Egg Harbor

Egg Harbor. A Prosperous Village on the Bay. , Blessed with good farmland and a deep water port, Egg Harbor has thrived since its beginning in 1861. , In the early years, Egg Harbor served fishermen, farmers, and lumbermen. It was the first community in Door County to hard surface its road. The Kewaunee House, a tavern and boarding house, was the village gathering place where residents and travelers alike swapped stories. , The Great Egg Battle , According to legend, a fleet of boats departed Green Bay in 1825 to deliver furs to the Mackinac Island trading post. The men stopped at this unnamed harbor for the night. While landing, the boat crews raced each other to reach the shore first. Eggs were thrown at the leading boat and quickly returned. When the boats reached the shore, the battle continued until the eggs were gone. In honor of the battle, the men named this bay "Egg Harbor." , Resort Getaways , John Bertschinger bought the Kewaunee House in 1904, added dining and hotel accommodations, and renamed it the Harbor Inn. In 1922, he and his brother Paul opened the Alpine Resort on 300 acres overlooking Green Bay. The resort offered golf, fishing, boating, and horseback riding. Steamboats transported guests from Chicago and Milwaukee, who paid $18-$20 per week for lodging and meals. , Horseshoe Bay Farms , The fertile lands around Egg Harbor supported productive farms and orchards. Horseshoe Bay Farms, just south of the village, dates to 1917. The progressive dairy farm was once a breeding site for Holstein-Friesian purebred stock and its orchard operation was the largest fruit producer on the peninsula. In the early 1920s, the farm was Door County's largest employer. , (photo captions) , . Kewaunee House, Circa 1882, The Kewaunee House was Egg Harbor’s first saloon. Today it is the Shipwrecked Restaurant, Brewery and Inn. (Photo credit: Egg Harbor Historical Society) , . View looking south toward downtown Egg Harbor, 1923 (Photo credit: Wisconsin Historical Society) , In 1871, village founder Levi Thorp built this impressive family home. He paid for it with gold dust from the California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, the building houses shops and is on the National Register of Historic Places. , . Mackinac boats on Washington Island, (Photo credit: Dennis Jenesen) , . The Alpine Resort, circa 1930. It is still owned and operated by the Bertschinger family. (Photo credit: The Alpine Resort) , . Horseshoe Bay Farms was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. (Photo credit: Glenn Timmerman, Horseshoe Bay Farms)