Ephraim

History

The village was founded in 1853 by the Reverend Andreas Iverson as a Moravian Church community. The steeples of the Ephraim Moravian Church and the Free Evangelical Lutheran Church-Bethania Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation are the landmarks of the village as seen from Eagle Harbor. The home of Reverend Iverson, as well as the Anderson Store, the Anderson Barn and History Center, the Pioneer Schoolhouse and the Goodletson log cabin are preserved by the Ephraim Historical Foundation and open to visitors as museums. The Ephraim Historical Foundation also offers walking tours of the village. Since its founding, the village prohibited alcohol sales or manufacture within the village; it was, until 2016, the only dry municipality in the state of Wisconsin. There were two referendums concerning the sale of liquor within the village, in 1934 and 1992. Both times the citizenry voted decisively to keep the village dry (with majorities of 59% and 74%, respectively). On April 5, 2016, village residents voted on two separate referendums to allow beer and/or wine sales within the village, both of which passed by 56% and 68% majorities.

Geography

To the west is Peninsula State Park; to the east and south are unincorporated parts of the town of Gibraltar. Ephraim is located at (45.156509, -87.171047). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The highest point in the village (at the north end of North Orchard Street) is approximately above sea level, or above the surface of Green Bay. The climate in Ephraim is temperate, with warm summers and cold winters.

Race & ethnicity