Low Tech Enahnces High Tech

Every summer at Heritage Village, something remarkable happens—though not always in the way one might expect. Our visitors come to step back in time, to run their fingers along hand-hewn beams, to sit at antique desks, to peer into iron stoves and lantern-lit corners. But what they often find is not just the past—it’s a deeper connection to the present.

Our volunteers witness these moments of connection every day. Some are quiet, like the thoughtful gaze of a child inside the Vignes Schoolhouse, imagining lessons without electricity or internet. Others are more vivid—laughter shared on the porch of the Greene Store or awe at the clang of hammer on anvil in the Blacksmith Shop. The buildings at Heritage Village may be still, but the stories inside them are alive.

What you’re about to read is one such story. It reminds us that while history teaches us about where we come from, it also has the power to shape how we treat one another today. One small act of kindness from a volunteer—born from an old-world skill—transformed an ordinary visit into something deeply meaningful.

“We are all privileged to observe people of our modern world visit the remarkable environs of Sturgeon Bay’s Heritage Village and to marvel at the preserved/reconstructed buildings. We witness elations of discovery as our guests envision themselves venturing into activities and lifestyles that are long forgotten.

Visitors may try to put themselves in the shoes and bonnets of the 1890’s teacher in the Vignes one room schoolhouse; or imagine helping to build from scratch the first church in Ephraim; or living in a rustic home with no plumbing and wood heat; and may even be a bit smug about how convenient and less troublesome their present lives are. However, hopefully, our Village spurs us to appreciate the strength and creativity of those folks who came before us.

So, history should teach us lessons, if we allow it to.

Early in July, I witnessed a situation where the ancient directly benefited the present. I had given a tour of the schoolhouse to a visitor from Illinois who used a three wheeled electric scooter due to some physical limitations. I suggested that he next visit our village blacksmith. (The blacksmith was an essential mechanic and engineer in yesterday’s village.) Our resident blacksmith, Rolf Olson, is a kindly man of many skills. Rolf generously shares the concepts of his craft with the visitors and communicates in a friendly manner, but on this day, he went far beyond his demonstration.

As Rolf was working, he noticed that the man in the conveyance had difficulty accessing an electric control that was located behind his chair seat. Rolf surveyed the problem and analyzed a solution. And, in a few minutes and many purposeful blows of his hammer, he created a piece of steel at the correct length and angulation to aid the man in adjusting his modern electronic conveyance with ease. So, you might say that a very old technology enhanced a very new invention, but more correctly : a kind, skillful, local volunteer put himself forward to help a total stranger and that, perhaps, is one of the functions of our Heritage Village.”

By Dennis M Connolly