Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club

Waukesha County, Wisconsin

The Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club was founded in 1928 with a membership of five. The club gradually grew into a formal organization during the 1930s, and the group drafted its first constitution in 1939. Since then, members have met for monthly meetings, bird counts, and field trips.

The club was named for a pioneer settler who came to the area that is now Pewaukee in 1842. Benjamin F. Goss, who was born in New Hampshire, was a printer by trade. He and his family traveled west to Wisconsin, where they purchased 160 acres of land that they farmed near the east end of Pewaukee Lake. Over the years, in addition to farming and printing, Goss worked as a merchant, he held public office, and he fought in the Civil War. He was also a renowned naturalist and ornithologist with a worldwide reputation among scientific circles. His collection of North American bird eggs brought him fame, and his extensive collection is now housed at the Milwaukee Public Museum.