and special holiday gifts. This event is held each November at the Beyer Home & Carriage Museum. For your expanded shopping experience, our Museum Gift Shop is also open during this Sale.
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 interned 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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