Door County has so much beautiful shoreline, with boaters plying the waters and pulling to shore all over the peninsula. At Anderson Dock right along Highway 42 in Ephraim, they’ve been signing their names on a building for decades. Tastefully.
Anderson Dock is a dockside warehouse whose exterior walls have been adorned with the names of boaters who have “signed” names – or their boats’ names – as they’ve pulled up to Ephraim in Eagle Harbor for many decades. Essentially, it’s graffiti, but as long as it stays tasteful and creative, the community welcomes it. That means no carvings or spray paint, but you can see how plenty of other alternatives have been used throughout the years.
The dock is named after early Ephraim settlers Aslag and Halvor Anderson, who bought 166 acres in town in 1858. Their intention was to build a deepwater dock for both community and visitor use, which worked well. By 1890 Ephraim was a standard port-of-call for visiting steamships, bringing summer vacationers who would bring money into the local economy.
The legacy of the Andersons lives on throughout the historic portion of the Village of Ephraim; you have the Anderson Family Homestead, the Anderson Ice House, and the Anderson Gas Station Gallery along with Anderson Dock in town. The dockhouse, however, is most popular and one of the most Instagrammable (that’s an adjective now, right?) places in Door County. Walk around it, observe the names, colors, and the beauty of Anderson Dock while you enjoy the scenery throughout the town and across the harbor to the bluffs of Peninsula State Park.
You’ll find Anderson Dock in Ephraim, just off Highway 42 in town. A stop for ice cream at Wilson’s is also a must when in town!
Anderson Dock Address:
3083 Anderson Lane (Highway 42)
Ephraim, WI 54211
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