The Peshtigo Fire Museum is a museum in Peshtigo, Wisconsin

Peshtigo, Wisconsin

Peshtigo is a city in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of Peshtigo. It is part of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area...

 pertaining to the 1871 Peshtigo Fire

Peshtigo Fire

The October 8, 1871 Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history, killing as many as 1,500. Occurring on the same day as the more infamous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire is mostly forgotten...

 and to other local history. There were 11,555 visitors to the museum in 2000. The museum is located adjacent to the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery

Peshtigo Fire Cemetery

The Peshtigo Fire Cemetery is a cemetery in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The cemetery is the burial location of the charred remains of victims of the Peshtigo Fire, the deadliest natural fire in the history of the United States. Identified victims were buried in traditional marked graves, and over 300...

, where the charred remains of over 350 people were buried in a mass grave. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. The memorial at the cemetery was the first official state historical marker authorized by the State Historic Society of Wisconsin.

Collection

Few items survived the fire, since only one house under construction using green wood was left unburned. A featured item in the museum's collection is the Church tabernacle

Church tabernacle

A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....

 that local Roman Catholic priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 Father Peter Pernin saved by submerging in the Peshtigo River

Peshtigo River

The Peshtigo River is a tributary of Green Bay. The Peshtigo Fire happened in the river's vicinity and some survivors used the river for refuge from the flames. A section of whitewater on the river called the Roaring Rapids is a well-known in the region...

. The tabernacle survived the fire unblemished. Pernin published a book called "The Great Peshtigo Fire: An Eyewitness Account", which was republished by the Wisconsin Historical Society in 1971. The book documents Pernin's account of the tabernacle submersion in the river, rescue, and horrific accounts of discoveries during and after the fire. Other Peshtigo fire items include a small burned Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 and a melted glass dish discovered by a construction worker in 1995. The Bible is open to Psalms

Psalms

The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...

 106 and 107. Several letters with first person accounts of the fire and cleanup are on display. One letter recently added to the collection describes burying nine to ten hundred (900 to 1000) dead. There are several maps of Peshtigo, one before the fire and another showing the extent of the fire. A mural

Mural

A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...

 depicts before, during, and after the fire.

Other items that the museum features include a collection of antique items showing the history of the area. All items in the museum were donated.

History

The museum is located on the site where St Mary's Catholic Church stood before the fire. Pictures showing the former Peshtigo Congregational Church building being moved across the Peshtigo River

Peshtigo River

The Peshtigo River is a tributary of Green Bay. The Peshtigo Fire happened in the river's vicinity and some survivors used the river for refuge from the flames. A section of whitewater on the river called the Roaring Rapids is a well-known in the region...

after a rebuilt St Mary's was destroyed by fire in 1927. The museum acquired the property in 1963 when St Mary's built a new structure at a different location. The museum is open daily from May until October.