The town hall was opened in the 1930s. In 1938, the library was established after Michael W. McArdle left the money in his will to start up a library in the town. Additionally, the building houses an auditorium and the town clerk's office. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The house was built by folk artist Albert Zahn and his wife, Louise. Zahn displayed many of his bird carvings on the property and named it Bird's Park. Other carvings by Zahn included other animals and Biblical figures. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Albert Zahn was the uncle of August Zahn, whose Blacksmith shop and house are also on this tour of historical Baileys Harbor.
The Baileys Harbor upper and lower range lights - also known as leading lights - are a pair of lighthouses - used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel. This is the upper light of the pair in Baileys Harbor. The range lights were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Note that you can walk directly to the lower range light (the next stop on your tour) by taking the boardwalk to the south of this range light - you can see the lower light at the end of the boardwalk. Also note that this boardwalk crosses The Ridges Sanctuary (the fifth stop on this tour). Stop in at the Ridges building to purchase a $5 trail pass if you plan to walk the Ridges trails.
The Baileys Harbor upper and lower range lights - also known as leading lights - are a pair of lighthouses - used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel. This is the upper light of the pair in Baileys Harbor. The range lights were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Note that you can walk directly to the lower range light from the upper range light (the previous stop on your tour) by taking the boardwalk coming from the of this range light - you can see the upper light at the other end of the boardwalk. Also note that this boardwalk crosses The Ridges Sanctuary (the next stop on this tour). Stop in at the Ridges building to purchase a $5 trail pass if you plan to walk the Ridges trails.
The Ridges Sanctuary is a 1,600-acre nature preserve and land trust in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. It is listed as a National Natural Landmark, Important Bird Area and Wisconsin State Natural Area. It was founded in 1937 and was the first land trust in the state. The property includes a series of sand ridges and swales with associated boreal forest and bog vegetation.
The August Zahn Blacksmith shop and house were built in 1904-1912 in the late 19th and 20th century revival style. They were listed in the National Registry of Historical Places in 2000. August Zahn was from Germany, and was the nephew of Albert Zahn, whose house is also on this historic tour of downtown Baileys Harbor.
Built in 1867 this building is a clapboard structure in the Greek revival style. The site served as a hotel from 1874 to 1886. It was operated by Roger Eatough, a local politician. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and on the State Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The introduction for this tour stop is currently under construction. Check back soon for more information. For now, this is just a place holder with 50 words so that the stop can be included in the downtown Baileys Harbor historical walking tour. The Toft House houses the Baileys Harbor Historical Society.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
Downtown Baileys Harbor has a number of interesting historical buildings. This tour leads you to several of those sites. Please check back regularly as we add sites to the tour.
