Marshall's Point - Door County, WI

Marshall's Point - History and Background

Marshall's Point is a private gated residential community of just 32 home sites on which only 20 homes have been built to date. Each waterfront property contains a minimum of ten acres of land and the owners share in nearly 600 acres of preserved wilderness mostly on the interior of the peninsula.

An inland pond is transformed into a Currier and Ives skating rink in the winter. A tennis court, a horse stable, and a community garden are all available for owners’ enjoyment. The property was once slated for a golf course development, so "fairways" still define many of the walking and cross-country ski trails throughout these magical woodlands.

Marshall’s Point is located on Lake Michigan in the town of Liberty Grove about 4 miles southeast of the village of Sister Bay. In addition to several miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan and North Bay, the property totals nearly 1000 acres. Marshall’s Point is owned by the Marshall’s Point Association and was designated a State Natural Area in 1986. Strict stipulations are in place that limit development on most of the property confirming that the owners at Marshall’s Point want to maintain their beautiful natural setting in a nearly pristine condition.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, “Marshall's Point contains a relict boreal forest dominated by white cedar, balsam fir, and white spruce. Old beach lines form limestone ledges 2 to 4 feet high and provide local relief on the otherwise level topography. The coastal location along the Door Peninsula, with its cool microclimate, is partially responsible for the presence of the boreal forest and the rich association of mosses and liverworts found here. The vascular plant flora is equally as rich in diversity containing several rare and restricted plants. A northern mesic forest, undisturbed for more than 100 years, is located near the peninsula’s center. Soils have formed over limestone bedrock and have accumulated raw organic matter. These are termed raw humus rendzina, an extremely rare phenomenon. Nesting birds include winter wren, golden-crowned kinglet, blackburnian warbler, northern parula, and white- throated sparrow.”

The land upon which Marshall’s Point now sits was originally planned in the mid-1970s to be a community called Pine Ledges. The property was to include a lodge, restaurant, condominium units, homes, a marina, and a golf course. While the golf course was cut out of the woods, the development never received DNR approval; and the bank ultimately foreclosed. While the DNR wanted to acquire the property for a new park, funds were not available for its purchase from the bank.

Ultimately, Claes Nobel, a Milwaukee resident who relocated from his native Sweden in 1959, developed a successful plan to create Marshall’s Point. Nobel was a descendent of Alfred Nobel the inventor of dynamite and the founder of the Nobel Prizes. Claes Nobel is still to this day a strong supporter of the environment and his plan for Marshall’s Point reflected his interest in two key ways. First, the community would have just 32 home sites, with each site having about 10 to 15 acres and shore frontage (typically 400 to 500 feet) on either North Bay or Lake Michigan. The balance of the acreage would be a shared private nature preserve; plus the planned golf course would become trails for hiking, bird watching, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing. Second, a portion of the initial sale proceeds benefitted the Earth Aid Society, an organization set up by Nobel to support environmental causes.

This gated community is a world unto itself; but just a short drive to shopping, dining, and all the cultural opportunities that abound on the Door peninsula.

Please consider becoming a homeowner at this private waterfront nature preserve.