The next time you visit Wisconsin’s Coast Guard City, you will have the opportunity to learn about the military branch’s history and its connection to Door County. The Door County Maritime Museum is putting the final touches on its new Sentinels of the Door exhibit, exploring the history of the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the Lighthouse Service, and the Steamboat Inspection Service before they merged with the U.S. Coast Guard. The history includes the state’s oldest lighthouse on Rock Island and its first lifesaving outpost in Baileys Harbor. With Sturgeon Bay serving as a Coast Guard City since 2014, Door County Maritime Museum Deputy Director Sam Perlman says the new exhibit will celebrate Door County’s three local Coast Guard units that have preceded them.
The exhibit, along with tours of the Tug John Purves in Sturgeon Bay and the Cana Island Lighthouse near Baileys Harbor, will open on May 1st. The Door County Maritime Museum will host a dual celebration on Thursday, April 24th at 11 a.m. in honor of the new exhibit and its five-year re-designation as an official US Coast Guard City.
Picture courtesy of Door County Maritime Museum
