Since 1977, BHA has published the Bayfield Courier, a newsletter containing Bayfield Heritage Association information, local history articles, programing and events, and historical happenings related to the greater Bayfield area.
In 1978, BHA purchased and renovated the historic Old Bayfield County Courthouse which is now used as the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore headquarters and visitor center.
In 1980, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, BHA published Brownstone & Bargeboard, a walking tour book of Bayfield's historic district. The revised version (1998) coincided with the placement of brass plaques on featured sites throughout Bayfield.
In 1981, BHA helped establish Bayfield's 60-block Historic District, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and acquired the Knight Apple Shed property. BHA also owns and manages the Fountain-Garden Park that welcomes visitors to Bayfield at the city's southern entrance on Highway 13.
In 1985, BHA co-commissioned the historical musical, Riding the Wind, written and produced by the Nelson-Ferris Concert Company. The production has since been viewed by thousands of residents and visitors at the Big Top Chautauqua.
In 2000 construction began for the Heritage Center located at 30 North Broad Street which now houses our offices and the Museum and Research Facility.
In 2005 the BHA began a series of programs at the Heritage Center, open to the public, which utilize information from it's collections and archives to provide informative educational experiences for both local residents and visitors to the Bayfield area.
In 2007 the Museum Committee began the process of identifying, recording and computerizing in a searchable database program all the artifacts, collected objects, archives and photographs stored in the Heritage Center.
In 2008 the Museum Committee opened a semi-permanent exhibit, the Ray Cahill Barbershop, which is a re-creation of Bayfield's beloved gathering place for over 50 years. The original furnishings and artifacts are displayed in this exhibit, which opened to the public in June of 2008. The 2008 opening of the Black/Nourse Art Retrospective was attended by over 100 guests including descendants of both John Black and Bessie Nourse. Mr. Steve Soderman, the curator of the Mary Rice art collection, directed the placement of 69 paintings loaned to the Bayfield Heritage Center for this exhibit from donors across the country. The Board of Directors launched a Capital Campaign in an effort to pay off the Heritage Center Construction loan, construct a separate lower level Research Facility and increase the organizations endowment fund.
In 2009 a new educational Exhibit created in 2009 for a two year run entitled the “The Flood of 1942” was mounted. The catastrophic Bayfield flood is shown in photographs with documentation by personal accounts and original Newspaper front page layouts and articles. Period 1942 room settings bring visitors back to the time during World War II when this catastrophic event occurred. This historical and educational exhibit can be seen during Heritage Center summer season hours and the off season program series and events all of which are listed on the Home and Events Pages of this website.
In 2010 The Heritage Vision 2010 Capital Campaign is approaching its original goal with two major contributions:
The final contribution in 2008 was a $75,000 gift/pledge from R. Drake Pike, the great grandson of Captain Robinson Derling Pike, one of Bayfield’s founders. Mr. Pike’s contribution granted him “naming rights” to a section of the Bayfield Heritage Center and he has chosen to have the BHA research facility constructed in the lower level of the Heritage Center and named the R D Pike Research Center in honor of his great grandfather.
The Board of Directyors is extremely grateful to Bob Hadland and family for their 2010 gift of $75,000 to the Capital Campaign. Their generous gift raised the Campaign’s total pledged amount to $384,000, or 85% of the $450,000 goal. The BHA will construct a permanent exhibit honoring Bayfield’s Norwegian immigrants in one of its exhibit halls, which will be named the Hadland Memorial Hall.
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