Paul Domsten
Anderson Dock, Door County Wisconsin
On a recent trip to Door County Wisconsin, I stopped by the legendary Anderson Dock.
When I first got there to scope it out, it was raining with a sustained wind of at least 20-30 MPH. Not real good odds of getting a picture. As I waited around for sunset, the rain finally stopped and the sun poked out for just a few minutes to get this shot. I felt fortunate to get something for my trouble.
Per the Door County Pulse website... After Norwegian brothers Aslag and Halvor Anderson recognized the need for a deepwater dock in Ephraim, they constructed one in 1858. Throughout the 1880s, steamers arriving at the dock — most notably from the Goodrich Transportation Company — brought much-needed goods and much-appreciated tourists, and this activity ultimately vitalized Ephraim. Although the dock’s warehouse — the present-day Hardy Gallery — was built to store merchandise, it became a visible reminder of the sailors and ships that had stopped there.
Emily Irwin, outreach director and curator for the Ephraim Historical Foundation, explained that sailors arriving in Ephraim painted the name of their ship and the date on the side of the building as a way to mark their visit.
It’s a bit of a mystery exactly when the graffiti tradition began, but sailors were known to write on the warehouse from around 1910 into the 1950s, perhaps to express their relief and gratitude for a safe passage through the notorious Death’s Door waters, or simply to commemorate their arrival in Ephraim.
In 1949, the Ephraim Historical Foundation purchased the dock and warehouse from the Anderson family, and in 1961, the foundation leased the building to the Hardy Gallery. Through these shifts, however, the graffiti tradition has remained intact, with the public picking up where the sailors left off.
Anderson Dock, Door County Wisconsin
On a recent trip to Door County Wisconsin, I stopped by the legendary Anderson Dock.
When I first got there to scope it out, it was raining with a sustained wind of at least 20-30 MPH. Not real good odds of getting a picture. As I waited around for sunset, the rain finally stopped and the sun poked out for just a few minutes to get this shot. I felt fortunate to get something for my trouble.
Per the Door County Pulse website... After Norwegian brothers Aslag and Halvor Anderson recognized the need for a deepwater dock in Ephraim, they constructed one in 1858. Throughout the 1880s, steamers arriving at the dock — most notably from the Goodrich Transportation Company — brought much-needed goods and much-appreciated tourists, and this activity ultimately vitalized Ephraim. Although the dock’s warehouse — the present-day Hardy Gallery — was built to store merchandise, it became a visible reminder of the sailors and ships that had stopped there.
Emily Irwin, outreach director and curator for the Ephraim Historical Foundation, explained that sailors arriving in Ephraim painted the name of their ship and the date on the side of the building as a way to mark their visit.
It’s a bit of a mystery exactly when the graffiti tradition began, but sailors were known to write on the warehouse from around 1910 into the 1950s, perhaps to express their relief and gratitude for a safe passage through the notorious Death’s Door waters, or simply to commemorate their arrival in Ephraim.
In 1949, the Ephraim Historical Foundation purchased the dock and warehouse from the Anderson family, and in 1961, the foundation leased the building to the Hardy Gallery. Through these shifts, however, the graffiti tradition has remained intact, with the public picking up where the sailors left off.