Heritage Park, Plover Wisconsin

Geotag information GEO: 44.4567, -89.55403

The Heritage Park, located in Plover, bordered on the West by Madison St., on the East by Washington St., on the South by Willow Dr., and on the North by the Railroad tracks, is the result of Maurice Perret's and John Anderson's foresight in the late 1970's. They were responsible for the purchase of the Old Plover Methodist Church and two plots of land under the structure. The Village of Plover later donated this cost to the society. This was the beginning of what is now an eight building village. In 1983 the board of the society purchased the other 6 lots in the park and moved the Franklin/Calkins House onto the site. The remaining structures have been gathered from all over the county and brought to Heritage Park with the intention of preserving and showing what life in Portage County was like between 1870 and 1910.

The park follows a two theme presentation of its structures. The west side of the park is set up to portray community life and the east end both rural and unique structures from the county. This "preserve" of historic buildings would otherwise have been torn down and lost. The Society has endeavored to create a living monument to life in Portage County during its early settlement years.

The park is open from Memorial Day thru Labor Day each Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. (Check our Calendar for all dates and times.) Contact the Society for other viewing times.

Buildings At Heritage Park

***Buildings along Washington St.***
GB&W Caboose 617	This car, rail and ties were donated by the Canadian National Railroad about a year after it's acquisition of the Wisconsin Central Ltd. This car will be restored to its original colors and number 617 (had been renumbered to 117).
Bancroft RR Depot	The depot was originally located in Bancroft on the Wisconsin Central Railway. It was built in 1898, and later became part of the Soo Line. During its heyday, the depot was an important stop on the "P line": the Soo Line's branch extending from Portage to Point (hence the name).
Pierce Building	The Pierce building was built by the Pierce family in the Village of Plover and functioned as a grocery and butcher shop from the time that it was built. Future plans will utilize the front section as a print shop to house our extensive collection of printing machines. The rear portion will be replaced by a barn.
Hie Corner School	This school was built in about 1894 on the corner of County Trunk V and County Trunk T. This is just a few yards from the Portage-Waupaca line about 18 miles east of Plover. The school functioned until the late 1940's. During April and May approximately 600 fourth grade students from the Stevens Point School District spend a half day at the school.
Post Office Doctor's Office	This small structure was one of several Post Office buildings that served the Village of Plover and the Society moved it in 1990.

***Buildings along Madison St.***
Church/Museum	This building, the oldest standing church in the county, was built about 1857 by the Presbyterian Congregation. Some 9 years later, 1866, the building was sold to the Methodist Congregation. This is the ONLY building on its original building site
General Store	This building was brought onto the site in 1989 and will represent what a general store would have looked like in the late 19th Century. The building itself served as a wide variety of businesses in the Plover area for well over 100 years. This building will be restored to an operating General Store of the period 1890 - 1910.
Blacksmith Shop	This structure comes from the Town of Buena Vista and one of the earliest homesteads in the county. It has been restored to a fully functioning blacksmith shop.
Franklin/Calkins House	The Franklin/Calkins House was first obtained by the society in 1983 and moved to its current site during that summer from its original site on Highway B just west of I-39 at the site of the current Rainbow Falls Water Park. The house was built in 1857 at, roughly, the same time as the Old Plover Methodist Church.

***Buildings along Willow Dr.***
Engford/Barnsdale House	The Engford/Barnsdale House or locally known as the "Circus" House was moved to Heritage Park on Dec. 7, 2000. Several Circus families have owned this house over the years.

***Other Buildings***
Yellowstone Cabin	This cabin represents a little known piece of history, namely "The Yellowstone Trail "