Long-time Door County summer residents Dr. Carl Kannerwurf and his wife Patricia Sharpe were well-recognized postal historians who were intrigued by their explorations of Kewaunee County. The 45 mph signs indicated something, and research indicated the something was generally what had been an old postal community.

Finding places such as Zavis, Darbellay, Royal Creek, Casco Pier and more, were those few had ever heard of.  Curiosity drove them to discover the 45 Kewaunee County post offices documented in the Library of Congress. Years of in-depth research followed. The resulting history is found in Here Comes the Mail: Post Offices of Kewaunee County written by the Kannerwurfs and Virginia Feld Johnson, c, 2010.

Carl first came to Door County in the 1930s when “Pop” bought property along Lake Michigan north of the Sturgeon Bay ship canal. Enamored with stamps, post marks and postal history even as a youngster, he was writing a book on Door Co. when he was “beaten to the draw.” Meanwhile, as residents and tourists do, he frequented Stangelville to buy Konop’s sausage and Krohn’s cheese. Luxemburg meant kolaches and other Bohemian goodies at Don’s Bakery and the scrumptious Belgian pies at Stodola’s. Albert Theys’ and Hillside orchards at Luxemburg meant apples, and cherries came from Wienke’s Farm Market. Renard’s cheese curds – in Luxemburg or at Rosewood – were favorites. Carl was one who knew Algoma fishermen are recorded as developing the now popular whitefish boils out of necessity while on the lake one freezing cold 1930s day. To stop for a bite at Port ‘O Call in Kewaunee means sitting over the water, watching the boats come and go from the marinas into the lake. Kewaunee’s lighthouse is a treasure and going north on Highway 42 into Algoma, Crescent Beach with Algoma’s iconic red lighthouse at the end of the pier is a feast for the eyes. Both places are great photo ops though Crescent Beach is one of Lake Michigan’s best kept secrets. Its boardwalk, with its benches, offers a chance to walk the beach, picnic, go for a dip or just relax with something special from von Stiehl Winery.

One could almost say Carl and Pat’s forays into the county – and the resulting postal history – came about because of some of the best ethnic foods in Wisconsin. It was in finding communities that are one building, or maybe only a 45 mph sign, that led to Carl’s most recent award. As a late Professor of Electrical Engineering at Northwestern University, Carl’s scientific research has been widely published and he has been the recipient of numerous professional honors. Had he lived to see his latest honor, he’d be beaming while trying to hide it behind a smug little look, like the cat who swallowed the canary.

In honor of his outstanding contributions to philately in Wisconsin, Dr. Kannerwurf was unanimously approved for selection into Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame, 2015. In his nomination, Bill Robinson said, “Carl exemplified both the quiet and studious historian, but was absolutely unstoppable when it came to talking about his specialty. He was a philatelist having serious interests in other collecting areas but the last third of his life was dedicated to Wisconsin postal history collecting, and his book gives testimony to his efforts.”

Waukesha County Philatelic Society supported honoring Kannerwurf who made major contributions to the history of Kewaunee County. The Society felt that the book is a model for other postal historians and said, “It can only be hoped that others will produce similar books about the postal history of other Wisconsin counties.”

The Kannerwurfs’ noted Kewaunee County historical collection has been donated to the Area Research Center at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, to Wisconsin Postal History Society and to other appropriate places. Scanned images of much the collection can be found at Algoma Public Library. All sales proceeds from the postal history and its follow-up Yours Truly, from Kewaunee County, a collection of old picture postcards, is directed to the Kannerwurf-Sharpe endowment at Algoma Public Library where monies are designated specifically for updates in Kewaunee County local history and genealogy.

Here Comes the Mail, Post Offices of Kewaunee County and Yours Truly, from Kewaunee County are available at the Lighthouse Gift Shop in Kewaunee, Village Kitchen in Casco, Krohn’s Dairy Store in Luxemburg, Heritage Hill and Bosse’s in Green Bay, Algoma Public Library and Amazon.com.

To learn more about Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs and more, go to www.wfscstamps.org. The site will lead to many others across the country.