The history of the “Great Fire of 1871”, known locally as the Peshtigo Fire, lives on with a special virtual presentation from the Belgian Heritage Center.   Historian Barb Englebert Chisholm of Sturgeon Bay will be featured at 1 pm Saturday, October 3rd on a live stream.  Chisholm, a fifth-generation American of Belgian descent with ancestors who survived the devastating fire 149 years ago, will dress in character as her great-great-grandmother.  Chisholm will share a 20-minute story of the Englebert family’s survival.  Belgian Heritage Center Co-chair Joe Alexander says although there won’t be any in-person viewing of the presentation, commemorating the Peshtigo Fire is vital as is the message of perseverance.

The Peshtigo fire took place on October 8, 1871, and swept through northeast Wisconsin, including much of the southern half of the Door Peninsula.  The Belgian Heritage Center will be offering a drive-thru booyah pick-up from 11 am until 1:30 pm on the day of the virtual presentation, October 3rd.

(Photo courtesy of Belgian Heritage Center from 2019 presentation)