History Comes Alive in Ephraim Church Cemetery

   One of the popular tourist destinations in Wisconsin’s Door County is the tiny village of Ephraim, population 288.  Located along the waters of Green Bay on the western side of the county, it was here in the 1850s that Norwegian Moravians helped establish Ephraim as a settlement.  Rich in northeastern Wisconsin history, this picturesque community is also home of the county’s oldest church.  Founded in 1853, the Ephraim Moravian Church rests high on a hill overlooking state highway 42 as it winds its way along the crystal clear waters of Ephraim’s Eagle Harbor.  Two blocks east of the church is the local Moravian Church cemetery where early Norwegian settlers, village leaders and church members are buried.

   This past September, the Ephraim Moravian Church and the local Historical Foundation presented their 2nd Annual,  “Dearly Departed: A Cemetary Walk Through Ephraim’s Past.”  Area residents and visitors were invited to step back in history as they watched and listened to the portrayals of  Norwegian Moravian settlers and other Ephraim residents teling their stories from the past.  Costumed re-enactors, wearing the attire of the characters and period they represented, used props from the past, and spoke in the dialect of the deceased person’s native tongue to add realism to their portrayals. 

   Moravian Church member, Niles Weborg, greeted c ...