Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Fish Creek is an unincorporated community
located in Door County
, Wisconsin
, United States
, within the town of Gibraltar
and is located on Highway 42
along Green Bay.
, was built in 1874 and today is on the National Register of Historic Places
. By 1900, summer tourists were frequently visiting the village, and Fish Creek became a resort community.
Fish Creek is also adjacent to Peninsula State Park
, and its main entrance is in the village. The park has a cream city brick lighthouse built in 1866. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is fully restored, furnished with fine antiques, as it looked in the 19th Century, and is open daily for tours in the summer months. Door County also holds the title of the "county with more lighthouses than any other in the country". The great advantage of the almost 4000 acres (16.2 km²) park is that it is the main view from Fish Creek Harbor. The fact that it will never be developed is a great asset to the community. The view of Weborg Point is spectacular, with the huge Gibraltar Bluff looming behind the village. The Department of Natural Resources has also worked to encourage a return of the almost extinct eagles; we are now seeing them frequently and Eagle Bluff is now the home to a number of nesting pairs.
Fish Creek is also home to one of the last remaining clockmakers in the State of Wisconsin. Fish Creek has always attracted artists and craftspeople, and has a fairly large art community; many studios sell their art work and are open to the public. Fish Creek is also home to the Peninsula School of the Arts, founded by Madeline Tourtelot in 1965. Classes in most of the arts are available in the summer months. Not far from the Art School is the Door County Auditorium; it hosts performing artists from all over the country and has had many "big names" perform there. It is also "attached" to the local school so the students may take advantage of the stage for their own productions.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
located in Door County
Door County, Wisconsin
Door County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. Door County is a popular vacation and tourist destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and Illinois....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, within the town of Gibraltar
Gibraltar, Wisconsin
Gibraltar is a town in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,063 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Fish Creek and Juddville are located in the town,-Geography:...
and is located on Highway 42
Highway 42 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 42 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in northeast Wisconsin from Northport's ferry dock to Sheboygan....
along Green Bay.
History
The first settler of Fish Creek was Increase Claflin and his family circa 1844, but the village founder is considered to be entrepreneur Asa Thorp. Loggers and fishermen started settling in Fish Creek in 1853. Thorp owned much of the area's land by that year, and built Fish Creek's first dock in 1855. Fish Creek's oldest unchanged residence, the Alexander Noble HouseAlexander Noble House
The Alexander Noble House, built in 1875, is a Greek Revival farmhouse in Fish Creek, Door County, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 42. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
, was built in 1874 and today is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. By 1900, summer tourists were frequently visiting the village, and Fish Creek became a resort community.
Fish Creek is also adjacent to Peninsula State Park
Peninsula State Park
Peninsula State Park is a Wisconsin state park with eight miles of Green Bay shoreline in Door County. Peninsula is the third largest state park in Wisconsin, and is visited by an estimated 1 million visitors annually.-Points of interest:...
, and its main entrance is in the village. The park has a cream city brick lighthouse built in 1866. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is fully restored, furnished with fine antiques, as it looked in the 19th Century, and is open daily for tours in the summer months. Door County also holds the title of the "county with more lighthouses than any other in the country". The great advantage of the almost 4000 acres (16.2 km²) park is that it is the main view from Fish Creek Harbor. The fact that it will never be developed is a great asset to the community. The view of Weborg Point is spectacular, with the huge Gibraltar Bluff looming behind the village. The Department of Natural Resources has also worked to encourage a return of the almost extinct eagles; we are now seeing them frequently and Eagle Bluff is now the home to a number of nesting pairs.
Fish Creek is also home to one of the last remaining clockmakers in the State of Wisconsin. Fish Creek has always attracted artists and craftspeople, and has a fairly large art community; many studios sell their art work and are open to the public. Fish Creek is also home to the Peninsula School of the Arts, founded by Madeline Tourtelot in 1965. Classes in most of the arts are available in the summer months. Not far from the Art School is the Door County Auditorium; it hosts performing artists from all over the country and has had many "big names" perform there. It is also "attached" to the local school so the students may take advantage of the stage for their own productions.