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| Heritage Hill State Historical Park | |
|---|---|
| Name | Heritage Hill State Historical Park |
| Location | Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| Area | 25 acres |
| Established | 1974 |
| Type | State historical park |
Heritage Hill State Historical Park is an open-air living history museum located in Green Bay, Wisconsin offering a collection of restored and reconstructed 19th century structures that interpret regional Upper Midwest settlement, commerce, and daily life. The park serves as a focal point for connections among Wisconsin territorial history, Native American presence, French colonialism, and American expansionism through immersive exhibits, costumed interpreters, and community programming. It functions as a public history institution drawing visitors from Brown County, Wisconsin, Door County, Wisconsin, and adjacent regions including Milwaukee, Madison, Wisconsin, and Chicago.
The site was developed during the early 1970s as part of statewide initiatives to preserve Wisconsin heritage and followed precedents set by institutions such as Old World Wisconsin and Fort Howard. The park's creation involved partnerships with the Wisconsin Historical Society, Brown County, and the City of Green Bay, and reflected growing interest after the United States Bicentennial in preserving 19th century material culture. Early acquisitions included buildings connected to local figures tied to fur trade networks, French fur traders, and American settlers whose archives relate to Jean Nicolet era exploration and subsequent Treaty of Chicago era land cessions. Over decades the park expanded its interpretive scope to include narratives involving Menominee Nation, Ho-Chunk Nation, and Oneida Nation histories relevant to the region.
The park's campus features multiple period structures representing distinct cultural and occupational groups, including a log cabin interpreted as settler housing, a schoolhouse reflecting 19th-century pedagogy, and commercial buildings that evoke a general store, blacksmith shop, and print shop. Exhibits highlight artifacts associated with figures like Juliette Kinzie and institutions such as St. Francis Xavier Church (Green Bay, Wisconsin) as well as printed materials referencing Green Bay Press-Gazette local publishing. The park displays agricultural implements used throughout the 1840s and 1850s, connecting to broader agricultural trends observed in Jefferson County, Wisconsin and Dane County, Wisconsin. Interpretive installations address connections to regional transportation nodes including Green Bay Harbor, Grand Trunk Western Railroad, and riverine routes tied to the Fox River (Wisconsin).
Restoration practices at the park draw on standards promulgated by the National Park Service and align with guidance from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Conservation treatments have been applied to timber framing, period textiles, and printed ephemera, often conducted in consultation with preservationists from Marquette University and conservators associated with the Smithsonian Institution. Archaeological investigations onsite have occurred in partnership with researchers from University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and University of Wisconsin–Madison to document stratigraphy, artifact assemblages, and landscape change. The park has engaged in digital preservation projects resembling efforts at Pioneer Village (Minden, Nebraska) and Conner Prairie to create inventories and 3D records of structures.
Educational programming targets school groups, lifelong learners, and specialist audiences through curriculum-aligned field trips, workshops, and living history demonstrations. Programming collaborates with area school districts such as Green Bay Area Public School District and higher education partners including Nicolet Area Technical College and St. Norbert College to support studies in public history, museology, and heritage tourism. Seasonal events coordinate with regional cultural festivals and institutions like the National Railroad Museum (Green Bay, Wisconsin) and Neville Public Museum of Brown County to amplify themes of immigration, craftsmanship, and frontier commerce. The park's docent and volunteer corps have ties to civic organizations including the Kiwanis International and Rotary International, and training includes museum ethics informed by the American Alliance of Museums.
The park is accessible from major corridors including Interstate 43 and U.S. Route 41 (Wisconsin) and serves tourists traveling between Door County, Wisconsin and metropolitan hubs such as Milwaukee and Chicago. Visitor amenities include guided tours, self-guided trails, interpretive signage, and special event programming; amenities are coordinated with local hospitality providers and attractions like Bay Beach Amusement Park and downtown Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. Seasonal hours, admission policies, and accessibility services conform to state park protocols and recommendations from the National Park Service and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 compliance practices.
Operational oversight involves a partnership framework among Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Historical Society, Brown County, and municipal stakeholders in Green Bay, Wisconsin, supplemented by an active support organization resembling a friends group and foundation. Funding streams combine state appropriations, county and municipal contributions, private philanthropy, admission revenue, and grants from entities such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Capital campaigns for building conservation and interpretive expansion have solicited donations from regional benefactors, heritage foundations, and corporate sponsors with local footprints including Kohler Co. and Schreiber Foods.
Category:Green Bay, Wisconsin Category:Open-air museums in the United States Category:Historic preservation in Wisconsin