Institute in Sturgeon Bay in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Institute Saloon

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 31, 2026

1. The Institute Saloon Marker

Inscription. John Wester, an early German pioneer, built the saloon in 1895. Mail was brought by stagecoach and handled by owners until 1906 when rural delivery was inaugurated. In 1905, John Moore added on the large hall. By 1912, during the Joseph Petersilka ownership, wrestling matches and square dancing were held for the community July 4th celebrations. The Institute Cubs, a baseball team, was organized then as well as a social club. The location is enhanced by Door County’s largest eastern cottonwood tree. It stands over one hundred feet tall. With a circumference of twenty-two feet one inch and having an average crown spread of ninety-seven feet as of January 2007.

Erected 2008 by Door County Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Horticulture & Forestry • Settlements & Settlers • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.

Location. 44° 53.604′ N, 87° 17.277′ W. Marker is in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in Door County. It is in Institute. It is at the intersection of State Highway 57 and Dunn Road, on the right when traveling south on

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State Highway 57. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4599 Wisconsin 57, Sturgeon Bay WI 54235, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pioneer Farmer (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Orchards of Door County (approx. 2½ miles away); A Fortunate Mix (approx. 3.2 miles away); Town of Sevastopol (approx. 3.2 miles away); Site of Carlsville School District No. 3 (approx. 4.7 miles away); Stone Souvenirs (approx. 5.6 miles away); Whitefish Dunes State Park (approx. 5.7 miles away); Ship's Skeleton (approx. 5.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sturgeon Bay.

Regarding The Institute Saloon. The unincorporated

The Institute Saloon image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 31, 2026

2. The Institute Saloon

community of Institute appears on maps, and drivers on Highway 57 are greeted by signs when driving through. However, the Saloon and other buildings here have Sturgeon Bay addresses, and the community is in the Town of Sevastopol. Institute is named after the Catholic boarding school that was once nearby.

Also see . . . Door Dives: Institute Saloon. From the Door County Pulse.

Excerpt: “Another claim to fame is a ghostly presence in the building. When Schartner and Haen took over in 1995, they learned the place comes with a resident spirit. In a 2015 Pulse interview, Schartner shared that the eerie energy some customers experience might be Mabel, who owned the saloon from the 1950s until 1992.”

(Submitted on August 1, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 1, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 1, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.