Take a step back into time with a visit to the Door County Granary which will celebrate its opening day for the season on May 14th. Built in 1901, the Granary is one of two remaining wooden port grain elevators on the Great Lakes, making it one of Door County’s historic marvels.

Hosted by the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society, the public is invited to visit the Granary between 10am-7pm for a locally immersive experience. Guests will tour the building’s newly rehabilitated and repurposed ground floor located at 72 E. Locust Court in Sturgeon Bay on the city’s West Waterfront and enjoy signature Granary cookies. 

“The Sturgeon Bay Historical Society looks forward to sharing the Door County Granary with our community,” said the society’s Executive Director, Nicole Matson, “we have worked tirelessly to give this living museum new life by rehabilitating and repurposing an agricultural treasure that was influential to Door County’s economy at the turn-of-the-20th century and helped transform Sturgeon Bay into a year-round community.”

Matson said there were originally four granaries that existed on Sturgeon Bay’s working waterfront. They were used by local farm families to help process and sell their harvests and the massive grain bins that once stored Door County peas, wheat, and corn still exist today.

“The Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator is the last one that remains in Sturgeon Bay to honor that prolific agricultural industry,” said Matson. 

During their visit, guests can get an up close look at the 124-year-old structure, its original columns, intact gain chutes and parts of the grain elevator belt and bucket system. The Granary, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, also features interpretive labels for visitors that shares information about the building itself and the Teweles and Brandeis families. 

“The Door County Granary’s presence on the West Waterfront tells a story that weaves together outlying farms, Great Lakes shipping, the Ahnapee and Western Railway, and the shipping canal,” said Matson, “there’s a history of the project that celebrates historic preservation and perseverance." 

Docent-led and self-guided tours will be available throughout the day and attendees will get to explore the living museum free of charge. The Granary will remain open for the season Wednesday-Sunday until October.

Photo Credit: Sturgeon Bay Historical Society