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Summary
Hedeen Orchard
2165-2199 Hill Road, Town of Liberty Grove, Door County
Frithiof and Emma Hedeen established the Hedeen Orchard in the Town of Liberty Grove in 1922 at the outset of Door County’s “cherry boom.” Located on the site of a former small-scale dairy farm, the Hedeen family transformed the property into a mid-sized commercial cherry orchard during the peak years of the cherry industry in Door County.
From 1945 to 1963, in response to a shortage of local and in-state agricultural workers, the Hedeen Orchard relied on Mexican and Tejano migrant workers to serve as cherry pickers for three to six weeks each summer. During this period, about 700 Door County growers tended over one million cherry trees with a combined production of up to 50 million pounds of cherries each season, making Door County the third largest producer of tart red cherries in the United States.
The Hedeen Orchard’s dependence on Mexican and Tejano migrant workers during this period demonstrates the crucial role these men, women, and children played throughout Door County’s cherry industry. In addition to its 40 acres of former orchard land, the property retains eleven historic resources that relate to its historic function as a cherry orchard that utilized migrant labor. Among these resources are buildings that housed migrant workers each summer, including a small cottage that housed up to four families and a barn that was converted for use as additional migrant housing.
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Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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Hedeen Orchard Listed in the State Register of Historic Places
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Hedeen Orchard in Liberty Grove (Door County) on the State Register of Historic Places.
