Centerpiece of the Corner of the Past, the Old Anderson House is believed to have been built in the Marinette, Wisconsin area and moved across the ice of Green Bay to its present location in the 1880s or 1890s.  It became the home of Alex and Emma Anderson.

After Alex’s death in 1915, Emma remained to raise their two children and to tend the 80-acre farm that Emma’s father had left.  Years later, Emma moved to Ohio and remarried, but still retained this home, and visited from time to time during the summers.  By the late 1960s, the visits became fewer and fewer, and the house fell into disrepair.  In 1993, the Village of Sister Bay bought it with the intent of tearing it down.

A local high school science teacher, David Lee, gained permission from the Village Board to use the funds slated for demolition to begin restoring it.  Lee died several months into the project, and the newly formed Sister Bay Historical Society completed the restoration.  The Old Anderson House Museum was dedicated to Lee in August 1996, and opened to the public in October 1997.

Later, the Village purchased an additional 6 acres, and transferred ownership of the property to the Historical Society.  Over time, community members have donated artifacts and additional buildings that showcase early life in Sister Bay.