Ozaukee County Pioneer Village — Attraction in Town of Saukville

Review of Ozaukee County Pioneer Village – WWII Encampment (Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, May 8, 1945)

The WWII Encampment at Ozaukee County Pioneer Village offered a compelling and informative tribute to the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. The event provided valuable insights into Wisconsin’s role during World War II, especially concerning the prisoner-of-war (POW) camps established throughout the state.

Visitors learned about the locations and conditions of these POW camps, and how the United States handled Axis prisoners compared to other Allied nations. Unlike some countries where retribution against Axis prisoners was common and treatment often diverged from Geneva Convention standards, the U.S. largely upheld humane treatment. This principled approach stood in contrast to harsher practices seen elsewhere, such as in Soviet camps, where many German POWs never returned home—though one of my own great uncles did survive and eventually came back.

One especially compelling story was that of the first Japanese POW held in Wisconsin. After the war, he returned to Japan and went on to lead a successful life, passing away in 1991—a testament to the potential for reconciliation and human resilience even after global conflict.

Overall, the encampment was a powerful reminder of the complexities and moral challenges of war, as well as the importance of remembering how we treat both our allies and...

Visiting here was like going back in time. It was set up like a small town. All the buildings were numbered on the outside of each building and had a year and information on each one. We even ran into a woman who knew people that actually went to their one room schoolhouse. She gave us some interesting stories, and we got to ring the outside school bell too. Some of those buildings were actually moved from a different site and then put back together at the Pioneer Village. You get to go into these different buildings and see for yourself how pioneers lived, the furnature and clothing from back then, was period correct. There were many business buildings from back then, barns, farm equipment,and family homes from back in the day. A lot of history there. It was interesting and well put together. It was organized too. There was a Pavillion there too, and I must say, they had the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen at a place. I was impressed. Be sure to visit the welcome center, pay for your reasonable tickets to view the village inside there and pick up your map of the village and see what items they have in their smal gift shop. It was a worthwhile trip there and I learned a lot. It was...

Ok, I live in Fredonia so this may be slightly biased, but I'll give ya the lowdown on this place. The last visit included the fantastic Antique Tractor Show that was being held on the grounds too. The "grounds" being several acres including several old (late 1800's to early 1900's) buildings recreating a small community from that era. While we were there the buildings were open and were furnished with things from the time period. There was a tiny chapel, blacksmith, dentist/doctor office, log cabin, train depot, gift shop, farm buildings, homes, and a large modern pole building housing nice restrooms and concessions available during events. Several open to the public events are held here throughout the non snow months and are usually pretty cheap. The tractor show was 5 bucks to get in and the food for sale was quite reasonable, the pies were amazing!! This would be great place to take young kids thru who are learning early history in school or anyone just wanting to get a glimpse of yesteryear. Highly...