City of Sheboygan History Series

Sheboygan County Historical Research Center History of the City of Sheboygan Series of Lectures

Today's topic, program 2: Sheboygan's Lakefront and Riverfront, A City Defined by Water -
In 1837, when the first few settlers began to arrive in the area, the Sheboygan River emptied into Lake Michigan at the foot of Center Avenue. A sand bar at the mouth of the river prevented any but the smallest boats from entering. Over time, piers were added, a harbor was constructed, the river’s course altered and progress made. From its rustic beginning in 1837, through the massive commercial activity of the 1940s and 1950s, to present day usage by pleasure boats and surfers, we’ll follow the lakefront and river history through its growth, near demise and rebirth.

The presenter is Beth Dippel who has been the Executive Director of the Sheboygan County Historical Research located in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin since 2002. Prior to that she acted as Director of Development for the organization from 1998 to 2002.

Her educational background includes a Masters of Business Administration degree from Cardinal Stritch University with a non-profit focus and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Beth has an extensive background in the local history of Sheboygan County and has created and executed dozens of historical programs. For the past 14 years she has been the project manager for a speakers’ series, Second Saturdays, Journeys Into Local History. The series has sponsored 140 speakers with an attendance of just under 12,000 history enthusiasts.

She has also developed and presented more than 30 local history programs dealing with specific Sheboygan County topics in the past four years. Topics have included things like Remembering the Phoenix Disaster, Great Surveys and Surveyors of Sheboygan County and The H.C. Prange Story, It’s Not Yours Til You Like It. On average more than 30 people attend each presentation.

This series is part of “Preserving the History of Sheboygan through Digital Images” which has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Additional funding from the Mead Public Library Foundation.