The Old-Brule Heritage Society, Inc. was founded in 1998 by a group of historically minded community leaders from all walks of life who recognized that more needed to be done to preserve the disappearing history and heritage of the small rural dairy communities in northern Douglas County, Wisconsin.

We began meeting in the region’s town and village halls, and once organized, sought affiliation with the Wisconsin Historical Society through its Office of Local History.  We began collecting historical documents and materials and established an archive located in the Maple Community Center, near the center of the original boundaries of the old town of Brule and close to modern Northwestern High School which, beginning with its Class of 1950, had begun serving the educational needs in the same communities. 

Now, after over a decade of service to the region, the society works hard to care for the national historical landmark Davidson Windmill, and for the documents, photos and records of those local communities and individuals who thrived near the South Shore of Lake Superior, and who continue to call area farms and forests their home.  Please check out the resources of this web-site.  OBHS stands ready to share with you the region’s history, and the task of preserving it for the generations to come.

Davidson Windmill at sunrise (Photo by Donna Bergsten)