Press Release

North Point Lighthouse presents John Gurda and “Milwaukee On Tap,” a history of brewing beer in Milwaukee.

The North Point Lighthouse is pleased to present “Milwaukee On Tap”, a lively look back at the beverage that made Milwaukee famous by distinguished local historian John Gurda.

By North Point Lighthouse Friends, Inc. - Sep 18th, 2017 11:23 am

Milwaukee on Tap

The North Point Lighthouse is pleased to present “Milwaukee On Tap”, a lively look back at the beverage that made Milwaukee famous by distinguished local historian John Gurda.

Good water, abundant ice and a substantial German population made Milwaukee a logical center of the brewing trade in the mid-1800s. Within a generation of its founding, the city was home to some of the largest brewers in America. Join us as Gurda talks about the “amber nectar” that shaped Milwaukee’s character and cemented its image in the national consciousness as the center of the brewing universe.

Gurda will speak on Thursday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the North Point Lighthouse museum gallery, located at 2650 North Wahl Avenue on Milwaukee’s historic East Side. The lecture is open to the public and online registration is encouraged. Tickets can be purchased at “Milwaukee On Tap”. The cost is $25 for members of the lighthouse and $35 for nonmembers.

All proceeds from the event benefit the mission of the North Point lighthouse to “to preserve the North Point Light Station, to inspire appreciation of its importance in Wisconsin maritime history and to promote its use consistent with the character of Lake Park and the surrounding neighborhood.”

To celebrate Oktoberfest, the lighthouse will tap a traditional German StichFass keg featuring a seasonal brew from Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery. Everyone who purchases a ticket will receive a free pint glass featuring both the “Milwaukee On Tap” and lighthouse logos. Additional glasses will be available for purchase.

There will also be drawings with the chance to win a signed book by Gurda and an individual, one-year membership to the lighthouse.

Gurda is a well-known Milwaukee-born writer and historian who has been studying his hometown since 1972. He is the author of twenty-one books, including histories of Milwaukee-area neighborhoods, industries and places of worship. Gurda’s most ambitious efforts are The Making of Milwaukee, the first full-length history of the community published since 1948; and Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods, a geographic companion that has quickly become the standard work on grassroots Milwaukee. Making of Milwaukee was the basis for an Emmy Award-winning documentary series that premiered on Milwaukee Public Television in 2006.

In addition to his work as an author, Gurda is a lecturer, tour guide and local history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He holds a B.A. in English from Boston College, a M.A. in Cultural Geography and an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The common thread in all of Gurda’s work is an understanding of history as “why things are the way they are.”

Ticketing and Event Information

Tickets are available to the public through the lighthouse website at “Milwaukee On Tap”. Or contact Sue Grzeca, 414-332-6754 or email keeper@northpointlighthouse.org. To engage or follow the “Milwaukee On Tap” social conversation, visit the lighthouse Facebook page at North Point Lighthouse.

About North Point Lighthouse

The North Point Lighthouse and Museum, located at 2650 N. Wahl Avenue within Lake Park, is a historic, maritime treasure. Each year, thousands of people from the surrounding community, region and around the world visit the lighthouse to experience its beauty, history and charm. The beautifully restored 1888 lighthouse tower and keepers quarters are open to the public every Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm throughout the year. The lighthouse has been preserved and restored through the efforts of the North Point Lighthouse Friends, Inc., formed in 2002. The museum has been open to the public for tours and visits since the completion of restoration in the fall of 2007. The mission of the North Point Lighthouse Friends, Inc. is to preserve the North Point Light Station, to inspire appreciation of its importance in Wisconsin maritime history, and to promote its use consistent with the character of Lake Park and the surrounding neighborhood.

Please visit northpointlighthouse.org to learn more about the lighthouse.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.