BAYFIELD HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
RESEARCH
PRESERVING AND SHARING OUR HERITAGE SINCE 1974
The lower level of our museum houses an extensive collection of digital and physical archives including photographs, maps, newspapers, interviews, and artifacts from our region.
Quick Links: Search | Donate Historic Items
PIKE RESEARCH CENTER
We preserve the important pieces of our past from which we draw stories and insights into the people, places, industries and events that shaped our region.
Our Collection
BHA is actively collaborating with local organizations like Big Top Chautauqua and Mount Ashwabay ski hill, helping to determine historic items of interest and cataloging them for preservation in our collection. This is one way we are helping to capture and preserve Bayfield’s more contemporary history and culture.
Hover or tap each of the items below to learn more about our archive.
NEWSPAPERS
The Bayfield Progress, the Bayfield County Press, and other early newspaper records from the 1870’s forward.
SANBORN MAPS
Detailed maps from 1886 to 1923, showing building locations, approximate construction / modification dates, building materials and more.
3D OBJECTS
We house may object types including communication tools, agricultural implements, household items, transportation vehicles and more.
AUDIO & VIDEO
John Matthew Black Programs, interviews with Bayfield elders and business people, conversation with Norwegian fishing families and much more.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Prints, negatives, slides and digital including work from Emmanuel Luick, Don Albrecht, Burt Hill, Garner Hadland, Big Top Chautauqua and more.
SEARCH
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Property
If you recently purchased a home or property in Bayfield and are interested in learning more about its previous owners and history, you can now search the Bayfield County Register of Deeds online using Tapestry
For further information, contact the Bayfield County Register of Deeds office at: 715-373-6119 or email.
Once you obtain the names of prior owners, BHA can then search our records to see if we have any relevant information on those individuals.
You can also search property tax records to determine dates of major changes or improvements to a property (i.e. when you home was built, etc.) through the Bayfield County’s Treasurer’s Office:
- To access property tax information from 2006-present, go to Property Tax Search.
- You can also find old tax rolls online for most municipalities from 1980-2005.
- For further information, visit the Bayfield County Treasurer site or call 715-373-6131.
Genealogy
If you are conducting genealogical research, please reach out to the History Center & Archives at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, WI.
They maintain naturalization records; birth, death and marriage registrations; census records; and court and tax records for our region and are your best resource for this type of research.
Phone: 715-685-2647
Website: Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center
Other
If neither of the above options provide you with the information you seek, we invite you to fill out our Research Request Form. A team member will follow up with you directly to explore what we might have in our archives.
DONATE HISTORIC ITEMS
If you have historic photographs, documents or 3D items you wish to donate to BHA, please fill out our Donation Request Form and our archival staff will contact you directly to discuss.
BAYFIELD HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
2022 Museum Hours
Our museum is closed for the season. We will see you again in the summer of 2023!
If you would like to visit by appointment:
Call (715) 779-5958