Peninsula
Genealogical Society - Door
Co. WI
Peninsula
Genealogical Society - Door
Co. WI
Town of
EGG HARBOR
updated 13 Mar 2010
Town of Egg Harbor
Door County, Wisconsin
FORMER NAMES: None.See: HISTORY OF DOOR COUNTY for more History of Door County including early settlers.
YEAR FORMED:9 Jul 1861-set off from the Town of Gibraltar.
Ransselaer MARSHALL-born in Pensaukee, WI (1830)-farmer;
O.P. GRAHAM-born in Ohio (1816)-arrived 1841;
Milton E. LYMAN-born in Oneida County, New York (1821)-judge and superintendent of schools (1853).
ETHNIC GROUPS:German, Canadian, New Englanders, Irish.
OCCUPATIONS:Farming, Lumbering, Shipping.
EARLY BUSINESSES:(1) LaPlant House, hotel/saloon-Proprietor: Antoine LaPLANT (1880-?)-location: Village of Egg Harbor.
(2) Pier-Proprietor: Capt. N.S. KIRTLAND-lumber and pier (1863)-location: Village of Egg Harbor.
(3) General Store-Proprietor: J.J. BARINGER-also lumber and sawmill-location: Village of Egg Harbor.
SOME FAMILIES ASSOCIATED WITH the TOWN:BARINGER, GRAHAM, LaPLANT, LYMAN, KIRTLAND, MOWRY, THORPE.
MORE TOWN OF EGG HARBOR PEOPLE-Biographies found in: History of Northern Wisconsin-1881
BARINGER, J.J. (dealer in general merchandise, Egg Harbor)
GRAHAM, David (farmer, PO Egg Harbor)
KIRTLAND, Capt. N. W. (pier & vessel owner, Egg Harbor)
LAPLANT, Antoine La Plant (proprietor La Plant House, Egg Harbor)
LYMAN, Judge M. E. (attorney, Egg Harbor)
MOWRY, Lyman D. (farmer & Postmaster, PO Egg Harbor)
THORPE, T. A. (firm of L.D. Thorpe & Son, general merchandise, Egg Harbor)
(1) Moravian Church (1899 Plat Map)-location: 7692 Elm-used as residence (1990).
(2) St. John the Baptist Catholic Church-LOCATION: Egg Harbor, Town of Egg Harbor, Door Co., WI- address: 7710 Highway 42, Egg Harbor WI 54209. Records start date: Baptisms-1872, Marriages-1903, Funerals-1903. For more regarding records see Green Bay Catholic Diocese Archives.
Above: Picture of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church-Egg Harbor Village - Nov 2008 and Sign.
Excerpt From "St. John The Baptist Catholic Church 1876-1986" Pamphlet
"SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH
Organized in 1876 Present church built in 1909
This short history of saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Egg Harbor will better acquaint you with our church, our congregation, its aims and goals. May you be given an inner peace and happiness when you worship in this beautiful old, hard head edifice that was built by our pioneer great grandfathers in 1909.
Thomas (Blackjack) and William (Redjack) CARMODY came to the Egg Harbor area in 1857 settling three miles South of the Village. The two families with fifteen children all told, formed the nucleus of a settlement later known as Sunny Point.
French Canadian families began to arrive in the area in 1865. The first phase of development was in 1876 when Father BLUME, of Sturgeon Bay organized the congregation, known as St. John of the Desert. We were then a mission of St. Joseph, Sturgeon Bay. In 1878 our first church was built on the Northeast corner of the cemetery, two and one half miles South of Egg Harbor. Father B. HUGENROTH at St. Peter & Pauls, Institute, began working with the St. John's Parish in 1888. The congregation had outgrown the small log church. A new Catholic Church, 30' by 40', was built across the road and finished Nov. 2, 1888. The carpenters received $300.00 for their conscientious work.
Priests were stationed at St. Peter & Pauls in the 1880's and 90's. Our catechism children attended a boarding school there that was operated by nuns, and prepared for their confirmation.
The congregation had grown to 59 families in 1897, mostly of Irish and French decent. In 1907 Oblate Fathers of mary Immaculate of the Eastern Province began to incorporate as the Congregation of St. John the Baptist of Egg Harbor.
As the Village of Egg Harbor grew there was a movement to build a church in the Village. A controversy had arisen between the Irish and French families about the location of the church. Finally land was deeded to the Congregation on Jan. 9, 1901, by Charles and Delia LA ROUCHE, and the present site was accepted. Father NOLIN, O.M.I. of Baileys Harbor, the pastor, set about to build a new church. The dedication was recorded Wednesday, October 5, 1910, and was a gala day for parishioners of St. John the Baptist of Egg Harbor. It is interesting to recall the original cost of this beautiful church was only $2,000, excluding the altar and the pews, which were built by Charles LA ROUCHE."
(3) Calvary United Methodist Church (Northern Door County Parish-United Methodist Church)-records microfilmed and can be accessed at your local Family History Center: FHL Film #1597665, Item 8.
(4) Zion United Methodist- (also known early as "Door County Mission" and includes Gibraltar and Egg Harbor)-address: N8781 County Highway F. - Records microfilmed and available to interloan at Family History Centers: FHL Film#1597560 item 6 (Vol. I) & FHL Film #1597665 item 4 (Vol. 2).
There are two stories regarding the naming of Egg Harbor:
(1) First white settler in Door County, Increase CLAFLIN, named it after wild fowl eggs he found while seeking shelter on the shore.
(2) Colonel ROBINSON and other men from Green Bay had an “Egg Fight” as a “good time” at that location and afterwards called the place Egg Harbor.
LOCATION AND ADDRESS OF TOWN HALL:5242 County Highway I. Contact current town clerk for town records.
DAMAGE DUE TO FIRE OF OCT 1871:None.
(1) Egg Harbor (1861-present),
(2) Fetzer (1887-1888), Graceport (1898-1904), Hastings (1902-1904).
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