The museum is located in a building which served as one of New Holstein's early general stores. It showcases an extensive collection of artifacts, displays and vignettes that recall the early years of the community.  The Fenn Button Collection is also on display here. Pioneer Corner Museum is located at 2013 Main Street, in the historic Market Square area of New Holstein.

Pioneer Corner Museum is open Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4 PM,  from the first weekend of May through the final weekend of September.

The store was built in 1878 by early New Holstein businessman Karsten Schroeder. In 1885 Karsten bought lots #7 amd #8 with the intention of adding to the store. This never took place and in 1886 lot #8 was sold to Toenges Ahlf, who built a tavern on it. Karsten Schroeder died in 1891 and this property, including lot #7, was sold to James G. Griem.

On February 15, 1901, Peter Iversen Sr. purchased the building and property from Griem. The mercantile business was purchased by the Schmitt brothers in 1914. The Iversen family retained ownership of the property. At this time the front of the building was remodeled to include the show window area, and a narrow addition was built on the north side of the building for additional warehouse space. The Schmitt family operated the store until 1940.

Between 1940 and 1961 the building housed the Western Auto Supply, Al Lyttle's Variety Store, the Janus Co, and the Depies Oil Firestone business.

In 1961 the John D. Iversen property was passed to his son, Lothar Iverson. Lothar Iverson gifted the property to the New Holstein Historical Society on December 29, 1970.

(Information drawn from "The New Holstein Story" as told by Eugene C Wulff, ca 1986) and "Pioneer's Corner: Interesting Facts and Anecdotes of Early Local History" compiled by the New Holstein Historical Society, 2000)

Photos from the New Holstein Historical Society Collection

The work on the one room school house has been completed and a "grand opening" was held. Special thanks is extended to Gerald "Holly" and Geraldine Hollenbeck for their adoption of the project. In addition to Holly and Geri, the Society received a grant of $1,000 from the Wisconsin Antique Dealers' Association, with further financial support from Dick and Deb Griem and Terry and Karen Thiessen. In-kind construction support for the project was generously provided by Mike Miller of Miller Builders, Dick Griem, Herb Buhl, and Bill Heus.
What started out as a plan to do an 8' x 10' vignette has turned into a complete one room school house complete with pot belly stove, a roof and a bell tower, slate black boards and a large collection of period furnishings and school supplies.
The design of the school allows us to either have it open to let visitors walk into the room or when the door is closed, two windows allow folks to look into the room and see all areas of the classroom. The windows are at a level that will give school children a great viewing angle to see everything in the room. The design is based on a photo of the New Holstein elementary school that was located on the property of the current New Holstein Public Library. It shows the interior of the school very well and provided us with a great prototype to construct.

We have received donations of desks, black slate boards that came from either the New Holstein elementary school or the high school (located at the current site of the NH City Hall), school books, desk bells, maps, windows and door. Once again, our friends and members have been very generous in their support with artifacts and documents.