Saukville loses a landmark as Historical Society folds

The historic landmark fire station in Saukville will be moved this fall to Pioneer Village at Hawthorne Hills County Park as part of an arrangement between the Saukville and Ozaukee County historical societies.

The Saukville Historical Society is dissolving and turning over all its assets and collections to the Ozaukee County Historical Society, Saukville society President Nola Scherer-Luft said this week.

The Ozaukee County group plans to remove the front third of the fire house and transport it the four miles to Pioneer Village, society President Mary Ann Velnetske said.

Plans call for setting it on a foundation at the east end of the village near the 1912 train station and 1940s-era caboose.

“We’re thrilled that it will find a home at Pioneer Village,” Scherer-Luft said.

They hope to move the 25-foot-tall building in October on a flatbed truck that will require We Energies crews to clear electrical power lines, she said.

“That will be our biggest expense,” she said.

She said she hopes the sale of the firehouse will cover the expense.

Last week, the Saukville Village Board gave up its right of first refusal on the historic firehouse at 200 Mill St., opening the way for it to be sold to longtime village resident Dieter Zenikel for $120,000, Velnetske said.

“I hope it’s enough” to pay for moving the firehouse, she said.

Zenikel hopes to store his collection of cars there and perhaps operate a business, real estate agent Troy Bretl said.

What exactly Zenikel uses the building for — whether a business, simply storage or a place to work on cars — depends on the property being rezoned, Bretl said.

“Hopefully that will happen in the next 30 to 60 days. We’re waiting for feedback from the village,” Bretl said.

The building is currently zoned for institutional use, he said.

The back two-thirds of the building, which has served as the headquarters of Saukville Historical Society since it was formed in 1988, dates to the 1940s and ‘50s, Scherer-Luft said.

Over the years, her group spent about $132,000 on restoring the building, she said.

Her group also operated the annual Crossroads Rendezvous for many years beginning in 1991, to celebrate Saukville’s history as a gathering spot for pioneers, explorers and native Americans. It brought thousands of people to the village each year but ended in 2006.

It was resurrected by a group of re-enactors in 2018 but fell victim to the pandemic and was canceled in 2020.

It returned in 2023 and 2024 but will not be held this year, Saukville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Cosgrove said.

Scherer-Luft said “there was no hesitation at all” on the part of the county historical society when it was approached about taking the Saukville organizations archives and collection.

“We were very pleased they approached us,” Velnetske said.

But moving the firehouse was a necessity, Velnetske said.

“We have three properties and don’t have the volunteers to operate another,” she said. “We have limits. We just could not see taking on another property. The best way to preserve it and show it would be to move it to Pioneer Village.”

The 7.5-acre living history museum contains more than 24 buildings dating from the 1840s to early 1900s. They include a one-room schoolhouse and a blacksmith shop as well as the train depot and pioneer cabins.

The Historical Society leases Pioneer Village from Ozaukee County. Its other properties are Stony Hill School in Waubeka and the Hazel Wirth Archives and Research Center in downtown Cedarburg.

The Saukville Historical Society also is donating a 1918 pumper wagon and 1937 fire engine to the Ozaukee group, which will also be relocated to Pioneer Village, Velnetske and Scherer-Luft said.

The lack of volunteers is what led to the demise of the Saukville group, Scherer-Luft said.

“Like many organizations, there just aren’t enough volunteers,” she said. “There are only five or six of us and we’re getting to that age where we just can’t do it all.

“It is sad for all the people who have been involved and put so much time and effort into it and the fundraising that’s gone on since 1988,” she said.

But Ozaukee County Historical Society will carry on, she said.

“If someone has materials, pictures or archives they would like to donate, Ozaukee  will take that on.

“It’s been a historical adventure, to say the least,” she said.

Pioneer Village is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from May 21 through Oct. 30 and for special events.

For more information, visit www.ozaukeecounty.gov/657/Pioneer-Village.