Dr. Kate Museum

The country doctor has played a vital role in the history of Wisconsin’s great Northwoods. Among giants of the breed was Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb, who is remembered as the “Angel on Snowshoes” for her dedication in reaching patients when the winter roads were impassable.

A physician with a dream, Dr. Kate spear-headed a movement to build a hospital in Woodruff, Wisconsin. The lowly penny became a symbol of the project when local students sought to collect a million of them for Dr. Kate’s hospital. The absurdity of it all, a humble Northwoods doctor and school kids collecting a million pennies to build a hospital, captured the imagination of the American people and the world. Donations of pennies came in from every state along with many foreign nations.

To preserve this moment with the dedication of one woman and a sense of community made the country cheer, the Dr. Kate Museum was created in 1988.

The Dr. Kate Museum/Historical Society continues to preserve the history of Dr. Kate, the long time history of Woodruff and the Million Penny Parade. Please join us by getting involved– volunteer, donate, create, preserve, dream.