Rock Island Historic Thordarson Estate Boat House

Rock Island is a wooded island off the tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula at the mouth of Green Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. The uninhabited island is approximately 1.6 miles long and 1.1 miles wide and is almost entirely owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which maintains Rock Island State Park. The ten historic buildings on this island were built by Icelandic inventor, Chester Thordarson as part of his summer estate in 1910, and are listed as part of the Thordarson Estate Historic District (NHRP # 85000641). The buildings were uniquely laid with Lake Superior limestone, many with washed, rounded field stones by Icelandic crafts people. They were in need of restoration work to manage some deferred and ongoing maintenance needs.