Happy 40th anniversary to the Geneva Lake Museum!
The Geneva Lake Museum turns 40 years old this year, plus its curator celebrates her 40th anniversary in the role.
Located at 255 Mill St., Lake Geneva, the museum is a one-of-a-kind testament to the bygone days of the area.
Geneva Lake Museum mural
After opening at 255 Mill St., Lake Geneva, in 2003, Gage Marine commissioned this mural to be painted inside the administrative area of the Geneva Lake Museum. Ed Schwinn (pictured), president of the museum board, explains who the historical figures and which boats and Geneva Lake estates are in the mural, which was painted by Jackie Camodeca.
Ed Schwinn & Helen Brandt
Ed Schwinn, president of the Geneva Lake Museum; and Helen Brandt, museum curator. As the museum turns 40 this year, Brandt is also celebrating her 40th year as museum curator.
Ceylon Court
Helen Brandt, curator of the Geneva Lake Museum, stands at the entrance to one of her favorite exhibits, which is about Ceylon Court, a building that was featured during the 1893 Columbian Exposition, a.k.a. the World's Fair. The doorway in which she stands was in fact a part of Ceylon Court, a building which Frank Chandler purchased and had transported onto Geneva Lake, near South Lake Shore Drive.
818 Geneva St., Lake Geneva
The first 20 years of the Geneva Lake Museum were here, at the Mediterranean Revival home constructed for the family of Peter Messe at 818 Geneva St.
Main Street, Lake Geneva
When visitors first enter the Geneva Lake Museum, they will walk through the “Main Street, Lake Geneva” exhibit.
'Preserving the Past for the Future'
The first room guests see when they enter Geneva Lake Museum.
Lake Geneva Fire Department
One of the exhibits in the Geneva Lake Museum is by the Lake Geneva Fire Department.
On the job
Geneva Lake Museum Curator Helen Brandt processes entry payment from a couple of visitors. "I love the town, I love the people, and the fact that I can be involved in some way in its history is just a wonderful thing," said Brandt, who has been the museum's curator for 40 years.
Sea of green
It was once the headquarters for Lake Geneva’s electric company, and before that, it was the site of a gristmill. Today, covered in a sea of green from vines, the Geneva Lake Museum preserves local history in a unique way.
A dungeon
LEFT: “We came in here and it looked like a dungeon,” said Helen Brandt, of the first reaction to the building at 255 Mill St., which would in 2003 become the museum’s new location. Ed Schwinn: “This was a garage that housed trucks and cables and machinery, all this kind of stuff, and it had dirty, oily floors, and it was really industrial.”
Steve Targo
Special Sections Coordinator
“Let’s face it,” said Helen Brandt. “Lake Geneva has a very unique history.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to help enhance fish populations in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior through its 2023 stocking efforts.
On Sept. 7, witness thousands of acrobatic Chimney Swifts circle and swoop into the chimney at Geneva Lake Museum, 255 Mill St., Lake Geneva.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will award more than $6 million to local groups to protect and improve surface water. The pre-application deadline is Sept. 15.
Hillmoor Ad Hoc Committee set to continue for at least another six months
Lake Geneva approves to apply for grant to determine if archaeological sites located on former Hillmoor Golf Course property
Lake Geneva aldermen discuss options for pier slips to deal with issues related to city lagoon
