A I-I I S T 0 R Y 0 F

NEENAH
Compiler! by

S. F. SHATTUC J , Chairman
IRS. T--IUGH W. ROBE RTS /- l\ IRS. ARTHUR RITGF.R
JOH N T OLVERSF.

/- A !BROSE OWEN

l\ IA YH E\V l\'10 1T /- E DWA RD J A DREY

!11 collaboration with t!te

NEENAH HISTOR ICA L SOC IETY

P ublislzed P riv ately

EENAH
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25. Fl~uring. ........... :.. J.fill
26. SashIJ(Jor &BwzdFacfl
27. Saw............. ......... .Mill
'!-8. Glo"be,Papez: ............Mills
29. Flour.. ___ __.-- .. ___ ... Hi,/ls
30. Smitk&Procfors.ltiuring.Mill
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In 1910 the third ward was divided at Second Street,

everything east of Second Street becoming the filth ward.
This ward division was in effect until December 1, 1957.

". Il

COMPOSE D, PRINTED AND llO UND lff

GEORGE BANTA COMPANY, INC,
MENASHA, WISCONSIN

ACKNOWLE DGME NTS

from the length and breadth of ou r Twi n Cities have helped to assem ble
the material in th is volume. T o si ngle out a few who have been especially helpful
is hazard ous, but we take th at risk :
P EO PLE

John Studley-John's roots are deep in Neenah's past. His treatise on " J ournalism"
and his summary of the 192o's are but symbols of his cooperation.

C. H . Ve!te- Charley is responsi ble for the research and write-up of the " Legal
Profession" and in in numerable ways has aided t he committee.

Charlotte Mcintyre- Charlotte contri buted her literary " know-how" and made the
i 94o's one of the more readable portions of t he book .
Lowell Zabel- L owell's treatment of " Communications" in Part II is a delight.
Dr. ]. M. Donovan- Out of his long associati on with the dental profession, not only
in Neenah, but in the State of Wi sconsin, came the \ioctor's contribution in
Part II.
Ebbe Berg- Ebbe did a painstaking job of research on "Growth and Development
of the La bor Movement."
Dr. and A1rs . T. D. Smith- No one associated with the medical profession was so
un iquely fitted to deal with t hat section of Teenah's history as were Dr. and
Mrs. T. D. Smith.
Mrs . Arthur Ritger- If we may invade the membersh ip of the H istorical Committee,
we wou ld com mend Mrs. Ritger for her persistence in assembling the Church
H istory.
!Vlrs. William B urger- H elen carried th e secretarial work of the comm ittee from its
inception to the spring of r956.
Mrs. Raymond Smith- \ i\/ithout whose persistent research in so many fields an d her
voluminous ty pi ng, this project wou ld still be dragging its heels.
Mrs. Hugh Roberts- Another member of the Com mit tee. H er history of Neenah's
schools is almost a book in itself.
T o t hi s list we add our thanks to Mrs. M . L. ~randsmark for her painstaking
research and to those who helped wit h photographic material: George Huebsch,
an d the Card & Camera Shop, ] im Auer and others at the News R ecord office, t he
Ill

IV

HISTORY

OF

N EE N A H

Soo L ine Railway, i\Iunroe Studio, H oward Angerrneyer, Vand erwalker Studio,
J ack Casper, Harrison S mith, J oe E ngel and Bill M iller. A.nd to H arry Bishop
and E. A. K alfahs, who helped immeasurably with bot h p hotograp hic material and information . Other helpers, too numerous to mention, are noted t hroughout the contents o f the book. \Ve trus t t hey fo u nd t he joy and satis faction they deserve t hrough
partici pation in th is work.

s. F. SHATTUCK

Chairman

FOREWORD
a young man, G . A. Cu nnin gham , pu blished a. book spannin_g t he.years between t he comi ng of. t he
first white man to this region and the year 1878. C unnrn gham was editor of the Neenah (}azette, and hi s book, "History
of Neena h,'" was printed in hi s little print shop on the second floor of
t he Pettibone Block (site of t he First National Bank).
E ight decades have come and gone since Cunn in gham signed off. It
was at J ohn Tol versen's sugges tion tha t a committee came into being
during the spring of 1955 to consider what might be done to record , for
t he benefit of posterity, the essential facts, happenings a nd movemen ts of t hose 80 years. Names of t hat committee appear at t he
end of t his foreword.
T he cornmi ttee began its work by listing th e variou s fields and areas
of com nrnn ity life to be explor ed, and delegating specifi c respon sibili ties to many citizens. Th e response was generous. A vas t a rray of
historical data from chu rches, lodges, soc ieties, sc hools, municipal
function s, spor ts, t he professions and indus try fl owed in . O nl y 30%
of Neena h's commercial enterprises responded.
It was obvious at t he outset that our problem was more complex
than C unning ham faced in t he 187o's. He could keep Neenah quite
single in his t hin king, whereas now life in t he Twin Cities is intert win ed, in du strially, sociall y, economically and rel igiously- one Community Chest, one Chamber of Commerce, one sewage disposal plan t,
to m ention but t hree of the many factors that bring not only Menasha,
bu t Appleton, into any historical study of Neenah.
We make no apologies for t he fact t hat this is t he work of amateurs.
On the contrary, we in vite t he reader to share it with us. At t he rear
of each chapter of Part I will be found blank pages on which we hope
readers wil l make note of anything that t hey feel would add to t he
value of the volume.
Vve particu larly urge our readers to note any inaccurac ies.
Th e above comment is made in t he consciousness t ha t Neenah wi ll
recognize her cen tenni aJ of ci ty hood in 1 973. As t ha t event looms up
I GHTY YEARS AGO,

Vl

A HISTORY

OF

NEENA II

over the horizon, it may well be t ha t some more competent historians

will desire to add to, or re-do t hese pages.
To thi s end we suggest t hat all comments and criticis ms be passed
to an offi cer o f the Neena h H istorical Society.
You will note t ha t t his volume is in two parts.
P art I takes a bird's eye view of the Cunningham era, evaluates the
significan ce of th e Fox waterway in th e development of t his area, and
brings in to v iew t he many products of sc ien ce, r esearch and in vention
tha t have so profoundly altered t he lives of ou r people, par ticularl y
since th e turn of th e century.
Part I t hen continues as a stor y, by decades, recording, in condensed
form, t he growth of Neenah from its crude beginnings to t he robust
and cul tured community of 1958.
J n Part II will be fo und a major portion of t he source material th at
cam e in from in terested citizens t hroughout t he length a nd breadth
of our Twin C ities.
Th rough use of t he Table of Contents, refer ence may be made to
specific subj ects, as one scans t he decade material and desires full er
information .
S.

F.

SHATTUCK,

(hairman

MR S. H ucH (H ELEN) R OBE RTS

MAYHEW MoTT

MR s . ARTHUR (H ELEN) R ncER

AMBROSE OwEN

EDWARD } ANDREY

J oHN

S.

ToLVE R SEN

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

111

FOREWORD.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . .. . . . . .

P ART

THE C UNNINGHAM ER A IN PERSPECTJVE......... . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comparative D ates of Village and Cityhood- Neenah and Menasha- Treaty of Cedars, and Government Project to Civilize Indians -H arrison Reed Contracts to Purchase Indian Lands in Winnebago
R apids- -Harvey Jones F urn ishes Money- -His Early Death- feenah is Narn ed- - How Doty I sland Came to be Divided Between
the Twin Cities- -Significance of the Fox Ri ver- -Navigation at
Neenah

THE 184o 's

TO

r86o's ................ ... ...... .. .. . . . . . . . .

First T own Meeting- -Early Social Organ izations- -The "Green"

- -First R eligious Service and Early Churches- -Oak Hill Cemetery
- -Menasha Wooden Ware- -First School- -Telegraph Cornes to
Neenah- -Laudan Fields - -Cooper Trade- -First Paper Mill
IMPACT OF SCIENCE AN D I NVENTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2r

Significance of the Auto

TH E r 87o's.. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . .

29

Some Commercial and Industrial Begi nnings - -Ri verside Park- Neenah Achieves Cityhood- - "First" Telephone Exchange- -School
Growt h- - Early Ice Houses~-Gas Lamps Replace Oil

THEI88o's ............... . .......... . ....... . . .. ........

4T

Neenah Library Association Organized- -Eclectic Reading Circle,

vVomen's Tuesday Club, Y.T.&F. Club, W.C.T.U.- - School Expansion
- - Stevens Roller Crushing Process- -Electric Power and Interurban
Transportation- -City Hall Built- -First Sewer System- -"Pettibone Block" Burn s- -C. B. Clark Elected to State Legislature

THE r89o' s ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I nterurban Service- - Econom ic and Social Progress--Lincoln School
Built- -Football Champions hips- -Community \i\later System
VII

57

A HI S TORY

VI II

OF

NEEN AH

T 1-1E i 9oo's .............. . ........ . ...... .. ......... .

67

Boys' Brigade
l':lllergency Society and V NA
Ccn tral Labor
Bod y Forllled
Colllmercial Movem ent - Industrial Progress- Killlberly School Buil t- - Church growt h- -Th eda Clark Hospital
--~eenah Auditorium Company

T HE 1910's...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

81

1
\;\ orld War I - -A Byproduct of \Var- -First P layground Equipment
- -Shattuck Park- -Young Women's Club- -Kimlark Bui lding- Church Movement- -Industrial Ins and Outs- -Com mercial Enterprise- - "Bill" Clark Enters Public Life- -No License Campaign- Vall ey Inn

THE 192o's...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

97

\\/omen's Suffrage- - D isastrous Sleet Storm- -Social, Ind ustrial and

Commercial P rogress- -Boy Scouts
F irst I LYA Regatta- -Doty
Cabin- -Mrs. Stuart P resents Kim berly Poi nt Park to City- -Senior
Hi gh School Built

TH E 193o's.. ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

109

Bank H oli day

Combatting Unemployment--Business as Usual
with Our Schools- -Basketball Team to State T ournament- -I ndustrial and Commercial P icture Broadens- -Church Matters- -Sewer
and \Vater Systems- -First Full-T ime Assessor- -Parks
TH E

r94o's...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

l 2J

"Pearl H arbor"- -Draft Boards and R ationing- -lndustry Converts

to \;i,lar- -Army-Navy "E" Award- -Vf<: and VJ Days and a City
R eturns to Peacetime P ursuits- -Cham ber of Commerce- -Swi mming P ool- -Industrial Expansion- -Churches Keep Pace- Broadening Commercial Base- -Oak Street Bridge

THE 195o's...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Histor y in the Making- -Ful l-Time Mayor- -Ci ty Di vided into T en
Wards--Signifi cant Industri al, Social and Professional Movement
- -New H ome for VNA- -Marathon l:". xpands into Neenah, Merges
with Canco- -I CP Moves to Neenah- -New Kimberl y-Clark Main
Office--Merger of 1eenah P aper Compan y and Kimberly-Clark
Corporation- -I nterest in City and Area Pl anning- -Police Boat- - -Veneti an Parade- -Power Boating- - Ri verside Park Pavilion
- -Bergstrom Museum--School Construction- -C hurch Movement- -Niels Thomsen- -C. F. H edges- -Our Shrin king Dollar

143

" T he past is not somethi ng that we have left behind

us . . . it is something t hat moves along with us"
(A. J. T OYNB E E, " A Study of H istory."
Oxford P ress, T934)

(Courtscy of Sao Lim)

T he

1eenah-Menasha

area as seen from the air on a wi nter day.

A HISTO RY OF N EEN AH
P A RT

THE CUNNINGHAM ERA IN PERSPECTIVE

have made Neenah our home during t he first h alf
of t he twentieth centur y owe a lasting debt of gratitude
to G. A. Cunningham, Editor of t he one-time Neenah
<;;azette, for recording t he salient facts of t his settlement
from its beginnings to the year i 878. Now we, a volunteer committee, take a perspective look at the So years that have com e and gone
sin ce Cunningham's time. We, too, hope to h and on to a future generation something of t he chain of association t hat links their generation and ours with t hose who have gone before. A wr iter in a recen t
issue of "Wisconsin Magazine of History" r emar ks, "His tory is a
poin t of view, a p erspective, and not a period of tim e." " The main
objective," says this writer, "is not so much the tracing backward of
historical streams to their remo te sources, as the inducement of a
vision of t he current history fl owing to us from the past." Thu s it
shall be our hope, while recording fac ts and data, to detach ourselves
from a bare recital of fact, and suggest the widen in g fl ow of life as it
comes to us out of t he p ast. As we address ourselves to this task, it
seems advisable, perhaps inevitable, t hat we overlap Mr. Cunning-

E WHO

T he "Grand Loggery" of T erritorial Governor James Duane Doty in its original set ting facing the mouth
of the river.

HISTORY

OF

N E EN AH

ham , whose book covers, in a con versa tional fashion, t he s tor y of thi s
area from its earli est days to J 878.
For .in stance, ma n y citizens of Neena h ha ve asked wh y it is t hat
M enasha celebrated its centenni al in 1953 and N eenah must wait
t wen ty years longer, till J 973, to celebrate hers. T he answer is t hat
M enasha's cen tenni al in 1953 d ated from t he in corporatio n of
M enasha as a village in J853, whereas Neenah awai ts t he r ecogni tion
of her h undred years of city hood in 1973.
(Incidentally, t he hope is expressed that wh en N eenah's turn to celebrate comes around, somethin g m ore original t han t he growin g of
beards m ay be t hought up.)
T he compara tive dates of village and cityhood ar e :
M enasha- inco rpor ated as a v illage-Jul y 5, 18 53
Menasha- incorpora ted as a city- March 5, 1874
Neenah- incorporated as a village- M arch 28, 1856
Neenah- incorporated as a city- Marc h 13, 1873
The vi llage of Winnebago Rapids, which was t he nam e given to
Neena h in th e earl y days, was established b y the Ci rcui t Court of\Vinnebago Co unty on April l o, 1850. Winn ebago R apids was absorbed b y
th e vill age of Neena h when it in corporated on March 28, 1856. O ffi cer s
a nd tru stees elected a t that time were : J. B. Hamil ton, Presiden t;
A. G. LaG range, Cler k; J. R. K imberl y ; J er emi ah C ummings; E d
Sm it h ; D.R. P a ng born ; H. G. Cran e ; and A.H. Kronkite (above data
taken from Barney 's H istory of Winnebago (ounty, chapter 52) .
T o bri ng the full pic ture in to view, let us roll th e years back to t he
1 rea ~ y r)f t he Cedars in 1836, wherein th e Menomin ee t ribe ceded to
t he u ni ted States all lands lying wi t hin what is now \Vinn ebago
coun ty, wh ereupon t he governm ent set aside as " Ind ian Lands" an
::i.rea bounded on the nor t h b y t he chann el of the Fox Ri ver fl owin g
t ..rough Neenah; on th e east by Lake Winn ebago, and on t he sou t h by
the F ox Ri ver fl owing t hroug h Oshkos h. Th e western limits appear to
be som ew hat nebulous, but it is ass um ed t hat t he \Volf Ri ver form ed
the western boun d ary. Th e M enomin ees were settled on this t rac t.
During t he middle I 83o's, t he F ederal Governm en t under took a
civilizi ng project in behalf of this t ribe. A grist m ill, a saw mill and

THE

CUNNINGHAM

ERA

Th e Old Council T ree. T his historic tree stood near the site of the two residences at the nor th e nd of North
P ark Avenue. I t deri ved its name from its use b)' Indian tribes for council purposes. When the channel
was dredged in the la te 'Sos, the point was cut back and rounded off. lt was a t this time t hat the old tree
disappeared.

several log stru c tures were built in wha t is now Neenah, and an effort
was made t h rough vocational teachers and o th er personnel to educate
t he In dians in the indu s trial and agricultural arts of t he whi te man .
T he Indians would h ave none of it, and t he experimen t was discontinued. The t wo mills lay idle. Th e Indians continued to use the log
houses, built for hum an habi tation, to stable th eir a ni mals.
In I 843 N eenah' s pioneer, Harrison R eed, associated with the
lvfilwaukee Sentinel, contracted to buy from t he government " several
hund red acres" in t hat part of t he Indian land s known as "Wi nnebago
Rapid s," when and if t he area shou Id be opened to publi c purchase.
It is repor ted t hat thi s agreement to purchase covered 562- 4+/Ioo
acres. Tt in clu ded a ll of t he waterfront sou t h of t he Neena h ri ver
ch annel, and practicall y t he heart of present-clay Neena h. T o get
some idea of how much 562 acres is, let us say t ha t on it one could

A HISTORY

OF

NEENA H

lay out four 18-hole golf co nrses and have 82 acres left over. R eed's
purchase price was $4,700, bu t he had no money. H e was, however,
able to secure bondsmen. One condition of his contract was that until
and unless t he tract was opened to public sale, h e was forbidden to sell
any of the proper ty.
I t was expected t hat R eed wou ld rehabilitate t he two mill proper ties
and other buildings that were falling into decay, b cit he had neith er
fond s nor could he secure th e labor for such a task. The In dians, as we
have indicated, weren ' t in terested.
He played a waiting game un til J 846, when the tract was put on the
market. Then came his chance, provided he could find som eone with
funds who could and wo nld come to his rescue. Through the good offi ces of a pioneer Congregational missionary, R everend 0. P. Clinton,
and other fri ends and relatives in M ilwaukee and Waukes ha, such a
savior was found in the person of Harvey J ones, a SL1ccessful young
businessman of Gloversville, New York. In return for money ($4,700)
to pay the government, R eed offered J ones one-half of his ]and in
"Winnebago Rapids." Th e money was paid by J ones to Reed in J uly,
1846, wher eL1 pon he (R eed ) hurried to Washington, payi ng his bid
price with interest and received his paten ts for the land.
J ones visited his newly acquired holdings in late r846 and earl y
1847, moving to "\iVi nn ebago Rapids" in i 848, and died here in November, r849, at the age of 44. His death, in the ligh t of retrosp ect,
was most regrettable. Not onl y was he an able and far-sig hted person,
but misunderstandings and disagreemen ts between J ones and R eed
left their relationships in a legal tangle.
R eed and the J ones' estate ow ned the more des irable property, now
the heart of Neenah, south of the river chann el. \i\lhereas se ttlers
fl owed in and took up land where they could get it, purch ase of the
choicer ]ands was retarded by inability to get clear ti ti e. Both Mr.
Cunn ing ham and Ri chard Harn ey, in his History of Winnebago
(ounty, in dicate that the terms of the contrac t between these two
men will probably never be know n. Tt is kn ow n, h owever, that their
real esta te hold ings were in undivided half interes ts. T o make matters
worse, J ones left no will, and the handling of hi s estate by its adm inistrators is referred to as a scandal. T o quote Cunningham, " I t is a

TH E

CUN

G llAM

ER A

d a rk page in t he hi s to ry of Neenah , fo r had t he proper ty here been

spa red t he years ( 1850- 1864) of need less li t igatio n, durin g which no
o ne could , wi th safety, p L1 rchase, t here is no q Ll estion bll t wha t t he
g rowth and wealt h of Neenah would have been increased t hou sands of
inh a bi tants a nd millio ns of dollars."
As to 1 enasha a nd D oty Isla nd, t hese lands were o u tside t he Ind ian reserva ti o n, were surveyed in 1833, and o pened to purc hase in
1 835 . C unning ham in d ica tes t hat here, too, settl emen t was r etarded
b y la nd sp ecu lators, G overnor D oty being o ne of t hem, who boug h t
and held for hig her prices.
Thus, betwee n delays d u e to " Indian L a nds," legal tangles a nd land
specu lators, t he T win C it ies got off to a late start, compared to Appleton and O s hkosh.

N._eena/1 f s N...amed
In spi te of his fin ancial d iffi cul t ies, H a rri son Reed held to his fai th
in t he fu tur e of t he area, even securing fo r it a post office in r8++ a nd
nam ing it "Neena h. "
H ow t he n ame" eenah " came to be attac hed to t he local ity is attribu ted to Governor D oty, w ho, meeti ng with a ba nd of rnd ia ns o ne
day, asked, poin ti ng to t he ri,rer, " Wh a t is th at?" Th e In d ia n answered, " N eena h," being t heir word for water. D oty liked th e word
a nd appli ed it to t he regio n. \ i\lh en la nd in \i\7in nebago R a pids was
op ened fo r sa le in 18+6, settlers t ri ckled in , purchas in g lan d lying ou ts ide t he R eed-J o nes t ract. Th e name "Neenah " came in to common
use and became attached to t he vill age and eventua ll y to t he city.
George J ones, a g ran dson of H a rvey J o nes, li ved his life o n la nds to
th e wes t of Neena h. Durin g his active years h e took part in chu rch
a nd other affairs o f o ur city . H e was one of t he o rigin a l leaders of t he
Boys' Brigade. L atterly he li ved alone wit h his dogs in a cabin near
Pi ckett. He kn ew of t he historica l p roj ec t of this comm ittee, a nd on
Novem ber T 5, 1955 , ind uced a neig hbo r to bri ng hi m to town for a
v isit wit h 1r. S ha ttuck. Th e p urpose of hi s visit was to req uest that
reference to hi s g ra ndfather, H a rvey J o nes , o n page 6+ of C unnin gham 's histor y, be corrected. T he o bj ec ti o nabl e paragraph was as
follows:

HI STORY

OF

NEE

AH

" \\'e have from the lips of a gentleman, now a resident of this state, who knew
J ones and his family in ~ew York, t he following incident as illustrative of his trading propensities while yet a boy. It was a habit of J ones' father, who was owner of a
~ew England Farm, to give each of his boys a piece of land which they c ultivated
for t heir own profit, putting in just such crops as t hey wished, and disposing of the
sam e as best suited them. It is told of H arvey J ones, t hat no sooner would the other
boys get their crops in than he woul d begin bu ying and trading with t hem, and as
a rul e, by ha rvest time he wou ld own or control t he prod uct of each boys' bit of
land."

G eo rge's fath er , G ilbert J ones, was o ne of t he t hree so ns of Harvey.

George, in hi s vis it of November i5, 1955, said t hat his fat her had
branded Cunn ingh am's stor y as fal se. G eo rge J ones d ied s hor tl y
t hereafter at the ripe age of 92. W e hereby keep faith with him.

Ifow Voty I slaJJd (ame To 'Be 'Divided 'Between t/Je T win (ities
Since ente ring upo n this hi s torical proj ect t he qu es tion has been
asked , " H ow and whe n was D oty I sland divided- half to Menas ha
and half to Neena h ?"
T he early hi s tories of the region (C unni ngham , Lawson and Harney) don 't sp ell it out. Rath er, they seem to take it for g ranted. Th e
hi sto ri cal bac kground of the problem is as follows :
Th e town s hip of Neena h was defi ned and organized F e bruar y l I,
1847, by an act of t he terri torial legislat ure. I t com pri sed T ownship 20,
ranges 16, J7 and t he nort h ha lf of T ownshi p 19, ranges 16 and 17. To
pu t it in more unders tandable terms, t he o riginal towns hip of Neenah
em braced t he present town of t hat n am e, plus t he present towns of
M enasha, Vin land and Clayton.
I n J 849 the towns of Vinland and Cla yton were split off and given
independent s tatu s, and in l 855 t he presen t town of Menas ha was
taken fro m t he o rig inal town of N eenah . The village of M enasha was
cons tituted o n Jul y 5, J 853, while still within the township of Neenah.
Th e above separatio ns w ere g uided by sectio nal lines. \i\lhen it came
to di sposition of D oty Tsland, it was found that t he island lay almost
exac tl y between t he no rth and south lin es of section s 19, 20, 2 1 , 22 and
23 of to wn 20 no rth, range l 7 eas t . If sectio na l lin es had been foll o wed,
t he is land would have go ne eit her to M enas ha , wit h o nl y a s li ver o n
the sou th sho re left fo r Neenah, o r Neenah wo uld ha ve acquired t he

THE

CUNNINGHAM

ERA

main body of t he island , with a thin s trip on the north east corner left
fo r Menasha. Thu s, it beco mes easy to follow the thinking of citizens
and legislators of t ha t day. I t is o l)\rious t hat a /1alj section lin e was
projected from west to east across t he island, with approximately half
of t he land area passing to each community. This was, of course, before there was a N icolet Boulevard. T here was, however, a wagon road
cut t hrough the bush to connect wit h a bridge built by Neenah in
1851 and with Menas ha's bridge from Tayco Street to t he island, buil t
in I 852. T h is wagon road later became Neenah's North Commercial
Street and Menasha's Washington Street.
At som e later date t his original east-west d ividing lin e was moved
100 feet south . T his new li ne, which eventually became t he center line
of N icolet Boulevard, extended from Lake Winnebago to the center of
what was t hen Cedar Street (now North Commercial). From t his
point t he di,riding line jogged north 100 feet along the center of\iVashington Street, t hence west along the original half section line to Little
Lake Butte des Marts. T hus, t he present division of the island is not
along a straigh t li ne from east to west between the two lakes, bu t
rather a line with a 100 foot jog at t he junction of Neena h 's North
Commercial and Menasha's Washington Streets.
T he Central Brass Company finds itself on t his half sectional line,
with a corn er of their building in Neenah and t he main bod y of their
plant in Menasha. T he dividing line comes in through an east window
and out a sou th door!
Sign~ficance

of the 1'o x 7(iver

The importance of the Fox R iver fl owing out of Lake Winnebago

and into Green Bay cannot be overestimated as one contemplates the
life of t hat day. T he waters of Green Bay are 163' below the level of
our lake. To make the ri ver navigable for ca rgo-carrying boats, locks
were necessary. Later t he F ederal Government took over, but during
the i 84o's, t he matter of locks was up to private enterprise. T he big
question was, wh ere s hou ld t he first Jock be located, on t he Neenah
channel or in the branch of t he ri ver flowi ng t hrough Menasha? At a
hearing in 1849, before a Federal Commission meeting in Oshkosh,
Harvey Jones, speaking for the Neenah group, offered to build t he lock

10

HI S TORY

OF

NEENAH

without cost to t he governm ent. Curtis R eed, aided and abetted by

Jam es Du ane D oty, offered to build t he lock in t he M enas ha channel
and pay $s,ooo for t he privilege. Th e lock was, of cou rse, built in
Menasha on the site of a more adequate installation later construc ted
by t he Federal Engineering D epartmen t. J ones and hi s associates,
no t to be deni ed, went ahead with t heir lock anyway, t he use of which
was shor t-li ved.
This incident, wi t h its accompanying bitterness, started a train of
unpleasantness, jealousies and tensions between the two cornmu ni ties
t hat lasted into t he early 194o's, when the service clubs, a common
C hamber of Commerce, one newspaper, joint Community Chest and
the fri endl y gestures of successive high school generations closed the
gap and brough t about t he cordial a nd cooperative spirit that now
exis ts between t he Twin Cities.
W hen Kimberly-Clar k, in 1940, buil t t hei r new mac hine room at the
west end of the Badger-Globe mill, t hey came upo n the timbers of the
disused lock begun by Harvey J ones and finished by his friends and
t he administrators of his estate.
<:/J~

We insert at th is poi n t Howard B. Palmer's sketc h which adds color

and valuable data to the story of our historic waterway :
NA//IGATION AT NEENAH
The se t tl ement now kn own as Neenah-Menas ha had its origi n largely because of
its strategic locati on for water transportatio n. The Indians settled in t he area for
that reason, and the white man followed for the same reason. Thus, water tran sportation has always p layed an important role in the comm u nity. Activities on the
waterfront are today at proportions that probably outshine eve n those old " heydays" when the great s teamer " Leander-Choate" filled the locks wit h only inches
to spare and loaded to capacity with excursion crowds on all th ree of its decks.
As the India ns tra veled and traded via canoe on the F ox River and Lake Winnebago, so came t he white man with hi s bateau and fl at boat bent on pursuing trade
and travel. As the population and t rade inc reased, the need for simplification of
navigation hards hips grew. Thus, early in the 19th century, came the private enterprise that dammed t he river and buil t locks to remove the drudgery and time and
cost of portaging around the many rapids .
Thi s privately owned "toll fin anced" project contin ued fo r a few years, until it.
was absor bed by the T erritory of Wisconsin, who later di sposed of t he endeavor to
an oth er p rivate compan y, in exis tence today, " The Green Bay-Mississippi Can al

THE

CUNN I NGHAM

l I

ERA

Co." This private concern expended " huge" sum s of mon ey for develop ment o f t he
navigation and power of th e river and did a t h riving business as an economic venture.
Then came the Civil War an d, with it, need for federal control of waterways in t he
interests of the nati onal welfare. So the nav igatio n rights were sold to the federal
govern ment for some $ro,ooo,ooo, with the power rights s till held by t he p rivate
company as it exists today .
A recon strn ction period followed, when locks, and dam s, modern for the day, were
const ructed with federa l fonds, toll was re moved and na viga ti on on the Fox R iver,
\i\lisconsin, became, ton nage-wi se, second only in t he United States in rivers o f its
class. The " Merrimac" in the east carri ed a few more tons an nuall y.
All t his activity, and the removal of tolls, had a material effect on the use of t he
waterway as a means of pleasure. M otor laun ches and palatial yachts bega n to
appear on L ake Winnebago and the Fox R iver. Yachting and boat clubs came into
being. Two o f those later merged into one, t he Neenah-Nodaway Yacht Club, whi ch
tod ay holds th e distin cti on of being t he second oldes t in I orth Ameri ca.
T o review t he roster o f inh abita nts of Neenah in th e 188o's and 189o's is to read
a directory of boating and yachtin g enth usiasts. The craft varied widely as to type;
motor lau nches, steam yachts, sai li ng cargo vessels, side wheelers, s tern wheelers,
saili ng yac hts, canoes and row boats all mi ng led together to give t he twi n " port"
of eenah-Menasha a nautical atmosphere whi ch is in strong evidence in this yea r
of 1957.

H.B.

P A LMER

Four of the shallow draft paddle wheelers that plied these waters at the turn of the century carrying
freight and passengers up and down the Wolf and the Fox rivers and the lengt h and bread th of Lake
Winnebago. D uring the summer months, these shi ps were in demand for excursions. Neenah's Riverside
Park was one of the popular ports of call. T he old pavi lion was pl aced a t the north end of Riverside Park
to accommodate the visitors coming by wa ter.

T HE

184o's TO 186o's IN C L US I VE

of the era covered by Mr. Cunn ingham 's histo r y may appear to some as a twice- told tale. On the other
hand, a clean pick-up of the story at the year 1878 wou ld
leave much to be desired. Therefore, we record a rundown
of a few "firsts" and other significant data, with the suggestion that all
readers add to our efforts as their memories are jogged or as they come
upon pertinent facts and interesting incid ents in the course of their
conversations and reading.

JGH LJGH'f'JNG

The First Towu Meeti11g

The first town meeting in the recently opened settlement of " \\'innebago Rapids" occurred in 1847, one year after the area was open to
purchase. I t preceded by 26 years Neenah's incorporation as a city.
Associated with these dates is the year 1 848, when the territory of Wisconsin became a state.

early Social Orgauizations

As may be imagined, various forms of social and mutually helpful
organizations sprang up in t he pioneer settlement. The first of many
such groupings seems to have been the Lodge of Odd Fellows, c hartered in 1849. This lodge continued for ten years, when it su rrendered
its charter. In F ebruary 1870 the c har ter was reinstated and the organization t hencefor th continued live and serves to this day.
A lodge of Free and Accepted Masons was organized in Menasha, as
Lodge 61, in early 1855 . Menasha and Neenah men constituted its
membership. Earl y meetings were held in i\ Ienasha, but since October
of that year ( 1855) meetings ha ve been held on the l eena h side o f the
line. The Masonic Temple at 241 East Wisconsin r\ ve nue was dedicated in 1926.
13

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Tlze "<;/rent"
Many earl y set tlers had their roots in New .England wh ere the vil lage "green" was and still is an in stitution. Therefore, one of t he early
acts of these settlers was the setting aside of our "Green," now know n
as Col urn bi an Park, in Neenah 's ten th ward. It is said on good authori ty that our "Green" antedates th e ded ication by N ew York City of its
famou s "Central Park ."
First 'l(eligious Service and early Churches
Mr. Cunningham records the first Protestant Ser vice in the Winnebago Rapids tract in 1845, one year before t he area was opened for
sale. The meetin g, conducted by an itin eran t Methodist minis ter, was
h eld in the residence of Harrison R eed and in clu ded all the white popu lation then in the area, seven in all.

The "old s t one barn," said to have been buil t b y H arrison Reed in 1847, one year after his purchase of
562 acres of land in " Winnebago Rapids." This s tructure, now a residence, s tands o n t he eas t side of
South P ark Avenue. This is one of t he o ldes t, if not the oldes t, landmark in eenah.

T H E

1 84 0 ' S

T O

1 86 0' 8

INCLUS I VE

IS

T he fi rst d uly constituted c hurch cam e into being in April 1847,

wh en twelve persons from t he twin set t lern en ts presented letters fron1
easte rn P res byteri an and Cong regational <;: hu rc hes and formed a
ch ur ch loosely affi liated with t he Congregational co mmun ion. T hey
met in a log struc t ure on Eas t Doty Avenu e. On D ecember r 5, I 848,
t his congregatio n voted to becom e t he First" Pres byter ian C hurch of
vVinnebago R apids . T h is early churc h, t hen, is the source from which
sp rang t he present Fi rst Pres byterian Church of Neenah.
T hree years later, in 1851 , t he Menasha members with d rew and
establ ished t he F irst Congregational C hurch of t hat city.
In the year 1848 a Welsh Calvi nis t ic M ethodist Church, shepherded by an itin erant pastor, was establis hed. T hi s little cong regation
worshi pped in wh at was called t he "Brick C hurch," located on t he
corner of Division and C hestnut Streets. T hi s brick s tructure is presently owned by Henry Kemps and has been skillfo lly incorporated
into a com for t able home with entr ance at 600 C hestnut. Th e exterior
has been s tuccoed and painted an artis tic green. T his w els h congregation persi sted until t he turn of t he century, wh en they disbanded a nd
their mem bership uni ted with other congregations.
Another W elsh c hurc h, affiliated wit h t he Congregational denomination, came into existence in 1861, with a meeting house called t he
" \~lhi te C hurch" on East Colu mbian Avenu e, near Pin e S t ree t. This
congr egation, like its predecessor , con tinued until t he first decade of
t he 20th century, when i ts members hip disbanded and join ed other
communions. Early Neenah owes muc h to its s tu rdy Welsh p ioneers.

Oak H itt Cemetery

I t was in t his earl y decade (1849) t hat Har vey J ones, who initiated
several forwa rd-l ooking plans for th is locali ty d uring his brief life here,
d onated fi ve acres for a cemetery. T his was the core arou nd whi ch Oak
H ill Ceme tery developed. Little d id h e dream wh en h e made t his g ift
t hat hi s body wou ld be am ong the firs t to be interred t here.

M enasl1a Wooden W are Company

T he pioneer indu stry o f t he Twin Citi es, and one t hat h as com e
down from I 849 to the present, is t he M enas ha \Nooden \tVare Compan y. At t hat tim e M enas ha was on its way to becon1ing a set tl ed co m-

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

muni ty. (Land s on t he Neenah side, it wi ll be r emembered, were not

released for purchase t ill 18+6. ) Tn .18+9, three men, M ess rs. B eckwith,
Sanford and Bill in gs started a small lumbe r mi ll on t he site o f t he presen t Menas ha Wooden \Vare Company. Thi s p roperry was so ld in J 850
to Keyes, Wolcott and Ri ce, who in turn sold to El isha D. S mith for
$ 1,200 in 1852. O u t of t hat m odest beginning g rew the far-flung
Menash a W ooden Ware Company of 195 7. For the fuller story, as related by Dona ld C. S hepard, see Part II.

The First School

Lik e churches and cerneteries, an early concern of t he p ioneers was
educational faciliti es for t hei r children. In 1847, wi t h t he settlem ent
less than a year old, a frame building, design ed for a grocer y s tore, one
mil e so uth of Neenah on th e Ridge R oad, was converted in to a oneroom schoolhouse. Carolyn Boynton was t he teacher, and her s tud ent
body of 1 2 became the beginning of Neenah 's public school sys tem .
Within a year t hereafter the firs t schoolh ouse within t he settlement
was constructed near t he v illage "Green. "

early 'Blacksmith Shop s

Beginning bL1siness in I 866, Evan J oh nson and Ole 0. M y hre
bought the propert y now owned by t he \ iVieckert Lumber Comp an y
and co ntinu ed the smi thing business under their and Olaf M yhre's
ownership throughout th e horse and bugg y era. See P a rt JI for this
stor y and a lis t ing, compiled by Olaf A. M yhre, of the other blacksmith shops that ser ved t heir generation un t il t he corn ing of th e auto .

Tlze T elegraph (omes to J\(_eenah

r8 52 (nine years before t he outbreak of t he Civ il War) is a signifi can t year, in that telegraphic com munication came to N eenah, and
put ou r forebears in instant tou c h with the outer world .

1(acial clements
Early mingling of racial elernen ts in the two com rnuni t ies of Menasha and Neenah is seen in the Germani a Society of r 856 and the

TH E

l 8 4 O'S

T 0

l 8 6 O'S

INC LU S I V E

M enas ha Turner Soc iety in I 862. It was this latter society that in
1862 built t he sti ll useful structure, known as Germania Hall. The two
societies (Turn er and Germania) merged in 1888 und er the name
"German Untersttitzungs Verein," later c hanged to "Germania
Benevolent Society."
.(a11dan Fields

A second addition to Neenah's even tual pa rk system cam e in i856,

when t he so-cal led Laudan Fi elds came into possession of t he communit y. Th e legal record of t his gift is somew hat obsc ure. For years
t he prop erty lay quite idle, but cam e to life as t he city stretched southward following World War II.
Yachting

As the life of the sett lement broadened, we note an earl y record of

yach t racing on Lake \Yinnebago, with Governor Doty's son p articipating in t hi s sport in 18 59. Five years later, 1864, the Neenah Yacht
Club was organ ized . From t hat day on yac h ti ng has passed through
man y vic issit ud es, finall y emerging into t he fu ll-blown and democratic
spor t now evid enced by a harbor so packed with sail and power craft
t hat it is d iffi cult to find dockage and anc horage fo r all who desire to
enj oy t he spor t.
lVfore [lwrcl7es

Th e first Episcopal service in t he area was conducted in Menasha

in 18 57. St. tephen's paris h was inco rporated in 1859 and held their
first service in a new church ed ifi ce on F irst treet, Menasha, in 1861.
Trinit y Episcopal was su bsequently organized in Neenah through the
missiona ry effo rts of the Menasha congregation . T he habitat of t he
Neenah cong regation was a wooden stru cture built in 1869 at the
corn er of East Franklin anrl \ Valnut Streets. The two paris hes e\rentually com bin ed to fo rm the present St. Th omas Episcopal Church,
located at the junction of \Vas hin gton Street, M enas ha, and North
Commercial Street, Neenah.
Th e mi dd le '6os saw an influ x of s ubstantial citizens from north ern
E urop e, par ticularl y frorn Germany, brin ging with t hem t heir mother

J8

A HISTO R Y

OF

NEENAH

tongue and t heir L u t heran backgroun d . Trini ty Lu t heran C hurc h, one

of Neenah 's progressive an d most influential churches, was establis hed
on D ecember 26, 1865. T heir firs t p lace of m eeti ng was on \iValnu t
Street, be tween Olive Street and Washington Avenue. Need ing more
space, the presen t churc h was erected on the corner of Oak Street and
Franklin Avenue in 1888 .

z861- From t his pa in t, p a rti cular] y as t he legal tangl e between the

affairs of Harrison R eed and the Harvey Jones estate cleared up, th e
fram ework of the lit tle town rapidly takes on form and substance.
E vents and advances fairl y crowd each other in to existence. T he foreru nner of t he First National Bank opened for business in 186 1, occupying t he ground floor corner of the P et tibone Bloc k (present site of
the bank) .
Of equal signifi can ce was extension of t he C hicago and Northwestern tracks from Fond du Lac, reaching Neenah during t his
epochal year.
And, let us be rerninded that the railroad facilitated the movement
of troops from t his area in to the Un ion Armies during t he earl y '6os.
A weekl y newspaper, The Island City Tirnes, was establ ished b y
J. N. Stone in 1 863.
J.(_eenah's First "Bulk Plant
Th e :first bulk plan t in Neenah was the forerunn er of t he present
Socon y Mobil Oil Company, In c. Wa y back in 1860, it started as t he
Val volin e Oil Company, on High S t reet. W hen th eir H igh Stree t
quarters were destroyed by fire in t he early 19oo's, t hey moved to t he
present location a t 167 North L a ke Stree t. T he Valvoline Oil Company was pmch ased by t he Socony-Vacuum Oi l Company in November 1941 . Th e nam e was changed to Socony M obil Oil Compan y on
April 28, J 955 . (T he above info rmation furni sh ed by t he local representa ti\re of Socony Mobil Oil Company.)

T win City Monmnent Works

Al t ho ugh C harles ]. Madson made t he Twin City Monu ment
Works what it is today, it had its beginning 59 years before C harley
took over in 1924. On t he site of Shattuck Park, in a s mall fram e

THE

184 0'S

TO

18<. 0 'S

I NCLUS I VE

build ing close to the C&NW tracks, Bishop & DeLong started
fashioning monuments in 1865. T hen came a succession of ownership:
Bishop & R hodes
1872- 1886
Bishop & VanSl yke
1886- r893
Louis Willis
1893- 1914
(who moved in 1905 to a lot adjoining t he Bergstrom Paper
Company office)
John C. Zentner
J 914- 1924
(who moved to th e p resent location)
a nd
Charles J. Madso n
192+- 195+
(who buil t the present stru cture t hat houses shop, offi ce and
d isplay room ).
Present officers ar e :
Joh n Stark, President
Ellsworth Prahl, Treasurer
Bernice Prah l, Vice Presiden t
Verene Stark, Secretary
Wrn. Krueger (o .

Wm. Krueger Company was fou nded in J 866 by Wm. Kru eger, who
came to Neenah from Germany in i 849. He set tl ed originally on a
far m in t he Town of Clayton, and moved to Neena h to go into th e
h ardware business seventeen years later. His two sons, Henry F .
Krueger and M. 'vV. Krueger, joined him in the r89o's. Later,
' !\Tm . H . Krueger and Carl F. Kru eger, sons of H enry F. Krueger, also
entered the business.
T he original ' !\Tm. Kru eger became inactive in I 890, and the busi ness
was then operated by H . F. Krueger and M . W. Kru eger until t heir
deaths in 1933 and 1941, respecti vely. I n i 906, ' i'\lm . Krueger Compan y was incorporated, t he officers being H. F. Krueger, Presid ent;
M . W. Kru eger, Vice Presid ent and Secre tary; and W . H . Krueger,
Treasurer. At thi s same time a furn itllre departmen t was established,
and this department finall y occupied i o3 and 107 'vVest Wiscon sin

20

A HISTORY

OF

NE EN AH

Avenue a nd 106 North Commercial Street. The forni t ure dep ar t men t
was cond ucted b y Vv. H. Kru eger, and was d iscontinued upon hi s
dea t h in 1940. The bu siness now in cludes hardware, industrial suppli es, applian ces, housew ares, spor tin g goods, toys a nd gifts. J a mes
Webb is Presid en t and Treasurer; L a ura Barn e tt Webb (gra ndd augh ter of t he founder) is Vice Pres iden t ; and Jam es Barnett W ebb
(grea t-gran dso n of t he foun der) is Secre tary. Presen t add ress is 107
West Wisconsin Avenu e.

The (oop er Trade

Mr. Cunningham refers on page 86 of his histo r y to Brow n's Stave
Works. T his en terprise, started b y Theodor e Brown in I 860, is shown
on a n arti st's perspective of N eenah in 1870. (See page 34.) It stood
on the sou t h side of t he river just eas t of t he present Oak Street bridge.
Mrs. D an H owman , a descendent of Theodore Brown, tells how her
fa t her, J ohn Bro wn, and t he la te H enr y H oeper, learned th e cooper
t rade back in the d a ys wh en t he manufacture of s taves was one of
Neenah's up-and-coming ind ustries.
First 'Paper Mill
In r 865 we com e to a pi,rotal t urn in t he ind us tri al li fe of the village .
Dr. N a t ha niel R obinson, g randfa t her of Mrs. T. D. Smi th, wit h fi ve
associates, star ted N eenah's first paper mill. Up to t hi s point t he
power can al was lin ed with grist mills. From here in, flour millin g
gradually s ubsided , as paperma king took over. (This transform ation
is adequate]y covered b y C unning ham. )

" From the pieces of mosaic assembled by historians come

the great murals which repnsent the progress of mankind."
-

H ER B E RT H OOVER

THE Il\IIP ACT OF SCIENCE

AN D I NVENT IO N
referred to th e simplicity of life a nd organiza tion
in C unning ham's day in contrast to t he compl exity of
social organization in t he 195o's. Neenah in t he '70s was
quite su ffi cient un to itself. Today t he life of t he T wi n
Cities and its adjoin ing townships is melded.
For instance, every working day about an equal number of people
cross and recross N icolet Boulevard going to and from t hei r wo rk.
T herefore, typical Menas ha indu strial enterprises, employing substantial numbers of Neenah citizens, find a logical place in t hi s sketc h.
Not onl y th at, we reac h beyond to Appleton, t he sou rce of our electric power. It was on the bank of t he Fox Ri ver at Appleton t hat t he
first hydroelectr ic s tation in t he war.Id was in stituted in i 882.
Nor can we get into the detail of our under taking wit hout a bird's
eye glimpse of t he wonderful changes t hat have come to pass during
the 80 years since Mr. Cunn ingham. laid down his pen. In hi s d a y t he
oi l lamp, t he dirt road, t he horse and buggy, the cistern in t he basement, the neighborhood well and the outside toilet c haracterized t he
life of the time.
The shopping radius was pretty mu ch limi ted by walking d istances,
except for t he one day of the week when farmers drove to town wi th
their prod uce and h itched their horses, while t heir wives shopped in
t he village stores.
The steam engine was a commonplace in 1878, but electricity, with
all the gadgets and services made possible by t hat newly-found power,
came into being during t he era now under obser vation. Con veniences
such as electric refrigeration, t hat displaced natural ice, entered
wit hin the memory of many not-so-old residents. Air conditioning and
electric washers for clothes and dishes were introd uced subsequent to
World War I.
The telephone :- who of us can v isualize life without it, yet that invalua ble means of communication did not come into general use unti l

E H AVE

2.I

'22

HISTORY

OF

EE

AH

t he firs t decade of th e century. In 1900 the local Kimberl y-C la rk office

had a sin gle wall phon e with a crank to call "Cen t ral !" A private lin e
provided co ntac t with its mill s at Appleto n before th e Wi sco nsin T elephon e Company had strung its wires.
Rad io and televisio n were as far fro m the mind of m an in the '8os
as the modern guided missile was fro m soldiers of the Civil \Var. Th e
s hift to thermostaticall y controll ed oi l and gas heat, d isplacing the coal
s tove and t he han d-fired furn ace, is within t he m emory of citizens in
their thirties.
Th e Saturday nigh t bath was a lu xury until 1936. Rain water from
the roof conducted to a cistern in the basernent and pumped b y han d
into a tank in the attic was doled o ut sparingl y to members of the
household. During d r y seasons Will Wing, Will P earson, H erman Vogt
and others did a t hri ving busin ess of replen is hing dry cistern s with
raw river water.
Tn 1893 our c ity fathers , pressured by a rising tide of desire for a
city water system, dug an artes ian well adj oini ng our lake s hore an d
laid water mains t hroughout the prin cipal streets of th e cit y. Th e
belief was deeply rooted that pure d rin king water could be o btain ed
onl y from an und erground suppl y. Thi s beli ef was probably justifi ed,
for water anal ys is and purifica t io n, as we now know it, had not been
perfected. J oy and satisfaction over Neenah 's new water sys tem was
des tin ed to be s ho rt- li ved. \ Vater fro m t he deep well carri ed an abno rmally hi g h conten t of mineral salts (60 g rain s o r mo re per gallon );
cooki ng utensils, even water glasses, were promptl y coated with calcium and lim e. Boil er tu bes and water lin es became clogged. Neither
dis hes nor cloth es could be was hed in it . Tt curd led t he soap. vVater
softening dev ices for hom e use eventually helped som e, but their use
was limited. A lmost everyone kept t heir basement cisterns. No o ne
wi ll ever know how man y famili es seeking a new horne decided to se ttl e elsewhere because of Neenah 's impossibl e city water. Neenah
\roted overwh elming ly in April 1936 for a soft water system, using
treated water fro m Lake vVinn ebago. A year later pure soft water
Rowed into the cit y main s. That interes ting s tor y is told in Part II.
L ess dramati c but of equal interes t is t he story of t he orig in and developm ent of Neenah's sewer sys tem. See Part Tl.

THE

I M PACT

0 F

SC I ENC E

AN D

I N V ENT I 0 N

2J

TlleU!u.to

In our overlook at t he mar vels of science that have enric hed our
lives since 1878, we save for final men tion the invention of the internal
combu s tion engin e and the pneumatic rubber tire resulting in the
automobile. No other si ngle invention has so transfo rmed our way of
life. \!\l e cannot be sure who owned th e first automobile in Neenah. vVe
can sa y, however, that Ferd Wilde, C. W. Howard, Mrs. C.H. Brown,
Dr. E . J. Smith and Dr. T. D. Smith were among the first. The auto
today is the key factor in the planning and repla nning of citi es and
their surroun d in g areas. R eferred to in its earl y days as the " horseless
carriage," it soo n indu ced a popular demand for hard-surfaced roads,
with t he resul t tha t, within t wo generations, untold t housands of miles
of concrete and black top hig hways span t he nation.
Anoth er thing t he auto d id was to create a dem an d for reli able road

Here, believe it or not, is Mayhew Mott in his ai r-cooled Knox. May hew drove this car to Mattoon
and sold it to Dr. Riordan for $300. D ate April 7, 1908. L. to R. Roy Palmer, Mayhew, Dr. Riordan.
May hew said it took him '2-t hours to make that tri p.

A H I S TORY

OF

NEE

AH

maps. T o q uote from a p u blica tion of our State Hi storical Society :

F a rly motorists often had to resort to bicycle 111a p s to guide them 011 their Sunda y excusions, for 110 official highway map existed.
One such bicycle ma p, published in 1896 by the League of American \\'heelmen,
uti lizes a unique road marking system . R oads were labeled "good," "medi u m" or
" bad" and " level," "hi lly" or "ver y hilly." The road between Milwau kee and W auwatosa, for instance, was ind icated as being level and medium ; but that between
Blue Moun<ls and Cross P lai ns as very hill y and med iu m. Steep grades were as
hazard ous t o t he motoris t as they were s tre nuo us to the \ Vhee lm an.
E ven as la te as 19 14 \Visconsin hig hway ma ps ind ica te th e lack of a n extensive
road system . T he re was no m ai n high way leadi ng up t he D oo r co unty peninsu lathe road stopped at Stu rgeon B ay. All over t he early ma ps s hort black lines ind icating m ain ro utes rus h off briefl y toward a town, then stop short a t the destination.
The re were no con necting ju nctions an d picki ng up a rou te from one t own to another
often meant considera ble back-tracking.

Infl uenced by t he auto, the rad ius of in dust ri a l ernployment widened from t he neighborh ood to t he adjo in ing cit ies and cou n ties.
E ver y worki ng day sees a fl ow of people from Os hkos h to Kau kaun a
com in g and go ing to t heir work an d doi ng it wi t h g reater ease t ha n
our forebears nego t iated a m ile or two. With an a u tomobile in the
fam ily, t he hou sewife's s hopping area widened from t wo or three
miles, to ten, t hi r ty- even 100 miles. O ne-roo m country schools co mbined in to more effi c ien t coun ty u nits; t he sc hool bus, seen on all
roads, brin gs in creasing numbers of rural stu d en ts to t he city hi gh
school.
As t hese lin es a re writ ten , we are wit ness in g a p henomeno n t ha t
some have called "o ur exploding cit ies." F oll ow ing World W ar I t here
bega n a trickl e of city folk in to t he adjacen t rural a reas, lured b y a
desire fo r more elbow room, coun tr y liv in g a nd lower taxes. As au to
ow nershi p became general d uring t he '30s, and following t he second
\\'a ri d \Va r, t he t rickle became a fl ood. Suburbs a re currentl y grow ing
faster th a n t he parent city.
S uch popul ation movemen t al ways brings in its wa ke a package of
interrela ted pro blems between t he paren t city and i ts urban-rural
neigh bo rs. Locally , it presen ted a P ando ra's box o f te nsions and mis understandings over taxes, school situa t ions, ann exations and municipal
ser vices and privileges which th e form er city d well er was accus tomed
to enj oy and whic h he is reluctant to a bandon.
No t t he least of t he pro bl em of our civ i.liza tion on wh eels is t he p a rk-

THE

I MPA C T

OF

S C I EN CI!:

AND

I N VENTION

25

ing ques t ion. S hopping cen ters on th e city's rim , wi t h plentiful la nd

for t he parking of cars, a t t ract not o n! y t he rural s hopper, but man y
resid ents o f th e inn er city.
T h a t Neenah has felt t he impact of t his o u t ward movemen t, witness the .in crease in ch ain food s to res a'nd residen t ia l and in d us t rial
building to t he sou t h an d wes t of the ci ty.
It will be an interes tin g backward look in t he year '.2 .000 to view th e
measures our city and its m erca n tile leaders shall have taken, o r ha ve
failed to t ake, to preser ve real esta te values a nd business in ves tmen ts
at t he city 's hear t.
Many readers of t hese wo rd s will be abl e, wi t h a bit of im aginati o n,
to add to th e illu s tra tio ns here no ted . P ossibly t he epoc hal fligh t of
Charl es A. Lin d berg h in 1927 fit t ingl y d ramat izes th e onru sh of t hese
man y p rod ucts of researc h a nd engin eerin g skill t ha t have crowded in
upon o ur genera t io n. It was o n 1\1ay 20 of t hat year t hat he took off
a lon e for Pari s, landing in t he evening of May 21 , after a no n-s to p
flight of 3,6 10 mil es in abo ut 33~ ho urs. F o r t his achievem en t Lindberg h was fe ted in Fran ce, Belgium and E ngland- and o n his return
to t his co un t ry, he was lio nized in New York and Washingto n. T o us,
as we loo k back across th e in ter ven ing t hirty years, t he significant
fact is t hat t his t rans-Atl an tic flig h t of th e "Spiri t of S t . L o uis" op ened
the door to world air travel, whi ch, in 1958, is accep ted in t he same
mat ter-of-fact fashi o n as board ing a bus o r a railroad train.

JI. Story by V ecades

What follows is a sketc h, b y d ecades .
Our effo r t is to be co ns idered a fram ewo rk to which man y readers
will be able to add item s of hu man interest and factu al valu e. T o p romo te t hi s idea of a coopera t ive an d con t inuing history, t he reader will
fin d blank pages a t t he end of eac h c ha pter. Use these pages to no te
your sugges ti o ns. Spo t ting of an y factual errors wi ll be part icul arly
apprecia ted .
Wh en N een ah nears her centennial in 1973, t his ho me-made effor t
sho uld be revised in th e lig h t of t he added material t hat you can assist
in p rovid ing.
It is s uggested t ha t all ad d iti o ns an d correction s be lodged wi t h offi cers of the local His torical Society .

:A(_gtes

:J\(g te s
---

-----

:A(gtes

THE

18 7o's

o1 TJ NUJNG our bird's eye view of history flow ing to us from

t he past, we come to the last decade of the Cunningham era.

clwers, I(imball & I(ellett

The forerunner of the present Elwers Drug Store was established

in the Pettibone Block under the name of Kimberly and Henry Drug
House. Th is was in 1870.
This s tore has always been in t his location, except during t he rebuilding after the great fire of January, 1883. Fred E lwers, George's
father, attained a national record by working in and supervising t hi s
one store from age 22 to age 92.
On the north side of ' i\lisconsin Avenue, in the space now occupied
by Harm on McCarthy, the Kirn ball J ewelry Store opened for business.
' Villiam 0. Nelson clerked for K imball, and eventually bought him
out. Mr. Nelson was succeeded by Mr. McCarthy.
On the northeast corner of \iVisconsin Avenue and North Commercial Street, Wi lliam K ellett operated a general store in 1866. I t was
here that E. E . Jandrey got his start, selling his services for $7 5 per
year and board. Eventually M r . Jandrey purchased the business from
the Kellett estate, it h aving been moved to its present location prior
to Mr. Kellett's passing.

J\(eenah qazette and q. <A. Cunningham

187 r saw the Jl(_eenah qazette fo un ded by Charles Boynton, who
found space in the second fl oor of the P ettibone Block, which burned
in 1883. It was at th e midpoint of this decade t hat Mr. Cunningham
comes into view. In 1875 he was hired by Boynton. Three years later
we find him editing the paper and au th or of the History of Jl(_eenah,
printed at the "Gazette P rinting Establis hment." Subsequently the
29

JO

A HISTORY

OF

NEE

AH

<;;azette persisted under H. L. W ebs ter

and L. F. Cole, until J. N. Stone and
hi s ~"(eenah V ai!y T imes absor bed t he
<;;azette in 1 898.
The year 1870 stands out in th at
t he general headquarters of t he W isconsin Central R ailroad was established in t he National Hotel, on th e
site of t he present Menash a Hotel.
A metal plaque on t he north face of
th e hotel tells that story. (See Parf
II.) T his road opened a freight and
p assenger service westward to \!Vaup aca and northwestwar d to Lake
Superior.
Comin g into the year 1871, railroad service to the east and sou th
open s t hrough extension of a branch
of the M ilwaukee & Northern R ailroad from Hilbert to Menasha, with
a sub-sta tion on th e Neenah side of the Island.
And, while we are on the subject of railroads, the spur tracks along
t he power canal ser ving the industri es tha t were, and were to be, came
into being in 1875.
(hurch J:.,ife
1870 was a yea r punctuated by forward-looking activity on t he part
of several religious bodies. Trinity Lutheran School was organized,
first located in a structu re on vValnut Street, between Olive Street
and Washington Avenue. From t here t he school was moved in 1893
to a building adjoining t he ch urch on Oak Street. Again, in 1951, t he
structure built in i 893 was razed and a modern school building was
erected on the site.
In 1870 t he Baptist C hurc h, later known as the vVhitin g Memorial,
was instituted.

THE

18 7 O'S

JI

Two years later (1872) appeared Our Savior's Lutheran Church.

Originally all of the ch urches composed of families from Central
and Northern Europe, such as German, Dan ish and Norwegian Lutheran, conducted services in their mother tongues. Later, as the
second generations came up in American schools, there was usuall y
one service in the fo reign tongue and a second ser vice in English.

T he four fo unders of Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Standing- left to right: C. B. Clark, F. C. Shattuck. Sitting- }. A. Kimberly, Havilah Babcock

l(,imberly, (lark & (o.

The year i8 72 comes in with_.flags fl ying. One year before the Village of Neenah became an incorporated city, four young men- three
from New York State and one from Massachu setts- pooled th eir
savings and form ed a partnership kn own as Kimberly, Clark & Company. From this modest beginning has grown an organization that has
carried Neenah's name to the ends of the earth. (See Part II. )

32

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

v1ylward 'Plow Works

Also, the Aylward Plow vVorks began operation in 1872, in a plan t
located on North Lake Street, continuing until 1918 under this title.
In 1918 th e name was broadened to Neenah Foundry Company. Latterly, under the aggressive leadership of E. J. Aylward, this firm
moved, in i91 8, to its present site on Winneconne Avenue, has not
on ly become a substantial employer, but is one of the foremost producers of gray iron, semi-steel alloy castings, heat resisting irons, etc.
'Rjverside 'Park

In this same year the Village Council, amid considerable discord and
charges of extravagance, purchased the i9-! acres now known as
Riverside Park. To Mr. J ohn Proctor, who braved the criticism of
many of his contemporaries, goes the credit for saving for all time this
choice piece of property for the benefit and en joy men t of untold generations.
Prior to 1876 a foundry on \Vest Main Street was operated by
Smith, Van Ostrand and Leavens. In 1876 the Bergstrom Brothers
(George 0. and D. \V.) and Havilah Babcock, purchased the property, spec ializing in stoves, furnaces and plows. As we moved into the

Neenah Stove Works-George 0. and Diedrich W. Bergstrom. The 188o's.

1ote

the dirt wagon road.

THE

1 87 0'$

33

twentieth centu ry, stoves went out of fashion, and mass production
of furnaces and plows by larger prod ucers forced. the use of the local
bui ldings for other purposes. (See Part 11 .)

v'\{_eeua/1 c/fc/1ieves (itylwod

And that brings us to that red letter year, l 873, when Neenah incorporated as a city.
Edward Smith was its first Mayor, C. J. Krab y its City Clerk, and
George Danielso n its Treasurer. T hree wards, the first and second on
the south side of the river, and the t hird ward on the island, were
named in the incorporation. See Par t II for lists of officials down
through the ensuing years.
I 873 is also known for the organization of the E. F . \Vieckert Lumber Company, which has continued to this day in service to its neighbcrs.
1874. A newly-organized 1ethodist Congregation purchased a
church property in the 300 block, south side of East \Visconsin Avenue. This white wooden structure stood where Mrs. Jam es Fritzen and
Mrs. G. H. Williamson now reside. It h ad been built and occupied by
one faction of the Presbyterian Church, followi ng a split in 1860 over
doctrinal matters. These differences having now been reconciled, the
two factions united in a new church structure on Church Street on the
site of the presen t parking lot. Subsequently, as the Methodist congregation grew and prospered, they moved to a new home on the corner of South Comm ercial Street and D oty Avenue.
A further indication of growth is seen in the purchase by the city of
Neenah of eight acres in the Neenah township, adjoining the five acres,
gi ft of Harvey J ones, which combined to fo rm the nucleus of Oak Hill
Cemeter y.
The "First" Telephone exchange
The ' 70s boast another "first,"- this time in the field of communications. It was in 1877 that Sam H enry, of the drug firm of K imberly
& Henry, installed in their store an in vention known as a telephone.
Sam extended a wire to the homes of two doctors,- }. R. Barnett, on
Church Street at Doty Avenue, and Dr. N . S. R obinson, who buil t the

Tha t there were artis ts with imagination in the little city 87 years ago is demonstrated by H . H . Baile)''S perspective d rawing of Neena h in 1870.
N o te the wing dam and the power canal lined with fl our and grist mills. Also note the lock begun by H arve)' J ones in 18+9 and finished by the
ad mi nistra tors of his estate.

From approxin;tately the same angle chosen by Mr. Bailey is an air view of 1eenah's present industrial district. In it are the plants of B~rgs trom
Paper Company, Ki mberly-Clark mills and former main office, Hewitt Machine Company, Neenah Paper Company and E. F. \Vieckert Lumber
Compitny:

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

home later owned by Hon. S. A. Cook:, and now by the Y.W.C.A. This
party line, as we would now call it, soon became so overloaded, that an
honest-to-goodness exchange was set up, with Sam H enry as Manager
and twenty " char ter members" as clients. The 75th anniversary booklet of the Wisconsin Telephone Company affirms that this was the
first telephone exchange in Wisco nsin. Noting Appleton's claim of the
first phone, we leave them to argue it out with the Wisconsin Telephone Company.
During the late years of this decade, J ohn Roberts purchased the
original Doty Cabin, which stood on the property now owned by the
Strange family. In 1877 he built the R oberts Resort, now the residence
of Paul Strange, and used the Doty Cabin as an amusement center for
his guests. For many years the Roberts Resor t enjoyed a booming
patronage during the fishing and boating season.

School <;;rowth
As the city continued to grow, so did its school population. In 1875

The a bove is an artist's sketch of the " Pettibone Block," which was destroyed by fire in 1883. The sketch
w is photographed by Robert Larson from a wall map of Winnebago County dated 1870, belonging to
E. J. Aylward.

THE

I 8 7 O'S

37

T. T. Moulton came as Super intendent of Schools. Under hi s supervisio n were 660 pupils and six sc hool buildings: t he " Brown " school,
t he " I slan d" school, t he fourt h ward sc hool, and a t hree-unit building,
on t he site of the present \iVashington Sc hool, housing grades a nd a
t hree-year hig h sc hool. i877 saw t he first high school graduation, with
a class of nine, completing an eleven year curriculum. The next school
year, 1877-78, t he high school curri culum was s tretched to four years.
The s tory goes that Anna Proctor, who had been a member of t he
class of 1877, reenter ed in t he fall of t hat year and was t he sole graduate in Jun e of r878.
In 1879 t he origin al structures on the Walnut Street site were rem oved and t he present \i\lashington school was erected. Until t he
Kimberl y High School was buil t, t he \iVashington sc hool housed
grades I th rough 8, as well as three rooms (a study hall and two
recitation rooms) on the second fl oor provided space for t he high
school. (See P art II .)
early I ce Houses

Responding to t he pL1blic demand for food preser vation, \i\lilliam

Arnemann built a roomy ice house on lan d now occupied by the swimming pool and " R ec" build ing. Th e annual ice harvest, with Chris tmas trees mark ing t he openings in t he ice, was always interes ting to
skaters. Mr. A rn emann's dai ly delivery of ice, smothered in sawdust,
was an importan t featu re of life in the '70s.
Soon after Mr. Arnernann's en tran ce into the ice busin ess, a rival
appeared in t he person of Thomas J ones, who buil t a less pretentious
ice house at t he east end of East Wi sconsi n Avenue on property presently owned by Richard H . Brady . One hot summer d a y t he J ones'
ice house went up in a burst of fl ame and smoke. It was said the cause
was spontaneou s com bu stion.

Quoted from t heU!ppleton 'Post Crescent for t he week of October 5,

T878 : " Neenah is to have gas on t he first of November, if everything
goes off all right. This will be a decided improvement over the disreputable oil lamps whic h now vainl y seek to illu minate t he s treets."

A HI STOR Y

OF

NEENAH

And now, to end our perspective look at the '70s in a lighter vein,
t here was a rou nd- the-lake cruise in 1879, ending with a Grand R egatta at Oshkosh on July 4.

~ "PEOP L E often wonder why historians go to so much

trouble to preserve millions of books, documents and records
of the past. Why do we have libraries? What good are these
documents and the history books? Why do we record and save
the actions of men, the negotiations of statesmen and the
campaigns of armies?
':Because, sometimes, the voice of experience can cause us
to stop, look and listen. dlnd because, sometimes, past
records, correctly interpreted, can give us warning of what to
do and what not to do."
- H ERBERT HoovER

J\(gtes

:J\(g te s

'T'HE

88 o's

into t he firs t full decade of the post-Cu nningham era,

we sense t he throb of a cultural upsurge .

OMING

.(ibrary c/fssociation

J 882 saw th e organization of t he Neenah Library Association.

Thi s organization raised fun ds for the establish ment of a public
library. The money so raised was turned over to the city, and the
library was housed in t he City Hall, as of 1883, wh ere it remained un t il t he present library building was constructed in 190+ Louise Lachmann was t he first librarian .
A predecessor, and less pretentious library, according to Mayhew
Mott, was opened two years earlier on the second floor of the Sherry
Building, corner of West Wisconsin Avenue and C hurch Street.
D am ie ~7heeler was the librari an.

Four Cultural Organizations

Then followed three won1en's cultural organi zations, all of which
have persisted to this day.
The Eclectic R eading Circle held its fi rst meeting in January 1882
with 42 charter m embers, Miss Anna Proc tor being one of the c hief
organ izers.
In 1886 the \iV omen's Tuesday Club was organized under the leadership of Mrs. George Harlow, Mrs. J ohn Proctor and Miss Jennie Cook.
A Chautauqua study course was followed originally, and early meetings
were held in m embers' homes. This club has maintained an unbroken
series of annual program s across t he 7 1 years, finall y finding a satisfactory habi t a t in t he new Boys' Brigade building on Columbian Avenue.
Th e t hird cultural organization born during the 'Sos was the Y.T. &
F . Club, originally organized as the Chautauqua Lad ies Study Circle,
4r

A H I STORY

OF

EE

AH

which name was dropped in J 89+ when the Chautauqua program was
discon tinned.
Organized in J 885 and still active today is the Neenah C hapter of
the \iVomen's Christian Union, auxi lia ry of the state W.C.T.U.

sclzool expansio11
In the spring of 1882 the fir~t high sc hool graduates from t he new
\i\lashington School received their diplomas. Four young women,
Grace \i\lrigh t, Lu tie Olmsted, Helen W heeler and l da K. Barnett constituted this graduating class. Contrasting t his class with t he Neenah
High School class of 192 graduated in 1957, the scale tips heavily in
fa vor of the present if we consider quantity only, but for quality, the
class of 1882 gives no odds, as evidenced by Mrs. Barnett's mental and
spiritual vigor at age 9+
Graduating classes from Neenah High were small during t he '8os.
~7 hat they lacked in numbers, was made up in loyalty to each other
and in love for their sc hool. Thi s common loyalty prompted formation
of the Neenah High School Alumni Association in 1888. Annual banquets, including each year's graduating class, were held unti l 193+,
when the Association was disbanded. Weight of numbers and mounting cost of the annual dinner prompted the discontinuance.
In I 888 a growing Third \i\lard demanded better sc hool facilities.
In respon se to t his pressure, a new school was built facing East For est
Avenue between First and Second Streets. Again, in i923, increased
school population called for expansion. A rebuilding operation gave
us the present Roosevelt School.
Finally, the late '8os and early '90s saw the last of the Point School,
located on the west side of Short Street (now Linden Court) in t he
First Ward. T his was the only one-room country sc hool within t he
city limits. At one time it housed t he first three grades- latterly, only
grades one and two. In the early days it served the sparsely populated
1-<irst Ward east of the tracks and was retained until the present \i\lashington School was prepared to take over. Nellie Mitchell was the
teacher in the early '8os. She rode to school on a pony from the
Mitchell Farm sou th of Cecil Street and fronting on extension of
South Park Avenue. Aggie Hayward was next in succession, followed

THE

1 8 8 O'S

43

T he " Point" School in 1885- la r of the one-room country schools within the city limits. Nellie Mitchell
was the reacher. She lived on a farm south of Neenah near where Dora Hansen now resides. She came ro
school on pony-back. T he " Poin t" School stood on the west side of wha t is now Linden Court, then known
as Short Street. The old brick building was eventually moved to 505 East Columbian Avenue, and converted into a home. Ar this writing, Mr. and M rs. Ralph Frakes reside there.

by Ora J aeck and FJorence Enos. If payrolls of these years cou ld be

produced, we would probably find t hat t he salaries of these young
women were not over $30 per month.

Commercial and I ndustrial

John Stevens, who built a su bstantial home in the 500 block of East \iVisconsin Avenue, facing th e
river, wi th bowli ng alleys in the basement, a stable of riding horses a t
the rear, and a 100' steam yac h t moored in the bend of t he river paralleling E ast \iVisconsin Avenue, was a flour miller. \iVe digress at this
point to record his invention which revolutionized the flour milling
industry and brough t wealth to its inventor. Beginning his experiments in 1870, John Stevens perfected a roller crus hing process and
succeeded in obtaining a patent No. 225 770, dated March 23, 1880.
This was said to be "an absolutely new discovery in m illing practice,
STEVENS ROL LER CR U SH I NG PROCESS .

44

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

t he most profound in its results of any device ever invented rn t he

mechanics of fl ou r milling."
B etween 1880 and 1884 t here followed fi ve other patents coverin g
all ph ases of t he process.
Prior to obtaining his paten ts, he installed his new device in his
Falcon mill at Neenah . As news of its su ccess leaked out, "Ver y soon
all the local machine shops were engaged nights and Sundays in
sec re ti y trying to form roller se ts. Other machine shops d id find ou t

East W isconsin /l ~enue during the middle '8os. l n the foreground, the residence of John Stevens, in ventor
of the roller fl our mill. This residence built from proceeds of his patented roller process.

the system; and mill-furnishing concerns v ied with each other in

devising roller mills. The issu e of hi s patents hung so long in the
patent offi ce, that by 1880, when it was finally issued, t he sys tem had
been mentioned in the press and t alked of for six years."*
" In I 878 occurred the great flour mill fire in Minneapolis that was attended by a
disastrous explosion of fl our mill dust and considerable loss of life. Governor Washburn and others rebuilt at once and introduced largely the new devices and gradual
reduction rolls. Two years later, soon after o btain ing his two basic patents, Stevens
visited the mills at Minneapolis, where twenty-two mill firm s settled with him and
took shop rights. Mos t other m ills that had introduced his system settled at once and
took shop r ig hts.*"
* Quoted from Wisconsin Historical Society- Proceedings 1907-55th annual meeti ng.

THE

1880'S

+5

Stevens also took out patents in Canada, England, Germany,

France and Austria.
In 1893 he sold to J o hn T. ~oye & Sons Company, of Buffalo, his
entire rights in all his roller mill patents, including his automatic
dumping and self-registering scale for handling grain.
As the 19th century drew to its close, competition from larger and
more efficient flour mills in the St. Paul-Minneapolis district and the
upswing of t he paper industr y along our limited power canal spelled
the end of local flour milling.
KELLETT-J ANDRE Y. 'i\lilliam Kellett moved hi s store from the corner
of East \ iVisconsin A,renue and Commercial Street to the east h alf of
the present .Jandrey location in 1 888. Mr. Jandrey, Sr., had already
purchased a ~ interest in the business. Following t he passing o f Mr.
and Mrs. Kellett, he bought the former Kellett interest.
WHJTI NG 11u. In i8 82 the \ 1Vhiting Mill was built on the site of an
old dry dock at the west end of the navigable waterway in Menasha.
George A. 'Vhiting, 'Villiam and Theodore Gilbert were the original
owners. Tn t 886 the Gilbert brothers sold their interests to Mr.
Whiting. Th e o riginal 76" paper machine, with subsequent rebuilds,
is sti ll in operation. Mr. George A . 'Whiting's son, Frank, succeeded to
the presidency upon his death in 1930, and, in turn, George A. Whiting
IT assumed t he office of President upon his fat her's death in 1952.
PAPER COMPANY. It was in the spring of 1885 that a newlyformed corporation, known as Neenah Paper Company, took over a
sma ll mill on the Fox River at Neenah, which h ad been known as the
Neenah Mill of the Patten Paper Company, of Appleton. A succession
of ow nership took place over the next eight years, until , in 1893, J. A.
Kimberl y, Sr., and hi s son, J. A . Kimberly, J r., obtained control and
assumed the management. From then on the sto ry of Neenah Paper
Company is one of s u bstan ti al and well-earned success, culminating
in merger with Kimberly-Clark Corporation in 1956.
N EENAH

G1 LB ERT PAPER . Gilbert Paper Company was established in April

1887 by five mem bers of the Gilbert fami ly: Willi am, William M.,

HISTORY OF

NEENAH

Albert M., T heodor e M. and George. Starting with a one-machin e

mill, as the business prospered, two more machines were added, in cluding rebuilding and enlarging #J machine in 195+ As of 1957 approximatel y 400 people, many of them Neenahites, are on t he pay
roll. Annual production is 14,000 tons of high grade papers.
NEENAH' s SECOND BANK. In I88 r the Manufacturers' National Bank
was incorporated with capital stock of $65,000. The former photographic stud io of C. B. Manville, who later becam e Presid ent of JohnsManville Compan y, becam e the quarters of t he n ewly-formed bank.
In 1901, upon renewal of their charter, the name was altered to read
National Manufacturers' Bank.
J oHN STRANGE P APE R Co. The forerunn er of the J ohn Strange Paper
Company was a pail and tub factory founded by John Strange, Sr.,
in 188I. Seven years later the tran sition from pails and tubs to the
manufacture of h eavy wrapping and print paper was made. T hrough
the years the business of the company has expanded and prospered .
In this year (1957) , under t he active leadership of J. H . Levandoski,
J. M . Levin, E lmer Deprez and L. A. Blume, the company makes a
solid con tribution to stability of the Twin Cities.
KIMBERLY-CLARK INCORPORATES. Onrush o f the paper indus try was
punctuated in 1880 by incorporation under Wisconsin laws of Kimberly-Clark & Company, which up to t hat time had been a four-man
partnership. B y 1889 Kimberly-Clark & Company was on its way to
national recognition. In t hat year they bought the land which is now
the v illage of Kimberly and built the Kimberl y mill.
Another "first" occurred in 1882 w hen fifteen iron workers at t he
Bergstrom Foundry banded themselves in to the first labor union of
t he Twin Ci ties.
The broadening life of the times was further indicated by incorporation of t he Wiscon sin Telephone Compan y, which, in 1881, took
over t he local exchange t hen housed in t he Barnett Dru g Store.
ELECTRIC POWER AND I:NTERURBAN TRANSPORTATION. E lectric power,
without which our m odern ways of living would come to a halt, had

THE

18 8 O'S

47

its birth in this area on t he ban ks of t he Fox River six miles to the
north of Neenah . In 1882 t here was buil t in Appleton th e world's
first hydro-electri c central station. H. J. Rogers was t he techn ician
and an Appleton banker, A. L. Smith, was the fin ancier. T his stor y
will be found in Part II.
With this crude beginning t here ensued forty years of growing pain s
for t he infant electric industry of t his area. Its path was strewn with
financial difficulties, bankruptcies and reorganizations. Fi nally, as
we moved into the early decades of t his century, with t he help of
skilled engineering talent and able management, the in dustr y took its
place among t he su bstantial forces in our society.
Rails for an interurban transportation sys tem were laid between
Menas ha and Appleton during the earl y years of this decade. This
venture was destined to d ie on the vine, bu t who in t he 'Sos could
foresee the corning of t he auto? The old righ ts of way of t he "interurban" th at reached to Oshkosh on t he south and to Appleton on the
north, are still discernible in some rural areas of our valley, but the
noise of the bumpy old trolley cars is stilled forever. Could there be
a more dramatic illustration of t he wilting and disappearance of one
product of science and indus try, when something new and better
catches th e imagination of t he American public?
MENASHA AND NEENAH RAILWAY COMPANY. Let us not pass the interurban period, when cars were driven by electric power, without
bringing into view t he old Menasha and Neenah Railway Company.
On December 23, 1885, Mayor George \iVhi t ing signed an ordinan ce
authorizing the Menasha and Neenah Railway Company to operate
from Nicolet Boulevard to Wiscon sin Avenue, and to Lake Butte des
Morts- to be "operated by any a nimal power or any oth er power
excepting steam ."
Unlike buggies, the s treet car carried its p assengers with a minimum
of bumps and jolts. Seven miles per hour was set as a maximum speed,
with fo ur miles around curves!
Ernest Rhoades relates t hat in t he middle '90s h e used to ride to
Menasha, with his mother, in t his car. R eturning from Menas ha t he
dri ver halted t he car, unhooked the heavy whippletree, and drove t he

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

North Commercial S1ree1- 1\lliddle 8o's. Note horsedrawn street-car, wooden sidewalks, windmill and
store fron ts of two of Necnah's pioneer merchan ts, with Krueger & Lachm ann Milling Co. in distance
(right).

horses in to a big stable back of St. Patrick's present sc hool grounds .

Another team was brought out and attached to the car for the journey
to Neenah. Ernest explains tha t this chan ge of motive power was
necessary because the time schedule required the horses to trot most
of the way.
In 1895, the route, now electrifi ed, was extended westward to t he
city limits.
In 1899 the Menasha and Neenah Railway Compan y sold its franchise to the Eastern Wisconsin Railway Company.
It was during this second decade of our study
that Albert Eisenach took up property on the west side of Little
Lake Butte des Marts, about where the Kimberly-Clark cafeteria now
EIS ENACH BRICK YARD.

THE

+9

1 8 8 O'S

stands, and establis hed a brick ya rd. The Badger-Globe Mill of

Kimberly-Clark Corporation a nd many stores along Wisco nsin
Aven ue were buil t of E isenach brick. C harles Eisenac h, son of Albert,
carried on the busin ess following his fat her's passing. Fi ve men were
employed . During t he mid-19oo's t he business came to an end and the
place thereof kn ew it no more.

& SHOE MAN U FA CT U R l N G COMPAN Y. The firs t concerted attempt to broaden Neenah's indu strial base occurred in I 886,
when practicall y the entire leadership of t he community participated
in organizing the N eenah Boot & S hoe Manufacturing Compan y.
N E E NAH

BOOT

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T he Neenah Boot & Shoe M anufac turing Compan y was incorpora ted August 20, 1886. Subseq uendy
the following ten stockholders were added to the above list: J. A. Kimberly, Henry Sherry, I. \\'. H unt,
\V. I.. D avis, D. K. Davis, E. F. Wieckert, J ohn Proctor, Batchelder & Fisher, Jo hnson & M yhre, Wilfred
Breed. This list is signifi can t in that it comprised practicall )' the entire leadershi p of the li ttle city of that
day. This venture, though ill-starred, was a communi ty movement to broaden Necnah's industrial base.

50

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Forty-nine men, whose signatures are seen on the foregoing page,

subscribed for stock in the company, which was incorporated
August 25, 1886. Other stockholders, notably W. L. Davis, E. E.
Jandrey, I. W. Hunt, Henry Sherry and J. A. Kimberly, came in soon
after. A three-story brick factory was built on the power canal, where
the three-wing addition to the origin al Kimberly-Clark office now
stands. L. C. Oborn was the moving spirit. In April, 1904, A. F . S.
Lyons joined the company as Vice President and Manager.
As one takes a perspective look at this company, it would appear
that the operating base and working capital were too cramped, and
whereas the list of stockholders included the ablest businessmen of
the city, they knew little about the making and marketing of boots
and shoes, and they didn't have enough at stake to induce in them
more than a nominal interest in the enterprise.
In 1923, through the initiative of H.K. Babcock, one of the younger
generation who had been serving as President, Harrison A.Smith, was
brought into the picture. Harrison purchased a controlling interest,
injected new blood into the effort, and entered upon a salvaging
operation. By 1929, it having become obvious that the company had
no future, the business was liquidated. All creditors were paid off and
the property was sold by Mr. Smith to Kimberly-Clark Corporation.
The only one to sustain a personal loss in the venture was the man
who undertook to save it. For photo of Neenah Boot and Shoe Company's building, see page 63.

The Fire of 883

In 1883 occurred a spectacular event that challenged the capacity
of the people to meet an emergency. The "Pettibone Block," on the
corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Cedar Street (now Commercial)
burned to the ground, taking with it the Elwers Drug Store and quarters of the National Bank of Neenah, forerunner of th e First National
Bank of today. Jumping the street, the fl ames consumed most of the
original Russell House. The city at that time had no municipal water
system, and no professional fire department; therefore, was ill prepared to cope with such a catastrophe. The bank, however, opened
for business as usual the next morning in space made available to it
in Kimberly-Clark's new office building.

THE

1880'S

51

BIG BLAZE

Pellibone Hall and Rwsell l lonse in Ashes

Loss S 100,000
"At4o'clock yesterday (Sunday) morning a fire broke out in the rear of Pettibone
Block, and by 7 A.M. that whole block and also the fine Russell House were a mass
of smou ldering ruins. The Steamer was delayed by the extreme cold or someth ing
else. Mercury stood at I 5 below. The heat from Pettibone Block was in tense, the
building being a large three story one, veneered with brick, and the whole inside
being li ke a tinder box. The heat soon set fire to the mansard roof of the Russell
House, and that too went to ruins, but burned very slowly. The opinion prevails
that the present fire was incendiary. It is fortunate that no lives were lost. Speculation is already rife as to the future. A fine Bank Building is talked of for the Pettibone site and another big hotel on the hotel corner. Certain it is, that the spring
will see two large brick blocks on those, the two best business corners in Neenah."
Quoted from "Daily Times," J an. r5, 1883.

A HISTORY

OF NEENAH

Fire Department About 1889. Fir.11 Row-Louis Bergs trom, Fred Easton, Oscar Smith, lngoff Johnson,
Axel elson, Charles Draheim, Ed P eck, Silas Martens, Will Jones, - - Goodman, August Eberlein,
Unknown, J ohn Brown, George Christoph , Her man Vogt, Fred Mason. Second Row- Louis Nelson,
George Jagerson, Chris 1elson, Ed Gray, Charles Schul tz, Charles Neustadter, Fred Kaphingst. Tliird
Row-James Austin, Joe Cox, Fred Melchert, John Goodman, Al Staffeld.

CITY HALL. Neenah's outmoded and outgrown City Hall was built in
i 888. It is said that this was the last public building in Neenah to
be paid for out of current funds.

Public Utilities
Citizens of this era, as they moved out into t he world and saw how
others lived, became restive when they contemplated Neenah 's
crude sanitary conditions. In Part II of t he book the reader will find
an interesting s tory of Neenah's first sewer system, for which a petition was signed by 21 citizens whose homes fronted on ' Visconsin
Avenue. Later, citizens along East Fores t Avenue obtained a si milar
restricted facility. It was not until 1935 that these semi-private s ystems were consolidated into a public utility for all of Neenah.

THE

1 88 0'S

r ">
),)

Nor can older residents of our T win Cities forget t he disastrous

fire which destroyed th e Whiting Paper Mill in J 888, acco mpani ed by
a boiler explosion ki llin g J 6 firemen and spec tators.

First (itizen to State and .federal Office

I n 1885 th e first Neenah citizen to be elected to t he tate L egislature, C. B. Clark, went to Mad ison, an d, in 1888, was chosen to represent his d istrict in Congress. Mr. C lark was reelected again in i 890
and died in offi ce in i 89 r. Man y were t he notables, including Bob
I .a F ollette, Sr., who attended his fun eral.

generation passes to the next-for better or for

worse --in the short time left to us."

,.,_, "EACH

:A(gt e s

:J\(!J t es

:J\(g t e s

in perspective of the '90s, there comes

into view the worst depression and money panic the
country had ever known. Neenah, because of the nature
and conduct of its indus try, fared better than the average, as it has in subsequent economic dips.
We think, too, of strai ned relations with Spain, and the sinking of
the battleship "Maine" in Havana harbor that plunged us into the
Spanish-American War and set the stage for America as a world
power.

HE N ONE THINKS

Struggle for I nterurban Service

Nearer home was feveri sh activity on the part of Milwaukee
capitalists to put through an electric trolley line from Fond du Lac
to Green Bay, utilizing the trackage rights of the Menasha and
Neenah Railway Company,-o nly to be blocked for two years by
refusal of the Councils of the Twin Cities to permi t such use of their
streets. The attitude of the local governing bodies reflected the fear
of Neenah-Menasha merchants that trade, now theirs, would flow to
the larger cities to the sou th and to the north.
In 1891 the Appl eton Electric Street Railwa y, after a brave but illstarred existence, folded up, as did the Appleton Edison Electric
Company in 1894.
In spite of financial failures, there were those like A. L. Smith who
had faith in the future of electric power, an d eventually their faith
was vi ndi cated. In the early 19oo's the Wisconsin Traction, Light,
H ea t & Power Company, and their successor, the Wisconsin Michigan
Power Company, took over. These two com panies have furni shed
industries and hom e owners of our city with efficient and unbroken
service.
57

A HISTORY OF NEENAH

Krueger & Lachmann Milling Compa ny as it was on M ay 30, 189r. T his was the last of Neenah's fl our
mills. The site was sold to N eenah P aper Company in 19 18. Jn the brick s tructure at left, Ki mberlyClark installed its first laboratory.

Military Organization
R eferring again to the Spanish-American vVar, t hat episode stirred
the blood of yollng men and older boys of the Twin Cities, to the end
that a military un it under the Captaincy of J. B. Schneller was
formed in 1899. Three years later t his unit, under the designation of
Co. I, became a part of t he Wisconsin National Guard. Hon. S. A.
Cook, whose former residence is now the home of t he YWCA, contribll ted the money for t he Armor y, which still ser ves the local military unit.

economic and Social 'Progress

In the decade under d iscussion, we find t wo of Neenah's subs tantial

financial institutions making their debut:- the Twin City Building

THE

1 8 9 O'S

59

This crew worked on the Gilbert P aper Co. mill in the early 1890's. The chimney is shown at the
1
100 mark.

and Loan Association in l 893, and the Equitable Fraternal Union

(now the ERA) in 1897.
Industrially, the Gilber t Paper Company pushes its walls out to
in stall a second paper machin e, and Kimberly-Clark is again on the
march, taking over property for a new village and a new mill a t
Niagara, Y.,Tisconsin.
J. R. Bloom, later to become owner and editor of the J\(_eenah Vaily
Jl(_ews establishes the Menasha evening ~reeze, and R everend J. N.
J ersild continu es un til 1899 with The Vanskeren, a Danish language
paper established by him in 1894.
Mr. J ersild also incorporated the J ersild Knitting Com pany early
in this decade, and more than a half century later, the compan y is

60

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

going strong, making its con tribution to th e well being of the community. See Part II.
Of all of Neenah's personal service enterprises, one of the oldest,
in point of continuous service, was the barber shop established by
L. P. Larson, at 115 Wes t Wisconsin Avenue, in 1890. This shop
moved in i 928 to I I l \iVest Wisconsin Avenue, and continued under
the proprietorship of Theodore C. Larson, until his retirement in
early 1958.

The " Mystic," a steam yacht (a coal burner) operated for hire by Otto Jorgenson during the 'Sos and
early '90s.

Boehrn's Market makes claim to being the oldest continuously

operated food store in Neenah. Their books go back to i895, when all
meats sold fo r 10 per pound. Previou s location of the store was at
109 East Wisconsin Avenue, in a structure that was part of a livery
s table which had originally been built on the site of the present E R A
building. During t he early' 50s, the store moved to its modern quarters
at 203 \i\lest Wisconsin Avenue. Present proprietors are Ralph B.
Larson and Howard C. Boehm.
In the field of fra ternal and civic societies, th e H . J. Lewis Women's
R elief Corps comes in to being in 1 890.
Also in 1890 Neenah Lodge #80 of Knigh ts of P ythias was ins tituted.
And in 1894 the Order of the Eastern Star made its appearance.
The (hurc/Jes J(eep Pace

The churches respond to the broadening life of the times. The First
Evangelical (now Evangelical United Brethren) builds its new build-

THE

18 9 O' S

61

A Social Group- 1899

Left to right:
Front row- Bessie Mott, Louis Voss, Flora Fish, Allen Montgomery. Back row- i\fayhew Mott,
Florence Mott, Will Joliffe, Gunlauf Guthormsen, Lucius Knickerbocker, Am y Fish.

ing on corner of Bond Street and West Forest Avenue in 1890, later to
be enlarged as their congregation grew.
The Baptist congregatio n responds to the growth impulse by remodeling t heir structure.
I898-The Danish Baptist C hurch unites with the Doty Island
Baptist C hurch Oater renamed the V\lhiting Memorial Baptist
Church ) .
In i893 the Trinity Lutheran congregation builds a new sc hool
building adj oining their church at corner of Oak Street and Franklin
Avenue.
The First C hurc h of C hri st Scientist had its bir t h in Neenah in
i 897 in t he home of S. B. Morgan.
Jl(_eenah 's In creasing School Population

Neenah 's c hi ldren conti nu e t heir demands upon the taxpayers, r e-

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

sulting in a new grade school building, in 1893, on the corner of Adams

and Isabella Streets, now known as th e Lin coln Sc hool.
At the hi gh sc hoo l appear sign s of a more \rersatile life. The
r:Argosy, the product of student enterpri se, makes its appearance in
1895, selling for 5 per copy or 35 per year. The next year, 1896, football makes its entry with such performers as J ohn T olverso n, Gus
Kimberly, Harley Hilton, Ed Wieckert, John \iVest, J ohn Carmen,
Bill Hughes, Bert Kramer, Lute Bergstrom, Charles Dau, Ed Sorenson, and coached by the Reverend Eddy, pastor of the Universalist
Church. The team played nine games in all, winning four, losing four,
and I tie. I 897 was a banner year for the team, for they went through
an undefeated season, and became state champions- after which they
played and beat the Ripon College team!
(ultural <:Advance

In 1896 also, t hanks to the initiative and influence of Mrs. J . A.

Kimberl y, a H ome Economics course was established in the school
sys tem. At that tim e it was referred to as "Domes tic Science."
T wo years later th e vision of Mrs. J. A. Kimberly is again seen in
the organization of the Economics Club of Neenah-Menasha.
Public Utilities

COMMUNITY WATER WORKS . As we noted in our comment on the '8os,

there was a ferm ent in favor of a sewer sys tem, so in the late 'Sos and
early '90s there mounted a public demand for a community water
sys tem.
The idea was deeply imbedded in the thinking of the populace of
that day that the only safe source of pure water was the deep well. Accordingly, in I 893, the first of Neenah's 4 wells was drilled and t he
water fl owed through its main s to the homes, commercial es tablishments and industries of the city. This cos tly and disappointing venture led in due time to t he right answer. T he well water was chemicall y
pure, but contained so high a content of mineral salts (60 grain s p er
gallon) that it was all but useless for domes tic purposes. By the earl y
'30s boiler tubes and home plumbing systems were in for renewal, so

THE

1 8 9 O'S

clogged were they with calcium and lime deposit. Toda y one of the
joys of visitors to ou r fair city is to take a bath in Neenah's pure soft
water. Our city's substantial growth over the past twenty years is due
in no small measure to its superior water.

C&J{_W Vepot
vVhile i 893 is remembered as a year of economic depression, our
Twin Cities were gratefol to the C&NvV Railway for the new station,
which s till gi ves our people a paint of departure to the outside world.

Carriage and wagon shop of Charley Bergstrom, with Herrick's carriage paint shop above. ote safety
bicycle, woode n sidewalk, and style in skirts-about 1896. Center rear,- brick factory building of Neenah
Boot & Shoe M anufacturing Company. Adjoining Bergstrom's shop to the north was Kimberly-Clark's
original office. Shed to the left was built out over the canal.

Among the colorful p ersonalities of those changing times when the

incoming auto was threatening the horse and buggy, was Charley
Bergstrom who, during the '8os and '90s conducted a blacksmith shop
and carriage sales room in a wooden building on North Commercial
Street on t he site of the landscaped area between Kimberly-Clark's
original offi ce and th e power canal.
Charley, along with all rnanufacturers and dealers in carriages, soon
saw the " h andwriting on the wall. " Disposing of his carriage business
in the late '90s, he went in for bicycles. The old high wheel, it will be

A HISTORY

OF

EENAH

remembered, was, during t hose years, being displaced by t he so-call ed

"safety" bicyc le.
Next, we see Charley as one of t he earl y dealers in autos. His first
car was the Cole, and how many readers of these Jines ever heard of
one?
C harley was an attractive talker and a persuasive salesman . Some
of t he younger gentry were fond of pretending t hey wanted to bu y a
car just to hear Charley talk. 'When the pretense became obvious,
Charley used langu age t hat wouldn't look well in print.

(igar Manufacturing
During the latter years of the 19th century, cigar manufacturing
held promise of becoming a stable business. George Sc hmidt operated
an establishment on West \iVisconsin Avenue. Ch arles Sc hultz, a onetime mayor (1902- 7) , at his peak employed as man y as forty men in
t he brick building at I 12 North Commercial Street. Then came the
cigarette. Just as the auto eliminated t he horse and buggy, so did the
cigarette, plus stronger com petition, narrow the market for homemade
cigars to the point of extinction.

""'-' "ON LY

the key of yesterday unlocks tomorrow."

:A(gt es

:J.(_gtes

THE

19oo's

of the new century brough t with it a number ?f social orga nization s to enri ch th e life of our com munity.

HE FIRST DECADE

Leaders of Boys' Brigade 1902--03: Standing : left to right- George Sande, J ay Gill ingham, Bert
Smith, F red Wines, George H andler, H arvey Thom a , Guy Young, H arry T homas, Harry Fenton
and J ohn LeTourneux. Seated: left to right- Rev. J. E. Chapin, J ames Sorenson, S. F. Shattuck,
George J ones. Bugler : Harvey Fish

68

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

':Boys' ':Brigade

First of these stems from Dr. J. E. Cha.pin's in terest in the boys of

his city. One evening in the fall of I899 the old pastor found six boys
on the steps of Michelson's Hall (site of present post office). It was
after curfew had rung. He asked the boys, one of whom was George
Sande, our present Mayor, why they weren't home. That question led
to an historic conversation . Echoes of the Spanish-American War
were still abroad . Th e boys said they wanted an army. That gave Dr.
Chapin a seed thought. In January, 1900, he came up with a company
of the Boys' Brigade, an organization imported from Great Britain,
which had taken root in cities along our eastern seaboard. On January
22 forty-six boys signed the roster as charter members of the Neenah
company.
T he Brigade marked its 57th birthday in January, 1957, with ded ication of a new home fronting on West Columbian Avenue. See Part

II.
emergency Society and Visiting J{urse c/Jssociation

During the latter half of th e decade, two women's ser vice organizations of unusual merit made their appearance. The San Francisco
earthquake in 1906, with its trail of loss and suffering, touched the
hearts of young women of our Twin Cities. T heir response was formation of an Emergency Society to sew for victims of tha t disaster. For
fifty years since that informal beginning, successive generations of
you nger women have responded to needy situations in connec tion with
the hospital and throughout the Twin Cities and adjacent areas. See
Part II.
The question can now be asked, ""Vlhat would Neenah-Menasha do
without the Visiting Nurse Association?" Fortunately for us, civicminded women have always lived here. Back in 1908 a group of women
of the Twin Cities launched the idea of a Visiting Nurse Associati on.
I da Heinicke, a practical nurse living on South Park Avenue, was engaged to do the field work. T hat was before the auto had come into
general use. During the earl y days of her service, Ida walked. Later

THE

1900' S

she go t about with horse and buggy. (See Par t JI for lis ting of charter
members.)
Harness Makers

H enry SchimpC E. M . Hanson, t he Cook brothers an d August

Haufe operated harness making and harness repair shops d uring t he
peak of the horse and buggy age. T heir shops were all located toward
the west end of \i\lisconsin A venue.
They joined t he village blacksmiths in making their exit as the auto
appeared on our s treets.

//1 tlie Tum of Ifie Century. Looking \Vest across properties of Kimberly-Clark and Winnebago Paper

Mills, K-C office and Shoe Factory at left center.

Union Orga11izations

also saw the first community organization of unions. Five

unions, with a total membership of 200, formed a Central Labor Body.
1900

70

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

elks .(odge
Elks Lodge #676 was or ganized in 1 901 in Menas ha. On t he rolls of
t he Lodge were Neenah men. In 1950 t he name was ch anged to read
Neenah-Menas ha B.P.O.E. #676.
{omrnercial lvfovernent

There were so man y mo vements in and out of the comm ercial field
d uring this period that one risks criticism by si ngling out a few. However, the following are typical:
Meyer Burstein entered bu siness in J 900. Fi ve years later he bought
t he Billstein property west of the C&NW tracks, where he built an
addition and expanded his business of sorting paper stock and rags.
Defnet & Jagerson Supply Company entered th e field in 1900 with
fuels and building materials.
In 1900 Louis Otto opened a greenhou se, sold in 191 8 to \tVard

View from roof of First National Bank, during street fair September 1902. feenah Theatre was under
construction. First performance in the new theatre was on Decem ber '26, I 902.

THE 190 O'S

71

Street Fair- week of September 15, 1902.

Davis, who sold to Jennejohn in 1925, who passed it on to the Kraemers. They have operated the bL1si ness for 25 years to their satisfaction
and the public's benefit.
Frank Klink:e opened a barber shop in I 903 and still serves his clientele as these lines are written.
The Christophs organized the Twin City Fuel Company in 1902,
located on the site of Shattuck Park, moving to present site on Main
Stree t in i914, ch anging nam e to 0 . K. LLimber & Fuel Company.
In 1905 Haertl's Jewelry Store moved from Menasha to Neenah.
At the turn of the century the P os tal T elegraph came to town,
locating in the rear of Barnett's pharmacy. Br yan Seroogy, a colorful
personality, presided over this offi ce for sixteen years.

exit Menasha & J\(eenah 7(ailway Company

Fire destroyed the plant of the 1\1:enasha & Neenah E lec tric Railway Company in 1900. Emergency power was obtained from the Appleton Electric Light & Power Company. Soon thereafter they merged

The bank corner about the year r909, when the E. F.U. (now E. R.A.) building was dedicated. :\lote the brick paving on Wisconsin Avenue, and in
the rear of the Ci t)" Hall, we see the porches of the J asperson House.

THE

l 9 0 0'S

73

under the title \Vi sconsin Traction, Light, Heat & Power Compan y,
referred to elsewhere in t his docum en t.

Telep/Jone <:_Building
\ Vh enever the Wisconsin Telephone Company erects a substantial
building in a community, one may be certain t hat t hey see a futu re for
that locali ty . T he first unit of Neenah's telep hone building, built in
1908, has more t han justified the telep hone company's faith in
Neenah.

Wisconsin Central 7(aihvay .(eased to CanadiaJt 'Paci.fie 'l(aifway Company

Of more than passing interest to Twin City s hippers is the 99 year
lease of the YVi sconsin Central Lin e b y the Canadian Pacific Railwa y
Company in 1909. The C.P.R. at that time was seeking entrance to
Chicago, and gained it through absorption of the Wisconsin Central.

<:_Banking
In 1900 the Manufacturers ' National Bank, organized in 1883, reported deposits of $474,41 8.63. R enewing its charter in 1901 t he name
was changed to National Man ufacture rs' Bank and capital was increased to $75,000. The bank started bu sin ess in the store bu ilding
formerly occu pi ed by the C. B. Man vill e photographic s tud io. In
1902 a face-lifting operation was perform ed on t he store front to make
it look like a bank. The single word "BA K" chiseled into the stone
facing still proclaim s its one-tim e status, in spite of occupany of t he
premises by t he \Visconsin Michigan P ower Company. Meanwhile, the
banking institution, having long since outgrow n its early habitat,
moved across t he street to its commodious quarters on t he site of t he
old Russell H ouse.
An ann ouncement by the National Manufacturers' Bank, under
d a te of Jun e r, 1907, throws an inter esting sid eligh t on employmen t
conditions of t hat day. The announcement, sent to deposi tors b y post
card, read :

7+

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

~AT I ONAL

MANUFACTURERS' BA:\1 K
O F NEr:N AH, WI SCOr SI N

14/iff close at 1 2 o'clock noon eve1y Saturday morning commencing 'June

1907.

I,

This is in line with a growing tendency towards a Saturday half holiday. The labore rs want it and the proprietors need it.

S. R.

M O RGAN,

Cashier

Yachting
Th e thread of yachting is woven through t his stor y from pre-Civil
war days to t he present. It was about 1907 when the two ri val organizations, the Neenah Yacht Club and t he Nodaway Yacht Club, voted
to bury the hatchet and form the Neenah-Nodaway Yach t Club.

Industrially
The first decade of the 20th century saw the birth of one, and the rebirth of two enterprises that have con tributed untold economic
strength to our Twin Cities.
In 1901 The Banta Publishing Com pan y, now nationall y known,
was incorporated.
D. W. Bergstrom and his son, J ohn , purchased t he Wi nnebago
Paper Mills from W. L. Davis and established the Bergstrom Paper
Company in 1904.
The J ohn Strange Paper Company began t he manufacture of kraft
wrapping paper in 1907, being among the first to make that grade in
the U .

Schools
The Kimberly High School was built in 1906, at which time the
Washington School became a full-time grade school, serving t he First
Ward. The Kimberl y School was soon ou tgrown for high school purposes, and took over the sixth, seventh and eigh t h grades of the cit y.

THE

190 O'S

75

(lzurclzes

Church growth and exp ansion went on apace as the city grew. The
wooden edifi ce of the Presbyterians, built in l 870, on the corner of
Church and Smith Streets, was, in 1901, displaced by a brick
structure. In 1903, Dr. J. E. Chapin, for thir ty-three years its
pastor, retired.
Our Savior 's Lutheran Church dedicated its new building on Isabella
Street in 1905.
In 1906, First Church of Christ Scientist purchased the build ing
form erly the property of the Episcopal congrega tion and later moved
it to their site at l I J East "Wisconsin Avenue.
In this year (1906) t he Methodist Congregation dedicated its new
building opposite the City Hall. Coincident with its building program,
the Neenah Danish, Menasha Methodist and Clayton Methodist
churches merged with the First Methodist of Neenah.
Entering the las t year of this ten-year period, two significant additions to Neenah's life appeared :
I. The Betty Rebekah Lodge was instituted.
2 . The Equitable Fraternal Union (now ERA) dedicated its new
building on South Commercial Street.

First Methodist Church, as it was from 1906 to 1937, when it was destroyed by fire.

A HISTORY

Herman Anspach's

OF

well-adver ti~ed

EENA H

general store- 190j .

The Theda (lark Memorial Hospital

Theda Clark P e ters died in 190+ Having caught t he germ of civic
responsibility from her illus trious father, she left a bequest in her will
with which to bui ld a hospital. H er brother, Charles B. (Bill) Clar k,
carried out her wishes, adding to her bequest out of his ow n funds .
Thu s came into being in 1909 t he Th eda Clark Memorial H ospital.
Story of t he new and rebu il t hospital will be found in Part II.

J.(eenah cAuditorium (ompany- carly Movie H ouses- Jl.(eenah (lub

J ohn Studley, wh o has been prod igal with his help in this historical
proj ect, contributed the following sketc h, which traces t he organization of the Neenah Auditorium Company, the ad vent of motion pictures, and, finally, t he birth of t he Neenah Club, which took over
ow nership and management of the property, leasing t he Neenah
th eatre for movies and converti ng th e origi nal dance hall and basement for club purposes :
~eena h at the turn of the century lacked facilities of a theatre equipped to bring
companies then touring the country to the cit y. Local residents desirous of seeing
theatrical presentations were forced to depend upon Appleton and Oshkosh and
an increasing number patron ized both out-of-town playhouses. These were in t he
days before the development of motion pictures, radio and television which have
all but "relegated" t he legitimate drama to the metropolitan centers.

THE

19 0 O' S

77

Growing popular demand resulted in orga nization of The Ieenah Auditorium

Company, wh ich, according to records, filed articles o f incorporation on December
5, 1 90J . These s tated the com pany had been formed "for t he purpose of erecting
and main taining a theatre, opera and general amusement house, and t he leasi ng of
same and t he construction for a nd placi ng before the people of lectures, operas,
&c." Capital stock of the com pany was listed as $20,000. Offi cers were: President,
F. J . Sensen brenner; Vice-President, M. W. Krueger, and Secretary-Treasurer,
S. B. Morgan.
Property on East Wisco nsi n Avenue, present site of t he Neenah Theatre building,
was purchased from various owners following a public stock subscription. The
theatre and audi toriu m were erected d uring 190 2. The openi ng show was on D ecember 26 of th at year. A few remai n who can recall t he gala openi ng of the Ieenah
Theatre, fo r wh ich the talented Wal ker Whiteside S hakespearean Compan y played
a week's engagement to packed houses. In ensuing years I eenah Theatre patrons
were regaled with some o f t he fi nes t road shows then on tour. Stock com pan ies
playing weekly engagements were also popul ar, among them the celebrated \Vin niger
Brothers, who evolved from a beginning as an orchestra for the Appleton Theatre.
But in the first and ea rly in the second decades of t he twentieth ce ntury were to
come t he movie houses, or " nickel t heatres," as t he y were at first popularly known.
Fi rst of t hese was the Idle H ou r, started by P. J. Dros ke, in the Schimpf building
on \Vest \iVisconsin Aven ue, now occupied by the Krause Clothing Store. A few
years later (dates are not defi ni te) the Mer Mac was ope ned in the H. A. Stone
building, several doors east fro m the Idle H our, by a Nianager na med Anderson,
from the northern part of the state. Still later t he late J o hn Herziger opened his
D oty Theatre, near the corner of 1 orth Commercial Street and Forest Avenue.
Competition from the movies and decli ne in t he calibre of travel ing road shows
adversely affected the Neenah thea tre and its owners, and fin ancial difficulties were
encountered.
In the meantime, the Tee nah Club had been organ ized and leased the auditorium
portion o f t he t heatre building. The club was formed in 1909, its incorporators bei ng
F. E. B::illi ster, C. B. Clark and F . A. Leavens. Trans fer of owners hip of the the:;i.tre
building by the Neenah Auditoriu m Company to t he Neena h Club was recorded
as of October 22, 191 9 . The cl ub, for nom inal co nsideration and assu mption of t he
fin ancial obligations of the auditorium co mpany, became the owner, and remains so,
o f th e theatre property. A provi sion in the deed , however, makes it m andatory for
t he club to m aintain the building as a "general amuseme nt house fo r the citizens
of Neenah a nd vici ni ty." I n event of dissolutio n of the club o r relinqu is hment of its
responsibi lities in regard to the building, t he property will revert to the city of
J een ah.
The clu b at presen t leases t he theatre section of the building as a motion picture
house . The original dance f1oor (o r auditorium ) and basement were converted into
th e presen t facil ities of the Neenah Club.

:A(_gt es

:A(gtes

:A(gt es

THE

191o's

World War 1
all other e vents of t his era was \iVorld War r,
originating in central Europe, and eventuall y embroiling
Am erica an d Neenah.
Compan y I saw service on th e M exican border during
t he las t half of 19 16, returning home in January, 191 7.
On April 7, 19 17 Congress declared war again st the cent ral powers.
1n th e summer of t ha t year, Co. I of N eenah , under Captain Bert
Smith , and newly form ed Co. E of M enasha under Captain Dick Hill,
left for Camp D ouglas, wh ere t hey train ed till fall. They th en left for
Camp 1\1acArthur, a t \iVaco, T exas, were mustered into t he 32nd Di vision, an d shipped overseas in J a nuary, i 9 18. Participating in the
Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meu se-Argo nn e offen sives, t hey later became part .of the Arm y of Occ upati on in German y. They returned
home during t he spring and summ er of J919. See Col. Dan Hardt's
mili tary his tor y- Part II.
O n th eir re turn , th ey o rganized Hawley-Di ec khoff P ost #JJ of t he
Ameri can L egion. T he following yea r the Au xili ar y to t ha t post was
organized.
E arli er in this decade ( r912) t he C. B. Clark Circle- L adies of the
Grand Arm y of t he R epublic- took its place among t he pat riotic
societies of t he community.
In spired by t he patrio ti c fer vor of t he times, t he Neenah Chapter
of t he R ed Cross too k shape. I t was t hro ug h t hat great organization
t hat comfor t was brought to our boys overseas a nd to th eir famili es at
home. At no tim e of need or emergency d uring subsequent years has
t he local c hap ter of Red Cross failed to assum e its s hare of r esponsibilit y. Across all th e rn ter venin g years, two public-spirited citizen s

OM I NATI NG

81

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

stand out as leaders and supporters of this humanitarian movement,

namely, Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Clark.
cA 'By-Product of War

V\lar always brings its by-products, both good and bad. Among the
constructive by-products of World War I, destined to be of untold
economic benefit to Neenah, was t he manufacture by Kimberly-Clark
of a highl y absorbent pulp product for the Army and the Red Cross.
This product was given the name "Cellucotton." It was used for
sponges in major surgical operations. Nurses and other women connected with the Armed Services during the war found an unplanned
use for this substance in their monthly periods. Following the war,
Kimberly-Clark assigned th is idea to its research department and out
of the research came "Kotex." Following in the wake of "Kotex"
came "Kleenex" and a host of other sanitary products, to t he end
that today, thirteen Kimberly-Clark plants across the world are serving their generations with those popular items, first though t of and
made in Neenah.
In this connection it should be noted that in 1914 Ernst Mahler
cast his lot with Kimberly-Clark. Not only was Mr. Mahler a skilled
chemical engineer, but through his leadership there followed a galaxy
of younger men trained in the chemical and physical sciences. Papermaking is still an art, but this generation of scientists has undergirded
it with a firm scientific texture.
The Ins ti tu te of Paper Chemistry at Appleton, which has had a profound influence on the paper industry of North America, owes its existence to Ernst Mahler's vision and initiative.

First Playground equipment

The broadening life of the "teens" ( 1911) saw the first expenditure
of funds for playground equipment. The local chapter of the Red
Cross started the ball rolling, later to be assumed by the Park and Recreation Department' of the city.
To mention the weather may seem superfluous, but the winter of
1912 will be remembered as one of the coldest. January records days of
20 to 30 below zero, resulting in anchor ice, ice jams and power failures.

THE

1 91 O'S

Shattuck Park

During the early years of this decade, Clara A. Shattuck became

in creasingly distressed as she passed and repassed the parcel of land
adjoining the river bank, between the library grounds and t he C&NW
tracks. It had become a rubbish dump and a disgrace to the city. She
acquired title to the property in 1912, converted it into a park, including cement retaining wall and an artistic boat house, and presented
the park to the city in 1915. During the late '40s and early '50s, the
property degenerated to the point where the Shattuck heirs threatened
to exercise a recovery clause in the deed of gift. This led to a wo rking
agreement between the Park Board, the Shattuck family and the recently formed Tri-City Boating Club, whereby the original plan of
the park was revised to accommodate the boating enthusiasts and preserve the heart of the property as a beauty spot.
Schools

No new schools were required during t his decade, but cooperative

interest in our schools continued to expand. Mothers' Societies made
their appearance in 1915, which paved the way for the P.T.A.'s of our
day.
"The Council Tree," a school annual, began publication in 1919,
continuing until 1922.
In 1912 the first school nurse, Mrs. Florence Lee, was employed.
The following year the Vocational School, to which Carl Christensen
devoted his working years, made its beginning.
Hospital

The Theda Clark Hospital, looked upon by many in its early days
with dread and as something to be avoided, was, by this time, accepted. In 1910 a nursing school, affili ated with Cook County Hospital, was star ted. Miss Amelia Ritchie, Superintendent of the hospital, became the first Director of t he school in cooperation with the
local medical fraternity. By 1919 t he hospital, now overtaxed, was enlarged.

In the early days of this decade, also, a "Girls' Club" was instigated
by a committee of the Tuesday Club. Led by Helen Babcock, quarters

Shattuck Park-

Looking north from Wisconsin Aven ue.

before and after.

Looking northwest from library line.

86

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

were rented in the second floor of the store building at the corner of
Church Street and \Vest \i\lisconsin Avenue, and a Director was engaged. In 19 q the "Girls' Club" became the "Young Women's Club"
and was moved to the Shiells' home on Doty Avenue, which had been
purchased for the purpose by Miss Babcock and others.
The "Young Women's Club" later evolved into the YVVCA, presently housed in the former residence property of Hon. S. A. Cook, at
the corner of \i\l. N. Water and N . Commercial Streets.
John Boreson began in 191 l a forty-year stretch with the \Vestern
Union Telegraph Company. During most of these years, it was a oneman office, plus a messenger boy and his bicycle. John took more than
a commercial interest in his many clients, often expressing solicitude
and sympathy as he delivered messages bringing sorrow or disappointment.
In 1919 two old rivals, the 5\(eenah Times, edited for many years by
J. N. Stone, and the 'Daily 5\(ews, presided over by the Bloom famil y,
merged to form the 5\(eenah 5\(ews-Times. This paper later, under the
ownership of E. C. Cochrane, absorbed the Menasha 'l(ecord and became the Twin (ity 5\(ews 'l(ecord.
In 1910 Harry M. Brown, a machine tender in the old Neenah Mill
of Kimberly-Clark, retired from papermaking and formed the
Harry M. Brown Insurance Agency.
C.H. Velte linked his life with t he life of Neenah in 1912, forming a
law partnership with Lewis J . Somers and in 1925 joining with Pat
Molzow.
CJ3anking

During 1913 the capital stock of Neenah's two older banks was increased :- The First National to $125,000 and the National Manufacturers' to ~100,000.
The Neenah State Bank incorporated and opened for business in
191 I. Following the bank holiday in 1933, this bank failed to open, except temporarily. That s tory is told in the decade of the '30s. Suffice
it to say here that, given time, the assets of the bank were equal to all
but a small part of the demands made upon them.

THE

1 9 1 O' S

Gus Kalfahs' dr y goods and grocery store, 1 9 10 . Mr. Kalfohs is at center of rhe group of fi ve. T his
buildi ng is now occupied by T ews O res~ Shop.- . ote rhe hirching post.

l(jmlark ':Building
T he National T ex ti le Fi ber Company, chartered on January 26,
1915, was a subsid iary of K imberl y-Clark . T he fi rst sec tion of the
present Kimlark bui lding was co nstru cted for the manufacture of
pa per rugs. N in e years later (J une, 192+) this operation was divorced
from Kimberl y-Clark Cor poration, and a new corporation, Kimlark
R ug Compan y, took o ver the rug bu siness, with Harry Price as President.
Du ring th e inter veni ng years this bui lding " enjoyed" a checkered
but colorful career. W hen the rug compan y went out of business, it
becam e a tran sient shoe fac tor y. W hen shoe manufacturing fail ed,
Kimberl y-Clark bought the proper ty for one p hase of their growing
wall paper operation. Then came the war. \rVall p aper gave way to gun
mounts. At war 's end ano th er transformation occurred. KimberlyClar k's Engineering Department redid the interior to fi t t heir fa r-

88

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

flung needs, and, as these lin es are written, the Engineering Department is still at home in this location.
[hurch Nlovernent
St. Paul's English Evangelical Lutheran Church made its entrance
in to the life of the city in 1913. Services were held in a small chapel on
Bond Street, near High Street. Growth was rapid and substantial dne
to the large numbers of second and third generation young people of
Lutheran upbringing, who spoke E nglish rather than the mother
tongue of their parents. The property on the corner of North Commercial and West North Water Streets was purchased in 1914, on
which the present church was erected in 1916. R ev. A. J. Sommer was
the first pastor, serving for fourteen years.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church dedicated its new churc h home on
South \iVas hington Street, Menasha, in 1915.
George Whiting presented to the Baptist congregation its present
property, including the church edifice, which was dedicated in 1917
as "Memorial Baptist Church."
The First Church of Chris t Scientis t purchased in 1915 the church
structure and real estate at 229 East Wiscon sin Avenue, evacuated in
that year by the Episcopal congregation .
.(,abor ~dvance
1916 will be remembered in pulp and p aper circles for the Jong overdue displacement of the archaic thirteen hour night and eleven hour
day shifts by the three eigh t-hour shift system.
In 1917 the Central Labor Body reorganized and consolidated under
the "Neenah-Menasha Trades & Labor Council."

Industrial Ins and Outs

In 191 8 there passed from the scene the last of the fl our mills that
formerly lined Neenah's power canal. The Krneger & Lachmann Milling Compan y, the lone survivor, sold its property (idle si nce the
fire in 1911) to the Neenah Paper Company in that year.
The Bergstrom Paper Company pushed its walls out during this dee-

TH E

1 9 1 0'5

ade, in stalli ng two new paper machin es,- 132 11 and 158 11, and erecting
a new build ing to house its fini shing equipm en t.
T he second decade of t he twenti et h cen t ury saw four en terprises
added to the T win City ind ustri al fraterni ty :
J. Th e Hardwood Prod ucts Compan y organi zed in 19 10 to m ake
hardwood doors and in terior t rim . This comp an y was t he outgrowth of a small veneer m ill erected b y C. B. Clark, D. L.
Kimberl y, Willi am C. wing and E . D. Beals, near Vicksburg,
Mi ssissippi , two years earli er.
/
2 . T he J. W. H ewitt Machin e Co mpa n y, who purc~sed t he p roperty on North Commerci al Street from t hl l mison Machine
\ Vo rks.
3. A division of t he Ban ta P ubli shin g Compa y under t he name
George Ban ta Paper Com pany was rename in 191 7 " The Central Paper Corn pa n y." Later, in T939, W illiarn Ger brick and
Stuart Thompson acquir ed ow nership of the bu sin ess.
4 . Gavin Young a nd hi s sons, Du dleig h an d Gavin, Jr. , institu ted
the Edgewater P aper Com pa n y in 19 17.
T he J ohn Strange Paper Compan y demons trated its vitality in 191 7
b y installing a i++" cyl in der m achi ne, said to be t he widest machi ne
of its kind up to t ha t date.
T wo signifi can t changes occurr ed in 1918- 19 when Ay lward Sons
Company changed i ts na me to Neenah F ound r y Compan y, followed
by election of E . J. Aylwa rd to t he presidency in 1919, upon his return
from service in \ Vorl d \Va r I. U nder his leaders hi p t hi s fo undry has
achieved a position of dom inance in its field .
As t his decade neared its close, t he G il bert P aper Company installed i ts t hird paper machi ne.

Commercial
A brief ru ndown of co mmercial happenings d uring the decade finds
F . \V. \iVoolwor t h Compan y t hin king Neenah worthy of t heir a ttention .
Geo rge Sande and F red Abendsc hein star ted busin ess under t he
bann er of t he Neena h Au to & I mplemen t Compan y.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Frank Durham came to town and established t he Durham Lumber

Company on North Comrnercial Street.
The Twin City Savings & Loan Company moved to the second fl oor
of the Neenah State Bank Building. Under t he presidencies of Andrew
and I veaux Anderson, this institution has taken its place as one of
Neenah's stable financial enterprises.
The Neenah Hardware Company entered t he hardware field and
still holds forth at the old stand.
Andr ew Anderson, whose earl y training was with Will Nelson in the
jewelr y business, organized the Jewelers Mu tu al In surance Company
in 1912, with headquarters in Neenah.
Finally, to round out a decade of growth, t he federal government in
1 917 constructed our post office, w hich, as of t his writing, is outgrown .

(. CS. "CSdl" (lark enters Public .(ije

During this decade, age handed the torc h of municipal leadership to
yout h. J. N . Stone, long-time editor of t he J\(eenalt Times, having
served as Village President in i868, five terms as Mayor of the city,
plus a term as Superintendent of Schools, was approaching the end of
his public service.
C. B. "Bill" Clark, four years out of Yale University, entered the
Council as Alderman from the First Ward in 1908. Two years as Alderman gave him the " lay of the land." In 1912 he ran for Mayor and
won the election.
eenah in that day had earned for itself an unsavory reputation.
While never "boasting" of a red light district, there were certain addresses known to traveling men and to local gentry of un certain
morals t hat would fit into a red ligh t category. Neenah was known,
too, for its gambling fraterni ty. Bill Clark saw this as a c hallenge. On
June 2, 191 5, the Council, at his insis tence, passed "an ordinance prohibiting the operation of houses of ill fame or leasing of premises t herefor, or being of an inmate thereof, or detaining certain persons
therein ." Listed in t he ordinance were appropriate penalties for nonconforrnan ce.
Meanwhile, employing a detecti ve service, paid for out of his own
pocket, Bill had quietly assembled his evidence. Without publicity or

THE

191 O'S

91

resort to legal procedures, he confronted the erring citizens with the

facts. \iVhen the proprietors of the qu estionable resorts saw that he
meant business, they "folded their tents." Neenah's moral atmosphere
improved.
In scanning the ordinances passed during C. B. Clark's years in the
11ayor's office, one is impressed with the emphasis on human, as well
as material, welfare. For instance, o'r dinances to:
prevent spitting on streets and in public places;
forbidding minors or drunkards to purchase intoxica ting li quors and prohibiting
the furni shing of intoxicating liquors to minors and drunkards;
licensing and regulation of billiard and pool room s ;
requiring payment of a license fee by transient merchants;
prevent animals running at large.

On May 5, 1915 came ::'\Teenah's first zon ing ord inan ce, although the
term "zoning" was not yet coined. In that year lan d on East \iVisconsin
Avenue, from \iValnut Street to the lake, was declared to be a residential d istrict.

J.(_o /)cense Campaign

The latter half of this decade was a hectic era in the life of the
s tates. Revulsion against the control of city governments by the
liquor interes ts was fanned into flame by th e determination of parents
and church groups to protect th eir boys then in Service from unnecessary temptation . This resulted in Dry Leagues and local no "license"
campaigns.
After a hectic campaign during the first quarter of 191 7, Neenah
swung into t he no license column by a vote of 630 to 625. A recount reduced the majority to one!
The newspapers of the d ay remarked that "excitement reigned
supreme. "
'
Menasha also voted on this question, and went wet by an overwhelming majority.
Nationally, the dry wave rolled along to usher in the ill-fated 18th
Amendment, wh ich went into effect January 16, 1920, and was r epealed in 1933 d uring Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term.

92

A HISTORY

OF

EE

AH

Stage plays at the Neenah Theatre were real "occasions" in the

"teens." In r91 7 we find Ted McGillan directing local talent in the
production of "Where t he Trail Divides."

Interurban Service
Jn January 1917 eenah's Council gran ted permi ssion to the \Visconsin Traction Light, H eat & Power Company to terminate t heir run
from Appleton at t he Valley Inn, rather than at Barnett's corner. In
view of the increasing use of autos, t he terminal at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Commercial Street was becoming increasingly
hazardous.
As indicated elsewhere, the auto was already a threat to the life of
the interurban street car.

The Valley Inn

N eenah citizens, ha ving rallied during the previou s decade to the
need for a library and a theatre, were now ready to respond to another
challenge. The city needed a modern hotel. Led by F . J. Sensenbrenner, merchan ts, industries, and indi vidual citizens subscribed approximately S200,ooo of stock in a hotel to be built. Edwin Bergstrom, a
former Neenah boy, planned the structure, which was built in 191 6.
Ed, as he was known by his sc hoolmates, was born and grew up

THE

1 91 O'S

93

her e. Hi s fat her , George 0. Bergstrom, was a one-time Mayor of

Neenah. After graduation from college a nd arc hitec tu ral school, Ed
located and practiced his profession in sou th ern California, which
probably accounts for the architectural s tyl e chosen for t he \'alley
Inn. Later, Ed Bergst rom was cred ited with the design o f the Pentagon in \i\7ashington.
It is interes ting, in retrospect, to reflect upon the controversy of
t hat day as to wh ere t he new hotel shou ld be located. M erchants up
and down the street pulled for t he site eventuall y c hosen. Others,
po in ting out t he noise factor of close prox imity to the C.&N. W. tracks,
advocated a s ite on Lake Shore Avenue overl ooking Lake \i\linn ebago
or a location on So u t h Park A venu e near the water plant. Th ey argued
that, in addition to t he travelling public, such a location would be
attractive to s urnm er tourists. It is perm issible, in t he light of hin dsigh t and changed cond itions, to sp eculate on wh o was righ t.

Federal Income Tax Makes Its A1odest entrance

Of person al in terest to most citizens was t he fed eral income tax law
that went in to effect January 3, 1917. Unmarried p ersons with incomes
of S3,ooo an d famil y heads with incomes of S4,ooo were taxed 2%with a graduated scale for incom es above t hose figures. The graduat ions of 1917 look quite modest from the vantage point of 1957.

From the gravestone of Charles Lyell, Derbyshire, England:

Throughout a long and laborious life
H e sought the means of deciphering
The fragmentary r-ecords
Of the Earth's history
In the patient investigation
Of tlze present order of nature
Enlarging the boundaries of knowledge
And leaving on scientific thought
An enduring influence.

0 Lord, H ow great are Thy works

And Thy thoughts are very deep.

:JX!1 t e s

:JX.Jtes
--------

:A(_gt es

THE
by

192 o's
JOH N STUDLEY

Women's Suffrage
DECADE which journalists r efer to as "the roaring
twenties" was ushered in wit h an historic note-women's
suffrage became effective in 1920 a nd they exercised under
t he 19th amendmen t to t he Constit u tion for t he first time
in November's general election t heir righ t to vote. Unfor tunatel y from
t he historian's standpoint, local election boards tabulated no breakdown of the rnasculine and feminine vote, so the percentage of ballots
cast by women t hat year remai ns obscu re. I t was not until 1937 t hat
separate counts were made of men's and women's votes . Then it was
found that women were casting approximately 40- 45 per cent of the
total vote.
Mayors who served Neenah in t he 1920- 30 period were E. C. Arnemann, '20-'21; J. H . Dennhardt, '22- '23 ; George E. Sande, present
full-time mayor, '24- '25; Denn hardt again in '26-'27 and Sande again
in '28- '33.
With thei r newly-won ballet franc hi se, a Neenah League of Women
Voters was organized in 1920. It went out of existence shortly, however, but was reorganized in 1947.
T he year 1920 also marked th e organization of the American Legion
Auxiliary to J am es P. Hawley Post No. 33, named after the first
Neenah boy to give his life in \iVorld war I service to his country.

HE

Wisconsin JX.orthern 'I{ailway

In t hat first year, also, of t he boisterous era, the last railroad

reached Winnebago Junction on t he ou tskir ts of t he city-the \iVisconsin Northern. T he line was organized in 1906 by the late Charles R.
97

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Smith, of the Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation, Leander Choate

and Charles Bray, of Oshkosh, and M. J. \iVallrich of Shawano.
The year also saw the establi shm ent of the city's fi rst "fresh air"
school, set up in the auditorium of the City Hall, with a "fresh air"
camp started at Wheeler's Point, on the shores of Lake Winnebago.
They were maintained un til 1926.

'Banking and Industrial

In 1920 J. A. Kimberly was elected Chairman of the Board of the

First National Bank, and F . E . Ballister was named President. Plans
were made for a new build ing, the present edifice, and the institution
increased its surplus account to $125,000.
In the same year the Kimberly-Clark Corporation erected the first
units of its Kapuskasing Mill, and also early in the l92o's, a twomachine paper mill was built at Niagara Falls.
1921 was marked by the opening of the new First National
Bank building, opening of a branch of the Richmond Company, dry
cleaners, here; establishment of the Lenz & Angermeyer Plumbing
Company (which dissolved partnership in 1926) and establishment
of the School Stationers Corporation, the Island Drug Store, and
Olene's Shop.
FirstcAutomobile 'Dealership
While Charles Bergstrom seems to have been the first sales agency
for automobiles in Neenah, the Jaeger-Dowling Company stands unchallenged as the oldest automobile dealership in the Neenah-Menasha-Appleton district, still in business. W. J. Dowling came to the
Twin Cities from Oshkosh in February, 1920, taking over management of the Ford Garage and Neenah Taxi Line, operating at the Valley Inn Garage. The Jaeger-Dowling Company was incorporated
August I, 1922. In 1946 Dowling purchased the Standard Oil Station,
at the intersection of First & Commercial Streets. This is said to have
been the first regular filling station established in Winnebago County.

'Doty 'Park and the Winnebago 'Players

Land for picturesqL1e Doty Park was donated to the city by the late

THE

192 O'S

99

C. B. Clark in r922, and, wi th other in dividuals, added to the gift to

increase t he size of the recreation center. The p ark was formally dedicated in 1928, after dredgi ng of the lagoon had been completed.
An out-of-door d ramatic production, "Prunella," directed by Miss
Ruth Dieckhoff, signalized the opening of this beauty spot to the
public. It was from this performance that the Winnebago Players
took off, and for several years pu t on outstanding produc tions in the
parks of Neenah and Menasha.
T he year also marked the purchase by the National Manufacturers'
Bank of t he site on which stood the histori c Ru ssell House. Razing
of the hotel to make room for the present banking edific e was completed, and the new building occupied on June 15, 1923.
The costly Baptist Churc h fire occurred in 1922, but the building
was promptly restored. In 1925 the name of the church was changed
to "Whiting Memorial Baptist Church," further gifts having been
made by the late George A. Whiting to the church.
The Edgewater Paper Company, located in Menasha as a converting mill, in 1922 ins talled a mac hine for the manufacture of duplexed
waterproof papers.

:N._eenah' s 'Disastrous Sleet Storm

Many Twin City residents can recall the disastrous slee t storm
which struck the valley shortly before dawn of February 22, 1922,
tearing down .power and communication lines and all bu t isolating
Neenah and Menasha for the better part of a week. Trees still bear the
scars of the unprecedented ice deluge.
Radio was then in its infancy, and all messages sen t on the "air"
waves were in code. Quinn Bros., pioneers in the retail radio fi eld, improvised a station on the top fl oor of the Bergstrom Paper Company
mill, and made this city's firs t pos t-storm contact with the outside
world. The sta tion was established in the Bergstrom Mill, because its
own power plant furni shed the alternati ng current necessary to operate the radio transmitters. The station continued in operation for six
days, its time being chiefly devoted to coding orders to railroads for
coal for Twin City industries, and dispatching trains. Permission for
temporary operation of the station on a commercial basis was obtained

100

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

from the headquarters of the Nin th Naval Reserve District at Chicago.

\i\lilliam and Cornelius Quinn, owners of Quinn Bros., were assisted in
the dispatch and receipt of messages b y Homer Bishop and Harold
Nielsen, among the earlier Neenah "hams."
\i\7iJliam Quinn, incidentally, recalls that he recei ve<l his first speeding
ticket during t he sleet storm emergency. The brothers, in addition to
their radio activities, operated a r estau rant near t he Soo Line Depot,
and it became necessary for \i\lilliam to make a hurried trip to the Hopfen sperger Market at Menasha for a supply of meat. He did it in record time, but a watchful policeman judged he drove. too fast and gave
him a court summons.
Another interesting sidelight of the storm was its effect upon publication of the city's only daily newspaper, The J{._ews- Times. Its lin otypes and presses immobilized for lack of power, its editors recovered
sufficien tly from the first day's s hock to produce a miniatu re four-page
paper, hand set and printed on a j ob press, which carried an abbreviated report of the catastrophe, and was complete even to a weather
forecast and single advertisement, a church social ! Subsequent days'
issues were rnmewhat enlarged, with a tractor obtained from the
Jaeger-Dowling Company powering the main press with belt transm1ss1on.

c.Boy Scouts
Boy Scouting, which had its origin in I9IO, came to the Twin Cities
in 1921 with organ ization of St. Thomas Episcopal Chu rch troop, the
first of which there is any authentic record.
The Valley Council of Boy Scouts was organized at Appleton 111
1920, and was joined by Neenah and Menasha troops in 1923.

The First Service Station

Al Laflin is claimant to the d istinction of operating Neenah's first
all-r0un!i ser vice station, including window and car washing, greasing
and vacuuming of car interiors. In 1930, Al leased the property at 521
Winneconne Avenue from Cook & Brown Lime Company and pLH~hased it from them in i93 7 . Its first owner was C. A. D ouglas.

THE

1?20' S

lOJ

King's Daughters Service Circle was established here in 1923, a

Junior Circle, known as Frances Gilbert, two years later, and t he Welfare Circle of King's Daughters in 1949.
The year 1923 marked esta blis hmen t of the Quality Printing Com pany in t he present J'{ews-7.(ecord building (owned by t he Sherry interests) by Arnold Jacob, its present President. The business is now
located in its own building on Main Street.
First 1.(Y~ 7.(egatta Staged Here

The first regatta of t he Inland Lakes Yach ting Association to be

sailed in Neenah was held here in August, i 923, and att racted sailors
from many midwestern sailing centers.
Completion of t he presen t Roosevelt (Thi rd \i\lard) sc hool also was
recorded in 1923.
Immanuel's Evangelical and R eform ed Church completeu a large
additi on to its building in J 92+
First of the Service (lubs

The year 1925 brought organization of the Neenah Rotary Club.

Lee Rasey, prominent Appl eton R otarian, a nd H oward P. "Cllb"
Buck, of Green Ba y Packer football fam e, were largely instrumental in
formation of t he club, which had a group of about twenty charter
members. T he club remains active, with a much larger mem bership.
Establis hm ent of the I deal Baker y, by Edward T yri ver, took
place in 1925, a nd in the same year, t he late George Danke started t he
Neenah Milk Products Compan y. The fi r m was reorganized in r939,
with t he Galloway in terests, of Fond d u Lac, owners.
D edica tio n of the beautiful Masonic Templ e, on \i\lisconsin Avenue
across from th e Neenah Library, took place in t he year 1926.
Neenah made its start as a leading bowl ing cen ter in the year 1926,
when t he first mixed doubl es league of t he Fox River Va lley was organized in th e M uench alleys, t hen located in t he basement of t he
building on East Wisconsin Avenue across from the Valley Inn, t hen
known as t he Valley Inn Garage. Muench's Recreation Center is now

102

A HISTORY

OF NEENAH

The Fhst Rotary Club-J925. Front Row, left to right: J oe Weishaupt, John Studley, T. D. Smith,
George Kelly, Will Krueger, L ynn Leffingwell. Middle Row: H y Behnke, Toby Kuehl, Richard Disney,
Ray Pe ters, Knox Kimberly, H arley Hilton, Andrew Anderson. Third Row: J . M. Donovan, Charles
Sommers, "Cub" Buck, Leo Schubart, Ed Arne mann, R ay H eron, D. L. Kimberl y.

located on North Commercial Street, an d has been t he site for many

outstanding kegling even ts, in clud ing one state tournament.
Also in 1 926 t he late George Burnside organi zed t he Burnside Paper
Company, now known as t he Sawyer P aper Company. Establi shment
of the Valley Press occurred in t he sam e year, and the Bergstrom
Paper Company co ns tru cted a new warehouse.
Neenah 's present v igorous summ er recreation program had its beginn ing in 1926, w hen George C hristoph was hired as organi zer and
d irector.
The year was al so marked by construction of McKin ley Grade
Schoo l, ser ving Fourt h Ward students.

THE

1920'S

lOJ

Voty Cabin Moved to Voty Park

In 1926, as Do ty Park was taking shape, the Strange family , at the

suggestion of the Neenah Park Board, gave to t he city the original
Doty Cabin, the one-time home of Jam es Duane Doty, second territorial Governor. The old structure originall y faced the mouth of the
river, as shown on page 42 of Cunningham 's history. It was moved to
the site of its replica in Doty Park, facing Lincoln Street. Today the
repli ca of this historic old cabin houses many relics of the pion eer days,
including some of the possession s of the late Governor and his wife.
It is visited each year by hundreds of persons, including tourists from
practically every state in the union.
When the original edition of Cunn ingh am's History was exhausted,
Emma Foeltzer Burnham made 27 longhand copies for her friends
and relati ves, and one of these remarkable copies is placed in the
Doty Cabin. Mrs. Burnham celebrated her 9oth birthday on February 22, 1958. Her interest in the writing of this history never
dimmed.
Th e Neenah-Menasha Finance Company began doing business here
in 1926.
The year 1927 brought Krause's, a men 's clothing store, to
Neenah; saw the name of the Wisconsin Traction Light, Heat & Power
Company changed to the ' i\lisconsin Michigan Power Company, and
the Postal T elegraph Company moved into the Spude Electric Compan y building on North Commercial Street.

Marathon Corporation
So far as this reco rd is concerned, 1927 is the key date in referring
to the Marathon Corporation, for it was in this year that the Maraathon Company, of Rothschild, ' i\lisconsin, under t he far-sighted leadership of D. C. Everest, acquired the Menasha Printing & Carton
Company. The Menasha Printing & Carton Company was the result
of a merger in 1917 of the Menasha Printing Company, founded by
Sam Clinedinst, and the Menasha Carton Company, organized by
George S. Gaylord. From i927 there followed, through the '30s, '40s
and '50s, expaJ1sion at home and across the ]and, until today Marathon

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

(now a subsidiary of American Canco) leads in the fields of food

p ackaging, household papers, general packaging and other paper and
paperboard products.
Latterly, Marathon 's local growth has fl owed in to Neenah :- a
graphic arts plant on Western Avenue, built in 1954; 1955, th e impressive fl exi ble packaging plant o n Cecil Street; and now, a new general
offi ce on land recently annexed to Neenah's south side. See Part II.

It was in th e same year that a Neenah Chapter of t he Daughters

of t he American R evolu tion was organized in Neenah, and the Business and Professional Women's Club was formed in t he same period.
Passing of the old Appleton-Neena h interurban street cars came in
1928, one year following t he demise of the Neenah-Oshkos h interurban line. In the former in stance, the cars were replaced by motor
buses.
A new power plant was constructed by the Bergstro m Paper Compan y in i 928, and t he year also saw erection of a new nurses' home for
Theda Clark Hospital.
The Young vVornen 's Cl ub of Neena h and M enasha affilia ted with
the national Young \i\lomen's C hristian Association in 1929, and
moved into its present building, t he former S. A. Cook homestead, on
North Commercial Street.
Jn t he same year the Visiting N urse Association employed its first
trained grad ua te public health nurse, Miss Laura C hase. Miss Ida
Heinicke had been t he on ly staff member prior to this time.
Organization of t he Valley Plum bi ng and Heating Supply Corporation, now the Valley Supply Corporation, occu rred in 1928. R ecords
also indi cate establis hment of t he Comfort Beauty Shop in the late
i9 2o's, one of the earlier establishm ents of its kind in t he city.
Helen I(. Stuart 'Promotes 13and and "'Point" 'Park
In 1929 t he late Mrs. H elen K. Stuart, who later served one term on
t he common coun cil, representing the I<'irst \i\lard, was large! y in strumental in organiza tion of t he Neenah Hig h Sc hool Band, and brought
Les ter Mais here as Director. Under his skillfu l and in defatigable leadership, a band music program was in stituted which has resulted in the

THE

1920'S

co .;

band and its indi \ridual members annuall y taking first place awards in
sta te and regional tournaments. L es Mais' co n tribu ti on to t he you th
of Neenah is a generous one, and extends beyond the school curriculum to such organizations as t he Brigade and 13luket bands. It is fitting
t hat he was honored by his forme r students in 195+, as they celebrated
with him his 25th year of se rvice to Neenah.
I n the sam e year (1929) M rs. Stuar t acqui red the property which is
now the location of Kimberly Point Park, and presented it to the city.
T he Senior High School, located on Di vision Street, was completed
111 1929.

t:_Break in the Stock J11arket

Who will ever forget t he bewilderment of t he last weeks of 1929
following the break in t he securities market in October? Retrenchmen t ever yw here. Fear gripped t he hearts of people, and fear made a
bad situation worse.
Thus the '20s bequeathed dismay and unemployment to t he '30s.

"With t he frequent co mings and goings of these friends and relatives, the Doty
household experienced little 'isolation.' Even when no visitors were about, the
sense of companionship persisted, for in t his ageless spot it was easy to conjure up a
pageant of the past. What processions had rounded the foot of the is land to swing
their craft into 'Winnebago's shallow waters : intrepid explorers, black-robed missionaries, ligh t-h earted voyageurs whose melodies lingered on the air long after they
had p assed from view, red men setting ou t for the hunt or on the grim business of
war, soldiers fl ying t he banners of France, of Britain, and of the United States. In
that historic array Doty himself o ften appeared: in t he Cass entourage, in Rolet te's
fur brigade invested with the new dignity of Judge, on the gay picni c excursion with
the Kinzies."
From Chapter r 8 of Alice E lizabeth Smith's biography
of 'James Duane Doty, The State Histo rical Society of
Wisconsin, Coypright 1954.

:A(gtes

:A(gtes

J\(!!, t es

THE

19 3 o's

t he '30s, we instincti vely r evert to ou r initial observation, as stated b y Pau l Vanderbilt in the Spring, 1957
issu e of Wisconsin Magazine of History :
"The main obj ective is not so mu ch t he m ere tracin g
backwar d of historical s treams to t heir remote sources, as th e indu cement o f a vision of t he current h istory fl owing toward u s from t he
past."
How dramaticall y obvious t his is as we visualize the econom ic heritage bequ eathed by t he 192o's to t he s ucceeding decade. Busin ess
was good d uring t he t hird decade of t he century, follow in g a temporary r ecession o f 1920 and '2 !. T he securities marke t mou nted steadi l y,
until in August o f 1928, t he head of a prominen t investors' service,
writing in one of America's well-know n magazines, voiced a mong
other t hings :

\TE ENTER

" .. . the belief that a long period of peace is in st ore for the civil ized nati ons
of the World ."

U nder t he title, "A New Era in Wall Street," he evaluated all of the
fac tors then undergi rding t he nation's financial stru cture, and, summing up, reac hed t hi s conclusion:
"Naturally enough, forecas ts m ade in 1923, whic h correctly foreshadowed what
subseq uently h as happened in t he secu ri t y marke ts, would ha ve been looked upon
as fantas ti c by the average man ;- any present fo recast of t he co mi ng few yea rs may
also be loo ked upon as fantas ti c. Never t he less, there see m to be many reasons for
believing that the coming period ma y prove qu it e as stable and con st ru ctive in th is
countr y as h ave th e past five yea rs, if not more so.
And though t he prices of investm ent securi ties of standard qu alit y look h igh to
us today, they easily may, by 1933, be quoted in many cases at far hig her va lues ."

The 'Bank Holiday

'W ha t happened fourteen months la ter is common knowledge. hom
109

J JO

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

late October, 1929, the securi ties market jiggered rapidly downward,
until t he I 93o's opened in an atmosphere of econom ic confusion.
By 1932 we were at the bottom of the deepest depression of all tim e,
and few t here were who escaped in jury.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen President in November 1932,
defeating Herbert Hoover. T he mon t hs between election and inauguration of t he new president on Saturday, Marc h 4, i933, were fi lled with
fear and apprehension. Mr. Roosevel t's first offi cial act on Monday
morning, March 6, was declaration of t he bank holiday. The moratorium lasted seven days for Federal Reser ve Banks. Banks through out
the nation, found to be in sou nd condition, reopened as soon t hereafter
as t he federal survey could be com pleted.
Neenah's two National banks opened on \i\lednesday, March 15.
T he Neenah State Bank opened on a restricted basis, but later decided to liquidate. It is said with pride, however, that all depositors
eventually received payment in full, stockholders recovered all sp ecial
assessment leveled against t hem, and, in addition, were reimbursed
for par t, but not all, of t heir original investm ent.
The nine days of t he ban k holiday were li ved as in a vacuum. Like
electric current and our city water, we come to take for granted the
service of our banks. Not until the suppl y of currency was suddenly
turned off did we fully realize the vital part t hat banks play in ou r d a yto-day livin g.
When a man couldn't cash hi s pay check or secu re money to buy
food or a railway ticket, it brough t home to citizens of th at day how
interdependent we are.
Opening of the local ba n ks on Marc h I 5 marked the return of faith
and confidence in our banking system, and t ha t fait h has never wavered during t he quarter centur y that has elapsed.

The Pickards (ome to Town

Again we note a beneficent by-product of a trying experience. It
was duri ng 193 T, when t he econom ic clouds were h anging low, that
t he Directors of t he National Manufacturers' Ban k invited S. N.
(Sam ) Pickard, then with t he First National Bank of Ripon, to associ-

THE 1930' S

III

T hese fi ve outlived all of eenah's veterans of America's Civil War. T his his toric photograph was, to
the bes t of our information, taken in 1929 or 1930. Fir trow, left to ri ght: J oseph Faas and J ohn Nagel.
Sta nding: Robert T.aw, Thad Sheerin, Murray M cCallum .

a te him self with th e local bank. He accep ted as of January I, I 9J2, and
m oved his famil y to Neenah earl y in that year. Not onl y did N eenah
gain an enterprising banker, but, in Mr. and Mrs. Pickard, there cam e
into our midst two public-spirited citizens who have made their wholesome influence felt in many civic and church movements of our community. Incidentally, under Mr. Pickard's leadership, th e deposits of
the National Manufacturers' Bank have grown from $I, 592,744.02 on
December 3 1, 193 1, to ~ r6,510, 633 . I6 on D ecember J I, 1957.

(ombatting Unemployment
Among the movements to all eviate unemployment in 1930, T he
Young M en 's Civic League was formed to assist recent high school
graduates to find jobs.
Also, an area survey was made to provide gard en plots for the unemplo yed.
Mayor Sande, who was in office from 1928 to 1933, surrounded himself with an ad visor y group of citizen s d uring these depression years,

II2

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

a nd 1t was du ring this period that a train ed 5ocial worker, Clare

Rej al, a citizen of Beloit, was recommended to us. He was engaged
by t he Citi zens' Commi ttee to devo te fu ll time to the many social
problems t hat were plaguing our li ves d uring those try in g years.
The spring of i 932 saw a colorful campaign, when H elen K . Stuart
ran for Mayor against George E . Sande. Mr. Sande won the election.
~

J:.,ong Shadow

In 1933 Hitler becam e Chancellor of German y and t hereby cast a

long shadow across the world. This long shadow reached the Twin
Cities when, on D ecember 7, 1941, America was drawn into the world
conflict.
In that climactic year (1933) P resident Roosevelt demanded of Congress the repeal of the Volstead Act, which , of course, had its repercussion on local affairs.
The disturbed political atmosphere of the time induced this normall y R epublican state to elect a Democratic governor. One of Govern or Sc hm edemann's first acts was to cut his own salary 20%.
'Business~s

Usual With Our Schools

In times of national disturbance, it is refres hing to co nsider those

aspects of comm unity life that continue to move on in an orderly flow.
Our schools are in that category.
I 930 ushered in The (ub, Neenah High School's s tu dent pu blica ti on.
Also, the first of an endless succession of P.T.A. groups formed th at
year, in the \iVashi ngton School, through the efforts of Mrs. H elen K.
Stuart.
\;york on the High School Athletic Field began in 1931, and was
com pleted the following year. Thi s involved six tennis courts, track,
football field, bleachers, and a general pla y area on the eas t half of th e
property.
Toward the end of thi s decade the Neenah T eachers Associatio n was
formed, becoming a chapter of t he vVisconsin Education Association.
The 'l(ocket, Neenah High's yearbook, made its first appearance
with t he graduatin g class of 1937.

THE

1930'8

II 3

CJ

Bryan Seroogy, Postal Telegraph operator, r930.

JX.eenah High to State T ournament

Neenah High's basketball team topped its dis trict in i930 and went
on to the State Tournament at Madison.
Radio was in its infanc y in 1930. Few people had receivers. A group
cf citizens raised funds to induce Bryan Seroogy, the Postal Telegraph
operator, to follow the games and announ ce tournament progress over
a public address system. The papers of that day repor t that up to
2,000 people gathered to listen!
1930 marked the origin of the Who's New Club, of t he YWCA, that
has demonstrated its usefulness to newcomers across the years.
In that year, too, there came in to ex istence the Menasha Garden
Club, and, in 1932, t he 'iVomen 's Auxiliary to the ' iVinnebago County
Medical Society was organized.

economic 'R...,ecovery
By 1936 courage and optimism had displaced fear, and the dollar
was still worth one hundred cents, as indicated by 54 new homes
built that year at an average cost of $3>405 .5 5. Building of all kinds
that year totaled $315,5 I 5.
And, in i936, Gibson sold Chevrolet sedans, fully equipped, for $620!

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

The industrial picture broadens during the 193o'sThe Edgewater Paper Company adds a creping machine to its
equipment.
H oerning Concrete Produ cts Company adds its services to the
building trades.
Harry F. \iVilliams, who h ad made a good start with hi s Sc hool Stationers Corporation in th e Rosenthal Building, Menasha, built his
modern plant north of the C&N\iV station.
The Manhattan Rubber Company began its contribution to the
paper industry, renti ng space in the Hewitt building on North Commercial Street, subsequently, in 1954, moving to its own modern
quarters on M att hews and Cecil Street.
The Atlas Tag Com pany also made its entrance in i932.
cA Faux Pas

N eenah's experience with shoe factories, never very satisfactory,

suffered a second disappointment in the mid-3o's. In September, 1935,
two Milw aukee gentlemen came to town, and, in glowing terms, announced their intention of establishing a shoe m anufacturing business,
provided the city could put at their disposal a suitable building. The
unique feature of their proposal was that they claimed to h ave abundant capital. T he property of the Kimlark Rug Company, which had
recently d isco ntinued operation, was offered. Neenah, along with the
res t of Ameri ca, was then recovering from the deepest depression of
all time, and thi s un solicited assist looked like a gift from the gods.
The Vogel-Patton Shoe Company incorporated and went through
the motion s of making shoes. \iVhen the going got tough, the city advanced ~4,ooo and certain guJlible citizens did their part, whereupon
the promoters closed up shop and disappeared .
Following through in the commercial category :
In 1933 Ben Schultz, and his son Francis, organized the Pure Ice
& Coal Company. Twenty years later Francis B. Sc hultz took over
the in terests of his broth ers and became sole owner.
Haase & Drews, Inc., Men's and Boys' R etail Clothin g and Furn ishings- their predecessors were the Hanson Bros. (Hans R. and Martin P. ), who bought the property at 118 Wes t Wi sconsin Avenue in
1898 and s tarted the busin ess tha t passed into the possession of Haase,

THE

1 93 0'S

Klinke & Rhoades in 193I. Mr. Klinke d ied in 1943. In January, 1952,
t he store was moved to its present location at 141 \iVest \iVisconsin
Avenue; presently t he business is cond ucted b y Haase & Drews, In c.,
Mr. Rhoades h avi ng retired in January, 1955.
In 1931 one of Neenah's substantial insurance agencies opened its
doors when E. L. Rickard entered the field, with E. E. Lampert as
associate.
To t he consternation of local food dispensers, the first of the chain
food stores made its appearance in 1930; the A&P came to town, locating at 516 Nor th Commercial Street.
Krambo located a food stor e on East Wisconsin Avenue (1934) .
Ru ssell and R. H. Kuehmstead opened a school supply company,
now the Atlas Office and School Supply Com pan y.
Woolworth Chain Sto res moved into the former Anspach build-

rng.
Larson Cleaners was established on Sou th Commercial Street by
Ed Nyman and Art hur Asmund .
Hermene's Gift Shop opened for business.
The Pan sy Nursery (1939) added its skills and services to our expanding city, taking up property on Neenah's south border.
T he Galloways took over the Neenah Milk Products Company in
1939.
In i939 Lorin da and H elen Tews, dealers in ready-to-wear women's
and c hildren 's garments, rented from t he K alfahs estate t he sto re
property at l IO \Vest \iVisconsin Avenue. After a complete renovation
of the building, which for a half-century had been known as t he
Kalfahs Grocery, they combined t heir former stores, one at 226 West
\iVisconsin Avenu e, a child ren's shop on Commercial Street, and a
bran ch store in Appleton.

Winnebago Vay Schoo/

T he \iVinnebago Day Sc hool, the brainchild of a group of Neenah,
Menasha and Appleton parents, came into existence in a spacious
carriage barn on the property of Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Shepard. This
was in 1932. Later t he school was moved into new quarters on
Winnebago Avenue, 1\1enasha.
Neenah den tis ts, Jed by Dr. J. M . D onovan, sponsored t he project

JI6

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

of a Dental H ygienist for the school system in 1932. Later, the VNA
gave their active support to this worthy cause, finan cing den tis try
for children whose paren ts were unable to pay. This help was d iscontinu ed in 1956, when Family Service took over.

Moses Hooper 'Passes From the earthly Scene

We cannot pass the year (1932) without noting t he passi ng of a
truly great man who had much to do with Neenah's earlier hi story.
Although for many years an Oshkosh resident, he knew and had
dealings with Governor Jam es Duane Doty. H e was attorney for the
four young men who, in i 872, formed the partnership kn own as
Kimberly, Clark & Company. At the age of 93 he tried a case before
the U. S. Supreme Court. We r efer to Moses Hooper, a wise, able and
generous-hearted man, who was a benediction to all who knew him.

(iardner 'Dam Site to CSoy Scouts

Entering that climactic year of 1933 a golden
clouds appeared when the Wisconsin Michigan
un der the prompting of Manager Bill Schubert,
Dam Camp to the Valley Council of Boy Scouts.
Also during this period the VNA Auxiliary was

lining to the dark

Power Company,
gave the Gardner
born.

Church Matters
Reverend W. G. Wittenborn became the pas tor o f the Union Gospel
Tabernacle, occup ying the church edifice on t he corner of I sabella
and Caroline Streets, formerly t he property of t he Norwegian Methodists. This was in 193r. Mr. Wittenborn served for nine years, during
which t he name was changed to First Fundam ental.
In 1933 the beautiful new edifice of t he St. Margaret Mary congregation, on Di vision Street, was completed. The first mass was celebrated in the new church on Easter Sunday of that year. Prior to
comple ti on of St. Margaret Mary Church, Neenah residents of t he
Catholic faith were served by St. Patrick 's Church an d school. Since
t ha t time Catholic r esidents of the islan d remain with the St. Patrick's
congregation, w hile St. Margaret Mary claim s all south of t he
Neenah river chann el.

THE

1930'8

II 7

Jn i936 Reverend Samuel H . R ot h came to St. Paul's Lutheran

Church. As t hese Jines are written, he brings to a close a successful
pastorate of twenty-one years.
The following year a disastrous fire destroyed the Methodist
Church, opposite t he City Hall. The vitality of this congregation was
demonstrated in their prompt rebuilding, dedicating their new structure in 1939.
The Assembly of God, P entecostal, organized a congregation in
1937, meeting in homes until 1939, when the former Scandinavian
Lutheran Church, at 502 South Commercial Street, was purchased.
Finally, the first Girl Scout Troop in the Twin Cities was organized
by St. Thomas Episcopal Church in 1938.
J.(eenah's Sewer & Water Systems

The decade of t he '30s will always be remembered for the advances

made in t he realm of public utilities. The city's several separate sewer
districts were, in 1935, consolidated in to one municipal system. Two
years later, Neenah and Menasha j oined in building the sewage
disposal plant on the west tip of the island. Prior to this time an increasing volume of raw sewage from ou r Twin Cities poured into
Little Lake Butte des Morts and the Fox River from which Appleton
derived water for its city system.
Of still greater significance was the campaign, stretc hing over
four years, for a modern water system to displace the unusable water
from Neenah's deep wells.
A referendum in 1932, without too much mental preparation, resul ted in an overwhelming vote against a surface supply. The idea
was deeply rooted that onl y from the deep earth could pure water be
produced. This strongly negative reaction said but one thi ng to
proponenents of a soft water supply, viz :- the need of a public demonstration of what could be done with Lake \iVinnebago water.
Accordingly, with the help of chemical engi neers from Neenah's
ind us tries, a gail y-painted experim ental water plant was built on
land loaned by the Wieckert Lumber Company. \iVater from the power
canal was filtered , purified and softened before the eyes of the passing
public and deli vered in glass contai ners to a ll parts of town with

JI 8

A H ISTORY

OF

NEENAH

invitation to d rink it, cook with it and wash in it! Aided by sp:ice in
the dail y press, a running fi re of comment and testimony was continued up to t he election in April, 1936, when a second referendum
carried 4 to I, every ward voting favorably.
No single factor has con tributed so much to Neena h's su bsequ ent
growth. This story is told more completely in Part II.

The Job of ~ssessor

The production of nearly two million dollars in tax r evenue demands
elem en ts of judgment and fairn ess that make t he job of assessor one
of the m ost significant in our whole governmental system. The assessor's task is a d iffi cul t one. It involves becoming familiar with the
market value of all kinds of property, both real a nd personal, and
applying the standard of prices thus obtain ed to t he innumerable
i terns and variety of properties he is call ed upon to assess. When one
looks about his own neighborhood and r efl ects upon t he complexit y
of the assessor's work in t hat small area, and then considers the city
as a whole, he t hen realizes th e complexity of the j ob of equitab le
t reatment as between taxpayers.
As one studies Neenah's history down through the years su bsequent
to her emergence from village status, it is apparent t hat no backward
step has been taken in fair and equitable taxation.
To John Blenker, Neenah 's first foll-tim e assessor, goes the credit
for laying a firm foundation in t his important area of m u nicipal life.
John took over on April 25, 1936, and retired October 7, 1955.

Parks
During t he late '20s and early '30s, t he Park Board employed an
eminent landscape architect, Phelps W yman, to survey Neenah's
parks. Among his projects was redesign of Riverside Park, moving
t he drive from its former position along the waterfront to its presen t
attractive layout. Mr. Wyman visualized a new park pavilion, facing
the setting sun, situated on t he s hore side of t he deep curve of t he
d rive. As so often happens, a new board, working frorn the sam e set
of facts, came up with a different conclusion, as noted in the sketch
of the 195o's.

THE

1930'S

Another project delegated to Mr. Wyman was design of Washington

Park. I t was in i93 r that Mrs. D. W. (Sara) Bergstrom, seeing the
need of a park in the fourth ward, pL1rch ased and deeded to the city
for that purpose, most of the real estate now embodied in Washington
Park.
During 1931, also, the triangll lar shaped parcel of lan d, known as
the Water Street Park, was ded icated, with concrete retain ing wall
and fence.
In the same year the first of man y Pet & H obby Shows was staged
in Riverside Park, with Otis Hayes the moving spirit.

B uild thee more stately mansions, 0 my soul,

As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!
OLI VER W E NDELL H OLM ES

~tes

:A(gt e s

:A(gtes

by

CH AR LOTTE MCl.NTYRE

'"Pearl Harbor"
had been to churches in the morning, had
finished dinner, and were quietly reading t he Sunday
papers, when voices interrup ted every rad io p rogram
throughout t he country with t he news which was to
chan ge the lives and activities of ever yone for nearl y four years. The
day was December 7, 1941.
Compan y I, local unit of th e \iVisconsin National Guard, which had
lef t in October of 1940 for what was to be a year's training, was at
Camp Beauregard and Camp Livingstone, Louisiana. Some of t he
origin al members had been t ran sferred to other units. Less than fi ve
month s from that December 7, they were in a long gray convoy of
ships t hat slipped ou t of Californi a ports on to the Pacifi c, off to war
agains t the Japan ese. A s hort sixteen month s befo re these men had
been playing football, basketball, soft ball, swimming in t he new pool,
sailing on Lake W innebago, drinking cokes at the corner drng s tore.
B y Thanksgivi ng of 1942 they would be learning jungle figh ti ng t he
hard way, against experien ced Japanese jungle figh ters. Bu t t hey
wer e to pus h on until they recaptured th e Philippin es.
Other Neenah men already in Service through th e Selective Service
Act, which had come in to ex istence in 1940 , found their training now
stepped up. I t was in earnest, and man y were to see service in the
E uropean t heater of operation s on sea, lan d and in t he air in t he
fight against th e Nazis.
Nearly 1,700 Neenah men saw se rvice th roughout t he years of t he
war. Some wer e priso ners of war in both theaters of operations; som e
were to give t heir lives.

EENAH FAMlLLES

123

A HISTORY

01? NEENAH

'Dawn of the Uftomic Ulge

A great second \iVorld \iVar, the dawn of the atomic age, and the
beginnings of post-w ar expansion in industry, business and residential
building marked the decade of the Forties.
Civilian defense organ izations came in to existence during the
194o's, but did not gain full acceleration until after Pearl Harbor.
The first peacetime draft in the his tory of America affected Neenah
residents and their families, as the Winnebago County Selective
Service Board No. 3, with offi ces in the Menasha Post Office, came
into existence in 1940. The first registration of men between the ages
of 21 and 35 was held October r6, 1940. T here were 3,907 men
registered at that time, representing Neenah, Menasha and seven
area townships which made up the No. 3 Board. The following summer the second registration was held, and in February of 1942 the
third, which also included men between 36 and 45. Service on thi s
board was never a pleasant duty. Members, and particularly Arthur
Ritger, as Chairman, never received the appreciation they deserved
for their self-sacrificing devotion to their task.
'I{ationing

Ration boards came into existence as gasoline, tires, sugar, fuel oil,
cars, stoves, shoes, bicycles, rubber boots, meat and canned goods
began to be part of the great national conservation program for the
emergency. Every family had ration books. The rationing was a big
task, and the men who directed the early formation of a board to
handle this work included E lmer Radtke, Harry Korotev, Carl
Gerh ardt, Fred \iVrigh t, Charles Sommers, C. F. Hedges, E. E. Jandrey, \iVilliam Clifford and J. C. Fritzen. As the program broadened,
hundreds more citizens volu nteered for the work . The fi rst offices were
in the Boys' Brigade building, then moved into larger quarters in the
Weinke building on East W isconsin Avenue. Th e sc hool teachers and
hundreds of housewives voluntaril y gave their ser vices during h eavy
registrations or at times when they were needed as additional food
allotments were issued. Tires were rationed before t he end of I 941,

THE

1 94 0 'S

125

gasoline, can ned goods and coffee were rationed in J942, shoes in
early 1943, to mention a few.
Building was cu rtailed, and Neenah, along with its sister city of
Menasha, was among the first to operate under the rent freeze in
April of 1942.

Scrap Vrives
Because rubber, waste paper, scrap tin and metal were critic al
items of war production, scrap drives were organized by salvage committees, aided by Boy Scouts and Boys' Brigaders. Chairmen during
the war years included Paul Stacker, Lawrence Kitchin, Ferd Diesterhaupt and Edward Stelow.

War .(pans
A War Finance Committee was set up to supervise the war loan
drives for the United States Treasury. Directing the work of the seven
campaigns, during which over i2o million in war bonds was invested,
were F. J. Sensenbrenner, D. L. Kimberly, N. H. Bergstrom, D. K.
Brown, Norton Williams, J. Ru ssell Ward, S. N. Pickard, A. C.
Gilbert, S. F. Shattuck, A. \tV. Andersen and C. B. Clark.
'R.._ed Cross Vrives
Neenah Chapter of the American Red Cross began its war fund
campaigns, which opened with an emergency call after the Pearl
Harbor attack on December 7. Hundreds of residents served as
volun teer workers. The chapter also provided other services, enlisting
the aid of hun dreds of homemakers. A month after Pearl Harbor, for
example, an emergency quota of sweaters and helmets for Navy men
had to be filled. The knitting and sewing programs were accelerated
in the months that followed .
Home nursing courses were set up, canteen units formed blood
banks organized to provide blood plasma for the soldiers; there were
special home service activities to aid the families of men in the
service.

H I STO RY

OF

NEENAH

As regi stered nurses were called into servi ce by their cou ntry,
civilian n urse shortages developed. To off.set this locally, Th eda Clar k
Memorial Hospital began the trai ning of Nurses' Aid es, with J\1iss
.Esther Klingman as Director of this division of the war emergency
program . Over J 37 young women were trained to give volunteer
service at the hospital. Men, too, volunteered to relieve the critical
nursing shortage, and Miss Klingman conducted a class for these men,
who becarne volunteer orderlies, a\reraging many hours of volunteer
service each month.
Twin City young women joined the armed services, too, as the
country called on its young women to help, thereby relieving stateside
servicemen for more important jobs at home and abroad. More t han
loo young women went into the \ i\TACS, the WAVES, SPARS and
Marine Corps Reserve.
Industry Converted to War

Neenah industry went to war, too. Ration packages, mun1t1ons

cartons, bags for powder and concentrates, packaging for dehydr ated
foods, protective properties for medical and drug supplies, heat sealed
bags, laminated cellophane, machine rubber stocks and shafts for
cargo ships and PT boats, castings for mach ine tools, gear shift mechanisms for r evers ing drives on LST landing ships and tanks, map
papers, camouflage papers, raincoats, gun mounts, fuses were among
the articles made by Neenah employees in industries that joined the
fight. Some companies made hydraulic cylinders, pilot valves, shell
casings, 37 MM armor pierc ing shells used in P-38 fighting sh ips;
bronze machine tool castings and bronze condenser castings for destroyer escor t ships, bomber brake linings, fi l ter waste used in oil
filters on tanks, jeeps and naval vessels. The tags on machine guns,
paper on which important letters and orders were written, woods
used in airplanes, cargo ship doors and war housing- all were part of
the war work turned out locally.
Thee/frmy-J\(_avy "f:"

It was on t he morning of August 29, 1943, that D. K. Brown,

P r esident of Neenah Paper Company, opened the following letter:

THE

1940' $

127

\\'AR DEPARTME !T
OFFI CE OF THE UN DE R SECRETA RY
\\'ASHINGTON, D. C.
AUGUST 28, 1943
T U THE i\IE:\' AND \\'OMEX

OF THE NEENAH PAPER CO:\IPA\'Y

\'EEN:\H, \\'ISCONS 11'
THIS IS TO l;-JFORM YOU THAT TH E A RMY A D NAVY AHE
CONFERR ING UPO:-J YOU T HE A RMY-NAV Y PRODUCTIO,

A\\'A RD

FOR GREAT .;\CCOM PLI SH:\IENT 1:--J THE PRODUCTIO:-J OF

:\lATERl.;\l.S :-JEEDED BY OUR .;\Ri\IED FORCES.

THIS .;\\\'.;\RD SDIBOLIZES YOCJ R COUNTRY'S APPRECl.H IO:\
OF THE ACHIE\"E:vlE\'T OF E\'ERY :\I A:\' A:"D \\'0:'.1AN 1:\ TJIE
\'EE\'AH PAPER COMPA\'Y. IT CO\'S ISTS OF A FLAG TO BE
FLO\\':" ABO\'E YOUR PL.A.NT AND A LAPEL PIN' \\'HI Cl-I EACH
OF YOU MAY \\'EAR AS A SIGN OF DI STINGUISH ED SER\' I CE
T O YOUR COU\'TRY.
I .;\i\I CONFIDE\'T TH.H YOUR OUTSTA\' DING RECORD \\' 11.L
BRIXG \.ICTORY NE.-\RER BY I XSl'IR ING OTHERS TO Sl :'.111 .A R
HIGH ACH IEn:i\lE\'T.
Sl \'CEREl.Y YOURS,
(signed)
ROBERT P. PATTERSON
UNDER SECRETARY OF \\.A R

Th en came the big day, September '25, 19+3, when, amid all the
pomp and ci rcumstance that could be assembled, Brigadier General
J.E. Barzynski made t he award to empl oyees and management of the
company- an unforgettable occasion, in which the whole commun ity
shared, vica riously. Su bsequently two add it ional awards came to
".\Teen a h P aper. Company .
.f\jmberly-[lark Orga11izes Uln Ord}l{lJlce Vepartme11t

Duri ng t he ear ly months of J 9+2 t here emerged a new in ven ti on

that was destin ed to play an important part in Am erica's war poten-

128

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

D. K. Brown, President of Neenah Paper Company, receives Army-! avy " E" on behalf of employees
and management, September 25, 1943.

tial. A self-propelled AA gun mount, designed by Vv. L. Maxson

Corporation, of New York City, had demonstrated its virtues at the
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, whereupon t he Army pressed for production. The Ordnance Department of the Army, being familiar with
t he reservoir of skills in Kimberly-Clark's E ngineering Department,
chose the local company as one of two organizations to whom were
awarded prime contracts for the manufacture of this sign ifi cant piece
of war equipment. The Kimlark building, thyn h ousing machinery for
making wallpaper, was hastily transformed into an ordnance assembly
plant, tying in more than 1 20 subcontractors in five states. This
transformation from paper to guns was r eferred to as one of America's
most dramatic turnovers from peacetime manufacture to production
of~aterial s for war.
It was on May 28, 1942, t hat C. W. Nelson, Chief of KimberlyClark's Engineering Department, firs t saw this complex mech anism.
E igh t months later, January, 1943, the remodeled plant went into
operation. More than 1,900 parts of this gun turret were produced

THE

194 O'S

fi~-~;ft:'d ~~tiijt.
AWi'AOE.Q TO "nl

Kim berly-Clark Corporation receives the Army-! avy "E," Tuesday, J une
seen responding to the presentation.

'20,

1944. Ernst Mahler is

under Kimberly-Clark supervision m many plan ts throughout the

midwest area. Allowed tolerances for p arts was so close (3/ 10,000
inch) that the finest quality gauges used by subcon tractors had to be
continuously checked with master gauges at Kimberly-Clark laboratories in Neenah.
On May 18, 1944, the Ordnance Di vision of the Corporation was
presented with the Ordnance Banner, and on the afternoon of
Tu esday, June 20, in a colorful out-of-door ceremon y, the ArmyNavy "E" was presented to employees of the Ordnance Di vision of
Kimberly-Clark Corporation by General Albert J. Browning in the
name of the Under Secretary of vVar.

Hawley-Vieckhojf Post
The Neenah and the Menasha American Legion Posts changed
thei r names to forever honor the memory of the two Neenah-Menasha
young men who died in the Japan ese bombing of the fl eet at Pearl

IJO

H I STORY OF

NEENAH

Harbor. Th e Neenah post changed its na me to H awley-Dieckhoff

Post fo r D ouglas Di eck hoff who was on t he Utalz t hat mornin g ; the
Menasha pos t c han ged t he nam e of its unit to Lenz-G azec ki in memor y of Robert Gazec ki who di eel on t he u1rizrma.
More t han J8 ot her yo ung men were to die before t he war ended,
in the Pacifi c, in Alaska, in t he skies over Europe, in Italy and on the
beaches of Normandy.
'U e and 'U'] 'Days
VE Day, or the end of the war in Europe, cam e Tuesday, May 8,
1945, and three months later, VJ day, t he end of the war in Japan,

came August 14. Neenah prepared to welcome its ve terans of World

vVar II home, while its indus t ry began t he task of returning to p eacetime pursuits again.
Chamber of Commerce

In 1940 Neenah form ed a Ch amber of Commerce of merchan ts an d

bu sinessmen, with Otto Lieber as the firs t President. \iVithin thi s
group was to be set up a post-war planning group, following freezing
of all building and expansion during the war years.
Edwin A. Kalfahs was Mayor of th e city of Neenah in 1940, and
was to continue in that post until he retired in 1949. 19+0 also saw t he
appoi ntment of Irving Stilp as Chief of P olice, a post which he holds
today.
J\(ew Swimming Pool

Th e summer of 1940 saw Neenah youngsters and even the adults

take their first swim in the new Neenah swimming pool and look over
t he recreation building facili ties on South Park Avenue. It had been
made possi ble by generou s gifts of land and money to the city from
C. B. Clark and S. F. Shattuck. \iV ithin two years, on August 14, r 5
and 16, the W omen's National A.A.U. Outdoor Swimming a nd Di ving
Championships were held in the Ol ympic-size pool. M ore than $1 ,000
in net proceeds from t he champ ionships was turned over to Navy
Relief. This outstanding event was brought to Neenah under the
auspices of the Chamber of Commerce. Officers and Directors of the

THE

1 94 O'S

The \\'omen's National A.A.U. Outdoor Swimming and Diving Championships were held in
Teenah's new pool August 14- 16, 194'2. Mayor
Edwin Kalfahs is seen awarding prizes to a Willner.

N eenah's Olympic-size pool completed in 1940.

IJ I

132

A HISTORY

OF

NEE

AH

Chamber at that tim e were: President, \Valter Werner; 1st Vice

President, S. N. Pickard; 2nd Vice President, Ru dolph Lo tz; Secretary, Don Colburn; Treasurer, Elmer Schultheis; Directors : Clark
Harris, Gus Kalfahs, S. F. S hattuck, Ed Christoph, Ahrin Schmutz,
Otto Lieber, Vern Snyder, 1. \V. chalk , and R obert Brooks.

Community Council
The first meeting of the Council of Social Agencies was held in
Neenah in 1940, organized to educate and to prornote sound health
and welfare projects for the betterrn ent of the citizens of the community. It became a Community Chest agency in 1951, and two
years later changed its name to Neenah-Menasha Community
Council.

Significant eAdvances
Neenah employees were going to work at the new offices and carton
factory addition of Marathon Corporation on Ri ver Street, Menasha.
The same year the First Evangelical Church, on the corner of Bond
Street and \Vest Forest Avenue, was remodeled and an addition built,
so that the parish was able to dedicate a "new" churc h upon completion of the work. This ch urch, in 1946, was to change its name to
First Evangelical United Brethren Church, as the Evangelical and
United Brethren churches united.
Among the highlights of 1941 were t he purchase of the assets of the
\Vhitmore Machine and Foundry Company by the Marathon Corporation, and the establishment of it as the company's machine
division; the liquidation of the debt of St. Margaret Mary Catholic
Church, Division Street, Neenah; the completion of the laboratory
building and water plant of the Bergstrom Paper Company, of
Neenah; the organization of Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran
Church, on the northwest side of Neenah, as a mission church of
Trinity Lutheran Church, located on Oak Street.

Industrial expansion
There was some wartime industrial expansion, made possible because it contributed to the war effort. The J. W. H ewitt Machine

THE 19 4 O'S

IJJ

Company expanded its building, added new roll grinding equ ipment
and special machine tools. The Banta Publishing Company, of
Menash a, put some of its Neenah employees into j obs in the new
Midway Plant, built between Menas ha and Appleton.
J t was to be several years later however that the real indus trial
expans ion and building boom would get underway, and it did with
the end of the war. Thi s ind L1strial development also was to help provide jobs for the veterans returning from the war and eager to resume
their place in normal civilian life.
Neenah Paper Company built a i9o,ooo addition to its plant on
North Commercial Street.
Lakeview Mill of Kimberly-Clark added a lrnge warehouse.
Neenah Milk Products started additions.
Atlas Tag added a new office unit and undertook extensive remodeling.
Bergstrom Paper was wor king on a new addition, and extensive
alterations.
Neenah Foundry, too, completed a new addition and remodeled its
office.
T heda Clark hospital's large addition and alterations to the existing building and its heating unit were to make the hospital almost a
completely new unit.
Kimberly-Clark remod eled its Kim lark plant, now done with its
war contracts, into an engineering center and field service machine
shops, while it converted its old Neenah Mill, at the rear of its main
office, into a R esearch Center.
One disaster must, regretfully, be noted in r945 : viz., an explosion
in the power plant of the Bergstrom Paper Company that took one
li fe and required extensive replacements.

I(imberly-(lark expands
Some Neenah engineers of Kimberly-Clark Corporation were building a new commun i ty, T errace Bay, Ontario, and a huge pulp mill on
t he north shore of Lake Superior, in Canada, to be known as the
LongLac Pulp and Paper Company, Limited. Others were going to

134

HISTORY

OF

NEE

AH

Balfour, North Carol ina, where the company had purchased a cotton
textile mill for the manufacture of gauze for one of its sanitary products. Still others were traveling to another southern state, as Kimberly-Clark agreed to build and manage a new newsprint mill for a
group of southern publishers, to be known as Coosa River Newsprint
Company, at Coosa Pines, Alabama.

CJJergstrom K.,eeps (frowing

During the post-war years of the l94o's, Bergstrom Paper Company rebuilt its paper machines and added a hydrapulper addition
to its plant, as well as announced plans to build a warehouse and
finishing plant on Highway 41 in the township of Neenah.
The Vial System
T he Wisconsin Telep hone Company in stall ed the dial system rn
Neenah, along with other cities in the Fox R iver Valley.
The Churches K.,eep Pace
Neenah members of the churches were busy with their expansion
plans, too. St. Paul 's English Lutheran parish organized the St.
Timothy Lutheran congregation in Menasha. Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church completed its church structure on Adams
Street (thi s build ing now is used as a school since the construction of
a permanent church in 195 5- 56) . Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
built its church near Ceci l Street, in the First Ward; and the Methodist Church obser ved its centennial under the direction of i ts pasto r,
the Reverend Roy Steen.
And, in 1945, the women of Neenah and Menasha joined together
in the Council of Church Women, later named United Church \i\lomen,
affiliating with the national organization.
J\(eenah CJJroadens Its Commercial Case
T he 194o's saw activity among the business places of the city, also.
The Larson & Schreiter Furniture Company was organized by two

THE

194 O'S

1 35

young men who had had experience as employees of furniture companies. They opened their first store in 19+0, and the following year
moved into a new building about a block away, on :\forth Commercial
Street.
Sc hul tz Brothers' Variety Store opened its doors in i94I.
Kram er 1otors established its business t he same year.
P ostal T elegraph merged wit h \iVestern Un ion in 1943.
P antton's Apparel Store opened in 19+4.
The Schul tz Paint Store was establis hed in 1945, in the location
w here C harles Sorenso n h ad an uph olstery business some 80 years
before.
Lawrence K. Lam bert set up a business in orthopedic appliances.
The Farleys took over the grocery store at 205 Spruce Street in
1946, formerly operated by Knutsons.
Burts' Candies, oldest manufacturing confectionery unit in :"\Teenah,
changed ownership in J 9+9, when Willi am Burtsuklis sold to T. Perry
B urtsu kl is.
Lear Cosgrove, a veteran of t he Air Force, opened a photographic
studio, which later was purchased b y Bud Hj erstedt, and now is
known as t he Munroe Studio. H e was to move his studio to :North
Commercial Street in the fall of 1957.
\ iVestern Tire and Auto Store, R aisler's H ome Equipment S tore,
the M . E . Manier Insuran ce Agency, t he l<. M. Sign Company,
\iVinnebago Spo rting Goods Company, Gene's Bake Shop, Kuehl's
F ood Company, Lin tner Wholesale Foods, Rock F in ance Company,
R& R Yarn Shop, were a ll to become known in t he business sections
of the cities du ring the late 19+o's.
The Thorp Finan ce Company joined the business places of the
city in 1949, purchasing t he :"\Teenah- 1enasha Fin ance Company on
North Commercial Street at Canal Street.
Lyall \ Vi lliams and Associates purchased land and buildings of the
old Bergstrom Foundry, on !lain Street, and rem odeled a portion of
it for t he Vall ey S uppl y Corp .
Valley Press, a printing concern, moved into its own building on
Ch apman Avenue.

A H ISTO R Y

OF

EE ' A H

Industrial Scrap and Salvage- ']. Stone & Son

In 19+2 J. and Abe J. S tone purchased the property at 235 Main
Street from Sam P esits ky, who bought it from Mike Zizo and Jim
J ohn. Zizo a nd J ohn were Serbians, who star ted t he junk yard in t he
earl y '20s, when it was located at 204 Main Street.
J ake Stone came to Neenah in 191 I from Paris, where he was for
four years after fl eeing from R ussia. Arri ving in Neenah, h e borrowed
$so from Jirn Courtney and B ill N udick and sta rted t he junk business,
with working capital consisting of an old horse and wagon . Abe
entered t he business in 1928, after graduation from Neenah Hig h
Sc hool. Not only have t hey made a finan cial success of t heir business,
but Abe, purchasing th e former Greenwood propert y adjoining the
Oak Str eet bridge, built an attrac ti ve home on t he north end of the
Jot, overlooking the river.

Tlze

~anks

There were c hanges in the finan cial institution s also d uring the
decade. F . E . Ballister r etired in 19++ as President of the First
Nati onal Bank of Neenah, after 56 years of assoc iation with the
banking in stitution . H e was replaced by J. Ru ssell Ward . In Mr.
Ward, Neenah acquired not only a banker whose t r~in ing had been
in the Harri s Trust & Savings Bank of Chicago, bu t a c ivic-m inded
citizen whose influ ence has been felt in many en terprises of the community. Two yea rs later t his bank increased its capital to $Joo,ooo,
and t hen, in 19+9, underwent extensive r emodeling, having its open
house in D ecem ber of 1949.
The same year t ha t the war ended, t he ational 1anufacturers'
Bank of Neenah in creased its capital and surplus to S500,ooo, and a
year later established a Trust D epartm ent. I t, too, had plans for extensive interior remodeling, which eventuated in a new structure to
h ouse its Trust D epar tmen t on t he adjoining lot to t he east.

(ivic
Within t he city governm ental act1v1ty d uring t he decade, R. V.
Hau ser was named City Clerk to replace th e late H arry S. Zemlock;

Typical .Neenah homes built during the +o's and so's.

137

A HISTORY

OF

' EE

AH

t he Coun cil accepted funds from .Jam es C. Kimberl y fo r t he constru cti on of a ligh t house and comfort station at Kimberl y Point Park; a
softball park with lights was developed sout h of t he Rec rea tion
Build ing on South Park Avenu e.
Th e Coun cil \roted to build a replica of the D o t y Cabin (t he
origin al cabin , t he home of the second territorial governor of \Visconsin , had fall en into decay and was beyond repair). The replica is now a
mu seum , under th e direction of Harvey R. Leaman .
Th e Council approved adding flu oride to the city water, followin g
efforts of N eenah dentis ts who promoted t he proj ect as a safeguard
of the tee th of the city's child ren.
The \iVilson E lemen tary School was buil t on Higgins A venue, in t he
First \Varel, in 19+9 (and a new addition completed in 1952).
Speec h co rrectio n work was inaug ura ted in t he N eenah Schools in
1947.

<;olden 0.gers enter the 'Picture

Th e R ecrea tion D epartment of t he city began pl anning for an organization of t he older citizens to be known as the Golden Age Club,
- to have its first mee ting early in i 950.
The Neenah-M enasha Broadcas ting Compan y was organized in the
late 194o's, and th e firs t program went on the air in 1947. The stud io
was loca ted in the basement of th e National Manufacturers' Bank for
a number of years.
(o rmnunity (hest- ./fnother T win (ity Venture
1947 also saw th e organization of a N eenah-Menasha Co mmuni ty
Chest to bring togeth er under one fon d campaign all welfare, healt h,
recreation an d youth organization d ri ves.
Th e N eenah-Menasha G irl Sco ut Coun cil merged wit h Appleton in
19+6, and th e K aukauna an d Kim berl y uni ts came in a year later,
wi t h the o rganiza tion now know n as t he F ox River Area Girl Scou t
Council.
The Leagu e of Women Vo ters was reorganized in 19+7, and later
becam e the Neenah-Menasha unit. Jn 1948 th e Hubbard-Pe terso n
P ost, Veteran s of F oreign ~r ars, and its auxiliary were organized ; and,

THE

1940'S

139

two years later, the Welfare Circle of t he King's Daughters, t he

Zonta Clu b (a ser vice club fo r p rofessional women ), and J ob's
D augh ters, Bethel o. 57, were added to t he organ izations in the city.
Tl1e Oak Street Bridge

The J 9+o's, followin g the war, saw a star tling in cre=tse in auto
ownership. \iVith nine rail crossings on t he Commercial-Washington
Street highw ay between the twin cities, it sometimes took t hirty
minutes to go t he mile between the two business districts. R elief came
in 1949, when Neenah dedicated its Oak Street bridge.

I t was fifty years ago,

In the pleasant month of May,
In the beautiful Pays de Vaud
A child in its cradle lay.
And nature, the old nurse, took
The child upon her knee,
Saying: "Here is a story-book
Thy Father has written for thee."
"Come wander with me," she said,
"Into regions yet untrod;
/Ind read what is still unread
In the manuscripts of God."
LONGFELLOW

:A(gtes

:A(gt e s

:A(gtes

THE

195 o's

T IS DIFFICULT, if not impossi ble, for us who li ve in the sixth

decade of t he 20th century to view it in perspective. Current
hi stor y is making as we wri te. We have the feeling of being
swept into the future by powerful currents flowing to us out of
t he pas t. Growth in ever y phase of community life during the '50s
dwarfed th e expansion of any previous era . The city burst its bounds
to the south and west. New subdivisions and new homes sprang up
as if by magic. New churc hes came into being, and schools so modern
and attractive that oldsters wi shed they could rever t to child hood.
M ore streets, more sewer and water lines- t he ci ty's budget and
bonded indebtedness bulged. Shopping centers in the outskirts sprang
up, competing with shops in the inner city ; parking meters helped, but
di d n't solve, the parking problem. All branches of sport leaped
a head , and industr y, paced by Marathon, Kimberly-Clark, Neenah
Foun d ry and Bergstroms, added new strength to Neenah's economic
foundatio ns and to t he earning power of Twin City residents.
The mounting volume of Council bu siness was relieved, in part, by
putting t he office of Mayor on a full- tim e basis at t he spring elections
of 1957. And to promote fairer, and mor e workable, representation on
t he Corn man Council, t he city was divided into ten wards, with one
representative from each ward.

Significant Industrial, Social and 'Professional J'vlovement

BERGSTROM PAPE R COMPANY EXPANDS. Early in this decade t he Bergstrom Paper Company embarked upon a long-swing program of
waste disposal destined to add man y acres to Neenah's park system
through fill along t he south end of Little Lake Bu tte des Morts.
For some years th is com pany, hemm ed in at its downtown location,

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

contemplated expansion in t he town ship of Neenah, and h ad, farsightedly, purchased acreage west of Highway 41. During 1955 a new
finishing plant was begun on t his property, whi ch came into operation
the following year. In 1956 ground was broken for a new offi ce stru ct ure east of the finis hing pla n t, which was completed and occupied in
1 957
T h e Jersild Knitting Company moved in to its new buildin g on
First Street.
The Manhattan Rubber Compan y, hav ing outgrown its quarters
in the H ewitt building, built its new plan t on Cecil and Matthews
Streets.
A new offi ce for Edgewater Paper Com pany (' 52).
Warehouse on Forest Avenu e built by School Stationers Corporat ion (' 52).
Neenah E lectrotype Corporation purchased its plant from 1\tfarathon (' 53) .
Entir e interior of Hewitt Machine Company remodeled to accommodate a new Farrell roll grinder and to give space to the StoweWoodward Company (' 54).
Gilbert Paper Company rebuilt and enlarged its #3 machine (' 54).
W isconsin Tissue Mills rebuilt its p aper machine and replaced its
converting and storage buildings with a new structur e (' 56).
After ten years with t he architectural firm of O ' Connor & Kilham
of New York city, Frank C. Shattuck returned to his home town
d uring the summer of 1953 and opened an offi ce at 174 East North
\ Vater Street, under the caption Fra nk C. Shattuck Associates, Inc.
Associated with him in t his venture is Melvin F. Siewert. The firm
has specialized in t he design of college, church, residential and indust rial building.
T his decade of expansion in every phase of community life was
further punctuated by the Council of Social Agencies becoming a
member of the Community Chest ('51) and in 1953 broadening its
nam e to Neenah-Menasha Community Council.
The Optimist Club is added to the roster of Twin City service and
lun cheon organizations.

THE 195 O'S

Among the commercial and professional newcomers during this

decade were:
J. J. Keller & Associates ('50)
Fritz's Barber Shop (' 50)
Mace Laboratories, Inc. (' 50)
Don-El Beauty Salon ('51)
Corr Opticians (' 5 I)
Jon's Shoes ('5 1)
Oberreich's Camera & Card Shop (' 53)
(formerly Sutter Camera Co.)
DiRenzo & Bomier, Law & Accounting ('53)
Sentry Foodliner ('53)
Schmidt Drug Store (' 53)
Jeffrey's Apparel Shop (' 55)
Red Owl Store on South Commercial (' 57)

NEw HOME FOR VNA. Mr. J. C. Kimberly, acting for the Kimberly
family, deeded the former residence property of Helen K. Stuart, on
East Wisconsin Avenue, to the Visiting Nurse A'ssociation for their
headquarters. Not only that, an endowment fund of $100,000 came
with the gift (' 56).
MARATHON EXPA NDS INTO NEENAH. In r953 t his company acquired
t he Jersild Knitting Company building on North Commercial Street
for occupancy by its engineers, and, as these Jines are written, they
have und er lease the former Red Owl quarters next door for engineering and clerical overfl ow.
Needing a guest house, the large H. S. Smith residence on East
Forest Avenue was purchased in 1951, and since has been used to
capacity.
Corning into 1952 the corporation's new engraving plant on Western
Avenue began operation. The following year ground was broken for
the Neenah fl exible packaging plant, now in production. This plant
was constructed on a ten-acre tract south of Cecil Street, which had
recently been purchased and annexed by the city of Neenah for industrial purposes.
As we move to the close of 1957, the corporation's new general
offi ces on Neenah's south rim nears completion.
Finally, on December 3, 1957, stockholders of Marathon Corpora-

A HISTORY

OF NEENAH

tion and American Can Company voted to merge through an interchange of common stock. Thus Marathon becomes a division of
Canco. The Marathon Company, already a dominant factor in t he
food container field, supplements t he extensive activities of Canco:
which operates more than l oo plants throughout the free world.
KIMBERLY-CLARK STEPS ur THE TEMl'O. In 1951 t he Muni sing Mill
was purchased. Leaders hip was chosen from local young men who
had grown up with the corporation- notably Bill Fieweger and
Bill Beerman.
Early in this decade, also, a new plant making absorbent products,
such as Kleenex and Kotex, came into production at Fullerton, California- and, still later, t here nears completion at New M ilford,
Connecticut, a duplicate of the southern California plant.
In 195I, K-C opened its Sales Promotion Center, located in the
township of Menasha. This ingenious enterprise embodies all known
visual and auditory aids designed to make the art of salesmanship
pleasant and effective.
The following year its motel-type guest house north of its Lakeview
Mill became ready for occupancy.

!.(.(. (ompany J\tfoves to N.._eenah

The International Cellucotton Products Company, a sales organization marketing Kimberly-Clark's absorbent products, such as
Kleenex and Kotex, with headquarters in Chicago, was integrated
with the parent company in 1955, and the following year its personnel
was mo ved to the Neenah area. Thi s move coinc ided with th e completion of Kimberly-Clark's new office north of the Lakeview M ill in
Menas ha town ship. This influx of people from the city was a major
factor in Neenah 's expansion duri ng thi s decade.
Fox Valley's ,(,argest Moving Operatio11

It will be r emembered t hat t he largest moving operation ever to

take place in this Fox Valley occurred over the Labor Day weekend
of 1956, when all furniture and equipment from the old KimberlyClark offices fronting on North Commercial Street were transplanted

THE 195 O' S

A picturesq ue view of a portion of Kimberly-Clark's modernis tic General O ffi ces, taken from the east
bank of the man-mad e lake, the water from which is used by the air conditioning system. This new
structure is located in the township of Menasha (photo b y Bill Hed rich, H ed rich-Blessing).

into t he spacious and ul t ra-modern quarters north of t he Lake view

Mill. On Tu esda y morning, Sep tember 4, seven hun dred p eople foun d
their places in th e new offi ces and went to work as tho ugh they h ad
always li ved t here. The Research & Development D ep artment of th e
corporation took over the vacated premises in the city prop er. On e
aspec t of t hi s move, not to th e liking of Neenah merchants, is t he
attractive cafeteria adjoining the new offi ces, which keep s Kimbe rl yClark offi ce p eople off Neenah's stree ts during the noon hour.
J\/lerger of ]l(eenah 'Paper Company and K..,imberly -Clark Corp oration

F or many years there had been a neighborl y relationship be tween

Kimberly-Clark and Neenah Paper Compan y du e to cer tain key
personali ties with stock interes t in both compani es. As KirnberlyClark had already entered the wri ting paper field t hrough i ts Munising
Mill, there appeared to be a mu tual ad van tage through merger of th e
t wo companies. This was effec ted d uring I9 56. Neenah Paper Compan y thereupon became a di vision of Kimberl y-Clark.

148

A HISTORY OF NEENAH

Jl{eenah' s Financial Strength

The strong position of all of Neenah's financial institutions reflects
t he economic well-being of t he citizenry :
Twin City Savings & Loan Assn. shows assets of
First Tational Bank's deposi ts at close of' 57I n r952 the bank remodeled its building to the south,
providing a service center fo r installment and mortgage loans and a drive-in window.
Total assets of all Neenah credit unionsNational Manufacturers' Bank shows deposits ofI n 1952 this bank built its addition to the east to
provide for a growing Trust Dept. and remodeled
its commercial banking quarters, including auto
window and adequate space for its accounti ng department, also attractive upstairs facilities for the
com fo rt and enjoyment of employees.

~ I 2, 770, 267 34

21, 064 ,359.96

(' 57)
('57)

2,224,321.00
16,510,633. 16

('56)
(' 57)

i nterest in (ity and.Area 'Planning

F or nine years prior to 1954 a commi ttee composed of citizens
from our Twin Cities labored to encourage coord inated planning of
the cities and townships of Neenah and Menasha. Th e commi t tee
raised its own funds and employed technical talent which was pu t at
the service of town boards and city councils. Some good results were
achieved, such as solution of t he str eet problem in volvi ng Neenah's
First Street, Menasha's Washington and Tayco Streets, and the St.
Patrick's Church corner.
In the main, however, t he part-time councils and town boards were
too busy with t he pressures of today to give thought or time to the
problems of tomorrow . On Jul y 12, 1954, in a letter sign ed by CoChairmen J. M. Wheeler and S. F. Shattuck, the Twin Ci ty Planning
Committee resigned.
In its letter of resignation the committee recom mended a city
manager form of administration, or its equival en t. The comm ittee
also expressed th e hope t ha t a new approach might be found to t he
pressing need for city and area planning. Thi s need was recognized
on a broader front two years la ter.
As we eased into t hi s decade, t he migration of people from t he
cities into t he adjacent rural areas gathered momentum. Throughout

THE

1950' S

th e Fox River Valley, from the township of Neenah to the town ship
of Kaukauna, villages, town ships and cities were overlapping. School
problems, qu es tions raised b y antiquated tax la ws, threats to th e
down town comm ercial areas, and vexing traffi c and parking problems,
together with a rapidly increasing population (105,000 as estimated by
the u'lppleton 'Post (rescent) all conspired to prompt the organiza tion
of the F ox Valley Regional Planning Commission. This much-needed
agency cam e into being at a meeting in Kaukauna on May r, 1956.
Th e cities of Neenah and Menasha were charter members. I t is the
hope of the proponents of this organization that life for the generations
to follow may be made more livable than it would be if left to T opsyli ke or happenstan ce growth.
N._eenah 'Police "Boat
During the '40s, yachting, both power and sail, was o_n the increase.
M any participants were in experienced, and the phones of power boa t
owners rang at all hours of the nigh t for help in finding o'r rescuing
members of some famil y who were on the lake after d ark. This led our
nautically-minded P olice Chief to induce the city fath ers to take over
a power boat, formerl y own ed by VV. C. 'W ing, to be used b y the department for patrolling races and for night emergency service.
In 1950 a group of ci tizens, led by J. C. Kimberly, provided the
present well-equipped and tailor-made craft, which the Chief and his
men ha ve used to great ad vantage.
Th e city provides a minimum amount for gas and oil.
Th e men of th e Pol.ice D epartment give their services, day or night,
wi thou t extra pay, not onl y in rescue work, bu t in maintenance of the
craft. Thus far the taxing units bordering the lake, such as T ownships
of N eenah , and Oshkosh and Calumet County, h ave declined to
compensa te th e Neenah D epartrn ent for service to their citizens. That
declination has no t deterred the personnel of the Neenah Department.
Th ey continu e to go an ywhere, an ytime that an yone is in tro uble.
This may be the time and place to say in behalf of all t hough tful
citizens tha t one will search th e nation for a more courteous and
efficient police force. H ow Chief Stilp has maintained such outstand ing

150

A HIST ORY

OF

NE E NAH

service, housed as his dep artm ent is, in a hallway, is something onl y
he can explain.
J\(eenali 's 'Venetian 'Parade

Poli ce Chief Irving Stilp is responsible for proposing and staging

an event in 1954 which bids fair to become an annual in stitution,
viz., the Venetian Parade on J ul y 4. Twenty thou sand p eople lin ed
Neenah's wa terway fo r the ini tial p erformance. T his colorful event
capitalizes on Neenah's dis tinctive ri ver and park setting, together
with the vas t increase in small boa t ownership. T wo yea rs later
(' 56) t he J aycees took over responsibi lity for co ntinuance of the
custom.
Upsurge of 'Power 'Boating

T h e Tri-City Boati ng Club, led by Lawrence Driscoll, F rank

Sharpless, F red Grnpe and Vern dy ne Stelow, came into existence in
195+ Th is club, composed of fam ili es, open ed the door to enj oyment
of Winn ebagoland's histo ric wa ter ways by an enlarged circle of
people of all ages. T o the developm ent a nd refinement of the ou t board
motor must go the cred it for increase in this wholesome ou t-of-door
spor t.
:J{_ew 'Park 'Pavilion

T he antiqu a ted and outm oded dance hall and ou t bu ildings in

Ri verside P ark finall y disappeared in favor of the ar tistic and usable
new par k pavilion (' 56), placed eas t of th e dri ve at the center of the
p ark area.
T he jolm J\(. 'Bergstrom Ulrt ( enter and Museum

I t was d uri ng t he decade of the '50s that both Mr. an d M rs. J. N .

Bergstrom died (he in l 95T and she in 1958) . U nder the will of J o hn
N . Bergs trom, their residence property at 165 North Par k Avenue becam e the proper ty of the City of Neenah, subj ect to cer tain conditions,
all of which have been fu lfilled . When Mrs. Bergstrom died in F ebruar y, 19.58, the city, by ordinance, dedicated the property for u se as
an Art Center and M useum, in accordance wi th the wishes and di rec-

THE

195 0'S

tion of t he donors. The foll story of t hi s va luabl e acquisition to the

life of Neenah is told in Part 11.
After ten years o f ser vice as Secretary of the N eenah-Menasha
Chamber of Cornmerce, Don Colburn resigns to re-enter priv ate
business. In due time J ohn Konrad was chosen to succeed him (' 56).
T h roughou t th is decade Neenah 's able and progress ive sc hool board
k ept one s tep ahead of mounting school p : :> p ulation t hrough construct ion of the H oover School, t he classroo m add iti on to the high school
('53), the big gymnasium ('55), and the Taft School in the rapidlygrowing seventh ward in September, 1957. Nor is the proj ec t of homebound in struction , in s tituted in 1952, to be forgotten.

The (lwrches
Th e churches, without which Neenah would be a spiritual wilderness, carry th eir s hare of the responsibility for maintaining Neenah as
a good place in which to live and work.
St. Margaret Mary buil ds its p arochi al sc hool, Sisters' Convent an d
gymnasium (' 51).
Trinity Lutheran razes its old school bu ilding on Oak Street and
builds a modern structure on t he site (' 51) . At this writing, plans are
being drawn for a new churc h to be built on the site of the present
church.
Th e Presbyterians dedicate their e:i ucational wing, c hapel and
F ellows hip Hall (' 51) and the new sanc t uar y in October, 195+
First C hurch of Christ Scientist opens a read ing room at 10/
Church Street ('Sf).
Calvary Baptist Church purchases the vacated former home of Our
Sa vior 's Lu t heran Church (' 55) .
Martin Luth er Evangelical Lutheran C hurch dedicates its new church
edifi ce, conver t ing its former church building in to a school (' 56) .
First C hurch of Christ Scientist occ upies its new red brick house
of wors hip on East W isconsin Aven ue ('56) .
T h e enlarged and remodeled church of St. Paul 's E nglish Evangelical Lutheran congregation was ded icated and reoccupi ed (' 56) .

Glimpses of the first " Venetian Night," staged a nd organized by Chi ef Sti lp and members of the eenah
Police Force- Jul y 4, 1954. ln the upper photo, the Queen and her Court of Honor wave to the crowd
from the police boat.

Chief Stilp wa found wherever work was the hardest in preparation for "Venetian 1 ight."

One section of the huge audience lining Neenah's waterway for " Venetian Night."

1 53

154

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Our Savior's Lutheran Church moves in and dedicates its artistic

and roomy new stru cture on South Commercial Street (' 56).
Apropos of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, it will be of interest to
recall the pastorate of Niels Thomsen, grandfather of Oliver Thomsen.
Niels Thomsen arrived in America from Denmark in 1871. He was,
so Oliver says, t he first minister in "the Danish-Church" to come to
this country. After a rough time in a congregation that couldn't or
wouldn't pay him enough to exist on, he tried farming, then to an
unhappy pastorate in Indianapolis and from there to Neenah in i 874.
Neenah looked good to him. To a friend he wrote, "Hurrah, now
bring forth all your additions to our hymnal book-now we will need
them- the church is continuall y filled with people."
Referring to his first congregational meeting, he writes, "No one
was sitting with hats on, and no one was smoking tobacco."
Among his further comment3 was this gem: "A few days ago I conducted a queer funeral service. The dead man had been an at heist.
H e drank him self to death. Most of the atheists attended the funeral
(and no others) and their sor row was, because they could no longer,
as they had done, drink on his expense. The dead man's coffin was
placed in the town's biggest saloon, and astonishing quite a few, I
entered the saloon, dressed in clerical vestment. The fun eral sermon,
however, was preached at the grave."

(. F. Hedges
On August 9, 1957, Mr. C. F . Hedges depar ted t his life.
For twenty-nine years Clare Hedges was Superintendent of Schools.
During the ten prior years, he taught science, was Assistant Principal,
then Principal of the High School. An associate said of him that Mr.
Hedges could enter any classroom at Neenah High in the absence
of the teacher, and take over. "It might be math or science, or
English or geography;- he stepped in and handled the session as
though he had taught it yesterday and was going to be there tomorrow."
In retrospect we remember the man's gentleness and his delicate
sense of fa irness. He induced in his teachers and work staff a loyalty,

T HE

1 95 O'S

155

deep and fi rm, that persisted long after severance of relations wi th

Neenah's schools.
T hen came the age of retirement, and finall y his passing.
Of this Ed Cochrane wrote :
"We will miss his going by with his dogs. T he slight figure, huddled into heavy
winter cap and coat on a wintry day, with a shepherd and a nondescript dog,
trudging th rough the snow. H e didn't just 'walk the dog' as househo lders know t he
term. He took long tours in the high school area and beyond the city lim its.
"We will miss a livi ng example of a man w hom we always felt shou ld have been
placed in a publicly useful niche in his retired years.
"C. F. Hedges left his blaze marks deep on the 'trees' of our community, and
somehow they will always be there to compass t he trail for many who were privileged to be his students or his friends."

T win (ity <J{elationships

In view of discussions in the N._ews <J{ecord du ri ng the latter half
of 1957 rela tive to a common city h all and the possibility of uni ting
the Twin Cities, it seemed per tinen t to bring to the fore an all-out
effort in this direction d uring the last decade of the 19th century.
Mayhew Mot t, out of his long memor y, con tribu tes this:
" I was told by Silas Bullard along about the fi rst of this century that an effort
had been made, not long before I had the tal k with him, that a movement had
been started to unite Neenah and Menasha into one city. He said that a committee
was formed by the city councils of the two cities, who met and considered the
proposition and ironed out all of the problem s (bond issues, contributions to projects
like the Menasha library, etc., condi ti ons attached to legacies to the cities, etc. )
and t hat the committee, consisting of some twenty members, was unan imously in
favo r of the un ited city. The only way they could un ite was fo r one of the cities to
annex the other, which involved the annexed city giving up its name. Neither side
would consent to being the an nexed territory. It is my understanding that this committee functioned sometime in t he I 89o's. Silas Bull ard was one of the comm ittee."

Our Shrinking 'Dollar

No p hase of ou r histor y since the t urn of the century deser ves more
serious though t from our generation than the shrinking val ue of ou r
dollar and what can be done about i t. We would indeed be rem iss if
we should close this summar y of the '50s without registering what is
undoubtedly one of the most dangerous pro blems of our time.

HISTORY

OF

NEEN AH

The U. S. News & World Report pictures t he downward slide of

dollar valu e since J 939.
In r939, prior to World War II , the dollar may be said to ha ve been
worthFrom 1939 to 1945, under the impact of all-out war and unres trained
spending, the dollar shran k from 100 to(or a shrinkage of 22. 8)
Duri ng the t welve yea rs between J an uary I, 19-1-6, and J anuary T, 1958,
the wage-cost-price spiral, alongwith other influences, sent the dollar down
to(T his was at the rate of between 2 and 3 per year.)

100
77 . 2

48 . 8

Now we look forward to celebrating Neenah's 1 ooth bir thday in 1973 (15 years away). With what kind of doll ars
will that event be recognized ?
Suppose t he wage-cost-price spiral continu es unchecked for
t he next I 5 years. Assume also t hat t he purchasi ng power
of the dollar is driven down at t he rate of only 1! per
year; that would spell an anniversar y celebration in 1973
with dollars worth26
Or, if the downward creep were to conti nu e at the rate of 2
per year, we'll celebrate with dollars shrunk to18
Increasi ng numbers of older people and others on fixed incomes
look with dismay on a trend t hat sp ells fo r them impossible living
costs. \i\lhile t his is not the place to discuss economics, as such, it is
pertin en t to bring to view some of t he causes of the creeping inflation
that enmeshes u s, suc h as big government, all-out defense spending,
fia t money (paper cu rrency issued by go,rernment without guaranty
of r edemp tion), and th e wage-cost-price spiral.
\ "f\Te, as private citizens, can do li t tl e about t he control of government spend ing except to back such agencies as the Committee for the
H oover R eport, dedicated to economy in government.
T her e is, however, one sector of our citizenry that is big enough and
strong enough to attack t he infla tion probl em at its hear t, viz : labor
lll1J O n S .

Coupled with t his is t he hi stori cal fact t hat when wartime restraints
were r emoved, wage demands and higher costs marched upward in
lock step.

THE

195 O'S

157

During t he 'Sos, '90s and first decade of thi s century, corporati ons
were in the d ri ver's seat. The y abused t heir power. I t was ex istence
of too much power in the hands of bu sin ess leaders of t hat day t hat
led to enac tm ent of the anti-t rus t laws. T od ay, the shoe is on th e
other foot. Unions, grown big, wealthy and politically powerful now
dominate th e indus trial life of America.
As always in a democracy, great financial and poli tical power is
accompanied by corresponding social obligations. T he qu estion now
asked is wh eth er t here is top leadership in organized labor with wisdom, patriotism and guts enough to measure up to the total social
responsibility t hat is theirs.
Or, in th e public interest, must governmental action reduce and
control the exercise ofunic n power as it did half a cen tury ago in th e
case of the corporations?
(ould CSecome ~ (;rass '!(oats A1ovement

Evidence is not lacking t hat American men and women constituting

the body of uni ons, if gi ven opportunity for self expression, are capable
of courageous, even sacrificial ac tion, that might well become contagious. For ins tance, t his from D etroit, under dateline of Januar y 2,
1958 :
" The most amazi ng th ing t hat's happened to us in the last 30 years," is t he way
Edward J. owark, D etroi t's assistant budget directo r, p ut it. H e was referring to a
letter from t he Michigan Sewage Treatment Employes Union, representing about
200 city employes, which said, " Because of t he steady mou nting of t he nati onwide
spiral of infl ation, we feel that any di rect pay raises as such will only contribute to
the al ready alar ming inflationary trend, and will ultimately result in greater loss
than gain . Therefore, for t he fiscal year of 1958- 59, we are forego in g any request for
a direct p ay raise."

Ric hard J. Gray, President of t he Building Trades Department, at

t he AFL-CIO Convention in December, 1957, was clear-eyed when
he proposed a year 's pay freeze to halt inflation and spur construction, predic ting t hat t he nineteen construction unions would endorse
his plea. Gray's proposal made headlines on th e front page of th eJ\(ew
York T imes. His fellow officials buried his proposal in rid icule. Mr.
Gray r ecognized th e sober fact that only b y a decisi ve action t hat
cuts squarely across t he wage-cost-price trend can the spiral be jolted .

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Ralph McG ill, Editor of th ecAtlanta Constitution, widely known fo r

hi s wise comment on the American scene, sl ips in this observation:
"lt would make sense if the nation shou ld seem to be heading into a
long stri ke-bound period over wages, to freeze prices and wages. If
costs and wages go up, then prices will mount, and the recession will
deepen."
From the viewpoint of an interested observer of current histor y, it
would seem that the psychological moment is here for a fresh look.
\Ne have arrived at 1958 with industry on a plateau- slackened
sales, sharpened competition, lower earnings, and, in many industries
short running. Has not the time arrived for a change of pace?
Harold B. \Ness, in Human events of July, 1957, suggests the
tragic alternative: "Unless the major economic trend of the last
twenty-five years in this country is reversed, the only true free enterprise system in the world will bleed itself to death. "
When Neenah becomes 100 years old on March 13, 1973, and takes
a backward look at the critical fifteen years between then and now,
what shall the verdict be?

.(peal Unions and .(peal .(eadersliip

Returning to the Twin City scene, we find a situation that is typical
of many ano ther smaller commun ity where relationships between
people in the mills and people in the management have been cordial
and cooperative over a long span of years. Generations of young
people have grown up in an atmosphere of industrial peace, friendliness and understanding. It was out of thi s atmosphere that the
Neenah-Menasha Trades and Labor Council, back in 1951, staged the
first of a series of Labor-Management Dinners. This gesture reveals
not only a civic-minded leadership, but pain ts up the quality and
character of local union membership.
And, in this connection, be it remembered that leaders of this Council, including John Arnold, Ebbe Berg, and J ohn Pawlowski, played a
strong hand in establishing the Community Chest of Neenah(S.F.S.)
Menasha.

THE

19 5 O'S

159

N.._eenah' s Population I7 ,ooo

As we leave t he year I957 to history, we would record that during

Neenah's popul ation crossed the i 7,000 mark.

J 957

T o SuMMARIZE
W e who have been privileged to work on this historical project
emerge with a fresh appreciation of what it takes to develop a communi ty in which its people li ve in reasonabl e comfort, and enjoy
oppor t unities for mental, ph ysical, social and spiritual satisfactions.
Threading ou r way across the eighty years since J 878 gives us a keen
sense of indebtedness to t he generations that have gone before. It is
upon their fou ndation of thought and effort t ha t we have builded.
The repetiti ve references in the decade write-ups to buildings, corporations, societies, churches, finan cial institutions and dollar values
are oppressive. Th ese things are important, but they are so impersonal. It is the faith and the vision, the initiative and persistence of
individual people t ha t have made t hese institutions and ser vices what
they are and t hat have given to Neenah its quality and character.
1aterial things pass away. Spiritual values- ideals, civic pride,
faith and love persist from generation to generation, and determin e
t he tone of a corn munity.
As one traces t he ebb and fl ow of life t hrough these eight decades,
we find ourselves saying with the Psalmist: "Unless the Lord builds
the house, those who build it labor in vain. "

:J\(E t es

:A(gtes

:A(gtes

P A RT

11

'Part II of tltis volume contains original material that came

to our committee from many organizations and individuals

of our community

over a thirty-month period,Jrom mid-E955

to Vecernber, f957
The reader will find his way to this source material tl1rougl1
the Table of Contents on pages I65 to I68.

"May J underline the bel ief that each of us is a trustee of the past- that we ha ve
t he important task of living up to our inheritance and adding something to it.
" Let us always remember that there was a time in this coun try when even a whole
day of life was not taken for granted; much less water, s helter, and a safe nigh t's
sleep. ~ow by reason of this uniquely bountiful heritage, we take for grantedtoo mu ch. We assume, we ex pect, we insist. ~owhere else in the world is this possible.

" It is not to guarantee us ice cream and television that women bore chil dren under
I ndian attack- that they were partners in the great pioneering sweep to t he \Vest.

" . .. lt is perh a ps good for us

to remember what our simple right to vote cost other

human beings. P erhaps t hey had no t hought for us ; t hey were concerned with
mak ing their America. But what t hey made is what we have.

" T o take this heritage unthinkingly for granted is a first step to losin g it.
" T omorrow can be kept bright and shining, I firmly believe, only through the ~am e
faith and courage, the hard work and common sense, the positive :\m ericani sm we
build into today."
I RS. R UTH D E Y OU NG K OHLE R, given before Ilic
American //ssociation of Museums on lvlay JO, 1952

CONTENTS
PART II
B ANKS AND FJNANCIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

169

First National Bank of I eenah- -National Man ufacturers' Bank- eenah State Bank- -Twin City Savings and Loan Association- Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company- -Credit B ureau- -Credit
Unions- -Neenah-Menasha Finance Company (Thorp Finance) - R ock Fi nance Company

BLACK SMITHING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

183

Johnson & Myhre

N E N AH- by K,endrick K.,imball. .... . .... . .

J 84

C E METERIE S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

189

B oYHOOD D AY S JN

Oak Hill- -Memorial P ark

CH AM B ER OF COMMERCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

191

Jun ior Chamber

CH U R CHE S . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .

Assembly of God Pentecos tal- -Calvary Baptis t Church- -Church

of Chri st- -Firs t Church of Christ Scientist- -First Evangelical
U nited Brethren Church- -First Methodi st Church- -First Pres byterian Church- -Grace F.vangel ical Lutheran Church- -Im manuel's
Evangelical and Reformed Church- -Martin Luther Evangelical
Lutheran Church- -Our Sa vior's Lut heran Church- -St. MargaretMary's Catholi c Church- -St. Patrick's Catholic Church- -St. P aul's
English E vangelical Lut heran Churc h (St. Mark's Mission Churc h)- St. T homas Episcopal Church- -Seventh Day Adventist Chu rch- Trinity Lutheran Chu rch- -lJ niversali st Church- -\;\1elsh Churches
- -Whiting M emorial Baptist Churc h
CITY ADMI N I STR ATI O N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21.)

Mayors Serving City- -City Clerks Serving City- -Comparative

Population, Assessed Val uation and T ax Levy Figures- -Fi re Department- -Police Department
CoMMERCJ AL. . . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .

165

220

J66

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

COMM U NICATION S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

222

Telegraph, telephone, radio, TV

COMMUNITY CHE ST .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22 7

COMMUNITY CO U N CIL ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22 9

DAN A CLU B H A LL . ... . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

230

DENTA L PROFESS IO N. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23 1

DoTY C A BIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23 4

&

I NTER U RB AN SERVICE . . .

236

FAMILY SERVI CE.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

240

FRATER1 A L AND SocIA L ORGA NIZATIO NS......... . . . . . . . . . . . .

242

ELECTRI C LIGHT, ELECTRIC POWER

A.A.U .W .- -American Legion- Hawley-Dieckhoff P os t N o. 33- American Legion Auxiliary to H awley-Dieckhoff Post :Jo. 33- -Business and Professional Women's Club- -Danish Brotherhood Lodge- Daughters of American Revolution- -Delphian Society- -Disabled
American Veterans- - Eclectic Reading Circle- - E conomi cs Club- Elks Lodge No. 676- -Emergency Societ y- -Equitable Reserve Association- -Equitable R eserve Association >reenah Assembl y No. I - Ex Libris Club- -Germania Benevolent Society- -Golden Age Club
- - H. J. Lewis Woman's R elief Corps- -Homemaker's Club- -Job's
Daughters Bethel #s7- -Kings' Daughters- -Kings' Daughters and
Sons, Welfare Circle- -Kiwanis Club- - Knights of Columbu s- Knights of P ythias, eenah Lodge No. 80- -Ladies of the Grand Army
of the Republic- -League of \i\lomen Voters- -Lions Club- Masons, El isha Kent Kan e Lodge; Royal Arch M asons ; Twin Cities
Commandery-Knights Templar; Eastern Star; Beauceant- -Menasha
Garden Club- - eenah Club- -Oddfellows hi p -Betty Rebekah
Lodge #212- -0ptimist Club- - Rotary Club- - R oyal Neighbors of
America, Doty Camp, No. 6341- Sarah Doty Study Club- -Uni ted
Church Women- -Veterans of Foreign Wars, Hubbard-Peterson P os t
7990 - -Veterans of Foreign Wars' Auxi liary of Hubbard-Peterson
Post 7990 - -Who's New Club-Women's Christi an Union- Women's Tuesday Club- -Y. T. and F. Club- -Zonta Club
HO S PITAL-

THED A CLARK MEMORI AL . .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

lcE B usI1 E SS....

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

292
295

C 0 NT ENT S -

P AR T I I

!NDUSTRIA L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67

296

Atlas Tag Company- -Banta, George, Company, Inc.- -Bergstrom

Foundry- -Bergstrom Paper Company- -Burstein, Meyer, & Sons
- -Central Paper Company- - Edgewater Paper Company- -Galloway Company- -Gilbert Paper Company- -Hardwood Products
Corporation- -Hewitt, J. W., Machine Company- -Hoerning's Concrete Products- -Jersild Knitting Corporation- -Kimberly-Clark
Corporation- -Manhattan Rubber Manufacturing Company- Marathon Corporation (Marathon-Canco.)- -Menasha Wooden
Ware Corporation- -Neenah Electrotype Corporation- - feenah
Foundry Company- - Neenah Paper Company- -School Stationers
Corporation- -Strange, J ohn, Carton Company- -Strange, John
Paper Company- - Valley Press, Inc.- - Whiting, George A., Paper
Company- - Wisconsin T issue Mills
JO URNALISM.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

339

L ABOR MOVEMENT. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

344

LEGAL PRO FESSION..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

352

LIBRARY . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

358

MEDICAL PROFE SSION.............. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

361

American Academy of General Practice

MILITARY.. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

368

(Bergstrom). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

373

PARKS, PLAYGRO UNDS, RECRE ATIO N PROGR AM, GoLF CLUBS...

376

M usEUM

Columbian Park- -Riverside Park- -Shattuck Park- -Doty Park

- -Kimberly Point P ark- -'Nater Street Area- -Washington P ark
- -High School Athletic Field- - Laudan Fields- -Park Statistics
- -R ecreation (Swi mm ing Pool, Recreation Building, Appointment
of Director, etc.)- -Golf Clubs
PLANNING. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

386

PosT OFF1C E. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

389

RED CROS S..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

391

SCHOOLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

394

Establishment of System- Officials and Buildings -- Naming of School

168

HI S TOR Y

OF

EEN AH

Buildings- - Superintendency- -First High School GraduatesForming of Kindergarten- -Elementary Supervisor- - Auxiliary Organization and I nteres ts (Special Education, ::\'"eenah-M enasha Association for Retarded Children, School 1 urse and H ealth P rotection)- Aims -- Music Program- -Art- -H ome Economics Vocational
School- - School Population Soars- -Twenty-five . yea r teachers- School Board- -H igh School Organiza tions (school papers, clubs,
honor society) - -Athletics- -Neenah Teachers' Association- - H igh
School Alumni Association- -P arent-Teac her Associati on - " A City
Father T alks"- - School Strike- - Parochial Schools (St. MargaretMary's School, Trinity Lutheran School, Martin Luther School)
TRA NS PORTATIO N......... . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

+24

R ailroads (C&~W, Soo Line, Wisconsin Cen tral, Milwaukee & ::\'"orthern, Wisconsin & Nort hern)- - Air Travel (:\orth Central)
UnLITlE S, P u BLTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

\Nater System

+Jo

Sewer System

Vr s1 TI NG N u RS E A ssoc1ATION........ . . ... . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . .

+35

V.:\:\ :\uxiliar y
\ VJN NE BAGO PL AYERS.. ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

439

(Community Drama Groups)

Y ACHT I N G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4+0

\Vinnebagoland Marathon--T ri-City Boating Club

Yo uNG \IVoME N ' s CHR I STIAN A. ss ocJATiON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

++7

(T he Young Women's Club)

YouTH ORGANIZ ATION S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Boys' Brigade - Boy Scouting- -Girl Scouting

451

BANKS AND FINANCIAL

COMPJ LED B\" AM BRO SE OWEN

The First J{_ational '13ank of J\(_eenali

THE Bank of Neenah, organized in i861 by David Smith and R obert

Shiells, had obtain ed a National Bank Charter in 1865 and became
the National Bank of Neenah. Officers and Directors as of January 1,
1878, were: H en ry Hewitt, Sr., President; R obert Shiell s, Cashier;
J. A. Kimberly, John R. Davis and Havilah Babcock.
On Sunday morning, January q , i 883, t he banking office was
totally destroyed by fire. The bank opened for business the next
morning as usual (Monday) in the Kimberl y-Clark Company's
offi ce. This fire destroyed the buildings known as the " Pettibone
Block," in which the bank was located, on the same corner as the
present bank building.

170

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

In January of J 886 Henry Hewitt, Sr., retired as President and

was succeeded by Robert Shiells. J. A. Kimberly was elected Vice
President and Alex McNaughton, Cashier.
In 188 8 Mr. McNaughton resigned as Cashier to enter the paper
business, and John P. Shiells was elected to the position of Cashier.
A special meeting of the stockholders was called in August of 1905,
and it was voted to extend the charter and to change the name of the
institution to The First National Bank of Neenah . The Capital was
also increased to $100,000. In October of the sam e year Robert Shiells
retired as a Director and President of the bank. The new offi cers
were: J. A. Kimberly, President; J ohn P. Shiells, Vice President; and
F. E. Ballister, Cashier. Deposits of the bank were now $663,360.00,
and total assets $860,3or.47.
The Capital of the bank was increased to $125,000 in March of
1913, and the following year the bank became a member of the newlyestablished Federal Reserve System.
J. A. Kimberly was elected Chairman of the Board in January of
1920. F. E. Ballister was elected President; C. A. Babcock, Vice
President; and F . R. Schallert, Cashier. Plans were made for a new
bank building on the same location, and the Surplus account increased
to $125,000. The new building became a reality and was occupied in
January of l92r. While the new building -was being constructed, the
bank rented quarters in the old Russell House, and occupied space on
almost the exact spot where the bank started business in l 861, before
moving to its present location about 1865. (The Russell House, as
many present residents will remember, disappeared when the National Manufacturers' Bank bought the property in 1922.)
John W . Powers became Cashier of the bank in 1923 and served in
that capacity until his death in 1932. Deposits of the bank were now
in excess of $1,800,000 and total assets were well over $2,000,000.
Bank failures had become common in the agricultural states as
early as l92I. During the period 1921- 1933, over two thousand national banks and nearly 10,000 state banks failed. Upon the inauguration of F. D. Roosevelt as President of the United States on March 4,
1933, one of his :first acts was to close every bank, both state and
national, in the Un ited States. After a period of approximately two

BA

KS

FI

CIAL

weeks, the Comptroller of the Currency allowed the stronger banks to

re-open and conduct business as usual. T he remaining banks were
permitted to re-open at later dates on a restricted basis and many
banks were li quidated or merged with the s tronger ones. Neenah's
two National Banks were among the first to re-open on a "businessas-usual" basis. The Neenah State Bank re-opened on a restricted
basis and later decided to liquidate. All depositors were eventually
paid in full.
In September of 1936 The First National Bank obse rved its 75th
anniversary. D eposits were then $2,605,717.05.
In January of 194+, F. E. Ballister retired as President and Director, after 56 years of association with the bank. The new officers were:
J. Ru ssell \i\lard, President; J ohn N. Bergstrom, Vice President;
Ambrose Owen, Vice President and Cashier; Elmer J. Schultheis,
Asst. Vice President; Einar J orgensen, Asst. Cashier. Two years la ter
the Capital of the bank was increased to $300,000, and the Surplus
account also increased to $300,000.
The interior of the bank building was remodeled in 1949, and on
December 19 of t hat year t he public was invited to an "Open House."
Deposits had grown to nearly $15,000,000. Three years later additional space was needed, and the building adjoining the bank on the
south was completely remodeled and became a part of the banking
facilities. This addition provided an Auto Window and a Service Center where the installment loan and mortgage loan departments were
located.
In April of 1953 the Surplus account was increased to S500,ooo. By
December 31, 1956, deposits had grown to $20,798,403.+J and total
assets were $22,238,409.87. At the annual stockholders meeting held
in January of i957, it was voted to increase the Capital of the bank
to accommodate the increased and growing volume of business. The
shareholders approved a stock split of five shares for eac h outstanding
share by changing the par value from $100.00 per share to $20.00 per
share. This action was followed by a JJ! % stock dividend and the
sale of an additional five thousand shares of $20.00 par value stock.
After giving effect to these changes, the Capital account of The First
National Bank of Neenah on Jun e 30, 1957, was: Capital, $500,000,

A HISTORY

OF

NEE

AH

Surplus 500,000, Undivided P rofits, S+57,775.+8, General Contingency Reserve S 100,000.

Directors 1865- 1956
PC

R obert Shiells
H enry H ewitt, Sr.
A. \V. Patton
Alexander Syme
P C H M .J. A. Kimberly
.Edward Smith
H avilah B abcock
J ohn R . Davis
D. L. Kimberly
.J ohn P. Shiells
Francis J. Kimberly
D. \V. Bergstrom
Geo. 0. Bergstrom
PC
F. E . B allister
F. J. Sensenbrenner
C. A. Babcock
H. K. Babcock
H . F. Anspach
Gustav Kalfahs
C. B. Clark
Geo. A . .J agerson

1861 - 1905
1865- 1888
1865-1867
1865- 1866
1865- 1929
1866-1869
1869- 1905
1867-1885
1885- 1892
1888- 1920
1893- 1895
1895- 1928
1895-1928
195- 1944
1905-1952
1905- 1940
1913-1930
1920--1931
r920--1923
1920--1949
1920--1934

D. K. Brown
.J. \V. Bergstrom
J as. W. Bergstrom
.I . C. Kimberly
Ernst Mahler
J ohn R. Kimberly
Cola G . Parker
J. Russell Ward
C. H . Sage
J o hn \V. O 'Leary
J. Dudleigh Young
N. H . Bergstrom
Ambrose Owen
C. \V. Sawyer
Wm. L. Keady
.J . Leslie Sensenbrenner
J o hn Stevens, J r.
.J ohn B. Catlin
Leo 0 . Schubart
Willi am R. Kellett

19271928- 1948
1928- 1932
1931- 1940
1931194019431943J9441944T944194819481 949- r951
1951- 1952
r9521953195519551956-

P- Served as President, C- Served as Cashi er, C HM- Served as Chairman.

Presidents
H enry H ewitt, Sr.
R obert Shiells

1865- 1886
1886-1905
J. Russell Ward

J.

A. Kimberl y
F . F.. Ballister

r905- 1920
1920--19++

19++-

Cashiers
R obert Shiells
Alex Mc~aughton
.J ohn P. Shiells
F. E. Ballister
F. R. Schallert
A. R. Dahms

1861- 1886
1886- 1888
1888-1905
1905- 1920
1920- 1921
1921-1922

.J ohn \V. Powers

Adolph H ennig
Am brose Owen
Herbert H.
Thermansen

1922- 1932
l 932- 19.p
1942- 1956
1956-

Present Officers: J. Russell Ward, President; Ambrose Owen,

Exec utive Vice President; Elm er J. Schultheis, Vice President; Paul
N. Dawson, Vice President; H erbert H. Th ermansen, Cashi er ; H arry

BANKS

AND

FINANC I AL

173

E . N eubauer, Assistant Vice P resident; Herbert W . Kruse, Assistant

Vice President; Raymond A. Pederson, Assistant Cashier; Beulah
M. Robb, Assistant Cashier.

The J{_ational Manufacturers' 'Bank

ON THE evening of November 28, 1881, a group of local citizens met

at th e Ru ssell House to organize a new bank. Capital stock of ~65,000
was subscribed, and it was decided to call the new institution T h e
Manufacturers' National Bank of Neenah. Elected as members of the
first Board of D irectors were : Hi ram Smith, D . C. Van Ostrand,
Henry Sherry, F . C. Sha ttuck, Alex Billstein , Samuel Hay and
Charles Schriber.
Quarters of the new bank were located in a building (now 109 Wes t
Wisconsin Avenue) that had for merly been the photographic s tudio

Quarters of the 1ational Manufacturers' Bank in the 90's- space now occupied by the \VisconsinMichigan Power Company. S. B. Morgan, left. H. C. Hilton, dimly visible at right.

174

A HISTORY

OF

EE

All

Narional M anufacrurers' Bank

of C. B. Manville, who later became President of J ohns-Manvil le

Company. The first call by the Comptroller of Currency for a report
of condition on May 19, 1882, showed deposits of $91,135 .48.
At t he turn of the century a statement published on February 15,
1900, showed deposits of $474,418.63 . The following year, upon
renewal of its charter, the bank's nam e was changed to the National
Manufacturers' Bank of Neenah, and capital stoc k was in creased to
$75,000. In 1902 the front of the building, which formerly had been
of t he ordinary s tore front type, was remodeled to give the building
an appearance more in keeping with a banking institution . Interior
changes, including improvements to t he vault, were also undertaken .
Capital s tock was increased to $100,000 in 1913, and, since by 1922
larger quarters had become imperative, negotiations were undertaken
to purchase the site of the Ru ssell H ouse (at the corner of Commercial
Street and ' Visconsi n Avenue) for a new building. Th e old landmark
was razed and const ruction s tarted that year, with t he new building
being completed and ready for occupancy on .J un e 15, 1923.
T o meet th e needs of an expanding com muni ty a nd econom y, t he
bank in J 945 sold an additional $100,000 of capital stock, increasing
the capital a nd surplus to $500,000. Th e Tru st D epartm ent was
established in 1946.

BANKS

AND

FINANCIAL

175

By 1952 it had again become necessary to have more space. The

s tructure adjoining t he bank to the east was razed ancl an addition to
the existi ng building was begun. Plans called for integrating the new
addition with the existing structure, and the completely remodeled
quarters were ready for formal opening on June 20, 1953. Features
included adequate space for the Trust D epartment, a completely
carpeted lobby floor, and a Drive-In-Window on the sou th side of the
building.
In the fall of 1956 the National Manufacturers' Bank observed its
7 5th anniversary with an open house celebration and pL1 blica ti on of
an historical booklet. Articles of furniture, farm tools and o ther items
used at the time of the bank's founding were displayed in the lobby,
and the staff was dressed in costumes of the period, all of which lent a
gay and festive touch to the occasion.
The statement of condition as of December 3 1, 1957, showed deposits of $16,510,633.16.
Directors
Hiram Smith
D. C. Van Ostrand
Henry Sherry
F. C. Shattuck
Alex Billstein
Samuel M. Hay
Charles Schriber
William Kellett
Moses Billstein
D. W. Barnes
W. M. Gilbert
E. E. Jandrey, Sr.
M. W . Krueger
S. F. Shattuck
J . J. Leutenegger
E. H . Van Ostrand
M. L. Campbell
S. B. Morgan
E. A. Williams

1881- 1900
188 1- 1905
1881- 1897
188 1- 1901
188 1- 1895
1881-1904
l 881- r9r9
1894- 1901
1896- 1905
1898-1908
1900- r925
1901- 1933
1901- 1939
19031905-1925
1906- 1909
1909-1915
1910- 1915
r916- r920

J acob Hanson
W . G. Brown
H ans R. Hanson
L. J. Pinkerton
E. D. Beals
Gustav Kalfahs
A. C. Gilbert
Norton J . Williams
S. . Pickard
E . . Jandrey, Jr.
E. J . Aylward
James Webb
R.H. Quade
R oy Sund
.A. Kalfahs
J. M . Wheeler
George M. Gilbert
J. F . Gillingham
J ohn S. Tolversen

1916- 1920
1920-1941
1920-1947
1921-1934
1923-1927
1923-1946
1926- 1952
r928- 1954
1932193319441944l945194519461948195119521955-

Presidents
Hiram Smith
D. C. Van Ostrand
\V. M. Gi lbe rt

1881-r900
1900- 1906
1906- 1925

W. G. Brown
S. F. Shattuck
S. N . Pi ckard

1925- 1932
1932-1937
1937-

A HISTORY OF

NEENAH

Cashiers

R. P. Finney
S. B. Morgan
W. G. Brown

1881- 188+
1884- 191+
1914-1925

H. C. Hil ton

J. F.

Gi llingham
Fl. \V. 1-Tinterthuer

1925- 1936
1936- 1952
1952-

.?\(_eenah State 'Bank

(formerl y located 104 E. Wisconsin Ave., I eenah)

D ATA AS REPORTED BY STATE BA NKING DEPARTMENT: Articles of

incorporation were d ated September 29, 1911, an d were appro ved by
the Commissione r of Banking on October 3, 191 r. The Certificate of
Authority to Commence Business is dated December II.
The signers of t he Articles of Incor poration a r e as follows :
W. H. Spengler
Wm. Aylward

J. N . Stone
Gottfried Ul rich
E. J. Lachma nn

The bank was placed in liquidation as of November 4, 1933, and t he

Court Order terminating the liquidation is dated J uly 23 , 1942.
The first s tatement of wh ich t here is knowledge is as of November
26, 1912, at which t ime deposits totalled $1 36,847.42. The Officers on
that date w ere :
W. H. Spengler- P resi dent
E. J. Lach man n- Vice President
B. C. Wettlaufer- Cashier

The Directors on that d ate were t he fi ve inco rporators, plus J. R.

Barnet t, Sr., and Chas. Schultz.

The T win (ity Savings and .,(oan Ulssociation

ORGANIZATION-Organized and incorporated in 1893 as th e Twin City
Building-Loan and Savings Association and described under Wisconsin Laws as " A Mutual Thrift a nd Home Financing In s titution "
(name changed to Twin City Savings and Loan Association in 1952) .
I ncorp orators : Haskell E. Coats, T. B . Blair, C harles Sc hultz, S. B.

BANKS

AND

FINANCIAL

177

Morgan, E. Y.l. Thurston, F . T . Russell, Mrs. E. W . J enkin s, 0. L.

Hui e, Frank Laird.
First Officers: F. T. Russell, President ; Haskell E. Coats, Vice Presiden t; Merritt L. Campbell, Secretary; S. B. Morgan, Treasurer ;
B. S. Sanders, Attorney.
First Directors: M . L. Campbell, F. T. Ru ssell, Eugene Thurs ton,
Charles Schultz, Mrs. E . Vl. Jenkins, Father \iVm. D eKelver, Haskell
E . Coats, E. J. Lachmann, Frank Laird, T. B. Blair.
HISTORY AND GROWTH- Locations, seco nd fl oor of the present J\(ews
<JZecord building, 1893- 1918; second floor Neenah State Bank, 191 81935; first floor J ewelers Insurance Bu ilding, 1935.
~sset
<;;rowth: 1932- $186,000 ; 1944- $1,800,000;
1957$12,770,267.3+ Since 1893 has paid 128 consecutive sem i-an nual
div idends and met all withdrawal demands promptly.
Has financed over T r,500 homes in its history and has had only 12
foreclosures.
'Present Officers: President-Treasurer, I veaux W. Andersen; Vice
President, E . F. N emitz; Secretary, Herbert R. Pagel; Assistant
Secretary, Wm . H . Foth ; Assistant Treasurer, E velyn Garfield; Attorney, John \iV. O'Leary.
Directors: F. 0 . H eckrod t, Chairman of the Board, Insuran ce and
Appraisals ; I veaux \iV. Andersen, President; D . vV. Bergstrom, Treasurer, Bergstrom Paper Co. ; E. C. Joyce, Attorney, O'Leary, J oyce
and Rernley; P. J. Gazecki, Secretary, vVhi ting Paper Company;
Carl F . Geisler, Vice President, Marathon Corporation; T. M. Gilbert,
President, Gilbert Paper Compan y; E. F . Nemitz, retired, form erly
Superintendent-Electrotype Dept., Marathon Corporation ; \f\l . J.
Dowling, Owner, Jaeger-Dowling Compa ny.
'Past 'Presidents: F. T . Russell, 1983- 1896; Haskell E. Coats, 18961906; Gustav Kalfahs, 1906- 1943 ; Dio \iV. Dunham, 1943- 1953 .
Local names active in Association since 1892 wi th personal notes on
each, in the ord er found on Association books:
F. T. Russell : fi rs t President of Association, President of Russell P aper Co., now
the Neenah Paper Compan y.
Haskell E. Coats : first Vice President, Captai n in Civil War and local postmaster
for Neenah.

A HISTORY

OF

EENAH

Merrit L. Campbell: first Secretary, local attorney, and one of the chief promoters
of the EFU, now the Equitable R eserve Associati on .
S. B. Morgan: first Treasurer, Cashier of The National Manufacturers' B ank.
B. S. Sanders : first Attorney, local attorn ey, famous fo r being attorney of successful suit against the City of Ieenah, when the first sewer built in Teenah on East
Forest Avenue was assessed agai nst the property owners, and the suit made the
city pay for same.
Eugene Thurston : Chief Machinist, Jamieson Machine Shop (now H ewitt Machine Co.).
Charles Schultz: Cigar manufacturer and local merchant.
Rev. Wm. DeKelver: Pastor, St. P atrick Church, Menasha.
Mrs. E . W. J en ki ns : Active in civic affairs.
E. J. Lachmann: Miller and banker, first President, Neenah State Bank.
Frank Laird: Local tailor of fa me-shop now operated by Lohse.
T. B. (T om) Blair: Local printer who sold shop to Ed Fueschel and T homas
Thomsen as the l eenah Printing Company. The story is that the purchase price
was 540 per month as long as Blair lived.
Gustav K alfahs: Third President of the Association, was a cooper who turned
grocer and industrialist.
Di o W. Dunham: Fourth President, for merl y at ERA, in charge of publicati ons,
very active in civic matters.
Andrew 'vV. Anderson: Director 1908-1949, became Secretary in r918. Was local
jeweler in firm of Nelson and Anderson (now McCarthy). Active in J ewelers Trade
Organizations, Secretary of \Visconsin R etail J ewelers Association and American
R etail J ewelers Association. Chief organizer of the J ewelers Mutual Insurance Company. Known in the Savings and Loan as the one who made possible the later growth
of the Association.

Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company

Jewelers Mutual In surance Company is important locally because it represents a part of the life work of one of its chief founders,
Andrew W. Anderson, who was born in Neenah on J uJ y 6, l 873, and
died June 22, 1949.
Because of his activity in the j ewelry bu sin ess, he brought to
Neenah the nationwide recognition among jewelers, as one of t he importan t centers of the j ewel ry trade groups.
Again , because Andrew \i\7 And erson was so impor tant in the life
of t hi s company, a bri ef resum e of his bu sin ess life casts a direct li ght
on t he prior statements.
Andrew W. Anderson began as an apprentice in his half-brother 's
store (W. 0. Nelson) and at age 2 1 became a partner and the recogTHE

BANKS

AND

FINANCIAL

1 79

nized optometrist in the store. In 1910 he became the second secretar y

of the Wisconsin Retail J ewelers Association, and in 1912 was elected
secretary of the American National R etail J ewelers Association, and
moved both offices to Neenah. In 1912, at the request of the Directors
of the Wisconsin R etail J ewelers Association, h e organized the in surance company that today is known as th e J ewelers M utual Insurance
Company, home office, Jewelers Insurance Building, Neenah, Wisconsin. To give the opinion of Best's Insurance Guide, which is to
insurance companies what Dun & Bradstreet is to general businesses,
their resume of the com pan y as of December J I, 1954, is as follows:
Hl STOR Y-The company was orga ni zed under t he laws of \iVisconsin
in March, 1913, as the National J ewelers Mutual F ire Insurance Company. It began business on June l, 1914. The present title was adopted
April 30, 1952.

MANAGEMENT- Many of the offi cers and directors are also identified
with the American National R etail J ewelers Association and the Wisconsin Retail Jewelers Association.
The company is the only carrier in the U nited States acting in behalf
of jewelers only. Underwri ting is confined to fire, extended coverage
and jewelers block insurance for retail, wholesale and manufacturing
j ewelers, watchmakers, optometrists, allied enterprises and for their
families and employees.
Surplus funds are more than ample to provide for the very conservative volume of business transacted, reserves for unearned premiums
are on the N. Y. Standard basis, and dividends to policyholders have
been fully justified by savi ngs. Cash and U.S. Government bond holdings alone amount to 163% of reported liabilities, an exceptionally
strong position. Losses averaged 30.9% of earned premiums, while
expenses were 29.93 of written premiums duri ng the past five years.
Investments comprise principally U . S. Government bonds with a
par value of %271,ooo. Onl y two hig h grade common stocks, totaling
$27,912 are held . Ot her holdings are one small mortgage loan and the
com p any's home office building acquired in July, 1935.
An exami nation of the company's affairs was made by t he Insurance
Department of \iVisconsin as of December 31, 1951.

] 80

HISTO R Y

OF

NEENAH

Our general policy holders' rating is "A+ " (Excellent) . The financial rating is "BB."
Admitted Assets
Reserves
Insurance in force
Losses paid si nce 1913
Di vidends paid since 1913

;;

681 ,000 . 00
431 ,770 . 00
5 8,000,000 . 00
l ,000,000 .00
I ,300,000 . 00

T he company is non-assessable.
Territory: Licensed in IJli nois, Ind iana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minn eso ta, M issouri, Nebraska, New York, North
Dakota, O hio, Oklahoma, Pennsylv ania, T ennessee and Wisconsin .
Writes business in other states by mail from the home office and has
insurance in all states.
Officers : President, E. R. Fuc hs; Vice President, S. Dalin; Secretary-Treasurer, I. Vv. Andersen; Underwriting Manager, G. M. J effery.
'Directors: Maurice Adelsh eim, Minneapolis, Minnesota; I. \ iV. Andersen, Neenah; S. Dalin, \ i\Test Allis, Wisconsin; George Engelhard,
Chicago, Illinois; E . R. Fuchs, M ilwaukee, \ iVisconsin; John P. Hess,
Fond du Lac, W isconsi n; Wrn. J. Kilb, M ilwaukee, \iVisconsin; H . W.
Rank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and R. J. Treiber, Appleton, Wisconsin.
Employees in Neenah- 12.

Credit <:_Bureau
I N THE YEAR i929, Mr. E. G. Zabel organized a local fi rm to which h e
gave the name Business Serv ice, Inc. One of t he functions of t he new
firm was the establishment of a complete lis ting of Twin City residents with basic credit information such as age, address, wife's name,
children, employment, and with ledger information furni shed by local
merchants, a coded summary of t he paying habits and buying activities of these residents. The coded system established at that .time and
many of t he original listings on card form are s till used by th e present
Credit Bureau.
The new business hardly was off to a s tart when the Great D epression was upon the country. Financial difficulties caused the found er
of the Bureau to look about for additional management talent and
fund s. In 1933, Mr. 0 . B. Pratt and Mr. George W. Pyatt, Jr. of

BANKS

AND

FINANCIAL

181

Elgin , Illin ois acqu ired an interest in the firm , and in about one year,
t he origin al founder had sold hi s interests in t heir entirety to Mssrs.
Pratt and Pyatt. The activities of t he firm , Busin ess Service, In c. were
then directed to the promotion of a Credit Bureau, Collection Agency,
and Letter Shop exclusivel y. Membership in the Credit Bureau was
increased and in 1937, Mr. George W . Pyatt, Jr. became the sole
owner of t he firm and had the name changed to Neenah-Menasha
Credit Bureau, In c. Operation of the Credit Bureau then became the
sole interest of Mr. Pyott until his death in 1953 at which time the
present manager Mr. Ray Cheslock took over active direction of the
business. In 1955, the name of the business was again changed to
Credit Bureau of Neenah-Menasha and the Collection Agency activities discontinued. Credit Bureau of Neenah-Menasha, as it exists
today maintains records of local residents' paying habits and abilit y
t hat are considered second to none in the field. Through its affili ation
with the Ulssociated Credit 13ureaus of Ulmerica, comprised of I9,ooo
member bureaus, local members may obtain credit reports on indiv iduals in any part of the country as well as on all local people.
Q../J"'-9

Credit Unions
A NEW FORM of finan cial organization came into being during the late
i92o's. Known as Credit Unions, they are a type of cooperative formed
by employees of industrial and retail firms and other natural groups,
such as farm ers, teachers, municipal employees, etc. Members of t he
credit union pay money in to t he organization, which is in turn loaned
to members in th e form of installment loans.
The first credit union in Neenah was organized in August of 1934
Since that date nine additional groups organized, two of which subsequently liquidated. As of December, 1956, total assets of all credit
unions operating in Neenah amounted to $2,224,321.00. As of the
same date, there were 680 credit unions operating throughout the state
of Wisconsin.

J\(eenah-Afenasha Finance Company ( Thorp Finance Company)

Neenah-Menasha Finance Company was organized in the latter
part of 1926 and opened an office to transact a small loan business

THE

HISTORY OF

NEENAH

earl y in 1927. Th e original offi cers were E. E. Lamper t, President;

Dr. George Forkin, Vice President ; R eginald E. Sande rs, SecretaryTreasu rer and l\1anager. i\1r. Sand ers served in th is capacity d uring
the entire life of the compan y. Tn 19+9 the compan y was purchased
by Thorp Finance Compan y, who are continuing the business at 120
North Commercial Street, just north of th e original location.

'l(ock Finance (ompany

THE R ock Finan ce Company, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, opened a
branch in Neenah in 1947, known as Stone Loan Company, located at
104 North Commercial Street. Later the name was changed to R ock
Finance Company, and the offi ce was moved to the ground fl oor at
I I 1 North Commercial Street.

BLACKSMITHING
'Johnson & Myhre, ':Blacksmiths
THE American scene lost something picturesque and so characteristic
of an earlier day when t he blacksmith shop passed from view. T hese
shops made and repaired all sorts of metal equipment for the home,
farm and industry, such as wagons, sleighs, buggies, and many other
useful items. Horseshoeing was a specialty; shoes and nails were made
by hand.
We are indebted to Olaf A. Myhre for the following sketch. Olaf
relates that his father, Ole, coming to this region in Neenah's early
days, walked from Neenah to Stevens Poi nt and back to determine
where he would locate. He never regretted, Olaf says, that he chose
Neenah.
"It was in 1866 that Evan J ohnson and Ole 0. Myhre bought the
property now occu pi ed by the Wieckert Lumber Company office,
settin g up a partnership in the blacksmithing bu siness. During the
'8os Johnson sold his interest to Myhre, who conti nued until his
death April 12, 1904, when hi s son, Olaf, took over, merging with the
J. W. H ewitt Mac hin e Company in 1914. "
Following is Olaf' s listing of the blacksm iths who have served Neenah across the years :

Pat McNary
Willi am Schumann
August R addatz
Henry and George Jul ius
J ohn Sturm
Lauritz N ielson
Max T hermansen

Charles Bergstrom
J ohnson & Myh re
Bill Butterfield
Tom Hurley
H ans Oleson
F red and Will M ason
J ohn Bergstrom

BO YHO OD D AYS l N NEENAH

Ed Coc hran, Ed itor of the :N.._ews-'l(ecord, was assembling material for his 75th anniversary number, which appeared on June 20,
1956, he asked a former Neenah boy, Kendrick Kimball, to give hi m
something on his boyhood days in the city of his birth. Kendrick,
presentl y Out-doors Editor of t he Vetroit J'{ews , is t he son o f L. H.
K im ball, a former owner and editor of t he :N.._eenah Vaily )l(_ews, a fo rerunner of the )l(_ews-7(ecord.
Kendrick's boyhood escapades remind one of t he "Adventures of
Huckleberry Fi nn ." H e, with J ohn Studley and others, roamed t he
str eets of Neenah du ring t he first two decades of thi s century. Here,
in part, are Kendrick's mem oirs:
WHEN

It seemed inevitable t hat I work upon t he staff o f the Neenah Daily News . Th('
paper was founded by Arthur R. Bowron, son of Frances Kirn ball Bowron, and he
sold it a few mo nt hs later to his uncle, Leonard H. Kimball, my grandfather.
On The News I received primary instruction in journalism, and experiences illumining m y later years wit h many pleasant memories.
The instruction was primary, and somewhat primitive in view of modern advances. I was city editor during summer vacations from Neenah High School and
at various other intervals from 19 12 to '1 8, and also duri ng this period was employed
by The Neenah Times.
The city editor was the reporter who met the trains, attended weddings and
chronicled whatever local event seemed worthy of publi cati on. The News, then
un der guidance of the .f. R. Bloom family, was equipped with an underslung typewriter nobody but an acrobat or someone with extra-sensory perception could operate. Therefore it was necessary to write all copy in longhand, a n endeavor creating
a bunion on t he index figure as an occupational hazard.
Russell House Stood Out
Just after the turn of the century Neenah was a vastly different community than
its present bustling self. Its most prominent physical characteristics in the down town
area were the Russell House, la ter Hotel Neenah, distinguished by an imposi ng
row of brass cuspidors in the lobby, and t he city hall, un ch anged outward ly by t he
stress of t he decades.
Along the business section were such names as Schimpf, Seatoft, Dahms, P aepke,
Sam Thompso n, who operated a sa mpl e room ; Finnegan, Witte, Jandrey, Gaffney,
Koepsel, R eynold's Honey Bee, Cour t ney, Neudeck, Draheim a nd Pingel, Sokup,
Prebensen, Soren sen , Hanson, Marsh, Boeh m and Leutnegger.
Elwers, Haertl, the Larsen barber shop and a few others were sti ll there on my
last visit.

r8+

BOYHOOD

DAYS

NEENAH

Perhaps the most outstanding merchant on Wisconsin avenue was Miss Sadie
.Edgarton, operator o f a clutter of shops at the site of the Valley Inn. Mi ss Edgarton
collected second- hand ar ticles as an obsession, and one could buy anything from a
nutmeg grater to a corn shredder in her establish ments. She maintained a horse
named Salisbury and J oe Rickey, groom and deliveryman, graced by a red nose
that shone like a beacon.

Indian Shoe Shiner

Gene F orney, ~eenah's most authentic I ndian, shined shoes in a shanty near the
telephone company offices, and the most persisten t adornments of 1 or th Commercial street were Patsy Callahan in an indest ructible checkered suit, Charles
"Crock" J agerson, the various Kell y brothers, and "Punch" Relyea, who sang
' Tm Forever Blowing Bubbles" at the band concerts in the pavilion in Riverside
Park. He blew them all summer without fai l.

Fires /tf/ere Exciting

The most compelling events in town were fires and the Memorial Day parade.
All the nearby dray teams galloped to the city hall to pull t he fire equipment for
a $5 fee, and at times the spectacle resembled t he chariot race in "Ben Hur." The
bell was rung by a long rope and its clamor brough t fort h the volunteer department
from roofs and out of manholes and cellars.
D ecoration Day parades s tarted from Michelsen's Hall on South Commercial
Street beside Estvad's D anis h Bakery. Some of the G.A.R. Boys in Blue became
sufficiently impressed with the patriotic responsibilities of the event to take on a
hefty ballast of bourbon . They were commanded on several occasions by an individual accused by wags of leading the retreat at the Battle of Bull Run, and quitting
the hostilities with such haste and determination that he tromped down a good portion of the Union Cavalry barring his way.

Krieger Verein Nex/

Behind the G.A.R. strode the Krieger Verein in preci se formation-ein, zwei,
drei, fier- and headed by Capt. Dieckoff carrying a sword that seemed 8 feet long.
The veterans of the Franco-Prussian \V ar did excellently until t hey reached Hotel
] asperson, wooden stru cture beside the city hall, where they became targets of
snide remarks from the D an ish Brotherhood, some of wh om served agains t Germany
in the war resulting in annexation of Schleswig- Holstein. It was all in good fu n, of
cou rse.
The Danes accused t heir former adversa ries of preparing themselves for the mil i..
tary demonstration by saluting the pi cture of the Kai ser for several hours in the
Sons of Herman H al l.
, eenah relied on a speed cop, Art Nelson, to curb motorists when they flaunted
con tempt of the law by exceeding t he 15-mile limit. Officer Nelson hauled the offenders before Justice S. D. "Denn y" Baird, who imposed a S13.98 fine with
solemnity and grave judicial depor tment. Public transportation between the park
and cemeter y was vested with " Bert" R hoades and t he "dinky," a street car scarcely
larger than a pean u t roaster.

186

A HISTORY

OF NEENAH

When fun-loving citizens jumped up and down on t he rear platform, the "dinky's"
rear wheels quitted the tracks as an un fai li ng custom.

Home-Spun " Crime Wave"

Neenah has never undergone a crime wave to our knowledge. The closest approach was in 1914 or thereabouts, and purely artificial. It was engineered by
J ohn A. Studley, then with The Times, founded by his grandfather Capt. J. N.
Stone, and this reporter. Its purpose was to create something worthwhi le to write
about.
All we had was births, passing of old settlers, reports of the street, highway and
bridge committee to the city council, someo ne with a 12-foot sunflower in his back
yard, discovery by Toby Kuehl of a tarantula spider in a s talk of bananas, and
similar matters not calculated to accelerate the ci vie pulse.
We started by turning in a phony fi re alarm. The home of Charles Lee on th e
island was allegedly in the throes of a conflagration. The department found it completely aloof from fl ames, and next day we each published an indigna nt story of
miscreants hoodwinking our defenders of public safety.
O ur next venture could have been devastating. We obtained a 6-foot sky rocket,
placed it on the car tracks at the head of Wisconsin avenue, and touched it off with
the hope it would roar down the business section like a guided missile, and provoke
a few runaways, and much scampering for safety by Saturday night shoppers. But
the rocket was misaimed and fizzed out harm lessly in front of Harry Frank's creamery.

Became More Ambitious

Our next adventu re was more ambitious. We both ran a fake story of t he discovery of an overturned rowboat on Lake Winnebago, and it prompted the theory
that someone had drowned. Then we hastened to Henry B. Sande, sales manager for
the Anspach department store, fo r advice and assistance.
Sande was a " live wi re" in the parlance of t he day. H e perpetrated 9 cen t sales
and advertised them by painting the numeral 9 on rocks in the river dur ing the low
water. For relaxation and amusemen t he tore out a few slats in the fence protecting
the luscious garden of Sam Wing, laundryman. Sande then laid a trail of corn from
the fence to the Kussman livery barn, an d soon the Kussman chickens, with appetites of eagles, were tearing up the garden.
Sam bolted out of the laundry scream ing imprecations in Chinese and throwing
fl atirons at the chickens, and when he repaired the fence Sande shot hi m repeatedly
in the pants from the Anspach roof with an airgun.

People Horrified
Sande made a dummy of a sack of straw, adorn ed it with a shir t, suit coat, false
face and a derby hat, and floated the hoax down the mill race d uring the noon hour.
A pair of white canvas gloves dangled from extended arms. The bridge traffic was
horrifi ed and several women were on the verge of fainting over entry of the supposed
corpse into t he placid routine of their existence.

BOYHOOD

DAYS

IN

NE ENA H

Officer Henry B ando strode man full y to t he scene, fi shed ou t t he dummy at the
rear of the McCanna hotel and restaurant, and bu rst in to u nprintable language
when he saw what his pike pole had secured.
The Neenah press had a lot of fu n describing t hat one.
'vVe al mos t got into trou ble wit h our next adventure. Studl ey a nd this reporter
en listed the aid of J . Dudleigh Young and Jim Ch ristofferson, obtained black masks
from Sande, a big nickel-plated and triggerless revolver, and held up t he late Harry
J oh nson on South Commercial street as he was plodd ing home with $7 gleaned as
lather boy in the L arsen barber shop. This repor ter extracted the $7 from Johnson's
pocket as Chri stofferson brandi shed t he revolver, ran down Church st reet, t hen to
the Drake cigar, billiard and culture center on Nor t h Commercial street to await
developments.
They were immediate. Officers Burr and Halvorson emerged from the murkiness
of night with pi stols in an un certain grip. Th is reporter, pencil and paper in hand,
and with J ohnson's $7 still in his pocket, followed t hem dow n the alley behind the
Neenah opera house in their attempt to apprehend t he cri minals. But Chri stofferson,
Young and Studley had achieved separate escapes.

Search Freight Train

Sheriff's deputies stopped and searched a freight train at Snell's station . Neenah
police, wit h Ch ief J im Brown and a big chaw of to bacco, began a hunt for clues. This
reporter became alarmed, confessed to Ted Larsen, and L arsen produced Johnson,
who entered a gleefu l and forgivin g mood upon repossession of his wages.
As a cover-up, Studley se nt him a wad of newspaper clippings in a let ter with disguised handwritings, and J ohn so n informed police he had recovered his money, but
not unti l the holdup had been splashed over t he fron t pages of The News and The
Times. J ohnson, now a partner in the conspiracy, was unable to identify the robbers
or give a consistent description. They were 7-feet tall one day, midgets the next.
In a short time, however, tru th emerged from the shadows o f confusion and doubt.
Art Woeckner, co rrespondence school detective, sleuthed out the iden tity o f at least
one of the bandits. Wh ile he was courting our hired girl on the kitchen steps, this
reporter passed him wit h t he masks in his hand to join Studley, Young and Christofferson waiti ng outside.
The next fligh t into cri me ended u nh appily. Foster Owens a nd this reporter obtained a brace o f eggs from J ohnson Bros. g rocery (Gus Breitreiter, deliveryman)
and tossed t hem over a billboard at the site of the _ Teenah State Bank in to a crowd
listening to a carnival band concert in front of H otel Teenah.
One egg hit a wire and its contents sliced o ver Banty Malone, attend ing t he
gathering in a wh ite si lk shirt with purple stripes. The band was playing "On the
Trail of the Lonesome P ine." Just as it was about to toot and bang its way into the
chorus, the second egg lit sq ua rely on t he shoulder of the leader, and perched t here
like a rosette.
' 'I'll give ;525 to anyone who tells me who d id that," roared the leader.
Sam W ing saw the dastardl y deed un fold , reported it to Chief Brown, who
rounded up the cul p ri ts. He promised th at if they paid a ;51 fine to Justice Nels
Jensen everything would be hush -h ush.

188

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Changed His Mind

As we appeared confident an d in a devil-may-care spirit before the cour t the
telephone rang a summon s, and Jim 's voice boomed omi nously th rough the receiver.
"Give them the works, judge. That Kimball has been raising hell here all summer. "
T he warrant was a yard lo ng and included disturban ce of the peace, incitement to
ri ot- almos t everything in fact, from arson to treason- and we pleaded guilty with
m1sg1vings.
"I hereby fi ne you $ 10 an d costs," proclaimed the court.
Owens' expression was that of a dying fawn, fo r he didn't have $10, a plight shared
by his associate. Owen s obtained the sum from Clarence "H ink" Schultz, his employer, a nd joined the Regular Arm y the following week to embark on a new a nd
clean life.
T his reporter slun k back to The News, where he was confronted by editor Bloom.
"So you've been arrested and fined for th rowing eggs?" he as ked quietly. "You
start out on this paper like a Horace Greeley and end up like J esse J ames. Well, sit
down a nd write the fu ll particulars."
I t was the toughest assign ment we ever had.

CEN1E'I'E RIES
Oak Hill (emetery
HARVEY J ONES, during his brief life in Neenah, from the spring of
I 848 to his death in November, I 849, made a gift of fi ve acres for
cemetery purposes. Th is was t he beginning of the present Oak H ill
cemetery.
Foll owing Jones ' gift came t hese addition s :
1868- by gift from Wi ll iam Merriman, acreage not specified.
1875- bought from William Tipler for $1,200, acreage not specified.
1879-bought from Benjamin Freeman, acreage not specified.
1888- by gift from Clara A. Shattuck, the Merriman homestead on land
now occupied by chapel and vault
1924- bought from John Grimes, 17 acres at $500 per acre.
i 924- four citizens of Neena h joined in a project to regrade the cemetery,
fence it and erect an ornamental gateway, build chapel and vault.
Approximate cost of gift, ~ 1 00,000.

Basic charges for perpe tual care:

R esidents of Neena h payFor a single graveFor a 4-grave lotFor a 6-grave lotFor an 8-grave lot-

$4c
$178
$217
S25 8

Non-residents payFor a single grave- $50

For a 4-grave lo t-~21 8
For a 6-gra ve lo t- S277
For an 8-grave lot- S338

Cemetery defic its currently range between $1 7,000 and $ r9,ooo per
year, cared for out of taxes.

Memorial Park (emete1y

THE founders of G reenlawn Memorial Park, located jus t sou th of
Neenah on Highway 41, had an ideal and a purpose.
189

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

T he ideal was to build a memorial park of nat ural beauty, wher e all
burials are in equal digni ty, and wh ere ever-growing trees and s hrubs
are creating and r ec reating a living memo rial.
T he purpose of t he founders was to provide a beautiful and dignifi ed resting place fo r all cr eeds a nd sec ts, while at the same tim e creating a memorial t hat would provide comfort for t he living.
T he park proper is set well back from t he high way and is fra med
by an extensive expanse of lawn sloping toward th e roadway.
This park is t he first and o nl y memorial park cemetery serving t he
Neenah-Menasha area.
By Francis Hauser

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF

NEENAH-MENASHA
1 r2

\i\lest Wisconsin Avenue

D u RlNG the first half of t he twentieth century, several businessmen's

associations were started in Neenah, but non e of them existed for more
than a few month s or a few years, d ue prin cipally to lack of proper
organi zation for sustaining their activities.
In 1940, a group of Neenah businessmen formed the Chamber of
Commerce of Neenah. Otto Lieber was elected the first president. A
you ng attorney, Elmer Radtke, acted as part-tim e secr etary for about
a year, and, when he left the city, t he Chamber hired \iVilliam Pfrang
as a full-time secretary. Mr. Pfrang served until May, 1942, when he
resigned to join the Armed Forces in \iVorld War II.
Don \iV. Colburn was hired then as a full-tim e secretar y, and served
until his resignation in November, i955. John C. Konrad succeeded
him in February, 1956.
In 1946 the Directors of t he Neenah Chamber invited Menasha
businessmen and firms to join with th em, and, early in that year, reincorporated the Chamber in to a Twin City organization, changing the
name to "The Chamber of Commerce of Neenah-Menasha." Since
that time, t he Chamber has operated with an equal number of businessmen and firm s from eac h city on its Board of Directors, and has
alternated t he presidency from one city to the other.
Its activities from 1946 to date have been on a true Twin City
basis, in the belief we are one community, and should work to the best
interests of all concerned.
Chamber of Commerce Presidents

Otto Lieber, Jr.

Rud y Lotz
W.R. Werner
H. E. Christoph
S. N. Pickard
S. F. Shattuck
N. J. Williams
.J. M. Wheeler
.J. R. \"f\1ard
Compiled by Don Colburn

1940-41
1941- 42
r942- 43
1943- 44
1944- 45
1945- 46
1946- 47
1947- 48
1948-49

E. E . .Jandrey
Stuart Thompson
G. E . Sande
A. C. Hidde, .Jr.
G. H. Cameron
Ray J. Fink
George E. Elwers
Dedric W. Bergstrom
David Ryan

1949- 50
r950-5 1
1 95 1 - 52
1952-53
1953- 54
1 954- 55
T955-56
1956- 57
1957- 58

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

J\(_eenali-i\llenaslza Junior (liamber of Commerce

Neenah-Menas ha Junior Chamber of Commerce is a civic organization for young men between the ages of 2J and 35 , inclusive. The
group is ded icated to four objectives:
THE

J. To make the community a better place in wh ich to live.

2. T o develop leadership among the members of the organization.
3. T o offer education, recreation and social activities to men of similar age.
4. T o give young men a voice in the affairs of th eir communi ty, state and
nation .

In short, t he Junior Chamber of Commerce is an organization of

young men learning civic consciousness through constructi ve action!
This organization, in existence for eleven years, was formed in 1945
by the union of the Menasha Junior Chamber of Commerce, founded
in 1935, and the Neenah Junior Chamber of Commerce, founded in
1939. Today it is one of over 2,500 chapters which make up the U nited
States Junior Chamber. The local group is tied to the national
t hrough a very fine state organization.
It was on January 23, 1939, that the Neenah group started out at
an organizational meeting at the Valley Inn. The first officers of this
group were:
President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
State Director

Elmer H. Radtke
rorman Greenwood
Arthur Weston
Leo Koffarnus
Al Reetz
Donald Colburn

Other members who were directors during the first year were: John
Catl in, Gordon Drews, George P yatt, Donald Christensen.
One of the first projects adopted by the Neenah Jaycees was the
establishment of a Retail Committee to promote local business. This
committee was very active and highly respected by Neenah merchants. It was this com mi ttee that laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Neenah Chamber of Commerce in May of 1940, at
whi ch time it turned over its records and funds to t he newly formed
Chamber. The first secretary of the Chamber was Elmer H . Radtke,
who was the firs t president o f the J aycees. Today the Neenah-Me-

C HAMBER

OF

COMMERCE

1 93

nasha C hamber and Ja ycees continu e to work together toward a better

community.
The Jaycees have worked on man y proj ects over t he years. Some of
them have becom e firmly establ ished parts of our community life. In
the fi eld of publi c safety there are Fire Prevention, driver safety
t hrough the annu a l Teen Age Safe Dri vi ng R oad-e-o and semi-annual
spot checks of automobiles. All safety proj ects are run in cooperation
with Neenah an d Menasha Fire and Police Departments.
The annual Voice of Democracy Co ntest promotes interes t in good
go vernm ent in the three local hig h sc hools. Th e ou tstand ing young
high school men and one outstanding you ng adult are honored at t he
annual Distingu ished Awards Dinn er. Local tennis and go lf tournaments a re highl y popular summer events, a nd the annual Marathon
Mile Swim has established the T win Cities on a national scale in t he
swim world. Th e wonderful Jul y 4 spectacle- the Venetian Paradeintroduced in 1954 by Chief Stilp and t he P olice D epartment was
undertaken j ointly wi t h the Ja ycees in i 956.
Compiled by James Staujf

CHU RCH HISTORY

COMPI L ED BY MR S. HE L EN CLARK RITGER

dssembly of (iod 'Pentecostal

A GROUP OF people were gathered together by Miss Olga \iVisthof in
Sep tember, 1937, in t he home of Mr. and M rs. Herbert Bethke. Thereafter, families met in homes of members, conducting prayer meetings
and Bible Study, until 1939, when the church at 502 Sou t h Co mm ercial Street was purchased from the Scan dinavian Lutheran organization.
The following pas tors have served t he church: R ev. Carl E rickson,
R ev. Devore Walterman, Rev. David \iVakefield, Rev. Allan McKellips, Rev . Darrell Mey rer, Rev . Hardy L. Thompson. Rev. A. R.
Portinga is t he present pastor.
T he General Council of the Assem blies of God was organized in Hot
Springs, Arkan sas, in 1914. Though the movem ent is young, th e
church in Neenah is one of 7,514 churches in t he U nited States.

(a/vary CSaptist
F1vE Neenah men, W. J. Garfi eld, Elber t S. Shumway, E. J. N ussbicker, Oscar Si ndah l a nd Clyde Smith, were t he founders of this
church, origi nall y known as the Firs t Fundamental C hurch of Neenah.
It had been incorporated as t he "Uni on Gospel Tabern acle" in 193 1.
This group of men held meetings in the homes of members. In 193 1
t hey took over t he church which was, years ago, used by th e No rwegian Methodists, corner of I sabella and Caroline Streets.
T he first pastor of the church was the Rev . \V. G. Wittenborn, who
served the congregation from 193 J to J 940, and during hi s time, arrangemen ts were made to purchase t he former Norwegian Method ist
Church, and t he congregation took th e name of t he " First Fundamental C hurch. " Rev. A. A. Bandow served as pastor 1940-1949.
Since the church is Baptistic in na tur e, the name was formally
changed to Calvary Bap tist Church in November, 1955 .
During recent years larger quarters have been necessary, and a wi ng
194

CHURCH

HCSTORY

195

was added to the church. Because of its steady growth, the church
purchased the property of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, on Isabella
Street, in 1955. This includes the Church Building and the Parsonage,
now occupied by this congregation. Tentative plans are to use the
former church building for Sunday School purposes and a youth center.
The present membership of the church is 120; average Sunday
School attendance is l 50.
. T~e present pastor is the Rev. Roland Aggers, who has been servmg smce 1952.

Church of Christ
THE Church of Christ began meeting in Neenah, October, 1949, with
two families, the Lloyd Caters, 144 Fourth Street, and Paul Butterfield s, rural Neenah. T he first meeting place was the voting precinct
house, corner Van and Adams Streets.
Others were added to the group, until the congregation grew to forty
adult members in 1955.
Since members lived throughout Fox River cities, it was decided to
build centrally in Appleton, at the corner of Badger School Road and
Spencer Road, near Highway 41. This building was erected in 1954
and will seat about 125.
Reverend James R. Wilburn began work with the group in 1953,
and still continues with them to the present time.
First Church of Christ Scientist
THE First Church of Christ Scientist, Neenah, began through the
loyalty of Mrs. Sarah E. Heywood to the teachings of Mary Baker
Eddy, discoverer and founder of Christian Science.
A small group of interested persons gathered for services Sunday
mornings, 1897, at the home of Stephan B. Morgan. Beginning June,
1900, services were held in the parlors of the Universalist Church,
North Commercial Street, Neenah. In May, 1906, the Hall at l l J
West Wisconsin Avenue was secured for services. Wednesday evening
services were begun, and in l9IO a Sunday School was formed.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAll

Th e Trinity Episcopal C hurch property, 229 East \i\ isconsin Avenue, was purchased in 1915. Tn November of that same year a Reading R oom was opened in the church building. Reading R ooms were
later establi shed in buildings on West Wisconsin Avenue. The present
R eadi ng R oo m, open to the public, was opened April 12: 1954, on t he
ground fl oor at i o7 C hurch Street.
Jn 195 5 the old church bui lding was torn down and a new one
erected on the sa me location. T his new c hurch, of red brick, Georgian
sty le, was ready for occupancy Thanksgiving Day, November 22,
1956, a nd was open to the public December 2, 1956.
Church services are cond ucted by two R eaders, who are elected by
t he membership ever y t hree years. O ne reads from the Bible, and the
other reads from the Christian Science T extbook, by Mary Baker
Eddy.

First evangelical United 'Brethren

TH1 s congregatio n outgrew its li t tl e church on the fsland where the
R oosevelt School now stands, corne r of Eas t Forest Avenu e and Second Street, on land presented to the cong regation by ex-Governor
Doty. According to earl y records, th is was t h&first Protestant chu rch
bui lding erected in Neenah-Menasha, in I 8 59 .. .
Jn 1890 a larger c hurch was bui lt on t he corner of Bond Street and
West F orest Avenue, when R ev. G. F. Kick:'hpefer was pastor. The
present parso nage adjoining the church was built in 1916.
Rev . J acob Schneller served as pas tor 1898. 1902, and t he Sc hn ell er
family took root in Neenah. Pari shi oners will recall R ev. Carl Zietlow,
R ev. R oy Berg and R ev. K. S. Knoespel, who served befo re R ev.
H ayes, the present pastor, who came in 1955.
The congregation grew steadil y, a nd it was dec ided to build an addition and remodel the church, as more room was needed. The "new"
church was dedicated in June, 1940.
Due to the union of the two denom inations- the Evangelical
Church and the U nited Brethren Church, Nove mber 16, 1946, t he
local churc h became known as the F irst Evangelica l U nited Breth ren
Church.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. Margaret-Mary's Catholic Church

First Methodist C hurch

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH .

This church observed the l ooth birthday of its founding in October,

1956.
The present membership is 326, with a Sunday School enrollment
of l 80.

First Methodist Church

THE F irst Methodist Church, formally organized in 1849, co ntinued
to expand rapidl y after it moved into the "Old School" Presbyterian
Church building on East Wisconsin Avenue, which it purchased in
1874. The present property on the corner of Doty Avenue and South
Commercial Street was purchased and a new s tructure was built and
dedicated in 1906.

T he Clayton Church (an out-charge of Neenah), the Neenah Danish

and the Menasha Methodist Churches were closed, and their members
joined the First Methodist Church.
Early in 1937 a d isastrous fire destroyed the church building, necessitating the construction of the present church, which was dedicated
m 1939.
The church obser ved its centen nial in 1949, while the Rev. Roy
Steen was pastor. Present pastor is the Rev. Norman S. Ream. A
former pastor, Dr. Ira Schlagen hauf, is Associate Pasto r.
The congregation numbers l,050; the Sunday School enrollment is

500.
Ministers of the Neenah M ethodist Church

1849- William H. Sampson

1850-56- Attached to another charge
1856- Albert Baker
1859- Supply unknown
1860-Samuel Lugg
1860-A. Foster
1863- C. W. Brooks
1866- T. C. Wilson
1868- L. L. Knox
1869- Thomas Walker
1870- J. H . Gaskill
1871- J . H. Waldron
1873- M. G. Bristol

1874- W. J. Olmstead
1875- J. T . Woodhead
1877- N . J. Aplin
1879- L. F. Cole
1881- G. W. Horton
1883- C. M. Heard
1884- T. C. Wilson
1887-J. S. Lean
1890- S. J oliffe
J. H. Tippett
S. Schneider
J . D. Cole
19or- James E. Garrett

CHURCH

1906- Rev. D rew

1909- Rev. Turner
1914- Rev. Heywood
1922- I ra Schl agenhauf
1927-T. Reykdall
1932- Rev. Matthews

HISTOR Y

1934r935193919481953-

Rev. Perry
Henry J ohnson
W. A. Riggs
R oy P. Steen
Norman S. Ream

First 'Presbyterian (hurch

of the F irs t Presbyterian Church of Neenah goes back
to Decem ber 15, 1848, two years after this area, then known as Winnebago Rapids, was opened to public sale. The year before (I 84 7) a
Congregational Church had been organized by Reverend 0. P. Clinton. Later, the Congregational group merged wi th the Presbyterian
congregation. The firs t meeting of the newl y-formed Presbyterian
Church was in a large room over the store of Yale & Jones, which
stood on the site of Shattuck Park. This room was used until i 85 2,
when a church was built in the 300 block of East Wisconsin Avenue.
Pastors ser ving since 1848 :
ORGANIZATION

1848-1853-Reverend
1854- 1861- R everend
1861- 1864- R everend
1864-1867-Reverend
1867-1869- R everend

H. M. Robertson

J. H . Rosseel

H. B. Tl}ayer
A. A. Dinsmore
J. C. Kell y

First Presbyterian Church, dedicated in lS)Ol. This building took the place of a wooden structure buil t
in 1864. On October 10, 1954, the new Sa!1ctuary on the southwest corner of the block to the east was
dedicated, whereupon this edifice was demolished and the site was converted into a parking lot.

First Presbiterian Church

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

.'\ s,embl y of God Pentecostal

CHURCH

H I STORY

201

A nine-year division o f t he church occurred between i 860 and 1869

in which a Second Pres byterian Church was served by four pastors
- Reverend J. E. Pond, Reverend H . G. McArthur, Reverend James
Bassett and Reverend J. H. Walker. T hi s congregation built a church
on the corner of Sm ith and Church Streets. \iVhen the First and Second
churches reunited, the combined group met in that churc h, enlarging
it in 187 1.
Then cam e R everend J ohn E. Chapin, who stepped into t he r eunited congregation and served for thirty-three years, until he retired
in 1903. F ollowing Dr. Chapin, the pastors have been:
1903- 19161916- 19321932- 19441944- 19471947-

R everend
R everend
Reverend
Reverend
Re verend

J ohn L. Marquis
D. C. Jones
W . R. Courtena y
George T. Peters
J ohn E. Bouquet

An Associate Pastor, Reverend Robert Ranck, ser ved the churc h

from January I 5, 1956, to February I, 1958.
During the later years of Dr. C hapin's pastorate, t he need for a
new church building was apparent. In 1901 the old structure was
razed and a new one erected on the same site on the corner of Church
and Smith Streets.
Coming into the late l 93o's and earl y 194o's, increasing membership and activities called for larger sp ace. The west two-thirds of the
block bou nded b y Church Street, D oty an d Columbian Avenues, was
acquired, on which the present ed ifice was constructed. The educational wing, including chapel and Fellowship Hall , was ded icated in
May, 1951. Th e present sanctuary, built on the southwes t corner of
C hurch Street and Columbian Avenue, was dedicated October 10,
r954.
Th e Pres b yterian C hurch observed its centennial in OctoberDecember, 1948.
Church membership, as of Jul y, 195 7, is 1,570, and 795 are enrolled
in the church school.
The property on which the old church stood, wh ile still owned by
th e church, is con verted into a public parking lot, except for Sundays
and on weekdays, when special services or large gat herin gs are scheduled at the church.

202

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

<;race evangelical ,,cutheran Church

ON MAY 23, 1948, sixteen families of the Trinity Lutheran Church of
Neenah organized the Grace Evangelical Lutheran C hurch to help
alleviate the overcrowded condition in their ever-increasing Trinity
Church. Until the chapel on Cecil and Birch Streets was dedicated on
December 11, 1949, Grace Congregation conducted its services in the
Recreation Building, South Park Avenue.
Grace congregation now numbers approximately 100 families. Rev.
W. F. Wichmann is the pastor. A long range program includes erection
of its own school, a parsonage on Birch and Cecil Streets, and a church
building. The present chapel wi ll then become a parish hall.

Immanuel's evangelical and 1(ejorrned Church

IMMANUEL'S congregation continued to occupy the first church, which
they purchased from the English Methodists in l 874, located at t he
corner of Oak Street and Doty Avenue, until 1909. In that year the
present church building was erected, during the pastorate of Rev.
August Kleinhans who served 1879- 1920. In 1924- 25, an addition
was built to the present building, during the pastorate of Rev. Emil
Kollath, who served the church from 1922- 45. Rev. Kollath was followed by the Rev. Otto Scheib, 1945- 52.
Immanuel's congregation officiall y united with the Evangelical
C hurch of North America in 1925, and became known as Immanuel's
Evangelical and Reformed C hurch, when this denomination merged
with the Reformed Church of t he United States in 1934
Previous to this event, the congregation of Immanuel's Church had
no denominational affiliation, existing for almost fifty years as an
independent congregation, and had carried its hi story under several
names.
A remodeling program was carri ed out in 1953, with a rededication
service October, i953.
T he present membership of Immanuel's Church stands at 471 individuals, with Rev. H. E . Norenberg serving as their pastor since 1952.

CHURCH

HISTORY

203

Martin ,,(,uther evangelical ,,(,utheran Church

MARTJN LuTHER EvANGE LI CAL LUT HER AN CHURCH is among th e
newer congregations in Neenah, h aving been organized December I 5,
1941, as a mission churc h of Trinit y Lutheran Church. It consisted of
families formerly affiliated with t he Trinity Church and newcomers to
Neenah on t he west side of the city. Temporary quarters were the
Fourth Ward Voters' Poll, located on the corner of Van and Adams
Str eets. Rev. A. F. Geiger was the organizing pastor, who remained
t hrough 1945.
In March, 1942, property on the northeast corner of South Lake
and Adams Streets was purchased for a building site. Because of
building restrictions in effect during w orld War II, all building activity had to be delayed.
By November, 1947, the first church was completed. The permanent
church was built in 1955, and dedication services were held Sunday,
J une l /, I956. The first chu rch was then converted into an educational
building, and opened in the fall of i 9 57.
The present pastor is Rev. Paul G. Hartwig, who began serving in
January, 1946. The present membership is 546.

Our Savior's ,,(,utheran (hurcli

THE congregation of Our Savior's Lutheran Church grew steadily and
fl ourished after its organization in 1872. The little white church on
Torrey Street was no longer adequate, and, in the early 'Sos, property
was purchased on Isabella Street. The little white church was moved
to this location, and a front addition was added, plus other improvements.
During t he next ten years the membership increased, and it was
deemed necessary to build a new and much larger church, which was
formally dedicated in 1905.
The demand for worship services in t he English language increased,
and consequently two services were held each Sunday morning, one in
Danish and the oth er in Englis h. Now, for the past fifteen or twenty
years, services have been conducted en ti rely in English.

First E vangelical United Brethren Church

Trinity L utheran Ch urch

CHURCH

HISTORY

205

O ur Savior's Lutheran Church had been in this same location for

51 years, but in i955 the church and parsonage on I sabella Street were
sold to the Calvary Baptist congregation. A new house of worship was
erected on the corner of South Commercial and Meade Streets, and
dedication ceremonies were held Sunday, Jul y I, i956.
Church membership is 535 baptized members.
The first full-time pas tor was the R ev. N. T homsen, who served
until I88o. He was followed by the Revs. Thomas H elvig, A. Hansen,
J. N. Jersild, H. P. Jensen, J. Soe, C. C. Kloth, M. N . Andreason,
J. A. Larsen, A. J ensen, A. H. Andersen, and the present p astor,
Paul G. Rasmussen, who came to the church in 195 I.

Saint Margaret-Mary's Catholic Church

THE congregation of St. Margaret-Mary's came in to being by an official letter of the la te Most Reverend Paul P eter Rhode, then Bishop
of Green Bay, and dated May 4, 1932. The Rev. Joseph Van Bogart
was appointed its first pastor and organizer. Divine services were
first held in St. Patrick's Church, Menasha, for members of the newly
formed parish.
T he first metting was held , on May 17, 1932, and it was decided to
in corporate the parish under the Wisconsin statutes. O n September
12 ground was broken for the combined church and rectory at t he
corner of Divison and Reed Streets.
F irst masses in the new church were offered E aster Sunday morning, April 16, i933, in the basement social hall. On Sunday, July I l,
of the same year, St. Margaret Mary's Church was solemnly dedicated
by Bishop Rhode.
Father Van Bogart was a most zealous leader, but his health became impaired and he left Neenah in 1938. He d ied in 1946 at Hol y
Cross Church, Mishicot.
Father Van Bogart was succeeded by t he present pastor, the Rev.
J oseph P. Glueckstein. During his pastorate, t he church debt was
liquidated in I94I. During t he early '50s another extensive bui ld ing
program was launched, resulting in a parochial grade school, Sisters'

206

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Convent, and, finally, a modern gym nasium . T he Rev. \Villard C.

McKinnon came as Asst. Pastor in 1950, remaining t hrough I 957.
Father James Craanen succeeds Father McKinnon .
St. Margaret-Mary's parish at present numbers over 1 ,ooo fam ilies,
or a bout 3,500 persons.

St. 'Patrick' s Catholic Church

THIS church, located on Nicolet Boulevard, Menasha, served Catholic
Church members in Neenah until 1933, when St. Margaret Mary's
Church was built. This church was known as St. C harles Borromeo
until J 883, when it was destroyed by fi re. A new church was then built
on th e same location, and the name c hanged to St. Patrick's.
Its first pastor was Father William DeKelver, who served thirtyone years, 18 84- 1915, when he reti red. He was succeeded by Father
George A. Clifford, 1915- 1932, and Father William Mortell, 19321939. T he present pastor is Father J oseph Ah earn, who has served
since 1939. St. Patrick's parish at p resent numbers over l ,ooo families.
T he present school was built in r 940.
~"-9

St. 'Paul's c nglsh e vangelical .(,utlieran Churclz

THERE were five Evangelical Lutheran Congregations in NeenahMenasha, not one of which used t he English language in conducting
services of worship. A missionary pastor at Osh kosh, Rev. Will iam C.
Stump, came to Neenah in the spring of 1912, and arrangements were
made for services to be held in a small chapel owned by th e Norwegian
Lutherans, located on Bond Str eet near High Street. The church was
organized Sept. 22, 1912.
Th is small chapel was purchased in J 91 3 and services were held
t here regularly . A rapidly growing congregation called for larger
quarters . T he present location, corner Nor t h Commercial and West
North Water Streets, was secu red in 1914. St. Paul's Evangelical
Lutheran Churc h was dedicated May 21, 1916. Rev. A. J. Sommer
was the first pastor, and served for fourteen years. Mr. Sommer was
followed by Rev. Chas. E. Fritz, who served frorn 1927- 193 5.

CHURCH

HISTORY

207

Property to t he nort h on Commercial Street and west on West

North Water Street has sin ce been acquired . An expansion program
was necessary, and St. Paul's C hurch underwent extensive remodeling.
This was completed and dedication of the new, enlarged and completel y remodeled church took place April l 5, 1956.
St. Tirnothy Lutheran Congregation, Menasha, was organ ized in
1945, to aid in t he expansion program, and as a convenience to church
members residing in Menas ha.
On Sep tember 8, 1957, St. Mark's Miss ion church was organ ized,
a nd is meeting at 700 Main Street. Rev. Charles Luhn is pastor, with
l 50 adult members comprising the congregation.
Rev. Samuel H. Roth came to the church in 1936, serving until hi s
retirement in 19)7. Rev. Arthur R. Tingley, formerly Associate Pastor, who came to t he paris h in 195+, was nam ed Pastor.
T he bapt ized members hip is r,975.
~~

St. Thomas episcopal (hurch

ST. THOMA S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, located symbolically almost on the
line between Neenah and Menasha, came into being in 1915. Prior to
that, two congr egations ex isted, St. Stephen's in Menasha, and Trinity in Neenah. The Menasha church had i ts begi nning in r857, when
the first Episcopal services were conducted in that city by Reverend
C harles C. Edmonds, of G reen Bay. T he Neenah church, T rini ty,
owes its origin to the missionary activities of St. Stephen's priests,
who conducted occasio nal ser vices in Neenah, resultin g in t he organ ization of a congregation in April, i868. The Neenah congregation
erected a modest church s tructure in 1869, on the corner of East
Franklin and Walnut Streets. Failing to achieve adequate finan ci al
and numerical strength as separate organizations, the decis ion was
reached in 1915 to combine.
Among th e first acts of t he combined pari shes was purchase of the
Ballou property on Washington Street, Menasha, for use as a rectory
and parish hall. T he new church building was begun in t he fall of t ha t
year (1915) and the finished edifice was consecrated on May 14 of t he
follow in g year. Membership of the congregation in 1915 compr ised 81

208

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

families and individuals, 197 bapti zed person s and 93 cornmunicants.

R ec tors in order of succession were:
Rev .
Rev.
Rev.
Rev.
Rev .
Rev.

Herbert A. Wilson
W. G. Studwell
Raym ond A. Heron
Gordon A. Fowkes
Malcolm J. VanZandt
Leonard G. Mitchell

19 15- 191 7
1917- 1920
1920-1925
1926- 1932
1932- 1936
(interim)

Rev. Albert A. Chambers

Rev. Herman A. Berngen
Rev. Crawford vV. Brown
Rev. J ohn B. Reinheimer
Rev. Thomas K. Chaffee

1936- 1942
1942- 1944
(interim)
1945- 1955
1 955-

A combination guild hall and gymnasium was erected to the north

of the pari sh house in 192I. In 1954, thirty-three years la ter, the old
parish house and gymnasium were razed and a new parish house
erected. Thus the follow ing year the educational and social activities
of the congregation moved in to a modern and enlarged hom e.
As of 1956 famil y units and individuals totaled 25 I , with 541 baptized persons and church school enrollment of T 55.

Seventh Vay Uldventist Church

THE Seventh Day Adventist Church, Neenah, came into existence in
I 885, and a church building was erected on t he west side of Henry
Street, near Caroline Street. T he church was organ ized as a Danish
Seventh Day Adventist, but later had services in English.
Eld. J. C. Nielsen was one of the first Ministers, also E ld. H. R.
Johnson. Some of t he early leaders were Mr. Andrew Ch ristensen,
Mr. A. W. Jorgensen, Mr. Hans Sorensen, and Mr. Nels Burtelsen.
The church had visiting ministers and local leaders part of the time.
The young people moved away, the older members died, and those
remaining joined t he Appleton Seventh Day Adventist C hurch. The
Neenah property was sold in 1943.

Trinity J:,utheran Church

TRINITY L UTHERAN CHURCH was organized on December 26, 1865 by
Rev. E. F. Waldt. The little church, which the congregation h ad constru cted in 1867, on the corner of \ iVas hington and Walnut Streets,
was not adequate to serve t he fast-growing congregation, and, in

Calvary Baprisr C hurch

First Church of Christ Scien tist

Whiting Memorial Baptist Church

Marrin Lu rher Evangelical Lu theran Church

210

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

18 88, a new and much larger edifice was built and dedicated, on Oak
Street, between Washington and East Franklin Avenue. It is still
serving as their church.
During the pastorate of Rev. Albert F roehlke, who served the church
for 38 years, from 1897 to 1935, membership grew to more than a
thousand indiv iduals. After the first World War, both English and
German services were conducted. For six years three services were
conducted each Sunday.
In 1941 Trinity called upon the \iVisconsin Synod to establish a
mission congregation. Today the Martin Luth er Evangelical Luth eran
Church is a growing congregation of over 500 people. Further expansion was necessary, and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized.
The total membership of Trin ity at the present time is approximately 1,900, or about 675 families.
Rev. E. C. Reim served the church from i935- 1940. Rev. Gerhard
A. Schaefer is the present pastor, having served since 1940.
Plans are in progress for erection of a new church, to be constructed
on the same location.
The sc hool in connection with Trinity has always enjoyed a sound
and steady growth.

Universalist Church
THE Universalist Church, also known as "The Church of The Good
Shepherd," had its own church building on the Island, near the dividing line on North Commercial Street, erected in 1867. The church had
numerous pastors; a well-remernbered one, Mrs. Mary J. DeLong,
served for many years. A pew in the Washington, D. C., Universalist
Church is dedicated to her memory.
The church needed remodeling and repairs, and for some time meetings were held in the "little whi te church on the island," corner of
East Forest Avenue and Second Street, where Roosevelt School now
stands.
The former church building was rededicated in April, i 896, and
Rev. Eddy served for several years.

CHURCH HISTORY

211

Due to its declining membership, the church building was sold in

1904 to Samuel A. Cook, who tore it down and built the present S. A.
Cook Armory on the same site.

Welsh Churches
THE Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church was known as the "Brick
Church" and was located on Division Street. It was organized in
1848, with fi ve members. There was no res ident pastor, but services
were held from time to time with visiting ministers from Oshkosh,
Cambria, Randolph, Columbus, Wild Rose and other Welsh communities filling the pulpit. At about the turn of the century, services
were discontinued and the members transferred to other churches.
The \iVelsh Congregational Church was called the "White Church"
and was located on East Columbian Avenue near Pine Street. There
were about two dozen families making up the membership, and a
Sabbath School of about 25 members was conducted jointly with the
Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church. Many of the members attended
other Protestant church es on Sunday mornings, and Welsh services
were held on Sunday afternoons. Visiting ministers from neighboring
Welsh church es conducted the services. This chu rch was organized in
1861 and continued to be active until about 1908, when services were
discontinued and the members transferred to other local churches.

Whiting Memorial "Baptist Church

THE "Little \iVhite Church," as it was known in the r87o's and i88o's,
located on the east side of North Commercial Street midway between
Nicolet Boulevard and the Northwestern railroad tracks, continued to
serve as the hou se of worship for the Baptist Church of Menasha and
Neenah until 1891. At this time the bui lding was remodeled, and the
name changed to Doty Island Baptist Church, during the pastorate
of Rev. N. F. Clark.
The Danish Baptist Church h ad been organized in 1867, services
being held in the Brown schoolh ouse, corner of Caroline and Isabella

2 r '2

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Streets. L ay preacher members conducted the services, until in 1870,

the R ev. Lars Knudson, from Denmark, came to be the first full-time
pastor. H e served until 1885 . In 1876 a one-room church was built on
t he co rn er of Washington Avenue and Spruce Street.
Tn J 898 t he members of t he Danish Baptis t Church j oi ned the
D oty I sland Baptist Church, and t he name was changed to t he Union
Baptist C hurch of Neenah. The church building was then known as
t he " Li ttle R ed Ch urch. "
Jn 1916 George Whiting presented to the church th e property on
t he corn er of No rth Commercial and High Streets, and also a substantial gift of money toward a n ew building. Mr. w hiting's wife,
Edna, was the daughter of t he Rev. Oliver Babcock, who had served
twice as pastor of th e church, from l 867 to 1 873, and from 1884 to
1885. The new stru cture was dedicated in 191 7 and the name changed
again to "Memorial Bap tist Church," as a t ribute to Mr. Whiting's
wi fe and mother. A d isastrous fire damaged t he building in 1922, but
it was p romptly r estored. In 1925 Mr. Whiting made further gifts to
the c hurch and was persuaded to have hi s name incorporated into th e
name of t he congregation, as " \ i\lhi ti ng Memorial Baptis t Church."
1951 was the Centennial Year of the Church, and th e "100 years of
Baptist Witness" was appropriately celebrated .
The church is affiliated with the Wisconsin Baptist State Convention and t he American Baptist Convention. The presen t membership
is cl ose to 300, and t he pastor is the Rev. K Aar t Van Dam.
Pastors ser ving the Whiting Memorial Baptist Church since i 898 :
1898- S. M. Beeman
1899- P . S. Calvin
1902- Alfred Goodwin
1910-\V. L. Clapp
1913- J . \V . .J ohnson
191 5 F . L. Holden

1918- U. E. Gibson
1937- W. L. H arms
1950-A. G. Sinclair
1953- Theodore F. Krause
1958- K Aart Van Dam

City Hall- built in 1888- now in need of rearrangement if nor replacement

CITY ADMINIST RATION

lVlayors Serving the City of Neenah
Edward Smith
Alexander Billstein
A. H. F. Krueger
D. L. Kimberly
A. H . F. Kru ege r

1873-1874
I 87 5
1876
1877
1878

William Kellett
C. B. Clark, Sr.
A. H. F. Krueger
G. A. Whiting
J. '"' T obey
2 1J

1879
1880-1882
1883
1884- 1885
1886

214

Dr. E . W. Cl ark
William Arnemann
S. A. Cook
George 0. Bergstrom
William H. H esse
E. J. Lachman n
William Arnemann
E. A. Williams
William Arnemann
George 0. Bergstrom
J. N . Stone
Thomas Higgins
Gustav Kal fahs
M. L. Cam pbell

HISTORY OF NEENAH

Charles Schultz

1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1894- 1895
1896- 1897
1898
1899
1800
1901

1902- 1907
1908-191I
C. B. Clark
1912- 1919
E. C. Arnemann
1920-1921
J. H. Dennhardt
1922- 1923
George E. Sande
1924- 1925
J. H. Dennhardt
1926-1927
George E. Sande
1928- 1933
Will iam S. Campbell 1934-1936
Edwin A. Kalfah s
1937-1949
Carl E . Loeh ning
1950-1955
George E. Sande
1956- 1958
Chester Bell
1958

J. N. Stone

City Clerks Serving the City of Neenah

C. J. Kraby
G. W . T odd
J. N . Stone
.J. C. Kerwin
J.P. Rasmussen
S. M. Sykes

T. T. Moulton
S. M . Sykes
George LeTourneaux
J .P. Keating
H . S. Zemlock
R. V. Hauser

1873- 1880
188 1- 1882
1883
1884- 1885
1886
l 887- 1893

1894- 1897
1898- 1899
1900
1901- 1913
1914- 1941
r 942-

Vv e are indebted to May hew Mott for the above listi ngs of Mayors
and City Clerks who have served our city. In addition, through his
efforts, there is now on file in the Library, typewritten lists giving by
years the names of Mayor, City Clerk, Treasurer, Attorney and Aldermen for the years 1873 to 1955 inclusive.
The following comparative figures were supplied by Mr. Roman
Hauser and Mrs. J ohn Bruyette, of the City Clerk's offi ce:
Year

Population

City of Neenah
Assessed Val uation

Tax Levies

- -

1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1 957

I ,296
2,655
4 , 202
5 ,083
5,954
5,734
7' 17 1
9' l 5I
10,645
12 '437
17,200 (es t.)

, 254 ,599
1,550,060
1,844,604
3,784,208
10,015,375
15,992,229
18, 478,420
25,1 85, 717
35,098, 230

$ l

31 ,364.98
38,751.50
63,750 .74
92 ,402.45
286,310 .26
447 ,782.41
443,482.08
957,057. 25
1 684 , 7 l 5 . 04

C lTY

ADMl

! S TRATTO N

Estimated Number of H omes

1860- 320
660
i 8701880- r ,050
1890 r ,260
1900-1 ,480
1910- 1,500

1920- r ,750
1930- 2,250
1940-2,660
1950-3 , J OO
195 1- -1- , J.+5

Fire 'Department
THE following is qu oted from a souvenir booklet of t he Neenah Fire
Department elated 1878- T9q :
" In the year 1863, t he on ly equi pment avail a ble for fire protection was a homemade apparatus capable of th rowing a stream a bout t wenty feet. This was used in
connection with the 'old bucket brigade.' I n 1865 a heavy dou ble brake hand pump
was purchased. At least twenty men were necessary to operate th is machine effectively . H owever, from a ll accounts, it gave fai rl y good servi ce. During the year
1868, when Mr. J. l . Stone was P resident of t he village, an a ppropriation o f S1,200
was raised to bu y a Si lsby Steame r."

Th e charter of t he city of Neenah in 1873 authorized t he common

council "for th e purpose of guarding against t he calamities of fire,
. .. t he power to purchase fire engines and other fire apparatus, and
to maintain or organize a fire departm ent, and to au t horize t he formation of fire engine, hoo k and ladder and hose compa ni es, and to provid e for t he due and proper support and regulation o f t he same." Th e
C hief Engin eer o f t he Fire D epartm ent was an appointive position,
and th e personn el of t he various companies was made up of voluntary enlis tments. An ord inance, dated 188 I , signed b y C. B. Clark,
Sr. , Mayor, lists t he sum of 50 per mon t h for each mem ber of t he
r espective compani es. Following is a roster of Fire C hi efs as lis ted in
t he a vailable records :
T. P. H. H aines
R . D . T orrey
C. B. Clark
C. Binger
\V. P. P eckh am
M. H. P. H ai nes
F e li x Ba hner
A. \V. Kellogg

1868
1869
1871
1872
1874
1877
(A ug. T3) I 877
1879

Chris ?\'eustetter

H. 0 . Clark
R obert J amison
H. E. Coats
E. F. W ieckert
vVilli a m Arnemann
Fred P eck

1883
(J an. 20) 188 5

188 5-87
1887
1888- 90
1890
1891-95

216

H I STO R Y

J ohn Christoph
1896- 97
\\/ . L. J ones
1898- 19o r
Loui s Rergstrorn
1902--09
19 10-19
George Chri stoph
(first appointed under newly-form ed
Commission)

OF

NEENAH

L. M. R ausch

1919- 43
(first fu ll- time paid Chief)
l-lowa rd Heup
19+3- +7
J ohn /'.ick
1947-

On March 15, 1893, the depar tment was disbanded, and reorganized
on a volunteer basis on October 3, 1893.
Heads of the Neenah R escue Hook and Ladder Company. (Available records list the following.)
Adam Erghott, F oreman 1875 (Taken from Cunningham)
H. 0. C lark
(May 12) 188 1
Dr. Valerious
J. T. Enos
1883
A. T. Perr y
(.I une 3) 1884
J oh n F . Brown
J . H. J ones
H . E. Coats
(Aug. 6) 1884
E. Goodman
A. T. Perry
1885
J. Stilp
J.Stilp
1886
C.Johnson

1887
(.June 1) 1887
1888
1889
1890
189 1

Many present-day citizens recall the two ropes, with hand les, that
dangled at the entrance to the City Hall. T he ropes connected with
two clappers in the belfry, where the bell hangs. w hen a fire was repor ted, the nearest person grabbed the handles and set up a rapid
jangling of the bell. T hat started a race of teamsters for the City Hall.
T he winner hitched his team to the hook and ladder truck, and off
they galloped to the fi re- and a is reward!
In 1910, pursuant to the law establishing Police & Fire Commissions in fourth class cities, the F ire Department was reorganized and
began functioning under t he Commission. Mr. George Chris toph was
appointed Chief, with fifteen men comprising the force. The department operated on a volunteer basis.
In 1916, when C. B. Clark was Mayor, M r. Clark and Mr. Louis
Rausch purc hased the first motor-driven truck, replacing the hook
and ladder compan ies. This truck, with 350 gallon pump, was delivered in 191 7- and M r. R ausch and Mr. VVilliarn Hoeper were the
first drivers. With the arrival of the truck, the two drivers began sleeping at t11e City Hall, and M r. R ausc h recalls that after working three
months without a day off, Mr. August Eberlein was hired.

CITY

ADMINISTRATION

21 7

Neenah Fire Deparlment- 1910 . Names from left to right : Herman Vogt, George Christoph, Chie f;
Charles Meerbach, Martin Wachholz (white coat), Al Scaffold, Louis Bergstrom, Louis (Little) Nelson,
Emil M elcher t, Will Mason, R uss Allender (driver for Mason & agel Livery), Fred Mason (?), J oe Cox,
August Eberlein (Asst. Chief), Silas M a rtens, unknown driver for livery, Louis (Nickel) 1elson. At
entrance to City Hall: John Fullam and Tom Kelly. The two children standing beside John F ullam and
Tom Kelly are Alice and Kenneth Rausch, children of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rausch, former Fire C hief.
Kenneth is a present fireman.

Prior to thi s time, Mr. Christoph had slept at the City Hall d uring
the night, and kept hi s team of horses there overnight and on holidays.
Du ring the daytime, th e old bell still summoned the nearest teamster.
In addition, the Kellett & Coats livery stable (later Mason & Nagel)
which was located on the site of the present E R A build ing, furnis hed
a team. This stable was later moved to 216 South Commercial Street,
and Mr. Rausch states that one favorite horse, when the bit was put
in his mouth, would immediately walk, via the sidewalk, to the City
Hall and turn into the fire station!
J ohn Zick, Chief .
F. Diester haupt, Capt.
H. H owman, Capt.
K. Rausch
L. Loehning
A. Krutz
R. Mer tz
C. Douglas
G. Sturgis
R. Tornow
N. Bonn in

Present Force
G. Hackstock
N. H oeper
W. Lange
A. L ange
H. Gullickson
G . Krause
D. Levick
G. Casperson
G. Haufe
B. Williams (temporary)

218

A HISTOR Y

OF NE E NAH

'Police 'Dep artment

WHENEVER a communi ty is formed, su ch is the way of human beings

that law enforcement must be considered among their firs t thoughts
of city administration. Neenah was no exception- the charter of
Neenah in 1873 provided for a Chief of P olice at a yearly salary not to
exceed $700. The Chief was appointed for a term of one year. Following is a roster of Chiefs of P olice of the City of N eenah:
J ames McGi nn
T homas Sherry
Ephrai m Giddings
George W. Sawyer
A. F. H aertl
George \V. Sawyer
George F. T hompson
George . J orgen sen
J ohn Peterson
Charles H. Watts

1878
1879- 188 1
1882
1883-1887
1888
1889
1890-1891
1892- 1893
1894- 1895
1896- 1897

P eter D . Kra by
1898
Charles H . Watts
1899- 1900
J ames W. Brow n
1901- 1905
Charles Blan k
1906- 1907
J ames W . Brown
1908-19rn
J ames W . Brown
1910--191 6
(firs t appointed under newly-forme::I
Commission)
Ch arles H. Wat ts
I rving Stilp

In 1909, through the effor ts of Dr. J am es R. Barnett, Sr. , a citizen

of Neenah, then a mem ber of the state assembl y, a law creating P olice
and F ire Commissions in fou r th class cities was passed by the state
legislature. In conform ity with this Jaw, Mayor J. N . Stone appoin ted
th e first commission, consisti ng of Thomas K elly, President; George
A. J agerson, P eter J. L add, Harry Ballou , Louis Swane, and Jam es P .
Keating, Secretary an d Examiner of the Board . This commission
appoin ted Jam es \~. Brown as Chief of Police on June 27, 1910. Mr.
Brown con tin ued un til M arch, 1916. T he firs t force co mprised three
rnembers, one of whom was Harry H olverson, wh o ser ved for thir ty
years, until his retiremen t. H enry Banda; H enr y Burr, Ben LeRoy
and P eter Carlson , an ex-sheriff, were also early mem bers of the force.
On May 18, 1916, Charles H . W at ts was appointed Chief of P olice,
holding this office unti l June 1 , 1940. U pon his retirement, Irving Stilp
was appoin ted Chief, whi ch offi ce he holds to the present d ate.
From a sim ple system of the policeman on the corner, to a compl ex
sys tem of nationwide comm unica tio n, ou r law enforcern en t department has kep t pace, in spi te of shoc kingl y inadequ ate space an d facilities.

CITY

ADMINISTRATION

219

Th e present force totals twenty-six men:

Irving Sti lp, Chief
Clarence Toeppler
H enry Kohfeldt
Elmer R einke
George Goldner
Lawre nce Malouf
Vernice Wollerman
Stanley Staffeld
Herbert P arker
\i\I arner Sorensen
Donald Schmidt
William R ichey
Durward Breaker

Raymond Tuchscherer
Charles Harding
R upert Lehman
Leslie Parrott
J ames Hawley
Leorman K o nitzer
Clyde Hulbert
R obert Meverden
R obert Seiler
Ken neth Foster
Darrell Webb
R o bert H oman
R ic hard T oeppler

E ASY MO. rr:y

From Mayhew Mott's rich store of anecdo tes :
The present city hall had not been built man y years when t hrough some accident
the li ne that ran t h rough the pulley on top of the flagstaff broke or was pul led
through, so that there was no way of raising the fl ag to the top of the fl agstaff. The
cit y council secured the services of a steeplejack to replace t he rope through th e
pul ley. H e came with hi s ladders a nd tackle, and started by lashi ng a ladder to
the bell tower, so t ha t it protruded out over the street. He then used t he projecting
end of th e ladder as the support o f an o ther ladder, whi ch reached up over th e bell
tower and res ted agai nst t he base of the 22' fl agstaff. Fernie Nelson, young brother
of Chris . elson, t he plumber and for many years a Neena h Alderm an, was present,
bare-footed and with h is hands in his pockets, watching these operations with great
interest. When t he second ladder had been lashed in place, the steeplejack began
to be nervous and uncertain. Fernie spoke up, " H ow much will you give me if I
fini sh the j ob fo r you?" The man instantly replied, " Five dollars." F ernie tied the
rope around himsel f, shot up the ladder to t he flags taff, shinnied up the 22' flagstaff,
and was d own claiming his money. H e said it was th e easies t mone y he had ever
earned.

COJ\!fME RCI A L
NEENAH's comm er cial life from t he i 87o's to the year of t hi s writin g
has followed the pattern of man y a no ther American com mun ity. In
t he horse a nd buggy age the s hopping area was close up . P eople wi t hin
t he communi ty were wit hin walking distan ce of their grocer, bu tcher
or their d ry goods merchant. Once a week was s hopping da y for t he
rural neighbors, who d rove to town over dirt roads.
Then cam e t he interurban railway an d Appleto n a nd Oshkosh were
brough t with in the shopping range of Neenah h o~ sewives . Th e revolu tion, h owever, came wit h t he introductio n of t he au tom obile d urin g
t he earl y decades of t he 20th cen t ury. The au to brough t demand for
h ard surfaced roads, and t his, in t urn , widened Neenah 's shopping
area to 25, 50- even Ioo miles. No longer can Neenah 's m er chants
complacently coun t on local patro n age as t heir monopoly. They are
at once in competiti on wit h t heir area- from Green Bay on the north ,
to Milwa uk ee ori the sou t h.
Fu rthermore, they canno t a void responsibility fo r cu stom er parking. Fai lure at t his poin t puts t he en tire down town commercial area in
j eopardy and encour ages the growth of shopping centers on th e city's
outskirts, where cheaper real es tate facili tates adequate and convenien t parking for car s. An outstandi ng example of th is trend is t he Valley F air in Winn ebago Coun ty sou t h o f Appleton's city limits. T he
LG.A. and R ed O wl food stores on t he south margin of Neenah a re
typical of this trend .
T o furt her add to the discomfiture of th e down town merchant is
the movemen t of city residents in to t he rural or shore regions beyond
the city's bou nd ari es.
O n t he other hand it mu st be recognized t hat t hese t rends are twoway s treets. T he local m erchan t, p rofessional m a n or banker who
offers su per ior ser vice a t t racts hi s share of p at ro nage from th is widening fie ld.
T o Edward Jan d rey was assig ned t he task of com pilin g t he volu minou s comm ercial hi stor y. There wen t to the managem en t of every
220

COMME RCIAL

221

sto re and commerc ial estab li shment in the city an i1witation to participate, through contribution of a paragraph naming present owners,
changes in ownershi p or location since 1878, nature of bus iness and
any personal information of in terest to pos terit y. R ecogn ition o f the
enterprises who responded is woven t hroughout the decade write-up
in Part I, with particular attention being given to the older commercial establishments. Failure to r espond was interpreted as a disinterested attitude toward appearance in the pages of this book.
However, the City Directory, printed annually by the J ohnson
Publishing Co. of Manitowoc, is complete and will always be available.

COJ\fl\1 UN I CAT l 0 NS
To OUR forebears the word commun ications had a ver y different meaning than it does to us. T o them it meant either one of two t hings. The
first was to personal I y talk to the other person, and t he second was to
write a Jetter and wait for an answer t hat was carried over rather uncertain mai ls. To us it means the high speed interchange of thoughts
and ideas that the use of electricity permits. Tt is com munications in
this latter sense that we will discuss in this ch apter.
The earliest electrical communication system placed in general u se
was the telegrap h. It was only a few short years after Samuel Morse
first demonstrated a practical telegraph system in 1837 that the telegraph came to Neenah. The first offi ce was opened here in I 8 SJ..
Neenah was one link of a line that connected Chicago and Green Bay.
This line was operated by the Northwestern Telegraph Company.
This company operated the line until 1881, at which time it was
leased to the Western Union T elegraph Company. This is the period
that saw an add itional miracle of electrical comm uni cations. In 1877
Sam Henry, of the Kimberly & Henry Drug House (now Elwer's) install ed a device, new to these parts, called a telep hone. A wire was
stru ng from t he drug store to the home of Dr. J. R. Barnett, on th e
co rn er of Church Street and \ i\lest Doty Avenue, also to the residence
of Dr. N. . R obinson (now the home of the YWCA). This installation was what we would now call a party line. Soon t here formed a
waiting line of would-be customers, and the system became so unwieldy that an exchange was star ted, and thereby became t he first
telephone exchange in Wisconsin.
Twenty customers made up the first clientele of the first telephone
company in Neenah. The first manager was, of course, Sam Henry,
who pioneered the telephone in Neenah, and the first operator was
Charles Nielson. Only a year after the exchange was started, the \ Visconsin Telephone Company was incorporated. This new organization
took over t he exc hange in M. E . Barnett's drug store.
The coming of t he telephone did nothing to dampen the spirits and
progress of the telegraph. The telegraph office in t he \i\lells Fargo

COMMUNICATIONS

223

Express Office on \ iVest \ iVisconsin Avenue did a thriving business

under the managership of Mr. Thomas E. Callahan, who continued as
Manager from April 15, 1882, for twenty-two years. This was the
brass pounders' p aradise. The office resounded with the clatter of the
sounders as Mr. Callahan, and those who followed him, manually sent
and received messages and press news that formed t he only fast connection between Neenah and the outside world . Following Mr. Callahan in the brass pounders' league were Mr. Conrad C. Kruse from
August l, 1904, to March 18, 1906, and M r s. S. E. 'W ebster from 1906
until April 4, 191r. At th is time Mr. John B. Boreson became the
Manager and operator of t he Neenah office. He remained in this position for over forty years. During this whole period t he w estern Union
Telegraph remained a one-man office, one man and one boy, the familiar WU messenger boy and his bicycle.
The w estern Un ion Telegraph Cornpany was not without competition, however. Their competition in telegraphic communication was
the Postal Telegraph Company. T h eir office was first located in th e
back of Barnett's Drug Store, and later, about 1927, it was moved into
the Spude Electric Company building on North Commercial Street.
Prior to 1922 the Postal was operated by Miss Emma Koestle, of
Appleton. She was relieved by Mr. Brian Seroogy for a period of six
weeks. That six weeks became sixteen years. During those years of
Mr. Seroogy's managership several op erators came and went, among
them Mrs. Clarence Nash . Messenger boys were also used by the
Postal. Among those that worked under Mr. Seroogy were Carl
Stridde, Harvey Jorgenson, Dave Ru sch, Robert Gillespie, George
and Herman Krause, Eli Breaker, Carl Krueger and Howard Boreson.
In 1930 Neenah won the District Basketball Championship and
went on to Madison to the State Tournament. Since radio was in its
infancy and the majority of the families in town did not have a r eceiver, a group of civic minded citizens defrayed the expenses of the
Postal operator and the scores were relayed to Draheim's Store, where
t hey were announced over a loudspeaker to the fans outside. Sometimes as many as 2,000 interested li steners gathered outside the store
to h ear t he scores.
In 1938 Mr. Seroogy left Postal, and in 19+3 the Postal Telegraph

HISTORY

OF

EE

AH

\\"i;.consin T elephone Company Building

merged with \iVestern Union and the Postal office in Neenah was d iscontinued. B y this tim e \Yestern had moved, first into t he rear of th e
Anspach Dry Goods tore, then into the \'alley Inn , and finally to I 12
East \ i\7isconsin Avenue, where t hey are at this writing.
\Vhil e all of thi s was happening to the telegraph , th e Wiscon sin
Telephon e Company was expanding its operations at a rapid rate. After a series of managers followed am Henry, l\1r. . G. Willarson
took over t he managership in 1897 and s tayed until 1923 . In 1908 a
new exchange building was constru c ted, the present building at I I 7
S. Commercial Street. By 1916 t he number of subscribers h ad grown
to 2,220. After Mr. \Vill arson came H enry D . Raiche and P eter Shea.
Then, in 1932, Mr. R obert P. Brooks became manager, continuing in
this post until retirem ent in 1957. Mr. Clifford M. Flah erty replaced
Mr. Brooks. Under Mr. Brooks' guidan ce th e Neenah-Menasha exchange has grown to a total o f 16,000 telephones, all dial. Th e chan geover to dial switching came in 19+8, necessita t ing an addition to the
rear of the present offi ce building to house the dial equipm ent. Th e
change to the dial sys tem also h eralded local calling pri vileges between
th e Twin Cities, Appl eton and Greenville.

COMMUNICATIONS

Th e Wi sco nsin T elephon e Company su pplies t he follow ing in format ion rega rding increase in th e number of teleph ones in Neenah:

+,679

!OJ

1920
1930
19 40 -

1900268
191 0 - l ,200

1950 1957-

1 1 , 130
16,111

J 877
1882 -

35

1890-

-f

2 , +90

6,386

Sometime s hortl y after \tVorJd V\lar I , an unknown young man,

working alone in his basement, set up th e first radio station in Neenah.
H e was t he first of th e "hams" or, to t he unini tiated, amateur radio
operators. The number of ham s slowly increased as t he fascination of
t his scien tifi c hobby gained m ore widespread attenti on . In 1950 a formal organization of th e ham s in the Twin Cities was organi zed primarily t hrough th e effor ts of Mr. L yle Buestrin. The original roster
of mem bers totaled fourteen. The organization, although primarily
social in nature, maintains an emergency supply of electri c power and
two complete s tations loca ted in t he R oosevelt School. The m embership has grown so t ha t by now there are twen ty-six members, and
prospects for several m or e.
Rad io was des tined to change th e lives of many more of the residents of the Twin Cities t han just t he a vid ham s. In 1937, t hrough the
effor ts of Mr. Irving Stilp of th e coun ty poli ce force, a cou nty-wide
police rad io networ k w as set up. U n til 1942 it was a one-way sys tem,
with a transmitter at Oshkosh and receivers in t he police cars and
m oto rcycles. Tn 1942, shortl y after Mr. Stilp became P olice Chief at
Neenah, two-way AM rad io was established in Neenah. The transm itter was in s tall ed in the City Hall, with the control console located
in the Police Station. Continuou s two-way communication was obtained between t he s tation and t he fire trucks, the squad car and
motorcycle and th e Pol ice R escue boat. With the advent of s tatic free
FM radio, the police system was converted to FM, with the transmitter remotely controlled from both t he Neenah and Menasha police
s tations. The wa ter works, on the shor e of Lake Winnebago, pro ved
an ideal location for the transm itter and an tenna. The mobile equipment in Neenah now includes three cars, three motorcycles, t hree fire
engines, the ambulance and t he police boat.

226

HISTORY

OF

NEENA H

Neenah was growing, and a need for a commercial broadcasting station was felt. Mr. S. N . Pickard sparked t he movement that resul ted
in the establishment of the Neenah -Menasha Broadcasting Company, with Mr. Pickard as President, M r. Don C. Wir th as ViceP r esident, and Mr. R . D. Molzow as Secretary-Treasurer . The first
program went on the air in May of 1947 from a transmitter located
on County Trunk A about one mile south of Neenah. T he first studios
were located in t he basement of t he National Manufacturers' Bank.
T he station continued to operate in th e daytime only, with a power of
I ,ooo watts, until July of r950. In the mean time an FM transm itter
was placed in service in conjunction with the AM unit. The dual
transmissions were continued with t he AM station on full-time operation until 1953, when the FM license was r elinquished to make room
for television. Picture transmission was star ted late in February of
I954, on t he UHF Channel 42. UHF transmission s were not completely successful, and late that same year, the station went off the air. TV
was her e to stay, t hough. T h e Neenah -Menasha Broadcasting Company merged with the Valley Telecasting Company, of Green Bay, in
order to operate a VHF s tation on Channel 5.
E lectrical communications as used by the citizens of Neenah have
become more and more complex, and h ave effected rather dras t ic
changes in alJ of our lives. The end of t his chronicle has arrived, but
not the end of more useful, more rapid, and more convenient devices,
all operated by our servant, electricity.
I wish to acknowledge the efforts of t he following peopl e, without
which th is chronicle could not have been written : Mr. Robert P .
Brooks, Mr. Donald Cyr, Mr. Brian Seroogy, Mr. Don C. \iVirth,
Mr. Irving Stilp.
Compiled by Lowell W . Zabel

COJ\tIJ\tIUNITY CHEST
FOLLOWING \Vorld \Var II there was widespread interest in the creation of an organ ization to take over the money raising activities for a
large g roup of organizations who had previously put on indi vidual
fund raising drives. Such an organization could reach a greater number of people than t he indiv idual organizations, and thus the finan cial
base of the fund raising was widened.
Neenah-Menasha organized t heir Community Chest on Thursday,
Jun e 26, i 947, at the St. T homas Commun ity Building. Officers
elec ted at that meeting were :
S. F. Shattuck, President
Morgan Wheeler, 1st Vice-President
Mrs. J. F. Gillingham, 2nd Vice-President
Don Colburn, Secretary
J. R ussell Ward, Treasurer

.J.

Six Directors were also elected and the following Committee Chairmen were se lected:
Budget Committee- H enry J. Young
Admissions Commi ttee-W. H. Swanson
Tomi nating Commit tee- J ohn P inkerton

A local War Fund Committee had $ 1,870.00 which had been coL
lected to perpetuate a veteran's office which was not being used, and
this fond was turned over to the Chest.
Th e townships of Neenah and M enas ha were included with the two
cities for Chest activities. Eight organizations were approved for the
first year's operation of the Chest : Y.\V.C.A., Boy Scouts, Girl Sco uts,
Salvation Arm y, V.N.A., Boys' Brigade, Child ren's Service Society
of \i'Visconsin, and the :.Jeenah-Menasha Apostolate. The goal for this
fi rst fund drive was set at S6o,ooo, which was attained.
Officers for the year 1956-57 are:
D onald A. Snyder, Presiden t
Arthur H edlund, Ist Vice-President
J ohn H. \Vil terding, 2nd Vice-President
Mrs. H. C. Sperka, Secretary
E. J. Schul theis, Treasurer
D onald C. Shepard, Jr., Campaign Chairman
227

228

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Ten appro ved age ncies : Boys ' Brigade, Boy Scouts, Child re n 's Ser vice Soci ety , C o mmunit y Co un cil , Girl Scouts, N ee nah-Menasha Apostolate, Sal vatio n Arm y, V.N.A. , Y. \V.C.A. , L~ amil y Ser vice. Th e
Bud get for 1957 is $ 1 12,000.
Ches t headquarters share office space wi th t he Chamber of Com merce, 11 2 W. \tVisconsinAvenue.
Compiled by M rs. W. B. Be/lack

COl\111\llUNITY COUNCIL
ON J ANUARY 8, J940, t he first meeting of t he Council of Social Agencies was held . Over forty organizations were represen ted and meetings
were to be held eac h month. T he officers elected were :
R ev. A. A . Chambers, Chairman
A . .J . Arms trong, 1st Vi ce Chairman
R ev. VI/. L. H arms, 2nd Vi ce Chairman
Miss Virgini a Beals, Secretary
T. D. Spaulding, Treasurer

Members of t he Executive Committee:

R ev. J oseph Ahearn
R ev. Gerald Churchill
Mi ss Edna R obertso n
C. H. Abel

H. M. Bi shop
Mrs. Ru th F alvey
Gaylord C. Loehning

At this t im e its main purpose was to assist welfare and social workers in teres ted in communi ty welfare, an d to promote a closer h armo ny
among t he member organiza tio ns.
In J951 it becarn e a Comrnunity C hest agenc y. The main purpose
of t he Council is to look at the Community as a whole, and to endeavor to coord ina te the work of ex isting agencies. It tries to eliminate
du pli catio n of effort and stimu late preven tative health measures by
education, coord in ated planning and t hinking. In 1953 the n ame was
changed to Neenah-Menasha Community Council.
Compiled by Mrs. W. B . Be/lack

DANA CLUB HALL

of the hi storic meeting places of earl y N eenah was the Dana
Club Hall. J ohn . T olversen here tells its histor y :

ONE

The Dana Club was the old Trinity L utheran Church, located on the corner of
W ashington and W alnut Streets, next to t heir school building, which is still standing
there, t hough now a house. I attended that school for about half a year.
The Dan a Club bought t he chu rch and rebuilt it for a hall, later selling it to J.P .
.J asperson, who moved it to its present location on \Vest D oty Avenue. The Dana
Club met there, though that club has long since passed from exis tence. The D an ish
Brotherhood, w hich is still a going co ncern, t hen met there for a time.
] remember very well, as a little kid, attending parties there when the folks
drove in from the farm, which was a ten mile drive. The building had a stage and
was the cene of many entertainments, and I remember one debate, though I do
not remember the participants, except that J .P. J asperson was one, and the subject
of the debate was, " The theater is an unchristian institution and should not be
patronized by Christian people."
L ouis Sorenson bought t he building from J asperson, and later sold it to Sadie
Edgarton. Subsequen tl y it became t he property of \Vm. Krueger Co. At present it
belongs to The Ja ndrey Co., who use it for storage.

George Elwers appends this relati ve to l\ Iichelson's Hall:

A similar hall with a stage was Michelson's H all, on the site of t he present post
offi ce. H igh School dances, with George Gardner, pianist, were held here. It was
on t he steps of th is building that t he boys were sit ting one eve ning wit h noth ing
to do, wh en Dr. Chapin came along and ta lked to t hem. R esult : The Boys' Brigade

230

DENTIST RY
IN 1841 the first Dental School was founded. Previous to t hat time
and up to i885 dentists were train ed by other dentists, known as preceptors. In 1885 the first law regulating the li censi ng of dentists was
enacted in Wisconsin. Men already in practice had only to r egister
and make an affidavit attesting that they were already practicing.
In I 88 5 three m en were in Neenah : Dr. J. P. Mer tes had been h ere
two years, Dr. V. M. Valerious fo r eigh t years, and Dr. J. T. E nos
for an unknown period. vVe only know t hat Dr. Enos was number
twelve to register in the state. The following year, 1886, noted a new
man, Dr. W . E . Young. A year later we fi nd t hat Dr. Vv. H. Meeker
was added to t he dental group. Meeker was here for several years.
After his r eti r err:ent to live in App leton, he sold insurance, his wide
acquai ntance in th e area bei ng of considera ble advantage.
Dr. Orrin Thompson came here in 1889 and continued ti ll 1907,
when his office was taken over by Dr. \Nm . M . Post. A successor to
Dr. Post was Dr. J. M . Donovan , who took over Dr. Post's offi ce in
i9 1 l, Dr. Post at that t ime moving to the state of Oregon . Dr. Vv. F .
Gary was in Neenah for thirty-fi ve years, from J 894 till 1929. Dr.
Frederick Taylor spent twenty-seven year s in Neenah , 1896 till 1923,
when Dr. G. N. Ducklow took over his offi ce. Dr. Ducklow is still here
and has a den tist son, Dr. R o ber t Ducklow, who h as just returned to
practice h er e after his hitc h in t he U. S. Army. Dr. Albert J. DuBois
and Dr. George B arlow j oined t he den tis ts here in 1897. Both continued h ere till their deat hs.
Dr. Gary was an excep tiona ll y fine mechanic. Hi s was a mind with
a mechanical trend . In hi s laboratory were many devices made by hi msel f. Dr. Gary was one of the founders of "Xi Ps i Phi"- a dental college fra tern ity. Sh ortly before re tiring he was a guest of the fra ternity
at the U ni versity of Michigan.
Dr. George Barlow, besides doi ng dentistry, had diversified interests. At one time, before t he advent of t he modern local anesthetic,
he h ad the sole rights to use a patented local called Odun-under. He
231

232

A HISTO RY

OF

EENAH

also organized a d ental supply compan y, whi ch was ind ifferen t ly successful.
Dr. Taylor was a tense man, with s trong religiou s feelings. F or
man y years he was conn ected wi t h t he Presbyterian Sun da y School.
He retired to his old hom e in Elkhorn.
Dr. Albert DuBois was t he firs t denti st in ::\Teenah to acqui re X-r ay
equipm en t. Other denti s ts for man y years were d epen d en t on an X ray service condu cted b y Dr. Greenwood, a ph ysician.
Dr. J.M. D ono van, at t he present writing, is still in practice, associated with Dr. J ohn L. Dono van, hi s son . Dr. J ohn L. D onovan
started prac tice in 1943 , t he firs t three yea rs in the U . S. Arm y. Dr.
J. M. D onovan has served d en t is try on bo th a sta te and national
level. Tn 1924 f: e was Presiden t of t he vViscon sin State D en t al Society,
an d in 1942 was Pres ident of the Am eri can Assoc iat ion of D en ta l E<li tors. H e is curren tly, and has been for t wen ty years, ed itor of t he
Journal of the W isconsin State Dental Society. Tn 1938 he w as elected
to be a F ellow of the American Coll ege of D entists, an honorary
societ y for de ntis ts who have made di stincti ve contributi ons to the
profession.
Dr. Trurnan Seiler appeared in 19 r 5, followed b y Dr. L. J. McCrary
in 191 9, Dr. H. C. Sc hu ltz and Dr. Wm. M . Schultz in 1925 an d 19.12,
respec ti ve!y, Dr. Y\7. F. Land s kron in i 936, an d Dr. A . E . J en kin s
in 1938 .
Dr. L. J. M cCrary was for some tim e a member of th e School
Boa rd. Dr. H. C. Schultz is, and has been for several years, deepl y
interes ted in sports and recreation. Dr W. E. Schultz is currently a
member of the Ci ty Pl an Commission.
N eenah s hould be happ y with the d en t al ser vice avail able and wi t h
th e publi c den t al heal th p rogram in t he schools, w hich was fos tered by
N eenah den t ists. A full- time dental program is curren t ly existing and
has been for over twenty yea rs. Mi ss D orothy Ku ehn e, a dental hygieni s t, in s tru c ts chi ld ren of al l grad es on p rop er dental care. Sh e also
speaks to p a rent groups abou t th eir p :i rt in dental care.
An other ph ase of d ent istry t ha t is uniqu e is t he d ental service for
school child ren wi t h insufficient means to pa y for dental ser vice. F or
som e twenty years th e Twin Ci ty Vi siting N urse Assoc iation has

DE

TISTRY

233

underwritten t his philanthropy. So far they have expended well in

excess of S 1 2,000.
Up to the turn of t he cen t ury t here was little conform it y in dentistry . l\1any men had sec ret method s whic h t hey jealously guarded.
Present dentistry is much d ifferent. l\1en having attain ed special skills
freely give t hem to the profession. Counsel and advice is freely availabl e.
Through the efforts of local den ti s ts, fluorides were added to t he
cit y's water in 1950. Already the benefits are becoming apparen t.
D ental decay in chil d ren's teeth has been reduced b y 503 .
Down t hrough the years several dentists appeared in Neenah, and,
after a short period, left for locations more to t heir liking. Only some
of the more r ecent names will be remembered. W e list Dr. Todd,
Dr. Mories, Dr. Tra ver, Dr. Sorenson, Dr. \Vi ck, Dr. Pos t, Dr.
Vlagner, Dr. J ern , Dr. Kulnik and Dr. J orgensen.
Th e denti sts now in Neenah, in t he order of their start in practice,
are:

J. I. Donovan- 19 1I
T . .J. Seiler- 1915
L. .J. l\IcCrary- 191 9
G. ~. Ducklow- 1923
1:-J. C. Schultz- 1925
\V. E. Schultz 1932
\V. F. Landskron- 1936

A. E . J enki ns- 1938

Donovan 1943
H. P. J acobi- 1950
R. R. D e\Vet- 1952
.J . M. LaLiberte- 1954
.J. J. Bouressa- 1955
R. D ucklow- 1958

.J . L.

It should also be mentioned that t he T win City D ental Laboratory

is run by Mr. Patrick S mith , an expert tec hnician.
Compiled by Dr. ']. M . Donovan

DOTY CABIN
ON AucusT 3r, 1835, James D. D oty purchased, from the Federal
Government, land totaling 100 acres for the sum of $600 (on the
Island, "Doty Island") . The purchase of this la nd was possible because the Island and land on the Menasha side of the Fox River was
not a part of the Indian Reservation. Neenah, or the land south of
the south branch of the Fox River, remained a part of the Menominee
Indian R eserve, and was not open to set tl ement until after t he Treaty
of the Cedars in I 836, or to purchase un ti] after l 846.
The original site for the cabin was selected because of its view and
accessibility to the lake. Built in 1845, the ca bin was a realization of
a dream long held by Doty, to provide a rustic place for retirement.
Mrs. Doty named the cabin the "Grand Loggery." Here the famil y
lived until in 1860, wh en Lincoln appointed Doty to the Superin tendency of Indian affairs in the Utah territory, which office he held
until his appointment to the Governorship of the same territory in
i863. His dea th occurred in 1865, and he is buried at Fort Douglas in
Salt Lake City .
Mrs. Doty returned to this region and li ved with a daughter, 1V1rs.
Fitzgerald, in Oshkosh.
Mrs. Gleason, whose husband was a partner in the Wilde and
Gleason Drug Store, was born in this building. Because there was no
sui tabl e home for the doctor to work, Governor Doty took her into
his home.
The land and the Loggery were purchased by Hugh H. Ernsting on
January 28, 1868, from Mrs. J. D. Doty.
In 1875, J ohn Roberts purchased the site and Loggery from Mr.
E rn sting for t he purpose of erecting a resort, which was opened to the
public on May 30, 1877. The Cabin ser ved as an annex to the resort,
serving as housing space for the help, and also accommodated pool
tables and card tables on the first ft oor. J ohn R ober ts sold the propert y to Strange, and the Cabin la y abandoned until 1926, when the
D .A.R. became interested, and under its influence it was moved to
Doty Park and opened to the public.
234

DOTY

CAB !

2 35

Jn 1937 a regu lar s urnmer program of days and hours was establi shed, and t he Cabin has been open frorn June to September each
year since that date. Differing from most old hom es, D oty Cabin is
open to all, free of charge, and has become an accepted part of t he
park program.
T hroughout the years before being 1110,red to Doty Park, the Cabin
had suffered much from neglect. In 19+8 it was felt advisable to replace the original cabin with a repl ica, using such original materials as
advisabl e. This project was completed, a nd, wit h care, t he building
wi ll stand for many years to extend to fu t ure generations some of the
true histor y of the past.
I t has ever been the interest of t he loca l D.A.R., Neenah Histo rical
ociety, and others, to furni s h t he Cabin with original Doty material.
So far there has been secured: a pian o ; a mahogany table sent by Mrs.
Frank Gregor y, of Pomona, California; a settee and two cha irs from
R. H. Wise, of Billings, Montana, a rel ati ve of M rs. D oty; a sideboard and silverware, presented by M r. McMann, of Oshkosh; small
dishes, glasses, tab le silver, presented by M rs. C. B. Clark, of Neenah.
\\'here original furnishings are not avail able, materials of t he I 800
to 1850 period are used to furni s h the Cabin.
T he average year sees between five and six thousand visitors at t he
Cab in, representing 200 to 250 citi es, 20 to 30 states, and as many as
fifteen foreign areas of the world.
With interest in old and historic homes o bviously growing, Neenah
wi 11 do well to rn ai n tai n this historic site.
Compiled by Harvey R. Leaman

ADDENDUM: It is a matter of hi storic interest that all of Doty Park

was once owned by t he man whose nam e it carries.
In 1905, J o hn R oberts' h eirs sold t he property to Mr. and Mrs.
J ohn Strange. Th ey kept t he cabin on its original site until 1926, when
1rs. J ohn Strange gave the cabin to the city.
C. B. Clark inh erited from his father most of the property now in
t he park. Mr. Clark's gift of hi s holdings was augmented by purc hases of additional parcels by interested citizens. T he lan d facing
L incoln Street, on whic h th e cabin stands, was part of such gifts.

ELECTRIC LIGHT, ELECTRIC POWER,

AND INTERURBAN SERVICE*
To TRACE Neenah's source of electric energy, also the interurban service, both north and south of Neenah, we must sta rt with t he year
1882, when H. J. Rogers, of Appleton, purchased the Edison patent
rights for the Fox River Valley, and with A. L. Smith, a banker of
Appleton, built on the bank of the power canal in that city th e first
hydroelectric central station in t he world. M r. Rogers had a wire
strung to his home, and t he report is that it was almost like a dream
when a crude lamp glowed with light. "In this first installation there
were no voltmeters, or ammeters, no instruments of an y kind, no
lightning protection and no fu ses. The copper wires were poorly insulated, and the slightest disturbance would short out the circuit. \iVhen
this happened, all hands went out tracing wires, and service was suspended until the trouble was located." The Appleton Edison Light
Company was incorporated in May, 1883, with an authorized capital
of $50,000, with A. L. Smith as President. Fortunately for thi s infant
company, Mr. Smith was also President of the First National Bank of
Appleton.
It was about this time t hat the idea of connecting up the cities in
t he Fox Valley with an electric interurban service was born. In January, 1886, the Appleton Electric Street Railway Company was incorporated. A plant was hastily thrown together. Rails were laid up
and down Lawrence Street. The crude cars were controlled only at
one end, so that at the end of a run, turntables had to be built to
enable t he motorman to turn his car around by hand. Again, there
was no lightning protection. T he plant shut down during electrical
storms. By 1891, the novelty had worn off The company was faced
with raising more money to modernize plant and equipment or go into
bankruptcy. The latter course was chosen. Subsequently, in the same
year, Mr. Smith and C. A. Beveridge purch ased t he Street Railway
Plant and property for $30,000. Forming a new corporation, the Ap* Darn for the above sketch taken from Chapter I of Forrest McDonald's book, "Let There Be Light. "

ELECTRIC

ENERGY

237

pleton Edison Electric Company, t hey purchased proper ty of the defun ct Street R ailway Compan y and the Appleton Ed ison Light Company, wh ich was also in financial difficulties. Had the Appleton Edison
Company stayed with the lighting business instead of taking on th e
Street Railway burden, t hey would have made a "go" of it. In J 894 a
ri val concern , the Citizens' Electric Light & P ower Company came
in to bei ng. Th is concern began operations t he next year, .1895. Both
t hey an d th e App leton Gas Company forced the Edison Company to
cut its rates fo r light and power. At the same time its street railway
departmen t became a liability.
'0./e now look to t he south of Neenah for t he next step. Tn 1894 a
movement took shape in Oshkos h to run an interurban lin e from Oshkosh t hroug h Neenah and Menasha to Appleton, an d ultimately to
Green Ba y. B y this time t he Appleton Edison E lectr ic Company had
d rifted into finan cial d istress, and Presiden t Sm ith agreed to sell t hi s
compan y to t he newly-forming interurban company for ~80,000.
Progress was blocked by the Neenah and Menasha Councils, who refused franchi ses to the proposed new line. This action on t he part of
the Twin City fathers, w hi ch delayed extension of the lin e to Appleton,
was due to t he fears of local mer chants that an intercity line, with
Oshkosh on one end and Appleton on t he oth er, would be injurious
to t heir business. Meanw hile, due to this delay, t he Appleton Ed ison
E lec tri c Company went into bankrup tcy. At t he foreclosur e sale,
Smith again came to t he fron t and bought t he property of th e defunct Appleton Edison Electric Comp any and formed the Appleton
E lectric Light and Power Company. In spite of persisti ng failure,
Mr. Smith had a vision of t he social usefuln ess of electric power. H e
then acquired t he propert y of th e Citizens' Electric Ligh t and P ower
Company and was off to a new start, when, la ter that year, fire destroyed his generating plant.
Now we drop back to th e year 1892, when a group of Mi lwaukee
capitali sts visual ized an electri c lin e along our Fox Vall ey waterway,
from F ond d u Lac o n th e so uth to Green Ba y on th e nor t h. Th e
Neenah and Menasha Electric Rai lway Company formed the nu cleus
of t his new in terurban compan y, whi ch eventually became the Fox
River Valley E lectri c Railway Compan y, operating for t hree years

238

A HISTORY

OF

EENAH

an d extending its Jines northward to Appleton and Kaukauna. Fire

destroyed its power plant in 1900. Emergency power was bought from
the Appleton Electric Light and P ower plant, and this in cident led
to the merger, in 1900, of both companies in to t he \i\'isconsi n Traction
Light, H eat a nd P ower Company, which then served Neenah with its
electri c energy for both J igh t and p ower purposes, as its successor does
today . Jn 1927 the Wisconsin Traction Light, H eat and P ower Compan y became the Wisconsin Mich igan P ower Company, ser ving our
community's expanding needs for electri c energ y. One year later
(1928) the auto and gasoline-driven buses caused the elimination of
the interurban street car.
Th e interurban service south from Neenah to Os hkos h was instituted by t he Citizens' Traction Company, of Oshkosh , and t he Fond
du Lac-Oshkosh line began operation in 1903. The ~eenah-Oshkosh
interurban service was discontinu ed in 1927.

electric .(ight Comes to ::v._eenah

THR OUGH t he courtesy of Alvin Staffeld, we quote from an address of
Thomas Higgins at a convention of t he \i\lisconsin Municipal Association in Manitowoc, June 18, i 93 7.
Mr. Higgin s was a former r esident and one-time Mayor of Neenah.
Durin g the earl y 188o's he built and operated a gas plant in Neenah,
and was instrumental in bringing electric ligh t ing to ou r cit y.
I n the year 1878 my brother, H enry, and I , in associati on with J. D. Calton, a
gas engineer o f Defiance, Ohio, built gas works in Dixon, Illinois, a few miles from
our bo yhood home on the farm, and the next year we built similar works in \Vaterloo, Iowa, and in the Twin Cities of ~eenah and Menas ha, Wisco nsin. Gas was
used exclusively for lighting then, and the onl y competitor was the ke rosene lamp
and the candle.
The 2,000 candle arc electric light had been developed and was being used to a
limited extent for lighting large stores and halls, and in one section of :'\few York,
several high towers had been built and several of the big arc lights on top of the
towers gave the vi cinity a moonlight appearance and the gas lamp on the corners
was dispe nsed with.
There was, however, much talk of a so-called su bdivided electric lamp to take
t he place of the gas jet, and I remember th e names of three men, Sawyer, Mann and
Swan, who were experimenting in the laboratory with a glass globe from whi ch th e

ELECT RI C

ENE RGY

239

air was exhausted and a platinum wire in this vacuum globe was heated red hot
by passing an electric current over it, and t his gave a light equal to 16 ca ndles, the
measure of the ord inary gas jet. But this lamp was known to be impractical except
as a laboratory experiment, but l watched t he experiment with deep interest. Then
in the year 1880, t he newspapers reported that Thomas Edison, a comparatively
unknown man, had developed a simi lar electric lamp in his laboratory in Menlo
Park, New .J ersey, but he used a carbon filam ent in place of the platin um wire, and
th is Edison claimed was inexpensive and practical and su re to take the place of the
gas jet. The others ridicu led Edison's claim, and many denounced him as a faker,
but he succeeded in getting capital interested and factories were established for
the manufactu ring o f Edison dynamos and lamps, and gas stocks kept dropping,
and I was very much concerned.
Then, in 1882, H. J. R ogers, of Appleton, bought an Edison Equipment for his
paper mill on the Appleton \i\later P ower, and ran copper wires to hi s home on the
hill and lighted both his mi ll and his home with Edison incandescent lights, and in
September, 1882, th is mill and home being but six mi les from my gas works in
Neenah, I made many trips to Appleton with my horse and buggy to watch t he
experiment and to talk to Mr. Farewell, the manager of the Appleton Gas W orks.
About that time a new company, called the 'vVestern Edi son Company, ope ned an
offi ce in a basement on Nlonroe Street, Chicago, with Edison generators in the rear
of the office. The manager was Fran k Gorton, a son-in-law of General Anso n
Steiger, who was then President of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and
a man named .J acobs was empl oyed to travel and sell Edison Equipment, and he
came to Yeenah often, trying to sell to the big paper mills that I was then lighting
with gas. Art Bowron, Editor of the Neenah News, said to me one day, "Tom,
what's that man J acobs up to that he comes here so often? I s he t rying to pu t you
out of business?" I spoke disparagingly of the thing and told him of the ligh ts going
out in t he P lankington House, and Art said, " I guess I'll give him a shot in the paper," and that evening t he shot appeared in the paper, and next day my friend,
Bowron, came to me with a telegram from J acobs, reading: "You have t he wrong
pig by the ear. I'm corning up on the next train."
J acobs came, and he and Art came to see me, and we had a friendly visit, J acobs
lauding the electric light, and he urged me very strongly to bu y a Central Station
Equipment for Neenah, as he was sure someone else would if I failed to do so. I
promised to give the question serious consideration, and after that I made visits,
from time to time, to the offi ce of the Western E dison Company to talk with Frank
Gorton and watched t he operation of t he dynamos.
In r 885 I changed the name of my company from Neenah & Menasha Gas Company to the Yeenah & Menasha Gas & Electric Company, and I bought and installed an Edison Th ree Wire Central Station Equipment on t he I eenah water
power and a Vandepole Arc Machine for street ligh ting, and this was fo ur years before either the Whi te House or the streets of Washington were lighted by electricity.
The Edison current was low tension, requi ring large copper wires to carry t he current, which made it impractical fo r use any great distance.
Then George \i\lestinghouse developed the alternating cu rrent machine, developing a very high tension current to travel long d istances on a small wire, and this high

A HIS TORY

OF

EENAH

tension current was changed to low tension by passage through a Stanley transformer on a pole near the building to he lighted .
The Edison people denounced t h is method of lighting as !Vian Killing Current,
and caused a bill to he introduced in the New York Legislature for the purchase of a
Westinghouse dynamo to be used for the execution of criminals, instead of hanging.
and the Westinghouse Company fought the passage of this bill for some time, but
Edison won, and the execution o f criminals by hanging was changed to execution
by a Westinghouse Electric Current, and t hat system has since been adopted in
most, if not all, of the other states since then, and the question of danger from the
high tension current has long since been forgotten .
About the year 1890, I sold t he Edison Equipment and Bare Copper Mine to
the Phillips Lu mber Company, owned by J ohn R. D avis, of Neenah, and it was
installed by him in Phillips, Wisconsin, and I sold the Vandepo le Arc lachin e and
lamps to a saw mill in ~ lerrill, Wisconsin, and installed a Thompson Huston Arc
and Alternating System to cover all of >.""eena h and f\ l enasha, and, in 1893, I sold
the whole gas and electric property to George S. D avis, of the Winnebago P aper
Company, and he, a few years later, sold to J ohn I. Beggs, who had already bought
the Appleton Utilities, and he enlarged the Appleton properties and sent both gas
and electri city to i eenah.

1-luman history 1s 1n essence a history of ideas.

H ERBERT GEORGE WEI.LS

NEENAH - MENASHA FAJ\1ILY SERVICE, INC.

THE objective of Family Service is the coordination of ser vices offered
by the Emergency Society, a confidential, non-sectarian family service agency offering emergency relief and case work service to families
and ind ividuals where sickness, financial difficul ties and other causes
create problems needing assistance and counseling. Neenah, Menasha
and adjoining townships comprise the area covered by this service.
Prior to 1940 t he Social Service Committee of the Emergency Society did the investigating and all necessary work involved. A trained
social service worker served until October, 1942, when pressure of war
took h er to oth er areas. On that date Mrs. Ruth Falvey, a member of
the Emergency Society, took over the duties on a half-time basis. Her
office was in th e St. Thomas Episcopal Church, and was listed as
Social Service Aid. In February, 1949, "Emergency Family Service"
was chosen as the new name of the Social Service Aid Group, and an
office was rented at 514 North Commercial Street, Neenah.
In t he same year Mrs. Falvey began her duties as Executive Director on a full-time basis, and a part-time secretar y was employed. Miss
Carol Quella served in t hat capacity for several years. Mrs. Alice
DuBois joined the staff in 1955, and is presently serving as part-time
secretary.
In 1955 the organ ization incorporated under t he name of Neena hMenasha Family Service, Inc., and in January, 1957, became a member of the Community Chest.
Compiled by Mrs. W. B. Be/lack

FRATERNAL AND SOCIAL

OR GANIZATI ONS
COMPILED BY JOHN TOLVERSON

c/f.c/f. U.W.

THE Neenah-Menasha branch of t he American Association of University ' i\lomen was founded in September, 1940, with 40 charter
members. The first president was Miss Vivian Davies.
T he purpose of t his branch is to unite the alumnae of A.A.U. \iV.
approved colleges and un iversities for practical edu cational work, to
concentr ate and increase their in fl uence in t he community for the solution of social and civic problems, to par ticipate in t he development
and promotion of th e policies and program of the American Association of University Women, to con tr ibute to its growth and infl uence,
and to cooperate in its state and regional work.
The group contributes college scholarships for local high sc hool girl
graduates, and to scholar ships and fellowships in the United States
and abroad for both American and foreign women scholars.
In addition, since 1944, there have been local study groups open to
the public. In 1957- 58, there are study groups on international relations, education, creative writing, music, literature, and travel and
hobbies.
T h e branch instigated t he formation of the Civic Music Association
in 1945- 46; in 1947- 48, set up a youth hostel ; several years, they ha \re
sponsored art exhibits by local artis ts; and, since 1951, sponsored a
number of foreign exchange students.
Each year, hostesses from A.A.U.vV. h elp new teachers in Neenah
and Menasha to become oriented and to make friends. Senior girls
from th e local high schools are entertained each year, and encouraged
to go to college. A Future Teac hers Club at Neenah High School,
sponsored by th e education study group, encourages consideration of
teac hing as a career.
At the monthl y meetings, there are educational as well as entertaining programs or lectures. Some are presented by the membership, and
some by outside speakers.

FR AT E R N A L

AND

S 0 C I A L 0 R G AN I Z AT I 0 N S

243

The membership in 1957- 58 is 127. The present officers are:

President
Ist Vice President 2nd Vice PresidentSecretary
Treasurer
Asst. Treasurer -

Mrs. Thomas Christoph

Mrs. Jam es J ersild
Mrs. R. P. Galloway
Mrs. Stanton Charlton
Mrs. Robert Schwier
Miss Suzanne Gerhardt

Submitted by Mrs. W. H . Burger

American J:,egion Ha wley-Vieckhojf Post J{._o. JJ

in 1919 the citizens of Neenah, led by Mr. C. B. Clark, provided an Army and Navy Club, in the Krueger block, using the remaining funds in the \iVar Chest for this cause. Mr. Ray A. VanderWalker was elected President of this newly organ ized club.
Tn September of 1919 the members of this club decided to apply for
a charter in the newly organized "American Legion Department of
\i\Tisconsin." The following servicemen signed the application and
secured the charter of th e "Neenah Post #33"-

EARLY

R ay A. VanderWalker
Harry W. Peck
George Limpert
Arthur W . J ohnson
Herbert YA/ . Holbrook
Lawrence M. Lambert
Harvey M. Schwartz

Belvin Kurtz
Charles M. Sorenson
H arvey A. Kuhr
Rignor E. Madsen
Fred M . Runde
R oy W. J ordan
Lawrence A. Eisenach

Th e firs t Commander elected to serve the new Post was Mr. E. D.

Beals.
At the first meeting it was decided to nam e the Post in honor of t he
first Neenah man who lost his life in the service of his countryJ am es P. Hawley, who was lost in the sinking of the Tuscania off the
coast of Ireland early in February, 1918; hence the name "Jam es P.
Hawley Post #33 " After World \i\Tar II the name of the first man to
give his life in this great war, Douglas Dieckhoff, who was killed at
Pearl Harbor, was added to make it the Hawley-Dieckhoff Post #33
This name was made official in October of J 944.

A H ISTORY

OF

EE 'A H

The American Legion's obj ectives are best expressed in the Preamble to t he Constitution . It is as fo llows : "For God and country, we
associate ourselves together for t he following pu rposes: To uphold
and defend the Constitution of the Un ited States of America; to
maintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred per
cent Americanism; to preserve the memories and incidents of our
associations in the great wars; to inculcate a sense of individ ual
obligation to the community, state and nation; to combat the autocracy of both t he classes and the m asses; to make rig h t t he master of
migh t; to p romote peace and good will on ear t h ; to safeguard and
t ransmit to posterity the principles of j ustice, freedom and democracy;
to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual
he! pfulness."
C h ild welfare and youth programs h ave long been of primary interest to T he American Legion. Ou r local P ost sponsors a J unior
Legion B aseball Team, which gives the boys arnple part icipation in
competitive sports. Two high school sen ior boys are sponsored each
year to go to Badger Boys State, at R ipon, '7\lisconsin, for one week .
Here they learn the p roper functions of local and state government.
Athletic Awards are given to two high school seniors each year for
their combined scholastic and athletic ac hievements. Assistance is
also always given to needy veterans and their families. Any veteran
may get legal counsel t hrough t he American Legion .
Any person is eligible for rnembersh ip in T h e American Legion, who,
being a citizen of the United States at the time of hi s or her entry
in to the Service, served on active duty in the Armed Forces of an y
governments associated wit h the United States during any of the
following periods : April 16, 19 17, to November IT, 1918 ; December 7,
194J, to September 2, 1945; June 25, I950, to Ju ly 27, 1953 .
Officers of the Hawley-Dieckhoff Post #JJ for 1957 are:
Commander
First Yice Commander
Second \'i ce Commander
Adjutant
Finance Officer
Chaplain
Sgts.-at-Arms

Charles Acton
T om Atkins
Sigmund Akstulewicz
Kenneth Lewis
George R unde
George H enebry
R obert Carlson and Dave Ribbl e

FRATERNAL

AND

S 0 C I AL

0 R GAN I Z AT I 0 NS

245

T he Execu tive Committee consists of Douglas Anderson, C hairman ;

Charles Acton, Tom Atkin s, Kenne t h Lewis, .Jack Meye r, George
Rund e, Casper Olso n, Florian Rad t ke, and H oward P enn ey.
Submitted by Douglas D. //nrlerson

~merican

J:.,egion ~uxiliary lo the Hawley-'Dieckhojf Post Jl(_o . 33,

'Department of Wisconsin

T DE CEMB ER of 1919, Post Command er Frank J. Schneller appointed

Edward D. Beals and Harold Lyon s to call a meeting for the purpose
of organizing an Auxiliary to t he Jam es P. Hawley Post No. 33 . T he
Post had been named in honor of Jam es P. Hawley, the firs t N eenah
man to give his life in the service of his country in W orld \iVar T.
Jam es P. Hawley los t hi s li fe in the sinking of the Tuscania off t he
coast of Ireland earl y in Februar y 1918. In O ctober 1944, t he name of
t he Post was changed to Haw ley-Dieckhoff Post No. 33 in honor of
D ouglas Di eck hoff, who gave his life in the ser vice of his country at
Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, in \iVorld War II.
Mr. Beals an d Mr. Lyons appointed Mrs. Frank J. Schneller as
assis tant in organizing t he Auxiliary . A meeting was called Apri l 9,
1920, when fifteen women signed the application to procure a charter.
The charter was held open until Armistice Day, November II, 1920,
and closed with a m ember ship of 97.
The American Legion Auxil iary was formed for t he purpose of aiding The American Legion in carrying out the great program of p eacetirne ser vice to America to which The American Legion is dedicated.
All of its ac tivities are designed to promote th e work of The American
Legion and to help The Amer ican Legion r each its objectives. Although often working independently on projects of its own, the
Auxiliary has no purposes t ha t are apart from the aims of T he
American Legion. I t is in every sense an "Auxiliary" to The American
Legion and its members serve side by side with t he men of The American Legion in a spirit of un selfis h devo tion to the well-being of the
American r epublic.

A HISTORY OF

The first meeting was held Ju ne

elected :

EENAH

2, 1920 .

The foll ow ing officers were

President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer

i\ Jrs. ~ l aurice F. Barnett

lrs. P earl B rinkerhoff
Miss l ellie H ubbard
Mrs . Grace H awley IcMahon

The F.xec utive Committee :

Mrs. D. S. Greenwood
Mrs. 1-lelen Kimberly Stuart
Miss Lucy Harrison

Membership in the Auxiliar y is limi ted to t he Mothers, w ives,

Sisters and Daughters of all m en and women who were in t he Armed
Forces of th e United States du ring any of t he following periods :
April 6, 1917 to :'\ovember 11, 1918
December 7, 1941 to September 2, 19+5
J une 25, 1950 to Jul y 27, 1953

There are two classes of membership. Those over T 8 years of age

constitute the Senio r membership while t hose under 18 years of age
make up t he Junior members hip.
Meetings are held the second Monday evenin g of eac h month.
Th e m eeting is opened b y recit ing t he Flag Salu te, t he singing of
t he National Anthem a nd t he read ing of t he Preamble of t he National
Co nstitution of t he American Legion :
"For God and Country, we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:
To uphold and defend t he Constitu tion of the nited States of America; to maintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Ameri canism ;
to preserve the memories and incidents o f o ur Association in the Great \Vars; to
inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation; to
combat autocracy of both the classes and masses; to make right the Master of
Might; to promote peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; to participate in and to
contribute to the accomplishment of the aims and purposes of the American Legion;
to consecrate and sanctify our association by our devotion to mutual helpful ness."

The Neenah Unit h as a long and memorable histor y of achievement. A summ ary of the work can be partially explained b y naming
some of t he Standing and Appoin ted Committees :Americanism and Badger Girls State
Legislative Ac t i vi ties

Civil Defense a nd National Securit\

P an-American Study
.

F R A T E R NAL

AN

I)

S0 C IAL

Chi ld Welfa re
Community Servin:
R ehabilitation
J un ior Activities

0 R G A N I Z A T I 0 NS

2+7

Poppy Ac ti vi ties
Hospital and \'\1elfarc
Mental Health Proj ect

Th e U nit is active in the Winnebago County Cou ncil and has a

P ast-Presiden ts P arley. I 9 57 officers :
P resident
Fi rst Vice President
Second Vice President
Secretary
T reasurer
Historian
Chaplain
Sergeant-at-arms
Asst. Sgt.-at-arms
M usician

Mrs. Arthur J. Kessler

M rs. R ola nd L uckow
Mrs. E lsie T heimer
Mrs. Amanda R obinson
Mrs. F ran k R addu
Mrs. Em il C. Kollath
Mrs. Douglas Anderson
Mrs. R obert Carlson
Mrs. Bernice Prestridge
Mrs. Alicia Bart

Executive Comm ittee :

M rs. M. E. B arne t t
Mrs. Florian R adtke
Mrs. R. Kolasinski

M rs. H aro ld Seymour

Mrs. Emmett Wood
Mrs. Louis Schmidt

Submitted by l'vfrs. Arthur']. Kess/er and Mrs . Emil C. Ko/lath, 'July 3 1, 1956

'Business and 'Projessional Women' s (lub

T m s club was started in May, 1928, and the following were among the
charter members : Lynda H ollenbeck (first presiden t), Clara Bloom ,
Mathilda D un ning, Edna R obertson, Es th er Babbi tt, Mrs. W . Z.
Stuar t, Ruth Sparks. Th e obj ectives fo r which the club was formed
were:
T o elevate the standards fo r women in business and in the professions;
T o promote the interest of business and p rofessional women ;
To bring abou t a spirit of cooperation among business and professional wome'1 of
the Un ited States;
T o extend opportunities to busi ness and p rofessional women t hrough education
along lines o f indus trial, scien tific, a nd vocational activities.

Our own local club a t present is giving three scholarships to deserving young women every year, one each to Neenah High School,
Menasha H igh School, and St. Mary's H igh School.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

A t least 753 of t he club rnembers hip mu s t be ac ti vel y engaged in

bu sin ess or in t he professions.
Th e offi cers for 1956- 57 a rc :
l.'lorcnce Forbes, Presi<len t
Helen Bell, First Vice P residen t
M ildred Webster, Second Vice Presi dent
Marie Kellett, Secretary
Ma bel Kramer, Treasurer
R ut h Neabling, E xecutive Board
Lauretta Schultz, Executive Board
Eva J ohnson, P ast P resident
Compiled by Florence Forbes

Vanish c.Brotherhood J:,odge

D ANISH B ROTHERHOOD L oDGE N o . 2, was organ ized January 14, i 882,
with t hirty-three m embers. T he las t one of t hese, Casper Casperson,
d ied March 24 , I 924.
The Bro t herh ood is a fraternal in surance societ y wi t h nat ional
h ead quarters in O rn aha, N ebraska. Membership is limited to Dan ish
m en. N eenah lodge had a t on e tim e 4 84 insured men and m eetings
were h eld in Dan a Club h all, but wh en immigration from D enmark
ceased, the member ship gradually decreased u n t il today th ere are
only thirty-eight left. M eetings are h eld in t he homes of members t he
last Saturday of eac h m onth.
The 1956 offi cers are : Presiden t, C. C. Steffensen ; Secretary, Elber t
T hompson; T r easurer, W illiam P etersen, who has held t hat offi ce for
t hirty-fi ve years.
By /fndrew /fndersen

'Daughters of ufmerican 1\_evolution

T HE Neenah C hapter, Daugh ters of American R evolu t ion , was organi zed a t the hom e of M rs. H elen Kimberly Stuar t, 406 East
\iVisconsin Ave., February 22, 1928. M rs. Stuar t was the organizing
regent, served as Chapter R egen t for eigh t years, an d was Sta te Re-

F R AT E R N A L

A N D

S0 CI A L

gent from 1936 to 1939 There were

following officers were elected:

0 RG A N I Z A T I 0 N S
23

249

charter members, and the

Regent- Mrs. Helen K. Stuart

Vice Regen t- Mrs. Arthur R itger
Chaplain- Miss Damie Wheeler
R ecording Secretary-Miss Caroline \\/heeler
Corresponding Sec.- Mrs. D. C. J ones
Treasurer- M rs. L. J. Pinkerton
R egistrar- Miss Helen D. Wheeler
Historian- Mrs. J. N. Bergstrom
Flag Custodian- Mi ss J essie Wheeler

The motto for all D .A.R. organizations is "Home and Country."

Some of t he objects of th e Soc iety ar e to perpetuate t he memory and
spi ri t of t he men and women who achieved American Independence,
to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to acquire and designate historical spots.
The Neenah C hap ter has a fin e record of outstanding work in edu cation for underprivileged boys and girls. The Chapter h<l:s also helped
to maintain 13 D.A.R. approved sc hools. One of t hese is Northland
College, Ashland, Wis. Li beral con tributions have been made to
Northland College Librar y.
An outstanding project is t he presentation of Good Citizenship
awards to Sen ior High School girls who possess high qualities of
character as a basis of good ci ti zenship. Neenah Chapter now sponsors
a senior girl from four different High Schools-Neenah and Menasha
Hi gh Schools are included in the list.
Among many completed civic proj ects are the placing a nd engraving of a marker to designate a site near t he or iginal Doty Cabi n ; in
i 9 3 2 about l 5 or 20 \Nas hington elms were plan ted on Kimberl y
Point Park.
DAR Centennial Tea was held July 22- 23, 1948, to observe our
state centenni al. J arnes Duane Doty, great grandson of Governor
Doty, came for t he event from F lorida. T he tea was held at Mrs.
Stuart's home.
The present membership is 55 women. 1957-58 Officers are:
Regent- Mrs. H. A. Heller
First Vice Regent- Mrs. L.A. Wien bergen

Second Vice Regent- Mrs.. C . .J oyce

Chaplain- Mrs. H. A. J ohnson

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Recording Secretary- Mrs. W. E. Smith

Corresponding Secretary- Mrs. H. C. Gray
Treasurer- Mrs. A. P. Austin
Registrar- Mrs. H. M. Bishop
Historian- Mrs. Arthur Ritger
Librarian- Mrs. H. 0. Borgen

By Mrs. Arthur Ritger

'Delphian Society
THE first meeting of the Delphian Society was held on July 13, 1918,
with eighteen charter members. Mrs. C. J. Awsumb was the first
President, Miss Celia Boyce, Vice President, and Mrs. F. J. Schneller,
Secretary-Treasurer. Charter members listed were: Mrs. Awsumb,
Miss Boyce, Mrs. Schneller, Mrs. F. C. Barroughs, Mrs. J. M. Donovan, Mrs. Fred Elwers, Mrs. E. E. Jandrey, Mrs. N . C. J ersild, Mrs.
J. F. Kaufman, Mrs. Clarence Schultz, Mrs. Neale Spoor, Mrs.
Harvey Young, Miss Marion Young, Mrs. John Mayer, Mrs. 'i\lilliam
Tauber, Mrs. J . 0. Kuehl and Mrs. Charles Sommers. The group
presently consists of twenty-five members. Of the charter members,
only two, Mrs. J ersild and Mrs. Donovan, remain as of this writing.
1957- 58 Officers are: President, Mrs. G. vV. Petersen; Vice President, Mrs. H. C. Schultz; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. N. C. Jersild.
The society was organized as a study group. Current "best sellers"
are reviewed.
Compiled by Mrs. F. F. Martin

'Disabled ~merican Veterans

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, Chapter No. 46, was organized in
I945 The group meets regularly every second Tuesday of the month.
To be eligible for membership, the participants must have been
wounded or otherwise injured during the time of war. Purpose of the
group is to take care of the disabled from all wars, and be of service
whenever possible, to them.
Present officers: Peter Steffens, Commander; Alfred Goeser, Adju-

FRATERNAL AND

SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS

25 r

tan t Treasu rer; Harold Zimm er, Financial Officer; and Norm an
}union, Officer of the Day. There are 52 members at the present time.

eclectic 'I{eading Circle

THE Eclectic Reading Circle was organized on January 26, I 882,

through the efforts of M iss Anna L. Proctor and a group of interested
men and women of Neenah.
The committee appointed to draw up the constitution was Miss
Minnie Git tins, Jam es Jami son and Wallace Patterson. It stated that
the obj ect of the socie ty was to form a socie ty for mutual ben efi t and
en tertai nment. Charter members numbered 42.
First offi cers were : President-Miss Maggie Shi ell s, Vice Presidents
- Miss Minnie Gittins, Charles Bergstrom; Secretary-E. M .
Proctor.
Present offi cers are: President- Mrs. W. J. Edwards; Vice Presiden t
- Mrs. Frank Merkley; Secretar y- Mrs. Harold H owman.
Miss Anna L. Proctor, chief organizer and charter mem ber, served
as President for man y years before her death on March 22, 1947.
Submitted by Miss Olla M. Perry

economics Club of Jl(eenah & 1vtenasha

ORGANIZED I 898.
Admitted to State Federation- 1900. Admitted to General Federation-191 +
Meetings held in library auditorium, Menasha, first and third
Fridays of the month at 2:00 p. m.
Programs consis t of outstand in g speakers on ar t, music, educa tion,
travel, in ternatio nal relations, li tera ture, book rev iews, etc.
T he Club also sponsors a music departm ent. This department
meets on the fourth Monday of eac h month from Sep ternber through
April. I t is federated wi th the Wisconsin and National Federation of
Music Clubs.

A HISTOR Y

OF

NEENAH

Present ( 1957) officers are:

Mrs. Lynn F. Cooper, President
Miss Lorraine Dennhardt, First Vice President
Mrs. Byron Clark, Second Vice Preside nt
Mrs. William D owling, Secretary
Mrs. Curt Smith, Treasurer

Submitted by Mrs. Lynn Cooper

elks .(odge J\(o . 676

I N 1901 a group of thirty you ng m en from Menasha and Neenah were
taken into membership b y the Benevolent and P rotective Order of
E lks and were granted a charter in t he Order. The installation and
initiation cerem on ies were held in borrowed clubroom s at the old
German Odd Fellows Hall. In addition to t he thirty members
initiated that day) the group was s trengthen ed by the t ran sfer of
six members from the Appleton Lodge.
T he firs t offi cers of the Lodge were : George A. Loescher) Exalted
Rul er; Esteemed Leading Knight, Chri st \ iVal ter; Esteemed L oyal
Knight) Fred Hu band; Esteemed Lecturing Knight, J . L. Youmans;
Secretary, E. A. Oberweiser; Treasurer, \ i\' illiarn Arnemann; Tiler,
0. J. Welsch; Trustees) F. S. Burroughs, Fred Loescher) and James
Thorn; Esquire, Greg Lenz; Chaplain) J arnes Th om; Organist) George
P. Pierce; Inner Guard) R. W. Schlegel.
Jn l 950 t he name of t he organization was changed from Menasha
to J\(eenah-A1enasha B.P.O.E. #676. Present membership is over 450.
For the first few months t he Lodge main tain ed clubrooms at 13 1
Main Street) and then moved to 198 Main Stree t) Menasha. In l 953
the Lodge moved into its new building at 15 Mill Street, Men asha.
Many Twin City organizations make use of the attractive di ning and
social facilities which th e Lodge makes available to th em.
The hi stor y of the local Lodge has been di stinguis hed by its active
support of the man y charitable and patriotic activities which are
supported by t he El ks both nationall y and at the local level. Ch ief
among th e latter are the work of the Crippled Children's Committee,
which han dles an average of four local cases a year a nd has sponsor ed

FRATERNAL

AND

SOCIAL

ORGANIZATIONS

25J

t he presentation of o rt hoped ic equipm ent to T heda Clark Hospital.

Other activities ha\re in clud ed furni shing Christmas baskets to needy
famili es, sponsorship of a Boy Scout troop, presentation of an annual
Flag Day program, and sponsoring rec ru itm ent drives during \ Vorld
War II for the F l ying Cadets, Nu rses Corps and .Engineers Corps.
l 9 57 officers of the Lodge are :
Exalted Ruler, Ri chard Laemmrich
Leading Knight, George I elso n
Loyal Knight, William Giese
Lecturing Knight, Alton Gaertner
Secretary, Milton Boehm
Treasu rer, Richard Hill
Tiler, Gust Schueller
Esquire, Andrew Focke!
Chaplain, Robert Pagel

Inner Guard, J ohn J agerson

Organist, Elmer Schultheis
Trustees:
Ray Fink, Chairman
J ohn Backes
Harold Haberman
J ohn Klein
Harry Kosloski, Sec'y.

Submitted by 'John Backes

The emergency Society of Jl(_eenah and Menasha

THE Neenah-Menasha Emergency Society began informally with a
group of young Neenah and Menasha women sewing for t he victims
of the San Francisco earthquake in April 1906. They later began to
sew for the hospital. At t he suggestion of a local physician, t hey organized formally, enlarged the group, and established regular meeting
days. It was Ellen Lee Banta who suggested the name "Emergency
Society." From time to tim e the membership has been increased
until today it stands at thirty-fi ve.
The charter members were: Miss Helen Babcock, Mrs. John N .
Bergstrom, Mrs. George Banta, Sr. (deceased), Mrs. J. C. Kimberly,
Mrs. L. J. Pinkerton (deceased).
A few accomplishments are:
The Visiting Nurse Association of Neenah and Menasha was staffed
in 1908 and was first financed by t he Emergency Society.
The Emergency Society has helped the hospital throughout t he
years by giving nursery supplies, endowing a free bed, making gifts of
needed equipment, equipping the entire maternity floor of the new
wing in 1948, providing a twice-a-week free book cart service to the

254

A HISTORY OF

EENAH

patients, providing Christmas trees in the wards and gifts to the

chronic patients, furn is hing chil d ren's size furniture in the peciiatric
section and p roviding a cei lin g projector with a library of films fo r
t hose unable to hold a boo k.
A Thrift Shop was opened in 1930. It is open half a day per week
and is operated by members.
During the depression of the th irties, milk, cod liver oil, toothbru shes and tonsillectomies were purchased or paid for by the
Society.
During World War II, cookies were made and sh ipped to U .S.O.
centers in ' iVisconsin.
Prior to 1940, the Social Ser vice Committee Mem bers d id Social
Service investigating and the work in volved. In 1940 Mrs. Ali ce
Peterson was hired as a trained Social Service Worker. In 1943
Mrs. Ru th Falvey took over the du ties as Executive Director of the
Neenah-Menasha Family Service. Neenah-Menasha Family Service
is a private, family ser vice agency, non-sec tarian , which gives emergency reli ef and case work ser vice to families and individuals where
sickness, financial di ffi culties and other causes have created problems
needing material assistance and counseling. The area services Neenah
and Menasha and the townships . In May of 1956, the Emergency
Society ceased to finan ce th e Neenah-Menasha Famil y Ser vice as it
became a member of the Community Chest.
Th e elected officers (1956) are :
P resident- Mrs. Seldon Spencer
Vice President- M rs. Hugh Moore
Second Vice President- Mrs. J ohn Grimes
Secretary- Mrs. James Keating
Treasurer- Mrs. Fred Deutsch

Bes ides the five charter members and thi rty-five active members,
there are thirty-five inacti ve members who have served the community through their work in the Emergency Society for fifteen or more
years.
Submitted by Mrs. Seldon Spencer

l<'RATERNAL

SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS

255

equitable 1(eserve v.lssociation

EARLY in 1897 nine business and professional men in Neenah met and
discussed a plan for the organization of a fra ternal life insurance
society. In the group and its first officers were: President, Frank T.
Russell, who was also president of the Neenah Paper Company; Vice
President, E . A. Williams, general insu rance agent and a former superintendent of schools; Past Presiden t, J. P. Jasperson, proprietor of
the Jasperson House; Medical Examiner, J. R. Barnett, M.D.;
Secretary, Merritt L. Campbell, lawyer; Treasurer, J. C. Hilton,
proprietor of a jewelry store; Auditor, W . G. Brown, banker; \Varden,
Dr. Orrin Thompson, dentist; E. L. Barnes, manager. T. B. Blair
was the new society's first editor.
Mr. Russell, in 1903, was succeeded by E. A. Williams as President,
who with Merritt L. Campbell as Secretary, brought the organization
to the s tatus of one of the leading life insurance companies of the
State and it has been so carried on by succeeding officers.
The first job that faced this group after they had decided on the
plan, was to secure 500 applications for membership and life insurance. The applications were completed, and on August 14, 1897,
the men met and elected officers. On Augu st 17, 1897 the charter to
do business under the name of Equitable Fraternal Union was issued
by the Secretary of State.
The first offices of the new organization were on the second floo r
of the Winnebago Building, corner of V\lest V\lisconsin Avenue and
North Church St., now Jl(_ews-1\,ecord office. \ i\Then the growth of the
society made these quarters inadequate, a Horne Office building was
erected on the corner of Sou th Commercial St. and East Doty Avenue.
The building was dedicated on August 19, i909. William V\7aters of
Oshkosh was archi tect. This building was described by Henry Auler
of Oshkosh as one of the few remaining buildings of classical design
that is tru e to the principle of the Greek method of construction. It too
is an example of what, according to Mr. Auler, is expressed in the
"Parthenon" in Athen s, Greec e. Th e officers and building committee
of the Assoc iation at the time it was p lanned are entitled to credit
for th e construction of an outstanding building, which it was at the
time, and still is. It is a credit to the bu siness district of Neenah.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Equitable Reserve Association H ome Office B uilding

In 1902 ten men in Oskhosh organized another fraterna l life insurance society. This group was also made up of lead ing bus iness,
professional and ind ustrial men of their city. After all legal requirements were me t, this society was chartered under the name Fraternal
Reserve Association. On January 1, 1930 a merger of the two societies
was comple ted under the name Equitable R eserve Association. The
assets of th e Equitable Fraternal Un ion were $5,694,000, which
coupled with those of the Fraternal R eserve Association of $1,659,000,
gave the Equ itable R eserve Association a total of $1,353,000 in assets,
which now exceed $16,000,000, with insurance in force in excess of
$55,000,000.
Si nce the organization of the society, the total benefits paid to
rnem bers and beneficiari es of members is in excess of $32,000,000.
T he annual receipts from life insurance premiums paid by members
and interest earned on the inves ted assets of the society are approxim ate! y $2,000,000.

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The present officers of t he Association ar e:

.J ohn S. T olversen, President
Leon H. T olversen, Vice President and T reasurer
R . D. Molzuw, Vice President and General Attorney
M. j ...:merson, Vice President and Director of Agencies
Norton J. Will iams, P ast President
R . Gordon P ope, Secretary
Lorren A. Schroeder, Assistant Secretary.

equitable 1(eserve Ufssociation J\(_eenah Ufssembly J\(_o . I

EQUITABLE R ESERVE AssocIATION NEENAH Ass EMBLY No. 1, then
Equitable Fraternal Union Assembly No. I, the fi rst of th e local
assemblies under t he parent societ y, held its organization meeting
August 23, 1897. Its membership was 123. Officers elected were :
President, Vv. M. Gilbert; Vice President, C. W. Johnson; Past
President, T. B. Blair; Secretar y, Steph en Stilp ; Treasurer, M . E .
Barnett; Adviser, L. E. Scott; Warden, Geo. G. Barlow; Trustees,
G. Ulrich, J. F. Zonne, Carl Icks.
Early meetings of t he new assembly were held in the Home Office
rooms in the ' i\Tinnebago Building. Later, until suitable rooms were
provided in th e new Home Office building, completed in 1909, t he
Assembly met in the former Dana Club Hall situa ted on t he south
side of East Doty Avenue in t he middle of the block.
T he membership total at t he present time, including men, women
and children is approximately 1,600.
Present offi cers of t he Assembly are :
President : Lorren A. Schroeder
Vice President: Margaret Hinterthu er
Adviser : J ohn W illiams
Treasurer: H oward Hinterthuer
Trustee for three years : Alice Rausch
Trustee for two years : Merton Law
Trustee for one year : Mrs. H enry Melchert
Past President : Francis Olson
Secretary, by appointment from H orne Office : Howard Hin ter thuer.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

e x zibris Club
THE Ex Libris Club was organized in 1951 by Mrs. Robert Thom and
Mrs. Jam es Jersild, the purpose being to become better acquainted
with t he best of current books. A program committee studies the
available books, and each member is given a book to r eview for the
group. The club meets on the t hird \iVedn esday of each month.
First President was Mrs. R obert Thom; Mrs. Jam es Anderson
presently holds that office.

(iermania 'Benevolent Society

THE foundation of the present Germania Society was first laid on
December 1, 1856, when nine men of German descent started a
society with the purpose of helping the sick and burying the dead,
under the leadership of Dr. H en ry Stark, President, Karl Krebs,
Secretary and F. H. Schrage, Treasur er.
In November of 1860, Mr. Curtis Reed donated the land on
Broad Street, where the present Trinity Lutheran Church now stands,
for a building to house the organization. This led to the r esolution to
build a hall. With only $27.50 in the treasury, eac h member was
assessed $10.00, to be paid in monthly installments. This led to the
resignation of nine out of the twenty-six members. With true German
courage and perseverance, the small group did not give up hope, but
set to work bringing logs and stones to the building site, donating
their time and efforts.
On July 4, 1862, the first ball was held in the new hall , which was
a mere frame at the time, lacking even plaster, but by July 4, 1863,
the hall was completed.
Early in the year 1866, death benefits for members was raised from
$20 to $100 and for members' wives from $15 to $so, each member
being assessed 50 for the death of a fellow member, and 25 for the
death o f a member's wife.
In I 862 another German Society was founded, the "Menasha
Turner Society." This society cultivated the old German (Turner) o r
gymnastic exercises, for t he furtherance of hea lt h and muscular

FRAT~RNAL

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SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS

259

strength. Combined with th is purpose was the offering of mutual

benefits to its sick members, and to lend support, as much as possible,
to widows and orphans of deceased members. They purchased a lot
on Chute Stree t and built what is now known as "Germania Hall."
All members also worked without wages to erect the same.
The two societies, however, did not get along well, one provoked
the other and misunderstandings arose. Moved by the old German
adage, "In unity there is strength," a plan was conceived in 1888 to
combine the two societies, under the sponsorship of Leo Neugebauer,
Henry Bachman, John Frost, Werner vVinz and Michael Schwartzbauer. A committee was appointed by each society, and by July of
I 888, the "Concordia Society" and the "Menasha Turner Society"
united into one group, under the name "German Unterstutzungs
Verein." Over one hundred members were present at the actual
signing of the merger paper. The combined balance in cash on hand
at this time was $2,673.35 .
The first officers of the new society were: President, Werner Winz;
Vice President, Michael Schwartzbauer; Recording Secretary, Henry
Bachman; Financial Secretary, Karl Jung, and Treasurer, Anton
Drevis.
In 1927 the society amended its articles to change from a Germanspeaking society to an English-speaking society. Assets were over
$30,000.
In 1939 a new constitution and by-laws were incorporated, and the
name of the society was changed frcm "German Unterstutzungs
Verein" to "GermaniaBenevolen t Society," which name it bears today.
During this 100 years of constant growth I,481 members have been
initiated into this society, with assets of over $70,000.
In April 1948 a dinner and dance was held honoring members with
50 years or more of membership (*indicates deceased 50-year
members since 1948).
*Frank Schmidt
Wm. Tuchscherer
Frank Tuchscherer
*Wm Pagel
Wm. Schultz
*John J. Stammel

*Jos. Stammel
*J ohn Pingel
*Wm. Ruether
J ohn Schultz
Frank Heller, Sr.
*Wm. Neubauer

260

HISTORY

*Chas. Teubauer
Frank Ad rian, Sr.
*Irank Oberwieser
*Richard Stelow
*Peter Krautkramer
*Wm. Knoelke
. *J acob Pscheitt
Sigmund Resch
*John J. Ullman
*Louis Schmitzer

OF

NEENAH

*Val M. Landgraf
*Wm. Welsch
*Peter Heup
.J ul ius Miller
.J ohn Zeininger
*Frank Ripp l
*Geo. Bayer
*Herman Foth
*J ohn Pack
*August Heup

Present offi cers are :

President- Harold J. Berro
Vice President- Louis Herziger
Recording Secretary- Walter Foth
Financial Secretary- Walter Girard
Treasurer- Fred M . Stilp
Trustees- Cornelius Rippl, Lawrence Pontow, \Valrer Bredendick

Submitted by Harold]. Berra

(;olden <Age (lub

THE germ of the idea was planted by Reverend Craig, of Milwaukee,

at a Community Council meeting February 21, i 949 , in Neenah.
R ev. Craig had been active in starting Golden Age Clubs in the Milwaukee area, and explained the clubs and told of their success and
populari ty.
As a r esult of that meeti ng, several people of the Council developed
a plan to survey Twin Cit y residents sixty years of age or older.
Churches, social groups and t he County \Velfare Department cooperated in sending out inform ation and return-cards. About 280
letters were sent out and only 36 cards were returned expressing interest. An in ter est-in ventor y shee t was developed and volu nteers
personally interviewed t hose 36 people.
\Vhen the interviews were completed and the resul ts studied, the
Neenah Recreation Department planned the first Golden Age
Meeting. It was held exactly a year from R ev. Craig's talk on February 21, 1950, at the Neenah R ecreation Buildi ng. Twenty-seven
people attended thi s first meeting.

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The Club meets the firs t and third Tuesday each mon t h, September
through May, and once a mon t h d uring t he summer. A verage attendance is about 60, wi t h a curren t regis tra tion of I68 people.
F o r the pas t three years, the club has had its own monthl y news
letter, whic h is ma il ed to all t hose registered.
Th ough the club was organized prim aril y for social recreati on, i t
has several yearly serv ice proj ec ts. Th e group stuffs en velopes and
prepares Christmas Seals for mailing in Neenah , an d contributes to
th e Chri stmas Gi ving Committee of th e Communi t y Council.
Thi s group is open to anyone wh o is sixty years of age or over. Tt
has helped to make life more enj oyabl e for th e senior citizen, and its
members are hopeful that t he club an d t he community can increase
its ser vices to ser ve more peopl e, an d ser ve t hem better.
Submi11ed by Bill .\I/ii/er

H. ']. .(ewis Woman's 'l{eliej Corps

TH E H . J. L ewis ' Vo man's Reli ef Corps was organized on April 10,
1890, in N eenah, \ Visconsin, b y H elen C harl to n, of Broadhead ,
'Visconsin. Th ere were eigh t een charter members : Mmes. Amanda
Hun t, Maria L. Ro binson, Ebbi e H errick, Nina F. Hui e, Elizabeth
Coats, Fran ces H. G roves, Julia D . !fedd ins, D ora K . H errick,
M elisa Coa ts, Sarah S. Robin so n, Kate J enkin s, Augu s ta Brown,
El et ta Russell, Martha Clemen ts, Mary Har t, l~ ann y \ iVheeler, Jan e
Young, and Eliza Lan sing. The first offi cers w ere :
P resident- Am anda Hunt
Sr. Vice Presiden t- Mari a Robi nson
J r. Vice P resident- Abbie Herrick
Secretar y- '.\1"ina Hu ie
T reasu rer Eliza beth Coats

Chaplain Frances G roves

Cond uctor Ju lia l\ leddins
Guard- Rosella Law
Ass t. Conductor Dora H errick
Asst . Guard - i\ lelisa Coats

Th e o bj ec ti ves of t he " 7om an's Reli ef Corps a re : T o ai d and assist

t he Grand Army of t he Republic and to perpetu a te t he memo ry of its
heroi c dead; to ass is t such U nion Veterans as need help and protection , and to ex tend needful aid to th eir wido ws an d orphans in find ing
them h om es and employmen t and assuring th em of sy mpathy and
friend s, and to maintain true allegiance to th e U nited States of

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

America, and to in culcate lessons of patriotism and love of country

among our c hildren and in the communi ty in wh ich we live. T h ese
obj ectives have now been broadened to inclu de assistance to veterans
of all wars of t he United States, in h ospitals and h omes, and to assist
men and women presently in the services of our cou nt r y.
The Corps first met in t he homes of members. As t he membership
increased from the origin al eighteen, a vacant store was rented. In
1893, with a membership of 64, the Corps moved to the old M ichelson
Hall, located where the post offi ce now stands. In 1907 S. A . Cook
invited t he Corps to meet in the then-new S. A. Cook Armory, with
no cost to t he organization. T his financial arrangement was permanently arranged for by M r. Cook. Now, after sixty-six years,
membership totals 91 members.
Activities of t he Corps, besides those included in t he objectives, are:
child welfare work, presentation of flags as requested by such groups
as the Boy and Girl Scouts; vari ous requests for relief, financial aid
to local groups, such as Theda Clark Hospital, V NA, etc.
1956 officers a re :
President- Evelyn Cash
Sr. Vice President- Evelyn Moseng
Jr. Vice President- Caroline Bergman
Secretary- Mildred Liskow
Treasurer- E ll a Witteman
Conductor- Meta Larsen
Guard- Lena Fosterling
Asst. Conductor- Minnie Hanselman
Asst. Guard- Mary Liskow
Patriotic Instructor- Helen Rasmussen
Press Correspondent- Maryie Hawkinson
Color Bearers : Martha Eberlein, Doris Bogrand, Mary Staszak, Lucil le Blank
Musician- Edi th Seymour

There are 4,651 members in t he state of Wisconsin.

Submitted by Freda H errick, Past Department President (45 year membership)

H ornernaker' s (lub
THE Neenah Homemaker's Club is sponsored by the Neenah Vocational and Adult School and was organized in May, 1939, for the pur-

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263

pose of improving hom e and family Jiving in this community. Mr.

C. F. Hedges, Superintendent of t he Neenah Schools, Mr. Carl
Chris tensen, Director of Neenah Vocational and Adult School, and
Mrs. Irma Kyle, Hom emaking Teacher and Coordinator at the school,
were the :first perso ns to initiate the club work for homemakers as a
part of the adult school program.
Lay persons assisting in the development of the club were Mrs.
C. B. Clark, Mrs. Hugh W. Roberts, Mrs. Karl Oberreich, Mrs.
Albrech t Gross and Mrs. Henry J ohnson. (Mrs. Kenneth Harwood
was the :first president. ) Other objecti ves in corporated into t he constitution were to give homemakers an opportunity for self-expression
in all phases of homemaking and advance adult homemaking activities
in the school and community.
Programs are held monthly and speakers present talks pertaining
to home and family life. Each year club members participate in a
welfare projec t for the benefit of the community. In r956 a one
hundred dollar scholarship was presented to a practical nurse trainee
at Theda Clark Memorial Hospi tal to help her meet the obligations
of her training. Food baskets are gi ven to aged persons at Chris tmas
to make their day brigh ter.

i957 offi cers of th e club are:

Miss
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.

Lorra ine Dennh ardt- President

Fran k R addu- Vice President
Gerald Llewell yn- Secretary
Frank Miller- T reasurer
Irm a Kyle- Club Advisor
Fred Bentzen- His torian

Submitted by Mrs. Herman Kramer

]ob' s 'Daughters 'Bethel #57

JoB 's D AUGHTERS BETHEL #57 of the International Order of J ob's

Daughters of Neenah, Wisconsin , was organized in October, 1949,
and char ter ed in January, 1950.
Purpose is to band young girls between t he ages of 12 to 20 together
for good fellowship, religious living and teaching.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

F irs t offic ers were: Miss Bessie Thompson, Honored Queen; Miss
Beverl y Block, Senior Princess, Mi ss Beverly Sagel, Junior Princess.
Th e Guardian Council at that time was : Mrs. Marge Lu ebben,
Guardian; Mr. Kenneth Bisel, Asst. Guardian; Mrs. vVm. Mueller,
Guardian Secretar y; Mrs. George Thompso n, Treasurer; Mrs. Ed.
M illis, Guard ian Musician .
Officers (October 1956) are: Miss Ann Kriess, Honored Queen;
Miss Karen R asmussen, Senior Prin cess; Miss J eanin e J ohn son,
Junior Princess.
Th e t wo Guardians at present are : Mrs. Marge Luebben, Guardian;
Mr. J oseph Beisens tein, Assoc iate Guardian.
Submitted by Mrs . Marge Luebben

l(ing' s Daughters
MR s. PETER REI S , of Sheboygan, approached Mrs.Jam es Bergs trom
and Mrs. George Gilbert to organize a King's Daughters circle in th e
Fox Ri ver Valley. Tn May 1923, Mrs. Bergstrom and Mrs. Gilbert
invited one hundred friends to a lunch eo n at Ri verview Country Club
to m eet Mrs. Rei ss who gave an impressive talk on t he International
Order o f King's Daughters and Sons. B y working d iligentl y through
t he summer Mrs. Bergstrom and Mrs. Gilbert and Mrs. P eter Paulson
had two circ.les of twelve m embers eac h, one in Appleton and one in
Neenah, read y for Mrs. R eiss to ini tia te into t he Order in September.
Two years later Mrs. Bergs trom , with the assistance of Mrs.
Raym ond Kelly, organized a Junior Circle of teen age girl s, which is
now known as the Fran ces Gilbert Circle, whose direction is under the
guidance of th e Service Circle.
At a convention in 1934 t he Wisco nsin Branch voted to bu y and
support a Home for Aged \i\lomen as its Branch \i\lork. It was through
th e untiring effor ts of its Treasurer, Mrs. P eter Paulson of Appleton,
t hat money was rai sed for t he \i\lisconsin Branch to in corpora te in
i 936 and bu y a house in Sheboygan for $rn,ooo. Subsequently, our
H ome became th e d irect cha rge of a Horn e Boa rd of Sheboygan
Daughters. Two funds were th en established for the H ome : The
Maintenance Fund and The Endowment Fund. The latter now exceeds $15,000. Contributions to th ese funds are made each year at

FRATER

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26 5

th e con vention according to the ability and generosity of each Circle.

Th e H ome is open a t a no minal fee to an y elder] y woman in good
health and is equipped to provide for 8 or 9 women.
Th e Ser vice Circle, b y raising money chi efl y through t he Sewing
Committee and t he Turno ver Sh op, has had man y p rojects since
1923 . Am ong th em: contributing approx ima tely $200 each year to
pack and distribute Chris tmas baskets to the needy; providing $1 00
to t he Menasha Public High School for ho t lun ches for children unab le
to pay for them. The Homemaker Service, completel y organized ,
conduc ted and supported by the Service Circle fill s a long felt need
in the community. Trained women are av ailable to en ter a home and
take over t he duties o f a mo ther when s he is absent d ue to any su dden
em ergen cy su ch as illness. This ser vice is a vailabl e to all and paid for
by the Service Circle wh en the finan cial burd en is too grea t for t he
s tricken famil y.
In th e past years the Circle purchased an Oxygen T ent for Theda
Clark H ospi t al, and in 1948 furni shed a fou r bed ward for the new
h ospi tal at a cost of ~1 , 1 00. The Circl e also purchased an audiom eter
that was used for man y y ears b y both th e N eenah and Menas ha
schools. A pet proj ec t of the Circle for man y years un t il it was d iscontinu ed was the Chi ldren' s \iVard of Sunn yview Tuberculosis
Sanatorium. Eac h child 's birthday was remembered with gifts of
necessiti es and playthings. A holiday n ever passed with out appropri a te decorat ions an d favo rs such as Christmas trees, fl owers, valentin es
and patrio ti c tra y favors on nati onal holi d a ys.
Th e M emo rial Fund, es tablished in I 945, provides a means of acknowledging t he dea t h of a friend or relati ve wi t h a contribu tion to
a cha ri t able fun d . Thi s fun d is used to provide camperships for needy
c hild ren of t he T win Cities.
Taken from the booklet "A Brief Summary of the Histoi-y of The King's Daughters and
Sons,"- submitted by Mrs. Iveaux W . Andersen

l(,ing' s 'Daughters and Sons, W elfare ( ircle

I N i 949 t he \ iVelfare Circle of t he Internat ional Order of King's
Dau ghters an d Sons was organized b y Mrs. J ohn Plowright, on the

266

HISTORY

OF

NEENA H

instiga tion of Mrs. Silas Spengler and Mrs. Arthu r H aselow of the
Service Circle.
After open discussion by the members regarding a name for the
Circle, it was decided to accep t the nam e Welfare Circle, feeling that
this title was not only s ignifican t of the work we successfully aspire
to achieve, but indicative of the unlimi ted scop e given us in th e
name Weljare.
Our first President was Mrs. J ohn Plowright; Vice Presiden t, Mrs.
Robert Goodman; Secretary, Mrs. Robert Asmuth; Treasurer, Mrs.
David Middleton. Our present officers are : Mrs. E ric Isakson,
Presiden t ; Mrs. ' i\larren F urbeck, Vice President; Mrs. R obert
Thorns, Secretary; Mrs. Victor Sc hmi dt, Treasurer; Mrs. H erbert
Gaustad, Corresponding Secretary.
Th e ac tivities consist of:
I) Toy Cart. This is a project for dispensing handicraft and toys to
small children in Theda Clark Hospital.
2) Cancer dressings. The American Cancer Society gives the Welfare
Circle the material for these dressings, and they are dispensed through
the Visiting Nurse Association to cancer patients in ' i\linnebago
County. In I955- 56 l l,920 dressings were made and l l,980 distributed.
3) Charity. This consists in participation in the Community
Council's Christmas giving program, and donations to the King's
Daughters H orn e in Sheboygan .
Submitter! by Mrs. Eric I sakson

K.Jwanis (lub
THE Kiwanis Club of Neenah was formally organized Februar y 2,
1926, with 38 charter members. Appleton Ki wanis sponsored the new
group.
Norton J. 'Williams was elec ted president; Frank L. Fadner, vice
presiden t ; William Campbell, treasurer; George E . Sande, district
trustee; Dr. Truman J . Seiler, secretary, and Girvan Warner, T. M .
Gilbert, C. W. Sawyer, George Elwers, Dr. H arry A. Briggs, ' i\lilli am
A. D aniel, and Harold R. Han son, directors.

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Of t he 38 char ter members, seven are stil l active in K iwanis :

Geo. Sande, D r. Seiler, H. E. Christoph, Norton Williams, Charles J.
Madson, T . M. Gilbert, a nd Dr. J. P . Canavan.
Cu rren t offi cers (1958 ) are Harold Gray, presiden t ; Alan Adrian,
vice p resident; Paul D odge, secretar y and Harvey Dauffenbach,
treasu rer. Directors inclu de I veaux Andersen, Arch Dixon, Clar k
Harris, H arm on M cCarth y, D r. Canavan, Gordon Sawyer, and
William Mill er.
Service to the community is one of the phases of Kiwanis principles
and N eenah K iwanis has con tribu ted its m easure to the betterm ent
of Neenah and its people. Ser vice activities range from sponsoring a
h igh school boy a t Badger Boys State each year, to entertaini ng
m ore t han 2,500 c hild ren annually a t Halloween parties; . . . from
honoring N eenah teachers a t a publ ic dinner party to bri nging personal Chris tmas gifts to patients at T hed a Clark hosp ital.
<?../Jr-.....9

Jl.(icolet Council Jl.(o. I838 !(,nights of Columbus

Nrco LET CouNCIL N o. 1838 K . of C., was in stituted on M ay 7 t h,
19 16, wi t h eighty-seven Ch arter Mem bers.
It was m os tly t hrough th e efforts of R ev. George A. Clifford, a nd
som e t wenty m en : J am es Aus tin , Edward T. Corbett, J am es P.
Cassidy, George 0 . E ckrich, J am es F oxgrover, Ed ward M . H a tton,
Clement L. J ourd ain, Albert F . Koser, Leo Koser, J acob Liebl, An ton
T. Lueckenbach , J ohn Marx, Daniel D . M orrissey, George E . Murphy,
George J. M ayer, Ch arles J . Oberweiser, Frank J. Sensenbrenner,
J ohn Sc hreibeis, Charles A. Somm ers, Frank E . Sensenbrenner a nd
J ohn J. \iVeber, t hat a Charter was granted b y the Suprem e Council
to es tablish a Coun cil, in M enasha-N een ah. During W orld War J,
thirty-seven m embers enter ed t he arm ed services, U rban Bergeron
and J oseph Hubb ard made t he supreme sacrifice in this \iVar. Dr.
C. C. D el Marcelle was cited in d ispatches an d r eceived th e C roix
de Guerre.
At the beginning of w orld \tVar II, Nicolet Coun cil No. 1838 led
t he way in M enas ha-N eena h by sponsorship of th e first M o bile Blood
D onor U ni t for t he convenience of t he citizens of t he two cities.

268

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E ENAH

Thirty-eight members or about twelve per cent of the members hip

at the ti me saw active service in World W ar lT . Whil e several of t he
members were wo unded, through the grace of (;od none of them we re
cal led upon to make t he Su preme Sacrifice for thei r co untry.
Nicolet Council in Menas ha-Neenah was named after J ean Nicolet,
probably the first white man to enter the region . He was a French
Explorer sent out by Champlain and landed near the presen t city of
Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1634. J ean Nicolet traveled down the Fox
Ri ver, travelling through the cities of Menasha-Neenah.
Today, March 25th, i958 the Council has a membership of ++S, and
owns a Club H ouse at 337 Broad St., fenasha.

!(,nights of 'Pythias

NEENAH LO DGE, No. 80, Knights of P ythias, was in stituted on May

27, ] 890.
Nineteen prom inent men signed the Charter, realizing the need for
F ra ternali sm, with the basic principles of Frien dship, Charity and
Bene volence, promoting cooperation and goodwill, poin ting the way
to happiness through the path of Service.
The original meeting place was in the Elwers Buildin g on Wisconsin
Avenu e. In 1921, the property on the corner of Church Street and
D oty Avenue was purchased and remodeled, for a Lodge Hall and
Club rooms . Man y memorable events, such as dances and parties,
were enjoyed here, for a number of years, fo r the benefit of both local
and national charities. During the depression of 1933, this property
was lost. Since then the meeting p lace has been in the J{_ews-1(ecord
Building on Wisco nsin A venu e.
Names on the Char ter are: George A. Davis-Frank R. LeavensF . R. Davis- L. \V. Giffin- C. H. Bergstrom- . E . Jand rey\V. H. \i\' heeler- A. D. Eldridge- George L. 1adson- J. H. H ealyG. 1\1. Gillingham- M. E. Barnett- H. A. Stone- . A. CookE . J. Lachmann - W. M. Gilbert- M . Vv. F ernegen- Th omas Higgins
- Merritt Campbell.
1957 offi cers are: Carl M. Anderson, Chancellor Commander;

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269

C. P. Lemberg, Vice Cha ncellor; Neil V\l . Larson, Prelate; Otto

Steffenhagen, Master of \i\lork; Fred E hlert, Master at Arms; Harry
Bishop, Secretary; H ar vey Larson, Treasurer; A. J. Sc hmutz, Inner
Guard; Ove Moller, Outer Guard; Trus tees, T heodore Larso n,
Otto Steffenhagen, and J o hn S. Tolversen .

.(adies of the <;;rand <Army of the 7(ep ublic

THE C. B. Clark Circle, L adies of t he Grand Army of the R epublic,

was organized in May, 1912, by Mrs. Ethel Irish, wh o was then t he
national president of t he organization. T here were thirty cha r ter
members, only fi ve of whom are living today; viz, Mrs. Orrie Coates,
of Appleton, Mrs. Stella Larson, of Eu stis, F lorida, Miss T heo
McCaLlum, Miss Lena Miller and M rs. C. H. Pope, of Neenah. T he
first president was Mrs. Robert Law; secretar y, M rs. Eva Arms trong;
treasurer, Mrs. J ohn LeTourneu x.
T he purpose of the organizat ion was to assist the Grand Arrn y of
the R epubli c in its work and to give aid to any Ci vil \iVa r Veterans
or their depend ent ones in time of need . E ligibility is limited to female
blood kin relatives of soldiers, sailors and marines who served honorably in the Civil \i\lar, 1861-1865.
The organization also aims to teac h patrio tism and lessons of good
citizenship to t he youth of our land, and to preserve t he memory of
our national heroes. The C. B. Clark Circle presents fl ags to schools
and youth organizations in Neenah.
The C. B. Clark Circle h ad t he honor of giving to the national organization its 1955- 56 pr esident, Miss Theo McCallum.
1957 officers of t he C. B. Clark Circle are:
President- Mrs. M. L. Brandsmark
Vice Presiden t- Miss Theo McCallum
Secretary- Mrs. Ernest Rhoades
Treasurer- Mrs. Fil a Walter
Submitted by Mrs. A1. L. B1'andsinark

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J:.,eague of Women Voters of Jl(_eenah-A1enasha

THE League of \;vomen Voters was first organized local] y in 1920 by

Mrs. W . Z. Stuart and M rs. Lyle Pinkerton. \;vomen were entitled to
vote for t he first t irne in t he presidential election in November, l 920,
and th e members of t his first League gave out literature on voting
procedure, urged wo men to vote, and transported them to t he polls.
T he League then went out of existence because of a lack of interest.
In 1947, a group of women h eaded by Mrs. Donald VV. Davis
applied to th e state and national League of \;vomen Voters to become
a local League. For two years, they op erated as a prov isional League
because of th e national ruling th at eac h league should represent only
one unit of government, and the local group wanted to be a Twin
City unit. Finally, the ruling was modified and t he group becam e t he
first League representing more than one unit of governmen t. T he fi rst
officers were :
President- Mrs. Donald \V. Davis
rst Vice President- Mrs. E. 0. \Voerner
2nd Vice President- M rs. M el vin Crowley

Secretary- Miss Margaret Griffiths

Treasurer- Mrs. Lydia Curtin

T he membership in 1956 numbers 147 women, and the officers are:

President- Mrs. Donald C. Shepard
rst Vice President- Mrs. L. vV. Zabel
2nd Vice President- Mrs. Everton Cass

Secretary- Mrs. Gavin \V. Young

Treasurer- Mrs. E . 0. Woerner

The pur pose of the League of Women Voters is to promote political

r esponsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in
government.
By Mrs. Karl Forsgren

(Seep. 291 for write-u p of Neenah L ions Club)

clisha l(ent l(ane J:.,odge of }ree and cAccepted Ma sons

was
organized in M enasha, as Menas ha Lodge No. 61, and dispensation
was granted by t he Grand Lodge Feb rua ry 16, 1855. Th e first meeting
was h eld on March I of t hat year, and the first master was Joseph
Keys. The ch ar ter was granted by the Grand Lodge in J une, i855.
ELI S H A K ENT K ANE LoDGE OF FR E E AND A CCE PTED M ASONS

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For t he fi rst few months meetings were held in 1enasha, but since
October, 1855, t hey have been held in Neenah .
Tn l 857 a pe tition was sent to t he Grand Lodge to change t he name
from Menasha Lodge to Union Lodge No. 61 , but Grand Lodge first
changed the name to Tyrean Lodge, and then resolved to change it
to Kane Lodge. In March , 1923, the Lodge was formally changed to
Elisha Kent Kane Lodge No. 61, the name it retains today. Elisha
Kent Kane was an astronomer, chemist, surgeon, explorer and a
Mason. He was appointed a surgeon in the U . S. Navy, and served
at t ha t post in t he Grinnell Arctic exploration. In 1853 h e commanded
an expedition to search for Sir John Franklin and his companion, who
were lost in the Arctic. T he expedition was unsuccessful, and Kane
returned after two years of hardshi p and suffering, broken in health,
and he died in 1857.
Th e new Masonic Temple, an imposing building located at 241
East Wisconsin Avenue, was cons truc ted in 1925- 26, and was dedicated in 1926. Indebtedness of the new Temple was paid off on Jul y
21, 1946.
(As printed in the August J9, J948, centennial edition of the Twin City News-Record)

M a~oni c

T e mple

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1958 offi cers are:

Worshipful Master- Harold Wilkes
Senior \Varden Fred Rreitenbach
.J unior Warden Guy Arentsen
Treasurer- Francis Lund, Sr.
Secretar y- Harry M. Bishop
Senior Deacon- Verne vVilson
J unior Deacon- Charles Littlefield
Steward- Stanley Hoyman
Steward- Frank H . Penney
Ti ler- Wm. D. Mathewson
Trustees: Clarence F. Martin, Clifford H. Farley, Clyde R. Buxton

Jl(_eenah Chapter #88 l(oyal ~rch Masons

Under the leadership of Dr. George H. \iVilli amson, Neenah Ch apter
#88 R oyal Arch Masons was organized during Janu ary 1914. Th e
three princip al officers of the Chapter were D r. George H. \iVilliamson,
as Excellent High Priest, Mr. A . W. Kellogg as King, and Mr. Charles
Schultz as Scribe. In forming this new Chapter much work was do ne
by Mr. C. S. Kimball, th e first Secretary of the New Chapter.
Present officers are:
Excellent High Priest- Clyde R. Bu xton
King- Wm. B. Dresser
Scribe- Frederick Willarson.

Submitted by Howard N. Nelson .

T win (ities (ommandery Jl.(o . 39 !(nights Templar

I N I915 thirty Knights T emplar resid ing in the citi es of Neena h and
Menasha signed an application to the Grand Commandery of Knights
T emplar of the State of Vlisconsin to form and open a Commander y
of Knights Templar in the City of Menasha. The Dispensation was
issued by t he Grand Commandery February 14, 1916 and the first
conclave of the new Com mandery which was to be known as Twin

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Cities Commandery No. 39, Knights T emplar, was held in the Masonic Temple in Menash a. T he following officers were selected :
Eminent Commander- Joseph Hill
Generalissimo- Charles B. Clark
Capt. General- . H. Schultz
Recorder- Frank 0. H eckrodt

October i 8, 1916 the offi cers of t he Grand Commandery of the

State of Wisconsin convened at the Masonic Temple in Menash a and
presen ted to Twin Cities Commandery their Charter and th e Number
"39." Election of officers was held resulting in the election of the
above named Sir Knights, together with other officers, and the Grand
Commander proceeded to install them.
The growth of thi s new Commander y was rapid and the roster of
membership holds the names of many of our leading citizens
In 1926 the new Masonic Temple was buil t in the city of Neenah.
Some of the Sir Knights wished to move to this new and beautiful
building but there was oppos ition to this move. On May 7, 1929 it

Members of Masonic Lodge over 70 years of age- photo made in 1950. (Left to right) First row: Roy
Babcock, Charles Pope, Dr. George Williamson, Richard Acheson, Owen J ones, Emil Schultz, Harley
Hilton, Frank Otis. Second row: Emil Aderhold, Frank Klinke, Rev. Wm. H arms, Mads Hansen, Bill
Krueger, Olaf Myhre, Earl Sharpless, Art Arnemann. T hird row: John Roberts, Hugo Krueger, Bill
Mathewson, George P)'Ott, Sr., Bill Neubauer, Gus Toepel, Bob Martens, Ernest Pettingill. at in the
picture: George L. Madson, a member for 6 5 years.

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was decided that the move to Neenah should be made. Since that day
the home of Twin Cities Commandery No. 39 Knights T emplar has
been in the Neenah Masonic Temple.
For the year of 1957- 58 the following are officers :
Commander- Wm. G. Mueller
Generalissimo- Carrol I R ogers
Capt. General- Dewey VanBuskirk
Senior Warden- Charles Greiner
Junior Warden- William Dresser
Prelate- J oe Beisenstein
Treasurer- Oscar C. J ohnson
Recorder- Carl H. Buehner
Standard Bearer- Albert Johnson
Sword Bearer- Aaron Dix
\iVarder- Clarence Smith
Sentinel- Thos. Calder

One of the Past Commanders has been honored by being elected

to office in the Grand Commandery. He is \Valter H. Bisping and is
at present the Deputy Grand Commander.
F our Past Commanders received the coveted honorar y degree of
"Knight of the York Cross of Honour." They are:
Clarence Arneman n
Oscar Peterson
Walter Bisping
Carl H . Buehner
Submitted by Carl H. Buehner

Order of the eastern Star, I894- I956

T HE Order of the Eastern Star was originated in the year i 850 by
Rober t Morris, a Master Mason of New York City, New York,
affectionately call ed by his friends and adm irers, "Th e P oet Laureate"
of Freemasonry.
He was a devoll t man and an ardent st ud ent of the Bible. He loved
to use his vivid, poetical imagination to reconstruct the lives and
surroundings of Biblical characters, such as Adah, Ruth, Esther,
Martha and Electa, around whom the five degrees of the Order of the

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Eastern Star was built. R obert Morris brought them out of the d im
and remote r ecesses of t he past and animated them with life and
reality into character s whose qualities have made the "Order of the
Eastern Star" ritualistic work so impressive.
With the help of Mrs. Morris and R obert McCoy, a Master Mason
of some literary abilit y, R obert Morris' original manuscript was put
into book form and from t his the ritualistic work of the Order of the
Eastern Star was com piled.
From the beginning th e Order of t he Eastern Star fl ourished and
many c hap ter s came into existence, Neenah being one of t he early
chapters.
On November i6, r876 at a convention of representatives held in
I ndian apol is, Indiana, a General Grand C hapter, Order of t he Eastern
Star was organized.
On May 19, 1893 a d ispensation was granted to the charter members
of Neenah, "W isconsin and on February 21, 1894 the charter was
drawn- Neenah being Chapter N umber 53 in the state of Wisco nsin.
This charter included wives, d augh ter s, sisters, mothers and widows
of Master Masons of both Neenah and Menasha. Later Menasha was
granted its own chapter. The sign ers of the original charter of this
great fraternal organization in the city of Neenah were: Haskell E .
Coats, E lizabeth Coats, Abbie Herrick, Arthur Kellogg, Belle
Kellogg, Thomas Jacobs, Lottie Jacobs, J ohn Herrick, D ora Herrick,
Moses Billstein, Clara Billstein, Mathilda Krueger, Louise Krueger,
Edmund Lachmann, D ora Lac hmann, J oseph P rice, Kate Price,
Gertrude Price, George Par ker, Frank Russel, Eleatta Russel, Ida
Gilson, Fred Peck, and Nellie P eck, all deceased. T he first Worthy
Matron of the Chap ter was Mrs. Lottie Jacobs and t he first V'lorth y
Patron, E . J. Lachman n.
For many years, Neenah C hapter #SJ, Order of t he Eastern Star
held its meetings on the upper fl oor of t he Sherry Building at I 45 W.
\ Visconsin A venu e, ser ving t he Twin Ci ties. Tn 1920 the Chapter
moved to t he Equitable R eserve Association building on Commercia l
Stree t. On J une 19, 1926 the present Masonic Temple was dedicated
and from then until now t he Neenah Order of t he Eastern Star #53
has h eld its meetings t here.

A HISTORY

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Thus the Neenah Order of the Eastern Star has had a place in the
beau ti fol city of Neenah for 6 5 years.
1958 officers are:
vVort hy Matron- J oann Miller
Worthy Patron- Carroll Rogers
Associate Matron- Adeline Rogers
Associate Patron- Philip Schanke
Secretary- Elsie Kleinhenz
Treasurer- Elsie Schultz
Conductress- Carol Dresser
Associate Conductress- Mart ha Schanke
Ada h- Delores Gray

Ruth- Viola Doane

Esther- H elen Bran dherm
Martha- Ru th Johnson
Electa- Claudia Whaley
Chaplain- Helen Martin
Marshall- Aman da Robinson
Organist- Estelle Buehner
Warder- J osephine Breitenbach
~entinel-H arry Bishop

Submitted by Hazel Burnside Pace

Social Order of the 'Beauceant

The Social Order of the Beaucean t is an organization of the wives

and widows of Knights Templar. I ts purpose is to promote sociability,
perform benevolent work, extend sympathy and assistance to members, and to aid the Kn igh ts Templar when requested. Neenah
Assembly # I 84, S.0.0.B., was constituted on December I I, 1953,
with 36 wives and widows of Knights Templar of Neenah and
:Menasha as ch arter members.
First officers were: President- Mrs. Walter Bisping; OracleM rs. Jam es Heuer; First Vice President- M rs. William Mueller.
1957 officers are : President-Mrs. Carroll Rogers; Oracle-Mrs.
George Littlefield; First Vice President- Mrs. Edward Spoerk.
Submitted by Mrs. Charles Greiner

Menasha <;arden (lub

IN FEBR UARY, i 927, t he Civic Department of the Economics Club,

under the chairmanship of Mrs. H . E. Bullard, sponsored an informal
garden club. This group, composed of residents of Menas ha and
Neenah, held meetings for study and discussion, and in February,
1930, the Menasha Garden Club was formall y organ ized.

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Mrs. Id a vVatkins was presid ent, and Mrs. H. E. Bullard, secretary.

The objective of the club is to stimulate an interest in garden ing
and development of ho me ground s, and to aid in the protection of
fo res ts, wi ld fl owers and birds an d to promote civic beautifi cation .
Officers for 1956 : President, Miss Lorraine G. Dennhardt; Vice
President, Mrs. Harold Young; Secretary and Treasurer, M rs. Charles
Raila r.
Offi cers for 1957 : President, Mrs. Harold You ng; Vice President,
Miss J essie E. Dennhardt; Secretary and Treasu rer, Mrs. Matth ew
Auer.
Submitted by Miss Barbara Thom

J\(eenali (lub
THE Neenah Club was organized on May 12, 1909. Articles of in corporation were signed by F . E. Ballister, C. B. Clark and F . A. Leavens.
"The purpose and object of the corporation shall be to main tain a
club for the purpose of affording a place of meeting and social enj oyment for the members thereof; also for the purpose of acquiring,
owning, holding and leasing real estate or such other property as may
be desirable in order to carry in to effect the purposes of this association. "
First officers : 1909- 1910- C. B. Clark, President; E. J. Lachmann ,
Vice President; S. F . Durga, Secretary.
Present offi cers : Paul N . Dawson, President; I rwin Pearson, Vice
President; H arry Korotev, Secretary-Treasurer.

Oddjellowsliip
THE Odd Fellow Lodge was organized in Neenah on December 12,
1849. D esignated as Lodge No. 41, th e organization, after several
years of life, gave up its charter in the fall of 18 59. Officers at tim e of
dissolution were : Gorham P. Vining, N. G., M. D. McGrath, V. G . ;
vVm . Taggert, Secretary; E. G. Pussle y, Treasurer.
In February, 1870, the Lodge was reinstated under the following

HISTORY

OF

NEl<:NAH

officers : \V. G. Ritch, r. G.; 0. S. Millard, \'. G.; I. \ V. Hunt,

R ec. Secretar y; L. C. Sessions, Fin ancial Secretary; H. P. Leavens,
Treasurer.
The division known as the Daughters of Rebekah was organ ized
D ecember 5, 187J, under the title of Cherisa Lodge No. J I. Menash a
Lodge No. 187, I.0.0 .F . was granted a cha rter on Janu ary 19, 1871,
by the then Grand Master, Sam R yan of Appleton. In 1922 lodges
No. 41 and No. JJ6 consolidated with lodge No. JJ6 .
Betty Rebekah Lodge No. 212 was granted a charter by Grand
Master Penhallegon on June 8, 1910. C harter members wer e : T. J.
Gould, E. T. Phillips, C has. Gasey, C has . Gear, Harry Bishop, Bessie
Gear, Myrtle Gea r, Laura Gould, Anna \iValker, Nell Helvey and
Katherine Gear.
Submitted by Wm . D. Mathewson

Oddjellowship- ':Betty 1(ebekah .(,odge # 22

BETTY REBEKAH LooGE No. 212 of Menasha, \ iVisconsin, was instituted on August 14, 1909 at t he Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street.
Transferred from Cherisa Rebekah Lodge #JI of Neenah, were
Katherine Gear, Laura K. Gould, Bessie Gear, Chas. Gear, T. J. Gould,
A nna \i\7alker and Nell Helvey.
T h e first officers were: Noble Grand, Katherine Gear; Vice Grand,
Laura Gould; Secretary, Nell Helvey; Treasurer, Bessie Gear;
Deputy, Katherine Gear.
The objects and purposes of Rebekah lodges a re declared to be:
To visit and care for the sick; to relieve the distressed; to bury t he
dead , and in every way to assist t heir own members, and to assist
subordinate and sister Rebekah lodges in kindly ministrations to the
families of Odd Fellows when in trouble, sickness, or want.
To aid in t he establishment and maintenance of homes for aged and
indigent Odd Fellows and their wives, and for th e widows of deceased
Odd Fellows; and homes for the care, education, and support of
orphans of deceased Odd Fellows and of deceased sisters of t he R ebekah Degree.

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To cultiva te ancl extend the soc ial and fraternal relat ions of life
among lodges and the families of Odd Fellows.
Officers are ( r956) : Noble Grand, Mrs. John Mollon ; Vice Grand,
Miss Mabel \iVilcox ; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Victor Fritz; Financial
Secretar y, Mrs. Lawrence Terrio; Treasurer, Mrs. Violet Kyle; and
District Deputy, Mrs. Gerald Kiefer.
Submitted by Mrs. Gerald Kiefer

Optimist (lub of J\(eenah-Menasha

THE club was chartered by International on November 16, 1954, with
thirty-five local Twin Ci ty members :
Gordon Blank
Carl E . Boettcher
Dr. R alp h Bonfigli o
Robert E. Boni ni
Robert L. B rock man
William L. Copps
Palmer J. Cumings
S. R. Davis
Robert C. D iRen zo
Robert Downie
H arold Faverty
Vern Duerrwach ter
R oyden D. Ginnow
Frank Gmeiner
E. Munroe Hjerstedt
Raymond V. Hudson
E ugene B. Jessup
Donald \V. Kleinschmidt

Nor ber t Kozlowski

J ohn Kuebler
LeRoy E . Kuehn
Dr. James LaLiberte
William D. Lieber
R oy Misky
H arold L. Nelson
Robert A. Putman
Wayne Skidmore
Earl Smith, Jr.
Donald F. Staffeld
Philip W. Stone
Paul M . Stordock
Maxwell A. Tungate
Edwin R. Woldt
Ri chard C. Wolter
R obert M . Wright

The first elected offi cers were :

P resident- Earl Smith, J r.
Vice President- R obert DiRenzo
Vice President- Philip Stone
Secretary-Treasurer- . B. J essup
Directors- Earl Smith, Jr.
Robert D iRenzo
. B. J essup
Maxwell Tungate

D r. Ralph Bonfiglio
Ph ilip Stone
Harold Faverty
R oyden Ginnow

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Present officers are :

President- \.\lill iam Dowling, Jr.
First Vice President- J ohn Kuebler
Second Vice President- J ohn Galloway
Secretary-Treasurer- Merton Shaw
Directors- William Dowling, J r.
Edwin Woldt
William Copps
J ohn Kuebler
John Sensenbrenner, Jr.
J ohn Galloway
D onald Buchta
Merton Shaw
Gavin Young

Purpose of the club is to carry out the principles of Op timist

International, or a "Fri end of the Boy." The club's first maj or project
was to sponsor a Pram Sailing F leet, supported by local business and
individuals, for the promotion of small craft sailing for child ren of
Neenah and Menasha.
Subm itted by Merion C. Shaw

7( otary Club

THE Neenah Rotary Club received its charter Apri l 29, 1925, with
23 charter mem bers. Dr. T. D. Smith was the flrst p res ident, and
Howard P . Buck the first secretary.
The activities of the Neenah Rotary Club are ch anneled into four
avenues of service : club service, vocational service, com munity ser vice and international service.
An example of communi ty service is found in the honor student
p rogram in the high school, where a boy and a girl in each of the four
classes are selected every nine weeks to be the guests of the Club.
They are selected by a high school faculty comm ittee on the basis of
a "Code of Ethics for High School Studen ts." The original Code of
Ethics was written by Neale Spoor in 192 7 and revised and rewritten
in 1935 by Charles Velte.
As an example of international ser vice, each year the junior or
senior class in high school study an important current international

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question or problem and write essays on the subject. Three winners

are selected to read their essays at a Club meeting during the latter
part of th e school year.
The Club supports t he Boy Scout movement in various ways, and
helps to send boys as delegates or representatives to various state or
district meetings, such as Boys' State and to R otary conferences.
Mernbers of the Club are actively engaged in many of the city's community projects. Support is given to crippled children's work. A student Joan fund was established in the early years of the Club to assist
worthy students who need finan cial assistance in their college work.
The Club has a lso for a number of years sponsored a series of programs, bringing to the Twin Cities and Appleton outstanding performers in the entertainment field .
In 1952 the Club produced a traffic safety film entitled, "Safety is
No Accident." Members of t he Club wrote the script and played the
parts.
Individual Rotarians are active members and officers in such organizations as th e C hamber of Commerce, City Council, Board of Education, Park Board, and other local boards and commissions.
The Club participated in set ting up the Paul Harris Foundation to
send college students to foreign countries for a post-graduate study
course, enabling them to bring a better understanding of t heir home
country to the people of the country in which they are studying, and
in understanding t he countries to which they are sent. This is supplemented by correspondence between t he local Club and Rotary Clubs
in foreign lands and their members.
T h e object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service
as a basis of worth y enterprise, and, in particular, to encourage and
foster:
The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
High ethical s tandards in business and professions, the recogJ1ition of the
wor t hiness of all useful occupations; and t he dign ifying b y each Rotarian o f
his occupation as an opportunity to se rve society .
3 . The applica tion of th e id eal of ser vice by every R ota rian to his personal, business and community life.
4. The advancement of international understanding, good will and peace through
I.

2.

HISTORY

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NEENAH

a world fellowship of business and professional men united in the ideal of

service.

1957- 58 offi cers are : Dr. G. Vv. Petersen, President; Dr. J. L. Donovan , Vice President ; Jack Casper, Secretary; H. C. Hilton, Treasurer.

'R...,oyal J\(eiglibors of Ulmerica, 'Doty [amp, J\(o . 634f

DoTY CAMP No. 6341, Royal Neighbors of Ameri ca, was organized by
J osephin e Pulger and District D eputy Ella Bliss, assisted by State
Supervisi ng Deputy Louise M . Parks, May 25, 1910, with 33 charter
members. At present there are 144 adu lt benefi t members, 44juvenil e
members and I O social members.
Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each mo nth in Eagles
Hall.
Vve observe Memorial Day, Mothers D ay and the third Saturday
in Jun e- Juvenile Day, and a picnic for Royal Neighbors.
1956 officers are:
Oracle-Sarah H aufe
Vice Oracle- Del la Cloutier
P ast Oracle- Meta Larson
Chancellor- Amelia Grupe
Recorder- Ruth Drews
Receiver- Sylvia K ampo
Marshal- Hilda Koepke
Assistant Marshal- Minn ie H anselman
In ner Senti nel- Florence Purdy
Outer Sentinel-Mar tha Eberlein

Managers- Mathi lda R ohloff, Margie

Hawkinson, Alma Anderson
Musician- Edi t h Seymour
Flag Bearer- Georgiana Miller
Captain of Degree Staff- H elen Collins
Faith- Emma Danielsen
Courage- Louise Pannen
Modesty- Margaret Haas
Endu rance- Mathilda J ohnson
L'nselfishness- Dorothy Neubauer

Submitted by Mrs . W alter Haufe

Sarah 'Doty Study [lub

IN THE summer and early fall of 1938 a group of five or six young
housewives agreed that their minds needed stimulating, ~ h e ir memories refreshed, and their time con cerned with more cultural and informati ve subjects than bridge. After some discussion and experi-

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mentation, t hey formed a "study" club, with emp hasis on t he wo rd

" study." T hey were to presen t th eir own papers on a subject chosen
by t he group fo r the year's work, with an occasional speaker relating
to the subject.
The subject chosen that first year, 1938, was the ~ineteenth Century English ~ovel, di rected through the extension division of the
University of \rVisconsin and the University Librar y. Twice during
t he year a lecturer was sen t from the University, and a most stimulating p rogram was conducted on the work of T hackeray, D ickens,
Meredith, J ames, Austen, Scott, E liot and many, man y others. D iscussions were li vely, since all members participated in this s tudy.
Mrs. H oward Canfield served as the club's first president, with
Mrs. R ichard Bell as t he first program chairman. Sarah Doty Study
Club was chosen as t he name most appealing to all members. Later
in t he year an origin al letter from Sarah Doty to one of her friends
was sen t to t he clu b by Bella F ox, of Kau kauna, Wi sco ns in. I t was
unanimousl y voted to present t his letter to t he Doty Cabin when t h is
h istorical site was being renovated.
Meetings were held t he first and thi rd Wednesday afternoons of the
month at the Neenah Library. There were seventeen charter members :
Mrs.
l\l rs.
Mrs.
l\l rs.
l\lrs.
l\lrs.
Mrs.
l\ l rs.
M rs.

R ussell Anderson
Ri chard Bell
S. \\'. Bylow
Howard Canfield
Charles Campbell
George H astings
Herber t J ewell
R. F. Lotz
W. M at thes

l rs.
l\ l rs.
l rs.
l\ lrs.
l\ l rs.
l\ lrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.

Marvin Ol so n
\\lard Sullivan
George Tarter
Forrest Werling
V. E. Zeu then
Fred Ro binso n
L yal Williams
Harold Kriekard

Over t he years the cour se of stud y has been planned by a d iligent

program committee. Often t he committee has had the invaluable help
of the University Extension and Library service; occasionall y, as in
the case of music appreciation, t he supervision of an in struc tor; and
a lways the inter est and service of t he Neenah Public Libra ry. At pr esent one of t he L aw rence Coll ege P rofessors is assisting with t he program on Shakespeare.

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Today the membership is limited to 25, with meetings held the first
Monday evening of the month in the members' h omes. A program for
guests is presented each year in the form of a concert, play review, or
lecturer speaking on a subject related to the year's study. The fall
season opens with a dinner meeting at Riverview Country Club.
The opera, the symphony, contemporary American novelists, current plays, American diplomacy and U. S. foreign policy, anthropology, contemporary art and Renaissance art are some of t he topics
that have held Sarah Doty Study Club members' interest for one- and
of ten two-year periods.
Submitted by Mrs. Charles Zemlock

United Church Women

THIS organization started informally as a non-denominational group
of church women meeting to observe World Day of Prayer. In 1945 it
was organ ized officiall y as the Council of Church Women, on a local
basis. First offi cers were : Mrs. J. D. Schmerein, President; Mrs. I. E .
Ozanne, Vice President, and Mrs. Carl Peterson, Secretary and Treasurer. Mrs. M. L. Brandsmark, Mrs. S. N. Pickard and Mrs. E . M.
Beeman were appointed to draw up the constitution.
In I947 the group affiliated with the national Council of Church
Women, and in 1951, changed its name to United Church \iVomen.
"The purpose shall be to unite church women in their allegiance to
their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through a program looking to their
integration in the total life and work of the church."
In addition to annual observance of World Day of Prayer, which is
held the first F riday in Lent, the group also participates in World
Comrnunity Day ser vices, May Fellowship Day, and has an annual
meeting, which fo r the last few years has been held at Green Lake,
Wisconsin, on the grounds of the Arnerican Baptist Assembly. Special
projects have included gifts of money to migrant workers and to the
American Leprosy Mission, and aid to foreign students.

F R AT E R N A L

AN D

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0 R GAN I Z AT I 0 N S

28 5

Membership in the U ni ted Churc h \!\'omen is op en to a ll church

women of any denomination.
Presidents
Mrs. J. D. Schmerein
Mrs. M. L. Brandsmark
Mrs. S. N . Pickard
Mrs. N . C. J ersild

1945- 46
1 947

1948-49
1950

Mrs. Hugo Erdmann

Mrs. Verne Wilson
Mrs. Thomas Catlin

195 1- 52- 53
1954- 55

1956- 57

Submitted by Mrs. H ugo Erdmann

Veterans of Foreign Wars, H ubbard-Peterson Post 7990

THE firs t mee ting was held at the club rooms at II6 Main St., on
Octo ber IO, I948 . Acting Commander Lawrence Koehne called the
meeting to order. First offi cers of th e pos t, elected at t his meeting,
were:
Commander- Lawrence Koehne
Sr. Vi ce Commander- R. Dudley Young
J r. Vice Commander- J ohn N ickash
Chaplain- Adolph Blai r
P os t Advocate- E mil Blank, J r.
Trustees : Francis Cane- 18 mos.
Hugh Strange- I 2 mos.
Bernard F reim- 6 mos.

Commander Koehne appoin ted t he fo llowing members to offi ce :

Alber t J. M ue nch, P ost Adjutant
Minot Rosselle, Officer of the D ay
Orban H. Heberty, Guard
Walter Foelker, Post Historian
Alton Schnetzer and Earl Cole, Color Bearers
Donald Nielson, Quartermaster Sergeant
Larry T essen, Sergeant Major

P os t Commanders since year of organization:

1948- Lawrence Koehne
1949- E mil Blank, Jr.
1950-Har vey Koerwitz
1951- J ohn :'-Jickash
1952- Emil Bl ank, Jr.

1953195419551956-

Warren Krueger
Warren Krueger
Alvin Grambsch
Alvin Grambsch

286

A HISTORY

OF

NE E

AH

T he purpose of t he organization is to wo rk fo r loyal t y to t he co mmuni ty fo r t he betterm en t of its citi zens, and to t he U . S. Governm ent, wit h par t icu la r em p has is on com mu ni ty service.
Submitted by Alvin Grambsc/1

'U.F. WJ. c/fux iliary of H ubbard-'Peterson 'Post 7990

V.F.\V . Aux1LIARY was organ ized in October, 1949, by Kat herine
Blank, of N eenah , t hen sixth distric t Presiden t of th e V.F.VV. Auxiliary. A t t hat t ime Neenah cit izens had been c harter members of t he
M enash a Au xili ary, but wh en an Auxiliar y was organized in Neenah,
they tran sferred t hei r membership.
Objects are fra ternal, pat rio tic, his torical and educational; to assis t
t he P ost and its m embers wh enever poss ibl e, to main tain tru e all egia nce to t he governm en t of t he Uni ted S ta tes of Am erica an d fi delity
to its Constit u tion and laws ; to promo te t rue patrio t ism; to maintain
an d extend t he in stitutions of American freedom and equal righ ts a nd
justice to all men and wom en , and to preser ve and defend t he U nited
S tates of A meri ca from all its enemies.
\Ve cont ri bu te to all local dr ives ; ha ve gi ven gifts and money to
T h ed a Clark H ospi t al, t he N eenah F ire D epart m en t for t he a mbu lance, to th e VNA, assist disabled ve terans and t heir fa rnilies wh en
t hey are in need, send out Chris tmas baskets to needy rnembers, also
any o th er famil y in th e cit y needing a li ttle Chri stmas cheer , wor k on
the Christmas giving committ ee of the Communi ty Council and help
an y fam ily or p erson in t he city in t im e of n eed, aid all veteran hospitals in \ i\Tisconsin, support an orphan in Korea and Europ e and contribute to V.F.W. N ational H ome a t Eaton Rapids, Michigan, for
widows an d orphans of deceased veterans-the onl y such home in t he
U . S., also present flags to Girl and Boy Scou t groups, Boys' Brigade
and sc hools. "Ser vice to o thers" is our a im .
1956 offi cers ar e : P resid ent, Mrs. M ar yie H a wkin son ; Sr. Vice
Presiden t, Mrs. Barbara Ti mm ; Jr. Vice Presid en t, Mrs. Alvina

FR AT E R NA L

AND

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0 R GAN I Z A T I 0 N S

287

Har tzheim; C haplain , Mrs. Laura Grambsch ; Secretary, Mrs. Lilli an

Cam pbell; Treasurer, M rs. Katherin e Blank; Conductr ess, Mrs. Li llian Olson; Guard, M rs. Ramona Steichen; Patrioti c Ins t ru ctor, M rs.
Dori s Kru eger.
Submitted by Lillian Olson

Who's Jl{__ew (lub

' i\THo' s NEw CLUB was organized at least twenty-fi ve years ago by
Mrs. Mary Buck. Meetin gs at that time were held at T he Young
' Vornen's Club , East Doty A.venue. Thi s club has, and is, serv in g a
fin e pu rpose in t hi s community, in t hat it in troduces new peopl e an<l
cr eates a spirit of fri endliness and sociabi lity.
The ser vice program is to provide a vacation for crippled chil dren
at Camp vVawbeek, ' iVisconsin Dells, ' i\lisconsin.
19 57 Officers : President, Mrs. Robert Tu ttiup
Vice President, Mrs. Thomas Madden
Secretary, Mrs. Robert Yakes
T reasurer, Mrs. Carl \iValter

Submitted by iVlrs. Robert Tu!!rup

Women's (hristian Un ion

TH E Neenah C hapter of the ' iVomen 's Ch ristian Union, auxili ary ot
th e s tate vV.C.T.U. was organized in 1885. Mrs. Hattie E. ' i\lood was
President. Other membe rs were: Mrs. S. B. Morgan, Mrs. E . M .
Wil so n, M iss Nell ie M itchell, Mrs. F. F. Kellogg, M rs. Lottie J acob,
Mrs. M . J. DeLong, Mrs. Lew is.
Purpose : Th e W .C.T.U . is an organ ization of Christian women
united for th e protection of th e home; for t he prohibi tion of liquor
traffic; to prom ote good citize ns hip, peace and the general welfare.
Th e local chapter meets once a month at homes of members.

288

A H I STORY

OF

NEENAH

Officers elected August, i9 56, are as follow s :

Mrs. I. E . Ozanne, President
Mrs. Belle Williams, Vice President
Mrs. Ida Ir ving, Secy.
Mrs. Myrtle Coy, Corres ponding Secy.
Mrs. J. D. Schmerein, Treas.

Named as Vice Presidents, representing churches, are: Miss Olla

Perry, Presbyterian; Mrs. Daisy Driscoll, W hiting Memorial Baptist ;
Mrs. Forres t Wilms, Methodist; M r s. Dan H owm an, Fi rst Evangelical U nited Breth r en.
Submitted by Mrs. Margarita B . Ozanne

Women's T uesday (lub of J\(eenah

THE Women's Tuesday Clu b of Neenah dates back to October, 1886,
when a group of Neenah women began a reading and study club for
mutual benefit and pleasure. Th is was known as "A Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle" with 27 members, and held weekly meetings from October until June. A C hautauqua course of study was pursued under the efficient leadership of Mrs. J. B. Lummis, of Appl eton.
The first President was Mrs. George Harlo w, who ser ved two years,
followed by M rs. John Proctor, who held t his office for fi ve years.
Miss Jenni e Cook was the first Secretary, wh o ser ved six years .
In i896, by vote of members, the name was changed to "The Women's Tuesday Club of Neenah," a name which it has always kept, as
all of its previous mee tings had been held on Tuesday afternoons. In
1901 the membership was limited to forty members.
During these years American, English, French, li terature, art,
music and history and many other studies were enjoyed through the
leadersh ip of fine speakers, and the papers prepared and d iscussed by
club members. Critics were appointed for t he meetings. Current events
were always a fea ture of t he meetings.
Meetings had been held in the homes of members, but in 190+ a
basem en t room on th e west side of the new Publi c Library Building
had been set aside by the Library Board for t he exclu sive use of "The

FR A T E RNAL

AN D

S 0 C l AL

0 R GAN I Z AT I 0 NS

2 89

\i\lomen's Tu esd a y Cl ub. " On March 22, 1904, t he first meeting was
held in the new club room, a nd each mem ber felt a glow of pride and
sa tisfaction as th ey assembl ed. Th e Tuesday Club turned t he room
back to the Library Board to be u sed by o ther literary clubs, reserving Tuesd a y for t he W omen's Tuesday Club.
Wi t h larger and comfortable cl ub rooms, the Club increased its
membership frorn tim e to time. It has been a study club through the
years. Its motto has always been, "Stud y to be what you wish to
seern. "
It would be most diffi cu lt to give even a fair estimate of t he many
promin ent spea kers secured and the lectures presented t hrough all
t he years of t he club 's growt h. The intellec tual an d social side has
had gr ea t influ ence in t his community.
In accepting t he offer of t he use of t he club room from t he L ibrary
Boa rd, t he resolu tions had stated t hat t he Tuesda y Club could ha ve
t he use of t he room " un til su ch time as said Board might ot her wise
decide." In 1955 it becam e necessary t ha t t he room be used for librar y
work, because of the crowd ed space in t he Library. I t was t hen necessary to fi nd an oth er place for clu b meetings. After thorough inquiry
by a comm ittee, it was decided to gather at t he W hi ting M emorial
Boa t H ouse, and t he first mee ting was held November I , 1955, in this
building. In November, 1957, t he Tuesday Club transferred its mee tings from t he Boa t H ouse to the new Boys' Br igade Build ing.
A t t he present tim e t here are 125 active mem bers and four ho norary members. 195 7 offi cers are :
P resident- Mrs. \N. A. D aniel
F irst Vice P resident- M rs. v\/. B. H ildebrand
Second Vi ce P resident- Mrs. F red Smi th
R ecording Secretary- frs. Lyall Wi lli ams
Correspondi ng Secretary- M rs. Leon T olverson
T reasurer- Mrs. E dwin A. Kalfahs

T he Tuesday Club, now in existence over seventy years, has carri ed

on one of its or iginal obj ec ts : " T o fu r ther all measures for t he be t terment of t he communi ty."
Submitted by Mrs . Arthur Rilger

A HISTO R Y

OF

NEENAH

Y. T. and F . (htb- ]l(_eenah and JVlenasha

l N OcTOBER 1889 eleven women met at t he home of Mrs. S. E. Hayward for the pu rpose of organizing a Chau tauqua Ladies' Study Circle.
Th e Chautauqua P oc ket Manual was used as t heir guide, and programs were, in part, t hose sugges ted by the monthly numbers of the
Ch autauqua magazine. First year officers were: President, Mrs. W. P.
Hewitt; Vice President, Mrs. D . B. Lewis ; Secretary and Treasurer,
M rs. S. B. Morgan.
In l 894 th e C hau tau qua program was discon tinned, and the Club
name changed to Y . T. and F., Yesterday, Today and Forever. In
l 895 the Club affiliated with t he Gen eral Federation of \ i\lomen's
Clubs.
Club member ship is limited to twenty-four, and meetings are held
in rnem bers' homes. Books of general interest are reviewed, panel discussions held and new plays read.
Officers for 1956- 57 are : P resident, Mrs. Har vey Leaman; First
Vice P resident, Mrs. R ober t D eLong; Second Vice President, M rs.
Marvin King; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Way ne Long.
Submitted by Mrs. Ernest Rhoades

Zonia (lub
TH E Neenah-Menash a Zonta Club, a classified service club for execut ive women, was organ ized in November, 1949, wit h fifteen charter
members, by Etta Preston, of Evanston, Illinois, t hen international
chairman of Zonta Organization .
First offi cers of the club were : M iss Co ra Heckrodt, P resident ; Miss
Helen Brockway, Vice President; Miss Ru th Geiss, Secr etar y, and
Miss Edna Zi ck, Treasurer.
Th e purpose of the organization is "service to the community." Its
prese n t m embership is thirty-three. T he club holds two meetings eac h
month, on the first and thi rd Wednesday. 1957 officers are : Miss
Marion Klein, President; Mrs. Doroth y Worzalla, Vice President;

FRATERNAL

AND

SO C IAL

ORGANIZATIONS

291

Mrs. Ann Evenstad, Treasurer ; M iss Helen Alferi , Secretary. Th ese

offi cers, along with Miss Ed na Zick, Mrs. Margaret Laab, Miss Cora
H eckrodt and Miss Leone Bovee comprise the Board of Directors.
Submitted by Miss Ruth Roper

]\(_eenalz .(ions Club

THE Neenah Lions Club was issued its charter on March 27, 1936. The
followi ng were Charter Members: Roy Babcock, Wm. B. Benedict,
G. W. Gibson, H. D. Gates, H. H ameister, Al Hidde, F. J . Hauser,
Ole J orgensen, C. M. Jan sen, Arthur Kessler, R. 0. Kuehmsted,
E. C. J oyce, A. J . Laflin, E . W. Ladwig, Wm. Kraemer, R. E. Kelly,
Dr. R. C. Lowe, A. G. Prunuske, Geo. W. Pyott, Jr. , 0. B. Pratt,
Clement Ri ckab y, Dr. F. H . Simerson, L. M . Steffen, Dr. B. K .
Ozann e, B. T. Dodge and Rev. Abner Laque. Three charter members
are still in the club. T hey are L. M. Steffen, Arthur Kessler and
Al L afli n.
The officers for the coming year 195 8- 1959 are Dr. H. Paul Jacobi,
President, Fred Michel, First Vice-President and Ray E . Cheslock,
Secretary-Treasurer. The Club meets every other Tuesday evening
and is composed of local busin ess and professional men. Present membership is 40.
Typical of the club's accomplishments in the last 22 years are : Completely furnished four rooms for Theda Clark Hospi tal, purchased
countless pairs of glasses for needy children in the city, an Isolette
for the nursery at Theda Clark Hospital, eye testing equ ipm ent for
the public schools, and a television set to Sunnyview Sanatorium.
Neenah Lions are proud of their communi ty and are ever ready to
do their share to make Neenah-Menasha a better place in which to
live.
Submitted by Ray E Cheslock, Sec'y-Treas.

THEDA CLARK N1EN10 R IAL HOSPITAL

TH EDA CLARK MEMORIAL H osPITAL was erected in 1909 as a memorial
to Mrs. Th eda Clark Peters. Wishing to give t he community some
needed and worthwhile gift, she had made a bequest of $96,ooo. After
considering t he possible uses for t he mon ey, her famil y decided that a
hospital was the best answer.
T o place the new institution on a secu re financia l foundation, Mrs.
Peters' family made an additional gift
of $30,000. Construction of the building took $80,000, and the remaining
~46,ooo was set aside as an endowment,
the income from which was to be used
to help cover the cost of operation.
The hospital provided 25 beds, but
the first year on ly a total of 196 patients were admitted. B y 1919 admissions rose to 1,r1+ More space and
more facilities were essential. The Board
of Trustees decided on the construction
of an additional wing, doubling the
original space. Construction costs had
C. B. Clarkjumped during the years of World War
Born Seprembe r 5, 1882
Died April 6, 1949
I. Cost of the addition was more than
H e loved rhe ci ry of his birrh, and gave
of himself and of his means ro irs welfare
SI 50,000, and it became necessary for
as has no orher cirizen.
[ d onor to l00 k
t h e f am1'l y 0 f t j1e ong111a
r

for outside help in shouldering the load. Local firm s and individuals
made con t ri bu tions totaling S6o,ooo.
A nursing sc hool had been started in 19 10 , with five s tudents. Miss
Amelia Ritchie, who was Superintendent of the hospital, d irected the
sc hool. This sc hool was affiliated with Cook County Hospital and
students were given part of their training there. The school continued
until 1938, and had graduated 127 students. An alumni association
was formed, and since the nurses had all taken surgical training un der
Mi ss Julia Sorenson, who was connected with the hosp ital almost

HOSPITAL

Theda Clark Memorial Hospital under construction.

from the beginning until she resign ed in i952, t he association honored

Miss Sorenson with an honorary membership.
Growing pain s were felt again in i 928. The sc hool of nursing had
o utgrown its quarters, and plan s were drawn for a new urses' Home
to cost S107,ooo. Half of this amount was furni shed by t he family of
the origin a l donor, t he o ther half was subsc ribed by a group of interested indi viduals of the commun it y.
By 19-+7 admissions had grown to 3,32 1. The population of the area
served by Theda Clark had grown from 16,500 in 1910 to an estimated

The completed building (1909)

A HISTORY

OF

EE

AH

1948 addition made to original hospital building.

35,000 in 1947. The hospi tal trustees had felt for some time t hat an
expansion progra m was necessary. With the end of World War II an
application was made for approval to start construction of a new h ospital. Construction was started soon after. The old building was revamped and t he final result was a new hospi tal throughout. The
hospital has 16.+ beds, and ever y modern facility is provided. Funds
to pa y for the h ospi tal were provided by C. B. Clark, wit h the help
of in dus try, organizations and in d ividuals.
T he new and enlarged hospital has proved its worth . During the
year ending April 30, r 957 , 6,307 patients were admitted, t her e wer e
1,082 births, 6,23+ outpatients, an d 5,3+2 operations performed. A
school for practical nurses is being cond ucted, headed b y 1rs. Glad ys
:\lelson.
And, as these lin es are written, expansion plans are again being
formulated.
Compiled by Miss Esther Klingman, Supt.

NATURAL ICE BUSINESS

VV E WERE well in to the 20t h Centur y (abou t t he t hird decade) wh en
electr icity made its appearance for househo ld gadgets and appliances,
inclu di ng refrigeration units . Prior to t hat time, all refrigeration was
achieved through natural ice, harvested during January and February, and stored in rough fram e build ings on the shor e of Lake Winnebago. Th e ice, as it was stacked, tier upon tier, was buried in sawdus t
to protect it from summ er 's heat. Th e ice was del ivered to custom ers
by a horse d rawn covered wagon, t he d river u sing ice tongs to carry
t he cakes fro m t he street to t he ice box.
One icehou se, owned b y Thomas J ones, stood at t he east end of
E ast VVisconsin Avenue. The other and larger establishment was the
property of \iVilliam Arnemann. His son, Arthur Arnemann, submits
the following as to hi s father:
" W illiam Arnemann- arrived in 1872, married in i 873. E st a blished natural ice
business in 1876. Original ice house loca ted at homes tead, 622 I sabella Street. Fred
Staffeld was fi rst regu la r ice delivery man, hired in r 878 .
"Later the property by the lake was purchased, and two more ice houses were
erected. T he swimming pool now occupies the land on whi ch the ice houses stood.
" T he business was in the fam il y until 1937, when it was sold to A . . Schu ltz, fuel
dealer ."

INDUSTRIAL
rJftlas T ag Company
THE A tlas Tag Company was organized in i 932 by Russell and Renfru
Kuehmsted to manufacture tags of a ll kinds. I t was purchased and
reorganized in 1940 by Ir vin L. Young, of Chicago. Th ere are now
branches in Chicago and Canada. Present officers are: Irvin L. Young,
President; H. W . G raverson, Vice President; Allen B. Adams, Secretary; and F . B. Schrei ber, Treasurer.

(ieorge 'Banta Company, Inc.

GEORGE BANTA, SR., whose life spanned 78 years from I 857 to l 935 ,
was founder of the Banta Publishing Company, which not only sends
its magazines and textbooks and schoo l "workbooks" to the fa r places
of the earth, but furnis hes em ployment and opportunity to over 600
people, man y of whom are Neenah citizens. As in ever y construc tive
enterprise, the origin of the Banta Company is traceable to a n idea.
George Banta, Sr., when a boy of eight years, with his broth er Charles,
set up a h and operated press in t heir fat her's wood ~ h ed . Always interested in printing as a hobby, he later in stalled a foot press in t he family
dining room, following his marriage to Ellen Lee Pleasants in 1886. It
was not un til 1901 t hat Mr. Ban ta decided to make a bu siness of hi s
hobby. In t hat year t he George Banta Prin ting Company was in corporated, with a capital of $4,000. Officers were: George Banta, Sr.,
President; Vv. C. Wing, Vice Presiden t; Geo rge L. Pierce, SecretaryTreasurer; George Stein, Superintendent. Two years later the name
was changed to "George Banta Publishin g Company. "
In 1903 t he enterprising you ng concern obtained a contract for
printing The Scroll of " Phi D elta Th eta, " a college fra ternity t hat
Mr. Ban ta served with devotion since his college day s. At t he t im e
it was necessary to set t he magazin e b y ha nd . Other fra ternity and
sorori ty j ourn als were added as custo mers. Since t hose early days a
great majority of the college fraternity journals have co n tinued to
296

Office of Edgewater P aper Company

Neenah Foundry Company

George Banta Company, Inc.

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

bear the imprint of the Collegiate Press, as the Banta firm is known
the coun try over. In 191 2 1r. Banta founded Banta's Greek Exchange the interfraternity journal serving the college fraternity
world . The publication is now edited by George Banta, Jr. , present
President, who joined hi s father in the business in 191 r.
An important relationship with the United States Naval Institute
began in T9'2'2. This r esulted in an unbroken fl ow of business, and a
citation :- "In recognition of t hirty years of continuous and outstanding service to the Naval In stitute in the furtherance of its objectives,
- the advancement of professional Ji teracy and scientific knowledge."
During the early '30s the Banta Company pioneered a revolutionary educational process known as the now familiar "work book" or
"work pad." A large web-fed offset press was installed in their new
Midway plant to produce these books in quantity and at low cost.
During World War I, R. E. Thickens, later to become President,
came into the organization. His first assignment was to head up a staff
for the preparation of military texts, which bulked large in the company's business during that era.
From 191 I to the present, the story is one of progressive expansion,
punctuated by the purchase in 1943 of 27. 1 acres in the township of
Menasha, on which the Midway plan t was constructed; the property
of the Island Paper Company (former Howard Paper Company) was
purchased in i939.
Mr. R. E. Thickens having passed on, the present officers are :
George Ban ta, Jr. , President; C. A. Peerenboom, Vice President;
J. H . Wilterding, Vice President; George Banta III, Secretary; L. C.
Roeck, Treasurer.
Number of employees and pay rolls by decades :
r9o r

1910
1920 162
1930 298

198 .00 (3 mos.)

17, 677 .20
170 , 196 .00
534 , 491. 88

1940 41 8
598
1955 646

1950

817 ,045.34
2 , 4 I 8 , 970 . I 4

3,500,000 .00

INDUSTRIAL

13ergstrom Foundry

I N 1876, H. Babcoc k, D. W. and George 0. Bergstrom purc hased t he

foundry from Smi t h, Van Ostrand & Leavens. Th ey manufactured
stoves, furnaces and plows.
George Bergstrom purchased th e in terest of D. W. Bergstrom in
1904, an d a shor t tim e later, th e interest of H. Babcock estate. In 1928
George 0. Bergstrom sold his interes t to James vV. Bergstrom .
At this time a furnace fitting manufacturing plan t at Milwaukee,
Wiscon sin, was purchased. It was the intention to manufacture furnaces and t he necessary fi ttings for the installation of furnaces, and
to retire from the stove business. T he Milwaukee plant was operated
for about a year, when the manufacturing end was moved to Neenah
and the Milwaukee plant u sed as a warehou se and j obbing center for
the furnaces and fittings, as well as other sheet metal products.
The Milwaukee plant was closed after several years of operation,
and the Neenah plant con tinued, except the foundry end of the business. Thereafter furnace cas tings were purchased.
In 1948 t he real estate and build ings were sold to Lyall \i\lilliams
and associates, who closed the manufacturing end of t he business,
and r evamped t he buildings, using t hem for t heir plum bing supply
business.

13ergstrom 'Paper Company

BERGSTROM P APER COMPANY was founded in 1904 through th e purchase of t he \i\linnebago Paper Mills from W. L. Davis. The property
was in such a poor state of repair, t hat a com plete renovation of the
mill was necessary following its purchase.
The founders were D . W. Bergs trom, who came to t his coun try in
I 852, at the age of fi ve; and hi s son, J ohn N. Bergstrom . D. W. Bergs trom was formerly a partner in t he Neenah Stove Works, renamed
Bergstrom Brothers & Company, but relinquished his interest in this
compan y when he purchased the Winnebago Paper Mill s in 1904.
Bergstrom Paper Company m akes book paper of fine quali ty, used for
law books, Bibles, magazines, sc h?ol books, labels and many other

JOO

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

uses. ln the making of this paper, high grade waste paper fibers are
blended with virgin pulp fibers, resul ting in a smooth, high-quality
sheet well known throughout the paper trade as Valkyrie book papers.
T h is re-use of waste paper has contributed importantly to conservation in Wisconsin , making possible the savings of 50,000 cords of
pulpwood every year, according to present figures. In 1912 a new 1J2inch paper machine was installed, in a new brick building. In 1919 a
new 15 8-inch paper machine went into use. Since that time both
paper machines have been completely rebuilt, in 1947- 48. New buildings continued to sprout, a new finishing building in 191 5; a new warehouse in 1926; a new power plant in 1928. T his was extensively damaged by an explosion in 1945 and was rebuilt. The laboratory building
and water plant were completed in 1941; t he h ydrapulper building
addition in 1947 ; the Dixie warehouse, located on U.S. Highway 41,
south of Neenah, in 1948; and a waste disposal plant was finished in
1952. T his is an installation built solely for the purpose of removing
sludge from the effluent of the paper mill. T his water, after it is used
in the manufacture of paper, must go through a process of settl ing and
filtration, to clarify it sufficiently to meet certain standards set by the
State of Wisconsin before it can be disch arged in to the lower lake.
It may be interesting to note here that this sludge so removed is
finally reduced to the form of a sticky clay, and t his material is being
used as fill for the shore line of Little Lake Butte des Morts, at the
rear of t he mill. In time t his filled-in area will become a park and
playground, accordi ng to present plans of t he city of Neenah.
A new fini shing plant located on t he company's property in the
township of Neenah on Highway 41 went into operation in the fall of
I956. Also, ground was broken during August, 1956, for a new office
building for occupancy by mid-year 1957.
The key personnel of Bergstrom Paper Company have been D. V\/.
Bergstrom, founder and firs t President of the company, serving until
his death in 1928. Sara H . Bergs trom, his wife, was Vice President
1904- 192r.
John N. Bergs trom, co-founder and son of D. \f\T. Bergs trom, was
Secretary-Treasurer 1904- 1921, Vice President 1921 - 1928 an d President 1928- 1948. He died in 1951. W. C. Bergs trom , son of D . W.

I NDUSTRIAL

JOI

Bergstrom, was associated briefly with the company and served as

Assistant Treasurer 1922-1928 and as Treasurer i928- r929. D . Vv.
Bergstrom, Jr. , son of D. W. Bergstrom, was Secretary 1916- 1928
and Vice President 1928- 1935, when he died. N. H. Bergstrom,
so n of D . Vv. Bergstrom, has served as Treasurer 1921- 1928 , Secretar y 1928- 1929, Secretary-Treasurer 1929- 1935, Vice President
and Secretar y 1935- 1944, Vice President 1944- 1948 and has been

1
The Bergstrom Paper Company's new fin ishing plant and offices southwest of reenah on Highway .p

President and General Manager since 1948. Burt B. Fisher, formerly

of Appleton, ' iVisconsin, joined the co mpany in 1930 an d ser ved as
Secretary for a mun ber of years. He is now Vice President for Sales,
sin ce 195+ L.A. Carpenter came into the company in 1935 as Production Manager, was its Treasurer 1944- 1950 and then Vice President
for Production in 1950. He d ied in 1951. Foster P . D oane, Jr., formerl y
of Glens Falls, New York, was hired in 1952 to replace M r. Carpenter
as Produ ction Manager. He became Vice President for Production in
1954. Arthur R . Hedlund is the Controller, coming to the company in
1945, after years of experience with Arthur Andersen & Co., of Milwaukee, a well-known firm of accountants. H e was elected Assis tant
T reasu rer-Controll er in 1950, and in 1956 was mad e Treasurer-Cq ntroll er. D . W. Bergstrom III, grandson of the founder, was Treasurer
1950- 1956. In 1956 h e was elected Vice President and Secretary.

302

A HISTORY

OF

NEENA H

H. R . Moore, a lawyer, j oined the firm in 1951, serving as its legal

counsel, and became Secretar y in 1954. He was formerly associated
with other members of his family in a law firm, Moore Attorneys-atLaw, in Oshkos h, \t\1isconsin. Tn i956 he was elected Administrative
Vice President.
Meyer c.Burstein G Sons

MEYER B u RSTEJN & SoNs was founded by Meyer Burstein. He arrived in Neenah in 1900, rented a place near the corner of Main Street
and Wisconsin Avenue, to sort m ixed rags and prepare graded rags
suitable for wri ting paper mills. About 1902 he moved to larger quarters on Canal Street west of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad
tracks and continued sorting rags. About 1905 he bought the Billstein
property on t he corner of Walnut Street and \~isco n s in Avenue. In
1906 he built an addition west of this building and began grading
paper stock, as well as rags, and acquired t he land north to Canal
Street. In i91 3 he built a small building north of Wisconsin Avenue
near Canal Street and began the manufacture of cotton wiping waste
for use in lubricating railroad car journal boxes. By 1917 it was necessary to build an addition consisting of three stories and basement, the
building occupy in g all of the space between the back of \~isconsin
Avenue and Canal Str eet. At this time he discontinued sor ting of rags
and paper stock, so that the en tire property between \t\7isconsin Avenue and Canal Str eet was used for t he manufacture of waste. About
1945 was te used for oil filters for trucks and diesel locomotives was
added to the other grades of waste.
Meyer Burstein's sons, Joseph D., star ted to work in the business in
191 l, and Abraham G., started in 1915. After Meyer Burstein's death
in 1926, the son s continued t he business as Meyer Burstein & Sons.

Central 'Paper ( ornpm1y

CE NTR AL PAPER COMPA NY began in D ecember 191 7 under th e name

of "George Banta Paper Company." At t hat ti me it was real I y sort of
a depar tment of the George Banta Publi shi ng Cornpany. The bu siness

INDUSTRIAL

30"..)

'

operated one s lit ting and rew inding machin e for making smal l roll
paper products. O riginal incorporators were George Ban ta, P res ident;
George Banta, Jr. , Vice President; R. E. Th ickens, Secretar y and
Treasurer.
Earl y in I918 t he company pu t in equipmen t for t he manufacture
of gummed paper, and at that t ime W. K. Gerbrick became part
owner and Secretary and Manager of t he business.
In 1920 the nam e was changed to Cen tral Paper Compan y
In 1929 Stuart E. Thompson was employed in the Sales D epartment, and a few years later became Sales Manager.
In 1935 George Banta, J r ., became President of the company, to
take the place of his father, George Banta, who died in September of
t hat year. R. E . Thickens became Vice President, and VI/. K . Gerbrick
contin ued as Secr etary , Treasurer and General Manager.
In 1939 t he company acqu ired t he in terests of George Banta, Jr.,
and R. E . Thickens, who were no longer acti ,rely engaged with t he
com p any, and at that time W. K . Gerbrick became President, Stuart
Thompson became Secretary-Treasurer, while Mrs. W. K . Gerbrick
acted as Vice Presiden t.
In 1956 the offi cers are W . K. Gerbrick, President and General
Manager; W. J. Gerbrick, Vice President and Production Manager;
Stuar t E. Thompson, Secretar y-Treasurer a nd Sales Manager.
Products manufactured are gummed pap er t apes, various kinds,
both printed and plain; small roll paper items, such as adding machine
roll s, decorated papers and bags.
Pay roll by decades:
1920-- ro employees
1930- 25 employees

r940--50 employees
1955- 95 emplo yees

cdgewater 'Paper Company

T HE Edgewater Paper Company, of Menasha, Wisconsin, was star ted
by Mr. G. W. Young, Sr. , a pioneer in t he paper industry in Wisconsin. It was in corporated in Sep tember, 1917, wit h t he following officers:

A H ISTO R Y

OF

N E EN AH

Gavin W . Young, Sr.- President

J ames B. Nash- Vice President
Henry M. Northrop- Secretary-Treasurer
Di rectors : Messrs. You ng, Nash and North rup

In Sep tember of 191 7 the com pany p urchased from Gavin Youn g,
Sr., the p roperty on whic h is located the offi ce an d pl a nt of t he Edgewater Paper, erecting thereon the original sec tion of the presen t m ill.
A house located on the p roperty was used as an offi ce building.
In 19 19 M r. Northrup disposed of his stoc k in th e company to
J . D udleigh Young, who h ad entered the em ploy of the company in
April of 1919, and in November of tha t year, J. D . You ng was elected
D irector and Secretar y-Treasu rer of th e company, with G. W. Youn g,
Sr., J ames B. Nash, Leo Nash and J. D . Young hold ing all of the ou tstand ing stock. G. W. Young, Sr., and J a mes B. Nash retained thei r
offices of President and Vice President an d D irectors of the comp any.
In the early par t of 1920 G . W . You ng, Jr. , entered the employ of the
com pany, but was not then elected to offi ce.
Jn December of 1923 Mr. Youn g, Sr., purchased from M r. N ash his
s tock in the Edgewater Paper Company. At that time G. Vil . Youn g,
Jr., was elected director to fi ll the vacan cy caused by the re tirem en t
of Mr. Nash. H e was also elected to the post of Vice President for merly
held by M r. Nash. Jn September, 1926, Mr. Young, Sr. , sold to G. W.
Young, Jr. , cer tain shares in the Edgewater P aper Company; in October of 1926 M r. You ng, Sr. , pu rchased the ou tstand ing shares held by
Leo N ash.
After the dea th of G. Vv. Young, Sr., on Augus t 3 1, i93 4, the fo ll owing offi cers were named:

J.

D. Young- President and Secretar y

G. W. You ng, J r.- Vice President and Treasurer
D irectors: J. D . Young
G. W. You ng, J r.
E.G. F. Smith

Following the deat h of M r. G . W . You ng, Jr. , on J anuar y

foll owi ng offi cers were elected :
J . D. Young- President and Treasurer
D . E . R yan- Vice P resident in Charge of Sales
Ma rgaret R. Lobb- Secretary

T,

1953, t he

INDUSTRIAL

305

Directors : J. D. Young
J. Russell Ward
Gavin W. Young V

Mr. E.G. F. Smith retired from his post as Director on February 3,

1953. On April 27, 1953, Harry A. Johnson, general superintendent of
the compan y, was elected to t he post of Vice President in charge of
production .
Foll owing the death of Mr. J ohnson October 20, i954, Mr. walter
E. Anderson was elected to t he post of general superi ntendent and
Vice President in cha rge of produ ction. At the present time t he officers
are:

J.

D. Young- President and T reasurer

D. E. R yan- Vice President in Charge of Sales
\V. E. Anderson- Vice President in Charge of Production
Mrs. Margaret R. Lobb- Secretary
Directors : J. D. Young
J. Russell Ward
Gavi n W. Young V

Th e original manufacturing plant of the company has been enlarged

several times, notably in 1946- 48, when an entirely new addition was
mad e to house several of t he mac hines formerl y operated in the old
original section of t he mill. At t hat time t he original section was largel y rebuilt. In 195 1- 52 a new office bu ilding was constructed and occupied in July of 1952.
As of the present tim e the principal products are gummed paper
sealing tape, plain and creped waterproof papers and plain creped
kraft, with all products being sold nationall y under t he trade nam es
of " Dryseal" waterproo f papers and "Sta yon" gummed sealing tape.
J n 1920 t he number of em ployees totaled 25, wit h a n a nnu al pay
ro ll of approximatel y S\18,000. At t he end of 193 1 the yearly pay roll
was Sl44,ooo; at the end of 1940, S66,ooo; at the end of 1950, S\1 77,000.
The present number of employees is 4 5; this has been the average for
the past fifteen years.

K
k Corporarion ..
. berly-Clar
GI be D iv1s1on
Neena1m
h Mill- B a dger o

Mararhon Corporarion

Hardw ood Products C or porarion

~eenah

Pape r Company (office i m;et}

INDUSTRIAL

307

(ialloway Company
THE Galloway Company, formerly the Neenah Milk Products Company, began as a bottle milk and cheese factory, started by George M.
Danke in 1925. In 193 5 t he company was reorganized, with Albert
Johnson, Carl Larson (Chicago), C. F. Gerhardt, 0. B. Pratt and
E. E . Jandrey, shareholders. I t was again reorganized in 1939, with
Mr. E. P. Galloway and Mr. D. C. \i\Test of Fond du Lac as the majority stock holders.
Th e company buys whole milk from approximately six hundred
farms in Winnebago, Outagamie and Portage counties, and processes
the milk for fluid consumption in the Neenah-Menasha market and
into dairy products for the ice cream, candy, bakery and dairy industries in the eastern half of the United States.
On October 30, 1956, the nam e of t he compan y was changed to the
Galloway Company. Officers of t he corporation in 1958 are: E. P.
Galloway, President; John R. Galloway, Vice President; R . P. Galloway, Secretary; and E. J. Galloway, Treasurer.

(filbert Paper Company

TH E Gilbert Paper Company was established April 27, 1887, by William Gilbert; capital stock of S\100,000, with 200 shares of S500 each,
40 shares each to \i\1illiam Gilbert, William M. Gilbert, Albert M .
Gilbert, Theodore M. Gilbert and George Gilbert. The original officers
were : President, \i\Tilliam Gilbert; Treasurer, Albert M. Gilbert; Secretary, Theodore M. Gilbert. \i\TiJliam M . Gilbert and George Gilbert,
with the officers, made up the directorship.
Alex Paul was the first Superintendent, and other early operative
men were J oe Hil l, Fred Huband and \i\Tilliam Nash .
From the starting one-machine operation, a second machine was
in stall ed in 1891, and a third mach ine in 1919. The #3 machine was
completely rebuilt and en larged in 1954.
On t he death of \i\Tilliam Gilbert in February, 1900, \i\Tilli am M.
Gilbert became the second President.
Of t he original found ing group, George Gilbert passed away in 1891;

308

A HISTORY OF

NEENAH

Albert M. Gilbert in 1907 ; Theodore M. Gilbert in 1923; and William

M. Gilbert in 1926.
\Vi th the passing of his father, Albert C. Gilbert was elected to the
Presidency in 1926. Succeeding Presidencies were George M. Gilbert
in 195 l and T. M. Gilbert in 1954. Officers along with T. M. Gilbert
at the present time are N. T. Gilbert, William Gilbert, T. C. Catlin,
John D. Schmerein and A. C. Haselow.
As of 1956, personnel is approximately 400 people, with an annual
pay roll in excess of $2,000,000. Yearly production is now 14,000 tons,
representing n % of the industry total.
Manufacture throughout the years has consisted of t he higher quality cotton fibre content papers, such as bond, ledger, index, onionskin,
safety, manuscript, currency, tracing and industrial specialties. Qualities range from 2 53 cotton fibre content to 100% cotton fibre content
papers. Many "firsts" in the industry ha ve accounted for both prestige and quality, and the physical equipment today is recognized as
the finest in the field.

Hardwood 'Products Corporation

THE Hardwood Products Corporation, organized in 1910, is the outgrowth of a small veneer plant located near Vicksburg, M ississippi,
and organized in 1908 by several Neenah young men who were still in
their twenties. The original incorporators were: C. B. Clark, D. L.
Kimberly, \Villiam C. \Ving, and E. D. Beals. The Mississippi plant
was known originally as the Kimberly-Wing Company, and the name
was la ter changed to the Mississippi Veneer & Lumber Company.
The original officers of the Kimberly-Wing Company at Cedars,
Mississippi, were: W. C. Wing, President; E. D. Beals, Vice President;
C. B. Clark, Secretary; D . L. Kimberly, Treasurer.
In 1 91 o t he Hardwood Products Company of Neenah was organized
and the plant was completed in the midd le of 191 J. The original officers of the Hardwood Products Company were: \V. C. Wing, President; D. L. Kimberly, Vice President; C. B. Clark, Secretary; E. D.
Beals, Treasurer.

INDUSTRIAL

Mr. B eals ser ved as President from 19 13 until his death in 1928,
when he was succeeded by D. L. Kimberl y, who served as President
until J 952, when he was nam ed Chairman of t he Board.
S. F. Shattuck of Neenah was also one of the origin al founders of
Hardwood Products Corporation, and served as a Director and Officer until 1947.
The present offi cers are as follows: Chairman of t he Board , D. L.
Kimberly; President, H. H . Des Marais; Vice President and Treasurer, Henry J. Young; Secretary, R. L. Teschner (of Milwaukee) ;
Plan t Manager, Leo Boehm; Director, S. N. Pickard.
In 1922 the nam e of the company was changed to Hardwood Products Cor poration.
During World War I, t he entire capaci ty of the plant was devoted
to t he m a nufac ture of Navy Shell Boxes, and during Wor ld \iVar II
the com pan y manufactu red numerous items for war use, inclu ding its
r egular products, doors, on man y wartime installations.
Located in the heart of t he hardwood country, t he Hardwood Products Corporation has specialized in t he manufacture of high quali ty
hardwood veneer ed doors, constructed primarily to arch itectural specifications.
Its market extends the entire length and breadth of t he U nited
Sta tes and Canada. A ver y su bstantial p ortion of its raw ma terials is
grown in our own Wisconsin and Northern Michigan, along with exten sive shipmen ts of softwood for core purposes from t he West Coast
and other mid west p oints.
T he plant is equipped with t he m ost modern, effic ien t door mac hin er y, and is one of th e largest in the countr y devoted exclusi vely to the
manufacture of doors made to architectural details and specifi cations.
Included among its products are standard solid core flu sh doors,
usually supplied for schools, hospitals and institutions. Aside from
t ha t, the Company also produces a ver y spec ial sound resistant door
which has high acous tical qualities and which has been in s talled in
practicall y every new broadcasting s tudio erected during t he past ten
years in t his coun tr y. This door is also used extensively in matern ity
wards in hospitals, doctors' offices, music rooms in high schools and
simi lar ins tallations. The Company also produces a fire resistant wood

3 10

HISTORY

OF

NEEN AH

door, in which t he material is impregnated to meet standard fire tests .

H ardwood Products Corpora~i on doors have been installed in most
of t he Veterans ' Hospitals, which were erected after World \iVar II
throughout the countr y, and among the more notable installations
during the pas t few years is included the Whi te House at Washington,
D. C., the Rotary International Building at Evanston, Illin ois, the
large new Medical Center at the U ni versit y of Southern California,
soundproof doors in the Un ited Nation's bu ildings, and numerous
offices, schools, hospitals and other institutions.
~~

']. W . H ewitt Machine Company

1910-J amison Machine \iVorks purchased by J. W. H ewitt, Sr. This
was the foundi ng of the present comp any . At the time of purchase there were five men employed, a small building and very
li ttle equipm ent.
1930- Building enlarged to accommodate more modern equipment
and give additional work space.
1933- J. \iV. Hewitt Machine Company was incor porated. The original officers were : J. vV. Hewitt, Sr., Founder, President and
Treasurer; Olaf Myhre, Vice President; Leona Landskron,
Secretary.
At the time the business was incorporated, the work force had
doubled.
1936- Building again enlarged by an additional 2,000 sq. ft. of fl oor
space.
l 942- Final expansion to present building; new and modern roll
grinding equ ipm ent purchased, toget her wi th several different
types of machine tools .
1954- Entire interior of ou r building remodeled, a new Farrel R oll
Grinder capable of grinding 4811 dia. X 34o' 1 face rolls instal led.
T he weld shop moved from parent build in g to space rented in
th e Muench Building on North Commercial Street. Warehouse
erected on Chapm an Avenue. T hese moves were necessary to
accommodate our new associates, Stowe-\iVood ward, Inc., of
Newton Upper Falls, Mass.

INDUSTRIAL

3 11

T hroughout the enti re history of the firm, it has served t he paper

industry by making all types of rolls, regrinding paper mill rolls and
doing repair work . Special made-to-order machines are also made for
the paper industry.

Hewitt Machine Company

At the present time the firm has sixty employees. The officers are
J. W. Hewitt, Jr., President and Treasurer; Olaf Myhre, Vice President; and Leona Landskron, Secretary.
In 1938 the Hewitt Transmission Company was formed. This firm
also served the paper industry by stocking and supplying needed
replacements of bearings, couplings, speed reducers, sheaves, V-belts
and many other items too numerous to mention. Hewitt Transmission
Company is now headed by J. \~. Hewitt, Jr. , President.

H oerning's Concrete Troducts

HoERNINc's CONCRETE PRODUCTS was begun in 1930, located on
Highway 1J4. In 193 2 the business was moved to Konemac Street, in
Menasha.
The company originally manufactured concrete blocks, and later
increased their products to include concrete, cinder and slag blocks
and bricks and split rock.
Arnold B. Hoerning and\~. J. Hoerning are the owners.

Atlas Tag Compan y

Galloway. Compa'n)'

Valley

J ersild Knitting Cor roranon

.

Pres~,

Inc.

INDUSTRIAL

3 13

Jersild !(pitting Corporation

THE founder of the J ersild Knitting Corporation, of Neenah, was
R everend Jens N. J ersild, an ordain ed minis ter of the gospel. Mr.
J ersild was a native of D enmark, coming to the U nited States in 1884.
He accepted ministerial calls in Chicago, Alden, Minnesota; Oconto
and Neenah . He served as pas tor of the Danish Luth eran C hu rc h in
Neenah for eigh t years.
In 1899 Mr. J ersild visited Europe, and on his return, organized on
a small scale what is now known as the J ersild Knitting Corporation,
which was operated as a co-partners hip for a time, but, in 1901, it was
in corpora ted under t he laws of Wisconsin with Mr. J ersild as its first
President. Operations wer e begun at 329 North Commercial Street,
N eenah , in the two-story frame buildi ng, which formerly was th e old
St. Patrick's school, the building having previou sly been moved to the
site. During subsequ ent years new buildings were erected, and the
compan y continu ed to occupy t he location until April, 1953, when it
moved into its new quarters at 340 Fir st Street, Neenah.
Mr. J ersild di ed in 1917 after having previously retired from business. His eldest son, N. C. Jersild, became President of th e company
in 1933, and continued in t his capacity un til his death in July, 1955.
Officers of the company are Bert S. Du tch er, President; James Dyreby, Secretary; and E. A. Kalfahs, Treasurer and General Manager.
The company manufact ures a line of high grade men's, boys' and
women 's sweaters and knitted sportswear. Its products are sold from
coas t to coast.

l(irnberly-Clark Corporation
WHEN Cunn ingh am rang down t he curtain on Neenah 's his tor y frorn
its earl y beginnings to l 878, Kimberly, Clark and Co. had been in
busin ess for six years. Th e orig inal organi za tion was a part nership of
four yo ung men from Massachu setts and New York s ta tes- J ohn A .
Kimberl y, Ha vilah Babcock, Charl es B. Clark, and Frank C. Shattuck. Th ey pooled t heir sa vings and built a one-machine mill to make
two tons per day of newsprint from rags. Known as the Globe Mill, it

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

stood on the canal bank about 300 feet west of North Commercial
Street.
Moses Hooper was their attorney. Mr. Hooper handled the legal
affairs of the partnership, and later of the corporation, until his death
Jn 1932.
Among the treasured keepsakes of the early days is a l 5 cent Civil
War " shinplaster," being the first money received by the infant industry for the sale of paper. It is recorded that a little girl, hearing that
paper was to be made that day at the Globe Mill, asked Mr. Kimberly
for a few sheets and offered in payment 15 cents in paper currency.
In I 874, a never-ending expansion began in the purchase from Smith
and Van Ostrand of the so-called Neenah Paper Mills, a wooden
structure further west on the canal bank. As these lines are written
(April, 1957) expansion, not only in conti nental United States and
Canada, but in foreign parts, has reached the point of appointment of
a manager of foreign operations to oversee the corporation's activities
in Mexico, England, Australia, South Africa and Germany.
In 1878, the Atlas Mill at Appleton was added to the productive
units, although full ownership of that property was not effected until
a later date.
Always more important than brick, mortar, and machines are
people. During the '8os, Frank J. Sensenbrenner was employed as a
bookkeeper. In due time h e took the load and the leadership from the
original partners, rising through the ech elons of supervision to the
presidency.
In 1880, the partners incorporated as Kimberly & Clark Company,
with a capital of $400,000. The Badger Mill, adjacent to th e original
Globe, came into being in 1884, adding to the company's output of
newsprint. 1886 saw the organization of a subsidiary, the Telulah
Paper Company of Appleton, making groundwood pulp and more
newsprint. (T his mill was later sold to the Fox River Paper
Company.)
w ith demand still growing, the management in 1889 undertook the
firs t of many greater projects to follow. The water power and a large
acreage was purchased three miles east of Appleton, and the Kimberly
mill and village came into being.

INDUSTRIAL

Ha ving weathered the depression of the '90s, the co111 pan y in the
late '90s 111oved into the north countr y, building a groundwood, sulphite, and two-machine paper mill at Niagara, \Yisconsin . This also
involved responsibility for a village.
While this expansion was in progress, three sons of the founders
entered t he business: James C. Ki111berly, S. Frank Shattuck, and
C. B. (Bill) Clark. fn 191 -t Ernst Mahler, an outstanding chemical

Kimberl y-Clark Corporation, Neenah t-l ill- Lakeview Division

engineer, entered the Ki111berly-Clark picture. To him and the 111any

young engineers and technical men who followed him, go the credit fo r
the re111arkable technical advances of the ensuing -to yea rs.
During \\'o rld \\'ar 1, the company made an absorbent substance
known as cell11cot1011 for the Army and the Red Cross. Following t he
war and after, fro111 a year of research on peacetime use of cellucotton,
e111erged a san itary napkin to which the name "Kotex" was applied.
Soon after, "Kleenex" appeared on the 111arket, followed by a galaxy
of kindred articles.
Plants to 111anufacture or convert into these products now include
the Lakeview and Badger-Globe at Neenah; Memphis, T ennessee;
iagara Falls, N ew York, and ~iagara Falls, Ontario; Winnipeg,
fanitoba; Mexico, Aus tralia, England, South :\frica, in addition to

316

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Kimberly-Clark Corpora tion of Canada; and new plants at Fullerton,

California, and New Milford, Connecticut.
To insure a n adequ ate supply of gauze for its growing Kotex business, Kimberly-Clark purchased in 1946 a fully integrated cotton textile mill at Balfour, North Carolina.
T he company extended itself into northern O ntario du ring t he
192o's with the Jl.(ew York Times, erecti ng a plant at Kapuskasing to
make newspr int for the Tim es a nd other eastern daili es. Also in t he
early l92o's the corporation entered upon a two-mac hine paper mill at
Niagara Falls, New York, to ser vice its eastern book paper a nd magazi ne customers. During the late '40s, t he company undertook t he cons truction and operation of a newsprint mill at Coosa Pines, Alabama,
in company with a group of southern publishers.
In 195 1, the corporation purchased t he Munising Paper Company,
of Munising, Michigan, a nd t hereby added to its sales po ten ti al a
varied line of special ty papers. To safegu ard its raw material suppl y,
the corporation built at Terrace Bay, Ontario, in 1946, a t hree hundred ton pulp mill and a modern village on the north shore of Lake
Superior.
RESEARCH-By 1912, i t was becoming apparent t hat science was destined to make a major contribution to the making of paper, which
heretofore had been considered an art.
It was because of this realization that Ernst Mahler was invited to
associate himself with Ki mberly-Clark. He entered the cornpan y, as
before noted, in 1914, bringing with hi m a rich technical backgrou nd .
A chem ical laboratory was set up in a building which stood on the site
now occupied by t he Neenah Paper Company offi ce.
Following w orld \iVar I , research activities were moved to t he Kimberly Mill. In 1925, an experimental mill was constructed at Neenah.
Jn J929 came a laboratory for researc h on Kotex napkin s, and in 1938
a laboratory fo r resea rch in t he field of ph ysics. A specialty wadding
laboratory was added in 19+1 to keep pace with a growing demand for
t hese products. By 1941, 55 persons were employed in research activities.
\iVorld War II brought exacting demands to which t he corporatio1i 's

INDUSTRIAL

3 17

r esearc h talent responded wholeheartedl y. Following V-J Day, t he

old Neenah Mill, whic h had been used latterly for storage, was renovated and modernized into a technical center. In 1946, the en tire research and developm ent organization, 160 scientists, technicians and
t heir helpers, were brought together under one roof.
During and imm ediatel y after World \Var II, the Kimlark plant,
situ a ted near the sou th boundary of Neenah, underwen t t hree rapid
transformations. Prior to that time it contained equipment to weave
rugs out of paper.
Jn 1942, Kimberly-Clark's resourceful engineers converted the K.im1ark into an ordnance plan t, for manufacture of the automatic, se1fpropel1ed, anti-aircraft gun known as th e M-45. In 1944, t he ord nance
division again was reorganized to assem ble th e mu ch-needed M48AZ
poin t de tona ti ng fu se. June 25, :1944, saw an impressive ceremony at
th e Kimlark plant, at which ti me the Army-Navy "E" award was
made.
At war's end, the Kim lark proper ty was again revam ped to house
th e corporation's engineering depart ment. At thi s writing, 6+o engineers, draftsmen, tradesmen, and clerks either work there or work out
from there in t he far-flung properties of t he corporation.
A new kind of selling tool made its appearance on the
Kimberly-Clark scene in 1951. The corpora tion had for many years
been aware of t he need to sell not onl y its products, bu t also to sell
itself as a capable manufacturer to its widespread customers. With t he
post-war competiti on for markets, a refinement was felt necessary by
t he corporation; so in 1951, space was rented in a building owned by
t he Valley Construction Company located in t he town of Menasha
about r~ miles north of the Lakeview M ill. Subsequently, the building was purchased by th e corporation.
Through displays, through a variety of visual aids, dramatized
presentations, and by means of a skilled staff, this unit was designed
to bring t he Kimberly-Clark stor y to distributors, customers and
th eir salesmen. A completely equipped stage, also dining and lou nge
facili ties, add to the pleasure and effectiveness of th e Sales Center.
SALE S CENTER-

J T8

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

GUEST HO USE- As Kirnberly-Clark 's operations grew, t he need of a

facilit y to house cer tain business guests became obvious. In. T9 52,
plans were prepared by the engineering department for such a building to be located jus t nort h of the Lakeview Park on North Lake
Street. Construction was started in t he fall of t ha t year. T he building
consists of two wings, containing 12 bedrooms. At th e center is an
area contai ning lobby lounge, dining room and kitchen. A small house
was erected just north of t he bu ilding to house the care taker and his
famil y.
MAIN OFFJCE- Corporation growth was reflected in growing needs at
t he headquarters office location. It became apparen t as a result of
post-war expansion that t he Main Office in down town Neenah, after
many additions and remodellings, h ad reached its final capacity. In
D ecember 1953, planning was started on a new office building. Construction began in the spring of I 95 5, on co rporation property north of
t he Lakeview Mill on the shore of Little Lake Butte des Morts, and
was completed in 1956.
The steel, glass a nd concrete structure was occupied in September
of that year, and provides space for about 800. The old office building
was remodelled to serve as expanded qllarters fo r research and related
act1v1ties.
FORESTRY- Only brief mention can be made of t he vast fores t areas
owned or con troJled by this growing corporation, an d t he skilled fo rest
management provided b y more t han 120 graduate foresters. T heirs is
t he responsibility for super vision of all cutting operations and of seein g
to it t ha t enough millions of young trees are plan ted annually to the
end that there shall be a harvest of matllre trees one hund red years
hence to feed t he corporation's hungr y pulp mills.
KIMBERLY-CLARK'S PRESIDENTS- During the 84 years (1872- 1956) ,
but four Presidents have guided the affairs of the organization . Prior
to I 880, t he enterprise was a partnership.
J oh n A. Kimberly
Frank J. Sensenbren ner

1880-1928
1928-1942

Cola G. Parker
J ohn R. K imberly

D UST RIAL

- \Vhil e it will be of in terest to posterity to know

so mething of t he ou treach of Kimberl y-Clark si nce its origin in 1872,
interest of local r eaders will center on the valu e of Kimberly-Clark to
its local community.
Sales : Jn 1927, International Cellucotton Products Com pany was
esta blis hed to market t he products suc h as Kotex, Kl eenex, etc. During t he lat ter half of 1955, t he I.C.P. Compan y was integrated with
Kimberl y-Clark.
In t he su mm er of 1956, a transaction was co mpl eted by which Kimberly-Clark purchased t he assets of t he N eenah P aper Company in an
exchange of s hares.
Early in 1957, t he corporation acquired t he assets of P eter J.
Schweitzer, Tnc., a leading manufacturer o f light-weight papers, with
six plants in t he eastern United States and an in terest in a French
plant.
Announcement was made in summer, 1957, of an en terpri se in \iVest
German y, shared by Kimberly-Clark, Unilever N .V., and the German firm Aschaffenburger Zellstoffwerke A.G. In vol ved was a converting plant, initially designed to con vert Kl eenex products for
\i\Testern Europe.
Th e following figures represent t he sal es volum e of bo th organ izations, K imberly-Cla rk and I. C.P., and t he years l 956- 57 include
Sc hweitzer and Neena h P aper Company :
FACTS Ai D FI G

1928
1933
1938
1943
1948

RE

S 25,39r,790
18,625,778
35,388,259
73,574,r37
qr ,745,632

1 953
1954
1956
1 957

208,377,527
226,466,125
282,167,742
310,733,968

employees: As of April 30, 1957, 4,279 people (Neenah Paper Company included ) were employed in local mills and offices. In t his connection i t may be noted t hat Kimberl y-Clark was the pioneer among
paper and pulp mi lls of t he continen t in safety promotion, a nd also
led in t he cleveloprnen t of a well -rounded program of indu st ri al relations.
Pay-'f~plls : Th e following figures cover Lakeview and Badger-Globe
mills, Kim lark plant, Sales Center and Main Office :

320

1930
1936
1940
1945
1947
1948
1949

HISTORY OF

2,649 ,865
2, 163,661
3,883,766
7 , 305 '504
12 ,252 ,945
12, 697,600
12 , 504 ,7 17

NEENAH

1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956

12 ,824 , 159
I4 ,375,002
15 ,007,417
16 ,012 , 590
16 , 295 , 240
18,731,645
25 , 277 ,369

Thus, wi t hin t he span of three generations, Neenah has become t he

center of a world-wide industrial enterprise, and the end is not yet.
F ortunate indeed is Neenah a nd its environs to have in their mids t
t his source of soc ial and economic strengt h.
And let pos teri ty remembe r t he humble beginnings on t he banks of
t he Fox River, wh en four young men pooled their savings in t he year
1872, and entered upon wh at som e of t heir conternporaries though t
was a wild venture.

The l'0anhattan 'l{ubber JV!anujacturing (ompany

T HE Manhattan Rubber Manufac turing Compan y, Neenah, a subsidiary of Ray bestos-Manhattan , In c., Passaic, New Jersey, started
its firs t operat ion in t he Hewitt Mac hine Company build in g, October
] ) 1932.
The officers of th e com pan y at t hat time were: President, A. F.
Townsend; Vice President, J. H. Merrill ; Secretar y, Harry Snyder,
and Treasurer, Vv. H. Dunn.
A. A. Campbell was sent here from Passaic, New J ersey, as Manager, and th e purpose of t his plant was to ser ve t he paper indus try in
the midwes t. Th e prin cipal operation was the rubber covering of rolls
used in t he manufacture of paper. In 1953 it was necessary to build a
new building, now located on Matthews and Ceci l Streets, in Neenah.
Thi s n ew building is of the latest design, and the new equipment is
capable of handling t he largest paper mil l rolls in t he country.
Th e company has expanded facilities to in clu de all rubber and metal
grinding, a lso tank, pipe an d valve linin g. Thi s expan sion increased
t he la bor force to approxirnatel y fifty p eople.
Th e present offi cer s of t he co mpan y are Pres id en t, J ohn F. D.
R ohrbach; Executive Vice President, J. H. Matthews ; Treasurer and

INDUSTRIAL

321

Comptroller, \V. Ward Kievit; R esident l\fanager, A. A. Campbell,

and Plant Superintendent, A. F. Ku ehn , J r.

Maratl10Jt (orporation

February 6, 1909- Marathon Paper Mills Company incorporated

under laws of t he state of ' i\lisconsin at vVausau. Neal Brown, 'iVausau
lawyer, was the spark behind t he organization. Original officers were
Cyrus C. Yawkey, President; C harl es J. Winton, Vice President;
B. F. Wilson, Secretary; ' iValter A lexander, Treasurer; and Neal
Brown, cou nsel for the company.
March 1, 909-David Clark Everest became th e company's fi rst
General Manager.
'June, 1909- Construction of original Marathon plant began at
R othschild .
1916- Marathon Paper Mills Company supplied the 1enasha Carton Company with bleached lined board for butter cartons and, later,
papers for waxing purposes, t hereby becoming associated with a company active in food packaging manufacture.
1917- lmportant to Marathon's future was the merger of th e Menas ha Printing Company and t he Menasha Carton Company into the
Menas ha Prin t ing and Car ton Company, a firm that eventually became part of Marathon. The Menasha Printing Company had been
founded by Sam Clinedinst, former newspaperman, in 1900, and incorporated in 190+ George S. Gay lord, formerly with a Chicago brokerage fi rm, converted an old shingle mill and organized the Menasha
Carton Company in 1912.
1919- Menasha Printing and Car ton Company installed engraving,
electrotype, ink and art departments. I t also bought a paper pail
manufacturing plant at 'Yausau.
J{_ovember 1, 1927- Marathon Paper M ills Company purchased the
Menas ha Printing and Car ton Company and its plants at Menasha,
Wausau and Ashland . George S. Gay lord was named to Marathon's
Board of Directors. With acquisition o f Menas ha Printing and Carton
Company, Marathon acquired plants, equipment for food package
production and an experienced d istribu tion organization to market

322

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

p rod uction. For sales purposes, the compan y for med a di vision known
as the Menas ha P roducts Company.
1928- A steam power building and wax refinery building were
added at Menasha.
I929- A n addition was made to the waxed paper plant and refinery
building at Menasha. Construction also was underway on a new building to house carton manufacturi ng machin ery and provide storage
space for raw materials and fini shed products.
I930-A new brick and concrete carton plant was completed. It was
used as a manufacturing unit and fo r storage of raw materials and
finished products.
I934- Additional equipmen t was installed in the waxed paper
plant at Menasha .
I937-La nd was acquired in Menasha for manufacturin g and storage buildings.
'December I9, I938-D. C. Everest, Vice P resident and General
Manager, succeeded C. C. Yawkey as President of Marathon Paper
Mills Company.
I940- The Menas ha offi ce building, destined to become the main
offi ce, was completed on River Stree t. A carton factor y addition was
also completed.
]uly, I94I-Marathon purchased the assets of Whitmore Machine
and Foundry Company, Menas ha. Thi s plant is Marathon's machine
division on River Street.
]uly 6, I944- Marathon Articles of Incorporation were amended to
effect a new title- Marathon Corpora tio n.
I945-Marathon Service Company was organ ized in Menasha as a
subsidiary of Marathon Corporation for the purpose of leasing, subleasing and servicing various equipmen t for u se in connection with
products of Marathon Corporation. In this year, also, Marathon acquired the Appleton Engraving Compan y at Neenah.
ufpril, I947- The present Menasha carton plant on Washington at
Garfield was completed. Prior to its completion, carton production
was carried on at the presen t Parafilm plan t on River Street on the
first fl oor. Th e carton p lant produces printed and plain paperboard
packages and packaging materials for the bakery, dairy, frozen food,
meat and v egetable oil industries.

INDUSTRIAL

323

October, 1947- Marathon acqu ired the M enasha Printing [nk Compan y and dissolved it as a subsid iary. It occ upied what is now Marat hon's sampl e room on Ri ver Street.
vl.pril, I949- A new printing ink manufacturing plan t was placed
in operatio n at Menasha on Milwaukee Str eet. Built of reinforced concr ete, steel and brick, t he plan t is a one-stor y structure and provides
about 28,000 square feet of floor space, including laboratory and manufacturin g areas. It prod uces inks for t he compan y's printing operations.
March IJ, I95I-Marathon purchased a guest house in Neenah for
th e convenience of guests and company p ersonnel.
vl.pril 29, I952- John Stevens, Jr. , was elected President and General Manager of Marathon Corporation to succeed D . C. Everest, who
resigned thi s date. Ever est had served as President continuously, excep t for an interruption from April 6, 1950, to July 31, 1951, when
William L. Keady was President.
September I, I952- At Neenah, Marathon acquired t he J ersild
Knitting Company building, 331 N. Commercial Street, on a 15-year
lease. Contract was between Marathon and the I sland Realty Compan y, owner of the building. Marathon 's photo and rota engraving
operations had been housed on two floors of t he build ing since purchase of th e Appleton Engraving Company in 1945.
October 2, 7952- Marathon acquired ten acr es of property in Neenah for construc tion of a proposed graphi c arts build ing to h ou se
electroty pe and engrav ing depart ments. Proper ty fron ted on Western
A venue and was located north of Main and west of Lake Streets.
October 28, I952-Board of Directors approved appropriations for
construction of a new Graphic Arts Building at Neenah. Construction
was planned to begin in t he very near fu t ure.
'June 20, 7953- Announcement was made by C. E. Cass, Neenah,
t hat h e had purch ased Marathon Corporation's elec trotyp e equipment and facilities. He also announ ced formation of t he Neenah Electrotype Corporation, of which he became President and Treasurer.
Neenah Electrotype Corporation was to occupy a section of Marathon's new Graphic Ar ts building at Neenah when completed.
'January, I954- New Graphic Arts plant on Western Avenue in
Neenah was completed . I t becam e t he home for pho toengravi ng and

HIS T O R Y

OF

NEENAH

rotogravure operations. Tt is a one-stor y structure of concrete, bri ck,

steel and glass construction, with +J ,OOO sq. ft. of working area.
cApril 1, 1954- Remodel ing of the former J ersild Knitting Mill
building at Neenah was completed. Th e four s tory structu re and annex became the Central ~1anufacturi ng Staff building. These new
quarters also perm itted the personnel d ivision to move into the English-styled building at Menas ha on \ iVas hington at Garfield, which had
former! y housed art and purchasing departments. In general t he
Main Office building on River St., Menash a, now housed executive

Flexible packaging plant of Marathon Corporation, . outh of Cecil Street, which came into production
during 1956, John Fitzpatrick, Manager.

and marketing division offices and the northeast wing of the carton
plant building housed finance and accounti ng fu nctions.
October 7, 1954- Plans t'.o construct a new label and specialty plant
in Neenah were announced . The Neenah city council gave approval
to Marathon to purchase city property located on the south side of
Cecil Street and adjacent to the C hicago & Northwestern Railway
main line, near the southwestern city limits.
'December 28, z954-John Stevens, J r., announced that Marathon
employment was 9,232 in the United States and Canada.
cApril, 1955- Construction began on t he Neenah label and spec ialty
plant.
October 28, z955- D . C. Everest, 72, first general manager of Mara-

IN D US TRI AL

325

thon and former p residen t, died at Wausau, \Vis. He was chai rman of
Marathon Corpor ation's board of directors at time of death.
'December 31, 1955- Corporate wide employment for t he year was
reported at an all-time hig h of 9,660.
January, 1956- Newly constru cted Neenah P lant, Byrd Avenue
at Cecil Street, began limited production.
January 25, 7956- John Stevens was named chairman of Marathon
Corporation's board of di rectors, succeeding t he late D . C. Everest.
Stevens r etained his position as president of Marathon Corporation
and board chairman of Nlarathon Corpor ation of Canada Limited,
but was succeeded as president of t he Canad ian subs idiary by Roy J.
Sund, Neenah.
u!pril 26, 7956-Plans for construction of a new corporate office
b uilding in t he sou t hwest section of Neenah were announced.
September 20, 956- Ground was broken for construction of t he
Neenah office building. It was designed by Perkins & \i\1ill, Chicago
industri al archi tects and engineers. Location was t he sou thern extremi ty of Byrd Avenue in southwest Neenah.
:J.,(_ovember 30, 7956- R eco rd sales of SJ 52,886,+03 for t he 1956 fiscal
year were reported b y J oh n Stevens. P reviou s high was $135,107,686
in 1955 . Em pl oyment fo r t he year reac hed a new high, 10,522.
June 23, 1957- Fra nk J. D vorak, 59, treasurer and member of the
board of directors, d ied at his Neenah home.
October l 5, 1957- American Can Company board of directors approved a proposal to pool interests wit h Mara t h on Corpora tion.
October 17, 7957- Marathon Corporation board of directors approved terms of an agreement to join wit h Arner ican Can Comp any.
'December J , 1957- Stock holders of American Can Company, m eeting at New Yor k, and stoc kh olde rs of Marathon Corporation, meeting at Rothsch ild, voted to approve merger of t he two companies. As
of t his date, Marathon became a Division of American Can Company.
Fou r members of Marathon's boar d of d irectors were elected director s of Ca nco: J ohn Stevens, Menasha ; R oy J. Sund, Neenah ; W . E .
Buchanan, Appleton; and Lester Armou r, C hicago.
'December 10, 957- Will iam C. Stolk, p resident of American Can
Company, an nounced t he follow ing:

326

HI S TORY

OF

N EEN AH

Elected Vice President of American Can Company- J ohn Steven s

Appointed Vice President & General Manager of t he M arathon Divi sion of
American Can Company- R oy J. Sund

Roy Sund also designated the following appointm en ts for Mar atho n
D ivision:
Vice President- Leo E . Croy
Vice President, Food Packaging Division- Donald A. Snyder
Vice President, Torthern Products Di vision- Milan Boex
Vice President, Pulp & Paper D ivision- Russell C. Flom
Vice President, Specialty Packaging Divi sion- P almer B. McCon nell
Vice President, Finance Division- Emmett W. Below
Vice President, I ndustrial R elations Division- Carl R. Geisler
Director, Administrative Services D ivision- D oug G. Hyde
Director, Man ufacturing Services D ivision- . E . Den Dooven
Director, Research & Development- Ross C. Wilcox
General Attorney- Edwin N. West

All except Boex are assigned to Mar athon Di vision headquar ters at
Menash a. Boex remains at Green Bay.

JV!enaslia Wooden Ware Corporation

ACTUALLY the inception of th e M enas ha vVooden Ware Company was
in 1849, when Messrs. Beckwith, Sanford a nd Billings started a small
plant, the total investmen t not exceeding $r ,ooo. These t hree men did
all t he wor k from cuttin g up t he logs in to staves to completing t he
tub or pai l, a nd only the local trade was furn ished with i ts p roducts.
After a year t he factory was sold to Keyes, Wolcott & Ri ce, in t he
t ransac tion of whi ch a mortgage was given for $200 d rawing interest
at t he rate of 50% per a n num, whi ch was the rate charged in those
early days. At t hat time t he factory had only one lathe for m akin g
pails. In 1852 Elisha D. Smith p urchased, for a bou t $1,200, the plan t
whic h even tually became t he presen t Menasha Wooden Ware Comp any.
Jn subsequen t years he hoed a ver y ru gged row, hi s business bei ng
severely crippled by t he pan ic of 1857 and somewh at later by t he d ifficulties brought on by t he Civil W ar. H is factor y was burned and

INDUSTRIAL

327

had to be rebuilt. As a result of th ese various vicissitudes, Elisha

had to make an ass ignment and, as a resul t of t hat, the Menasha
Wooden ' i\Tare Company was formulated as such, t he year May 24,
1875, when a meeting was held at the residence of El isha Smith, at
which time Spencer Mowry, Henry Hewitt, Jr. , Julia A. Smith, Henry
H ewitt, Sr., Alexander Symes, Ber tram Ramsey and F. R. MacKinnon became t he stock holders. Th e s tock was iso,ooo, consisting of
500 shares at $100 eac h. At t hat time Elish a Smith was employed by
the company at a salary of $1 ,200.00 a year.
As a flashback on conditions in the days when E lisha Sm it h came to
Menasha in 1849, it might be of some interest to hear, in Elisha's own
words, about hi s trip from Woonsocket, Rhode I sland, to M enasha:
" V\'e traveled on what is now the New York Central Railway from Albany to
B uffalo, the n made up of fi ve different railroads, requiring a change of cars, tickets,
baggage, etc. in connecti on wi th each. There was no railroad west out of Buffalo.
\Ve took the Michigan Central which was laid in par t with strap rails to New Buffalo, on Lake M ichigan. There we took a small steamer to Ch icago, a city of I8,ooo
population, without paved streets, with signs here and there, "no bottom," to
warn the traveler of danger. Only one railroad of forty m iles out of the city to Elgin;
a great contrast between then and now.
"From thence we went by steamer to Milwaukee, a town of 2,000 populati on
and no railroad, indeed not any in the state, and so on up to Sheboygan where we
la nded and took a stage for F ond d u Lac. The first day we made bu t twenty-four
miles through deep mud, dodging stumps as best we could, till after dark, when we
reached the F orest H ouse. H ere we had our first experience lodging in a log house.
"Early t he next mo rning we started fo r Fond du Lac, but arrived too late for the
P eytona bound for the foot of t he lake. However, in the afternoon we took the
Manchester and reached Oshkosh at nigh t . T he next day we took the Peytona for
Menasha, ~ut by reason of a quarrel between the captain an d Curtis R eed, the
founder of Menasha, we could not land there. Our s teamer came to anchor just off
t he old council t ree at the head of the Island where a sailboat took us and our baggage to the Burrough's whar f. Here we landed. Not a person in sigh t, and we made
our way as best we could th rough the mud to our hotel."

At a Directors' meeting on September 23, 1878, Charles R . Smith,

so n of Elisha D ., was elected Secretary, and in I 880 the following
Direc tors were elected : Henry H ewitt, Sr., Henry Hewitt, Jr., E . D .
Smith , H. S. Smith and C.R. Smith . On May 23, 1881, Henry Hewitt,
Sr., r etired as President, and E . D. Sm ith was elected in his place,
C. R. Smith becoming Treasurer and H . S. Smith, Secretary.

328

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

In 1886, at a rneeting of t he d irectors, a large piece of lan d sou th of

t he river a nd comprisi ng approximately 85 acres was purchased. This
is t he property which extends from the Gilbert Paper mill clear
t hrough t he w ashington Street bridge to the Nor th western railroad
tracks, now largely occupi ed by the Marathon Corporation. This
property was used by the Wooden \i\lare as stave d r ying yards and
lumber d r yi ng space. In addition to t his property, som etime t hereafter
the north side of t he water frontage on t he river in M enasha was purchased and t his extended from a poin t west of the present Menasha
water wo rks clear out to Lake vVinn ebago, and on this property many
millions of feet of logs were stor ed annually.
El isha Smith died in i899 and hi s son, C harles R. Smith, succeeded
him as President of t he Menasha w ooden \iVare Com pa n y. A very
defini te period of expan sion followed t he action of t he Board in electing C harles Sm i th, and t his expansion extended in a twofold direction .
The manufacturing plant itself became know n as t he largest wooden
ware factory in th e world, and acquisitions of stand ing timber, or
stumpage, as it is u sually known, extended t hrough \i\lisconsin, M ichigan, M innesota, Idaho, V\lashington an d Oregon.
One of t he facets of this expansion was t he purchase of a considerable tract o f timber in Ru sk, Sawyer and Price Counties in vVisconsin
and t he erection of a sawmill and s tave mill in Ladysmith, Wisconsin,
on t he Flambeau Ri ver, the tirnber being fl oated down th is river
directly to the mill. I t is an interes tin g sideligh t t hat just about t his
tim e Mr. Sm ith married for the second tim e, after t he early death of
his first wife, and named the little town t hat h e established "Ladysmith," in honor of his new bride.
Between the death of C harles Smith in 1916 and the elec ti on of
M owr y Smith and Carlton Smith to the presidencies resp ectively, of
t he Corporation and the Compan y, t her e were t hree interim top executives, namely Thomas M. Kearn ey, F . D. Lak e and W. H. Miner.
At t he death of Mr. Miner, Carl to n Sm it h was elected Presiden t of
t he Company and Mowry Sm ith of t he Corporatio n, which was in
1936.
T his era marked a revol utionary change in the packaging habi ts of
all shippers of food products, which up to approximatel y 1920 had

D UST RIAL

been almost exclusive ly in t he nature of bulk contain ers, and cou ld

be typified as t he cracker barrel era. Ttwas, t herefore, not long before
th is yo unger generation saw th e handwriting on the wal l as advertised
brands began to take hold, which required, of course, ind ivid ual packaging to show t he narne of t he advertiser. This may be an oversimplification, but t he transition was swi ft and deadly as far as t he bulk
container was concerned, so that in 1921 a plant whic h had been
em ployi ng 1,000 workers to turn out bulk contain ers was shut down
completely and sat idl e for six mon t hs. By d int of a show of considerable energy and some imagination the gap was filled for t he ti me being
by t he developm ent of a new type of butter tub, which up to t hat time
t he 1enasha \Vooden \iVare Company had not manufactured. For
several years t he plan t was busy producing butter tubs in large quantities, but realizing t hat the era of bulk packagin g was at an end, or
near it, t he new management decided to enter th e manufacture of
corruga ted boxes, whic h is now, along with t he pl ywood bus iness, t he
main activity o f t he corporation.
As to the number o f em ployees, while the operations and activities
of the Corporation have expanded materially, the actual number of
em ployees is Jess today t han it was in 1 921, at which time the Corporation employed in the neighborhood of i,ooo people, whereas the
va rious properties now ow ned and op erated total as follows :
Otsego Falls P aper Mills
Menasha Pl ywood Corp.
lenasha Wood Flour Co.
Menasha Container Corp. of Calif.
Rockford, Ill.
Menasha

110

350
r6
100

30
253

In t hi s connection, however, it migh t be a n interesting comrnentary

on t he progress made technologicall y in t he number of containers produced in Menas ha in t he wooden pail days by 1,000 employees, as
compared to t he number of containers of approximately the same
size, p roduced today by 185 em ployees. At t he peak of our production
around 1916 we turned out approximately 17,000 t hirty pound contain ers a day, whil e today, reducing t he containers to approximately
t he same capacity, 185 employees are turn ing out 167,000, o r 902 cor-

330

HI STORY

OF

EE

AH

rugatecl boxes per man, to 170 pails per man of t he sam e cubic capacity. In fact, on a record day of prod uction recentl y, 286,000 containers were turn ed out, or approximately i ,550 boxes p er man, a
good, practical de mo nstration of so-called automation.
T o bring this report to a close, it might be interesting to remem ber
t hat while the corpora tion op era tes plants in Oregon, vVashington,
California and lllin ois, the main offi ce and t he present corrugated box
plant is s till located in Menasha on the iden tical spot where Elisha D .
Smith's predecesso rs t urned the fi rst wheel in 1849.
Submitted by Donald C. Shepa1d

. eenah electrotype Corporation

THE Neenah Electrotype Corporation was organized and opened temporary offices in a building of t he Durh am Lumber Company on
Augus t J , 1953. A t t hat time t he compan y purchased t he machinery
and equipment of t he Marathon Corporation's pri vately operated
electrotype plant. Th e original sh op was founded around 1910 by the
Menasha Printing Company. This later became t he Menasha Printing and Carton Company and, subsequently, Marathon Corporation.
On August 15, 1953 , the feenah Electrotype Corporation took possession of t he Marathon electrotype faciliti es a nd emplo yed the journeymen and apprentice electrotypers who were at t hat time on Marathon's pay roll. Some of these men had been employed in t he shop for
as long as 40 years.
The officers of the Corporation at the time of organization were
C. E . Cass, President and Treasurer ; R. E. Cass, Vice President; and
Arthur P . Remley, Secretary. The total employmen t at that time
consisted of 54 employees exclusive of t he offi cers. The pay roll in 195 5
consisted of 73 employees exclusive of the officers. During t he month
of Septem ber 1953, the Compan y remo ved its operations from the
Marathon location on the second floor of the Parafilm Plant to quarters in the new Marathon Graphic Arts Building on Western A venue.
The compan y occupies approximately a third of the building's area

DUSTR I AL

33 1

which is leased from Marath o n Corporation . Neenah E lectrotype

Corpo ration specializes in t he produc tio n of curved printing pl ates
which are used almost exc lu sively in t he printing of food packages
and wrappers.

:J<eenah foundry (ompany

TH E Neenah Foundry Company was founded in t he year I 872 by

William A ylward, Sr., under the name of The A ylward Plow Works,
to manufacture a gen eral line of iron cas tings and specializing in
producing plo ws, kettl es and wood burning s toves.
J n these early d ays, iron was melted in a cu pola similar in principl e
to present melting furnaces, except coal was used for fu el in stead of
coke. Air was provided by a large bellows powered by a ho rse walking
in a circle on a windlass. Once each year William Aylward went to
th e docks at Green Bay with an ox cart to bu y Swedish pig iron,
beli eving good iron would not be produced without using t his v irgin
m etal.
During t he period 1885 to 1890, three sons, William, E dward and
J o hn , entered t he organization. After the death of William Aylward,
Sr. , in 1907, t he name of the co mpany was changed to Th e Aylward
Sons Company.
Jn J918 th e firm nam e was c hanged to th e Neenah Found r y Compan y, and t he operation moved to its present site on W . Winneconne
Ave. E. J. A ylward was made Pres ident in 191 9. The company has
continued to grow and is now recognized as a leader in the gray iron
indu stry . I t is o ne of the most modern mec hanized foundries in t he
coun tr y, prod ucing quality gray iron and alloy castings for man y industrial acco unts in the Middle W est. The company is particular! y
noted as being t he largest prod ucer of construction castin gs in t he
nat ion. Thi s is a cataloged lin e of over I 5,000 items spec ified and used
by leading engineers and architects on all ty pes of construction
prod ucts t hroughou t the United States. P roduction capacit y exceeds
250 tons dail y, with employment of over 600 people.

33 2

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Officers
E. J. Aylward, President
E. B. Aylward, Vice President
.J.P. Keating, Vice President
D. P. Co bb, Vice Presiden t

I':. \\I. Aylward, Secretary

R . .J. Aylward, Ass't Secretary
D. F. J ohnson, Treasurer

N.._eenah 'Paper Company

THE Neenah Paper Company began as t he Neenah Mill of the Patten
Paper Company, of Appleton, as r ecorded in Cunningham's history,
making three tons of paper per day. A. Vv. Patten was its first General
Manager, with Frank Russell as Superintendent. In t he spring of I885
a new corporation was ch artered, and the Neenah Paper Company
came into being. A. Vv. Patten was its President, F. T. Russell, Vice
President, John McNaughton, Secretary-Treasurer. The new corporation, capitalized at $75,000, took over the property of the Neenah
Mill. Two year s later A. W. Patten sold his interests to Henry Sherry.
McNaughton and Thomas Patten sold t heirs to S. A. Cook. Russell
remained as Vice President, with Sherry, President, and Cook as
Secre tary-Treasu rer.
In 1891 Sherry sold his interests to Cook. Members of t he Kimberly
family bought a controlling interest in 1893. J. A. Kimberly and his
son, J. A. Kimberly, Jr., took over the management. Five years later
J. C. Kimberly also became associated with the enterprise. In 1916
W . Z. Stuart, a son-in-law of J. A. Kimberly, became General Manager,
with D. K. Brown as his assistant. \i\lhen, in 1921, M r. Stuart died,
Mr. Brown was made Manager, with Kimberly Stuart as his assistant.
Seven years later, in 1928, Mr. J. C. Kimberly took over the presidency upon his father's death. At this time Mr. Brown was named
first Vice President; Kimberly Stuart second Vice President and
Secr etary; L. 0. Schubart, Treasurer. In 1940, upon t he retirement
of J. C. Kimberly, D. K. Brown was elected President, Kimberly
Stuart, Vice President, and L. 0 . Schubart, Secretary-Treasurer.
Again, in 1953 there occurred transition when Mr. Brown, upon reaching age 65, r etired and L. 0. Schub art became President, Dan A.
Hardt, Vice President, and Don H. Severson, Secretary-Treasurer.

INDUSTRIAL

333

Across the years, t he company became known throughout the trade

as a maker of mill watermarked papers and one of the few which
makes rag or cotton content papers, or fine papers from a blend of
such cotton fib er and t he finest grades of bleached wood pulp.
As of Jun e, 1956, the company employs approximately 340 people,
with an annual pay roll of $1 ,500,000.
A final chapter was written in 1956, when Neenah Paper Company
became a division of Kimberly-Clark Corporation through exchange
of Kimberly-Clark stock for the assets and business of Neenah Paper
Company.

Sclwol Stationers Corporation

THE School Stationers Corporation of Neenah was founded in 192J
as an Illinois corporation with Ernest E. Crook as major stockholder
and Harry F. Williams and Robert C. Brown of Neenah holding the
minority stoc k.
The company originally started operations in what was known as
the stone mill of Kimberly-Clark, and from there it moved down to
the Neenah 1ill, w here operations continued for about one year.
The Company t hen moved to the R osen thal building in Menasha
and continued t here until l93J. Tn t hat year \ iVilliams and Brown
acquired the stock of Mr. Crook and held it on an equal basis for
some years. Mr. Brown sold hi s hold ings to Mr. Williams and moved
to Milwaukee, and the business has since been conducted by Mr.
\;>;.7illiams.
In 1931 a new building was bu ilt adjoining the Neenah- Menasha
C&N\iV station and the machinery transferred and new equipment
added. In 1936 patronage had grown to such an extent that an enlargemen t was necessary. Tn 1939 another addition was mad e and all
converting operations are car ried on in t his unit. Tn i9 52, a large
warehouse, located between Forest Avenue and Commercial Street,
was built to hou se the raw materials and fini s hed products.
The Company original ly started with three employees and in 1955
employed about 50. About 40,000 pounds of miscellaneou s paper are

334

A HISTORY

OF NEENA H

converted per day and are distributed nationally t hrough recognized

sc hool supply distributors. Ninety percent of the products converted,
such as construction paper, ruled theme papers, pads, loose leaf
fillers, mimeograph papers, drawing papers, are sold with the school
as the ultimate destination. During the war the plant operated on
t hree sh ifts and putout many millions of ruled pads for governmental,
Army and Navy use. The trade name is "Royale" and the slogan,
"Standard of t he Nation ."
Harry F. W illiams is President; Plant Manager and Vice President
is Howard Stacker, and L. M. vVilliams is Secretary.

]ohn Strange Carton Company

Tm s company was incorporated in 191 5 as John Strange Pail Company. The product manufactured for many years was Fibre Board
Pails for the shipment of bulk products. Principal users were manufacturers of candy, stock foods, peanuts, bulk pepper and other dry
products.
With the change in marketing methods, the sale of bulk products
dropped off radically, and the John Strange Pail Company went into
the manufacture of folding cartons. In the year 1953 the company
name was changed to J ohn Strange Carton Company, as being more
representative of its products.
Officers of the company are : Paul Strange, President; Paul Strange,
Jr., Treasurer and General Manager; William Strange, Secretary and
Sales Manager.

]olzn Strange 'Paper Company

JoHN STRANGE PAPER COMPANY origi nated as a pail and tub factory
founded by John Strange in 1881 . It was incorporated in l89J. In
1888 a two-cylinder paper machine was installed wit h a capacity of
about IO tons per day. An 82" Fourdrinier machine was installed in
1892 for t he manufacture of Manila paper, s t rong wrapping paper,
and newsprint, with a daily production of 7 tons. In 1907 the company

INDUSTRIAL

335

started t he manufacture of Kra ft wrapping paper and was one of t he

first to manufacture t hat grade in the U ni ted Sta tes. Th e original twocylinder paper mac hin e was replaced with a 108" cylinder mac hin e in
i907, which had a capacity of 30 tons dail y. In 1917 a third machin e
was installed with a capacity of 65 tons per day. T hi s was the widest
cyl in der paper machine buil t as of that da te, the dryer width being
144 ". At t he end of World \iVar I t he total p rod uctive capac ity of t he
com pan y was I 10 tons per day.
Owner ship of the company remained in the famil y of John Strange
until July 9, 1945, when the plant and proper ties were sold to a group
of converters. Mr. J ohn Strange managed the compan y until his death
on May 28, 1923, and was succeeded as General Manager by his son,
Hugh Strange, who carried on until his death on J ul y 15, 1945.
Additions of property and equipment an d renovations on paper
machin es and auxiliaries increased t he produc tive capacity of t he mill
from I IO tons p er day in 1919 to 200 tons per day at t he end of World
War II. At t he close of 1955, productive capacity was in creased to
over 2 50 tons per day .
T he compan y manufactures test lin ers, contain er chips, folding and
set-up boxboards, special mill wrappers, ligh t weight chipboards, constru ction paper and board specialti es.
The Board of Directors includes: J oseph L. Gidwitz, Harrison
Smith, Mowry Smith, Arthur Schm idt, D on Verhulst, George Kress
and J. M . Lev in .
Officers are: Chm. of Board, J. L. Gidwitz ; President, H.J. Levandoski; Vice President, J. M. Levin; Secretary, Elmer D epr ez; Treasurer, L. A. Bl ume.

Valley Press, In c.
TH E Valley Press was established in 1926 by Frank Leisen and was
located on Wisconsin Avenue in Neenah. Five years later, operations
were moved to larger quar ters on N icolet Boulevard. In 1937, t he
Valley Press moved into its ow n bu ildi ng on Chapman Avenue.
Since t ha t time, t here have been four additions made to t he plant

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

d ue to t he steady growth of bu sin ess. I n r950 t he Valley Press was

incorporated with t he follow in g offi cers : Frank Leisen, President;
Harry \ i\larren, Vice President; Harvey Dauffenbach, SecretaryTreas~rer.

The Company produces printing b y letterpress, rotary, sheet and

roll, rotogravure and offset lithograph y.

<;;eorgeu'f. Whiting 'Paper (ompany

THE George A. Whiting Paper Company mill at Menasha was built
on the site of an abandoned dr y dock located on west end of t he
Government Canal in .r 882 by George A. Whiting I and t he Gilbert
Brothers- Theodore an d \ i\lill iam. T he Company was known as
Gi lbert and w hiting until 1886, when M r. w hiting bough t t he Gilbert
interest. It was equ ipped with one small 76" tr im, Fourdrinier paper
machine and other machin ery necessary for the manufacture of ragcon tent paper.
On August 24, 1888, a serious fire ravaged the m ill and, w hen t he
firem en turned a stream of cold water on a hot steel bleaching drum,
a disastrous explosion occurred, killing r6 spectators and firemen.
The mill was rebuilt by Mr. Whiting, and t he same paper machine,
with some improvements, is s till in operation. About 1910 t he mill
discontinued the manufacture of rag-content paper and switched to
th e making of high grade chem ical p ulp specialty papers.
The busi ness was conducted under the name of "George A. \ i\l hitin g
- Paper M ills" from r8 86 unti l April, r9II, wh en Mr. Frank B.
Whi ti ng becam e associated in t he business with h is foster father. It
was in corporated at that time, and it has been known as the George A.
Whiti ng Paper Co. ever since.
George A. W hiting I died in Jun e, 1930, when Mr. Frank B . W hi ting
succeeded to t he presidenc y. Soon after Mr. Frank \ i\lhiting's death
in March, 1952, his only son, George A. Whiting II, took over th e
reins as president.
Our small mill is able to make changes in grades, etc., fas ter, and
easier than the large tonnage mill s, rend ering qui cker service; and it

IND U STRIAL

337

is t his fl exibility that has helped us to es tablish an env iable national

r epu t a t ion for quick ser vice, plus good quality.
The compan y has 7 5 employees, including offi cers an d offi ce personn el.
Presen t (195 5) officers of th e compan y are :
George A. Wh iting II- President & T reasu rer (Director)
R. M. Sensenbrenner- Vice President and Manager (Di rector)
P. J. Gazecki- Secretary (D irector)
Thomas Leech- Vice President & Director
Thomas A. Moore- Di rector

Wisconsin T issue M ills

D ATE of origin- Jun e 20, 1915.
K ey P ersonn el : T. E. M cGillan, George Drysdal e, J oseph F ieweger,
A. W. Asmu t h, Sr., and Joseph P . Zeli nske.
Originally organized as Peerless Paper Produ cts Company as a
converter of sanitary paper produc ts. Located on Mani towoc Str eet,
M enash a, a t present site of Central Paper Comp any.

I9I9- Compan y moved to new site on Little L a ke Bu t t e des M a rts

in M enasha and erected a cylinder paper machin e to prov ide
a sou rce of paper for its converting operati ons.
1922- Paper machin e produ c tion and converting facili t ies materially increased .
1929- Compan y changed its narn e to Wi sconsin Tissue M illswith A. W. Asmuth as Presiden t, Ray Fieweger as T reasurer , and D. H . Green e as General Manager.
1937-Compan y purc hased th e napkin con ver t ing business of
Diana Manufact uring Company of Green Bay and moved
its equipm en t from Green Bay to M enasha.
P resent- Th e compan y is one of t he larges t exc lu sive m anufacturers
of paper nap kin s in the countr y. Tt manufactures plain,
printed an d colored semi-crepe napkin s of practicall y ever y
type as well as facial we t s trength napkins, t ray covers and
t able covers.

A HISTORY

OF NEENAH

'Present officers are: A. W. Asmuth, President; R oy C. Rh yner, Vice

President and Sales Manager; James E . Asmuth, Treasurer and General Manager; A. Wm. Asmuth, Jr., Secretary; Arden Anderson,
Plant E ngineer; J oseph Kryszak, Paper M ill Su perintendent; J oseph
P. Zeli nske, Converting Plan t Superintendent; Loren Demand,
Traffic Manager.
Presently h as approximately 160 employees with an annual pay
roll in excess of $ 500,000.
T he replacement of its t wo original conver ting and storage
buildings is rapidly nearing completion and a complete rebu ild ing of
its paper machine, including a new press part, drives and additional
dryers will substanti ally complete an extensive expansion program
star ted two years ago.

Liberty exists in propo rtion to wholesome restrai nt.

DANlEJ, W EBST ER

JO U R NALISM
NEENAH, despite limitations imposed by geographical location, has in
the last three quarters of a century been served by newspapers which
kept pace with developments in the publishing industr y. From the
days of hand-set type and hand-fed presses to the current era of
highl y mec hanized produ ction, men who devoted their talents to local
journalism possessed, their accomplishments show, vision of the
future.
Outstanding among Neenah 's editors and publishers in the period
from the early i88o's to the present were L. H . Kimball, J. N . Stone
and J. R. Bloom, all deceased .
T he Island (ity Tim es, successor to the Conservator, first newspaper
published in this city, was founded as a weekly by Stone in Oc tober,
1863. T he paper continued as a weekly until i882, when it was
ch anged to a daily.
Bloom entered th e local publishing fi eld in 1901, when he and others
purchased the J\(_eenah 'Daily J\(_ews from the late L. H. Kimball, who
served as Postm aster of Neenah for a number of years prior to his
death in J913. Kimball, incidentally, was proprietor of the first news
depot operated in Neenah in early days.
Politically, the rival papers were opposed, Stone in his editorial
writings clinging to Democratic principles, and Kimball, followed by
Bloom, as ardently expou ndi ng the Republican cause.
Stone was a native of R oc hester, New York, born there March 4,
1835. He passed his boyhood t here, and when not attendi ng sc hool,
spent much of his time in newspaper offi ces. At the age of 14, he wen t
to Buffalo where he ser ved a three-year apprenticeship in the printer's
trade, at the close of which he went to Detroit, Michigan, where he
worked as a compositor.
In the fall of 1856 h e went to Romeo, Michigan, where he founded
the.Argus, a weekly, wh ich he published for on e year. He then moved
to Manitowoc, ' i\lisconsin , where he became one of the editors and
publishers of th e Weekly Tribune. In the following year he went to
339

HISTORY OF

NEENAH

Gravesvill e, Calumet County, where he served as editor of t he 1?...,epublican, also a weekly, until 1861.
On April 3, i 861, Stone enlisted in Compan y K, Fourth Wisconsin
Volun teer Infantry, serving in that unit of t he Union Forces in t he
Civil \i\Tar as a private, until the last day of that year when he was
commissioned captain ofCompanyG , Nineteenth Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry. He served in that capacity until Augu st, 1863, when, owing
to impaired health , he was honorably d ischarged at Suffolk, Virginia.
R eturning to Wi sconsin , he took up residence in Neenah and
founded The J'{_eenah T imes, a weekly. In I 882 the p aper became both
a weekly and dail y. Stone published The Times continuou sl y (with
the exception of four years- 187 1 to r875-when he produced T he
u1ppleton Times) up to shortly before the time of his death, June 30,
1919. During much of his later journalistic career, Stone was assisted
by hi s son, the late H. A. Stone.
In Octo ber of 191 8 owners hip of The T imes was transferred to
Stone's grandson, John Studley, then city editor of the paper. Studley
and E . A. Fuechsel, proprietor of the N eenah Printing Company,
form ed a partn ership under the name of Times Publis hing Company,
publishing The T imes and conducting a comm ercial printing busin ess.
Th e partnership was d issolved on May 16, r9r9, just prior to merger
of The T imes and JV...eenah V aily J'{_ews .
Th e paper, thereafter, appeared as T he Vaily J'{_ews- Times, and
was owned by the News Publishing Company, which also operated a
commercial printing branch. It later left t he commercial printing field
to permi t of concentration on the newspaper.
Merger of The Times and T he J'{_ews occu rred about two years following the death of J. R. Bloom, March 5, 1917. Bloom was born in
Scranton, Penn sylvania, July 26, 185I. At t he age of nine he went
with his parents to Ripon, \i\Tisconsin, commencing at the age of 17
to learn the t rade of prin ter in the offi ce of George (la ter Governor)
P eck at Ripon , with whose famil y Bloom made his home. He later
worked in various printing offices at Ripon until compl eting hi s
apprenticeship.
In 1874 Bloom joined P eck in esta blis hmen t of Peck' s Sun , a t
LaCrosse. vVhen P eck moved the paper to Milwaukee, Bloom took

JOURNALISM

the j ob plan t and offi ce as his share in the concern , condu cting that
business for two years, when he sold out and returned to Ripon. H e
then form ed a partn ership wi th th e late T . D. Stone in publication of
T he Free Press, but at the end of six months sold his in terest to Stone.
Bloorn continued to follow the printer's trade until 1885, when he
became city edi tor of the Fond du .(ac 'Daily Commonwealth. H e
ser ved fi ve years in that capacity, resigning to fill the secretarys hip
of th e Y .M.C.A. at Indianapolis, Indiana. R eturning after a year and
nine months to Fond du Lac, he purchased the plan t of T he Journal,
a weekly paper and th e first publish ed in the county. To this Bloom
added a daily issue, conducting both papers until May 1894, when
he sold the su bscription list to the Fond du .(ac 1{eporter. Bloom then
moved his entire p rinting and publishing plant to Menasha and
established The Menasha evening CSreeze. He continued publication
of T he CSreeze until 1901, when he form ed the News Publishing Compan y to purchase T he ]\(_ews from Kim ball.
U pon Bloom's death, his widow, the late Catherine S. Bloom,
became President of the co rporation . Their d aughter, Miss Clara
Bl oom , had become active in the business in 1904, and upon her
father's death, assu med the editorial directorship. Following the
merger of The T imes and T he N._ews, she continued as ed itor, with
Studley as associate editor. M iss Bloom's sister, Mrs. Anna Sparks,
becarne President of the corporation upon her mother's death in I 923 ;
Studley, Vice President, and Clara Bloom, Secretary-Treasurer. Miss
Bloom's death occurred in 1947.
Publication of T he ]\(_eenah ]\(_ews-Times continu ed without change
in owners hip un til December 1, 1943, when the Blooms and Sparks
disposed of their interests in the compan y to E . C. Cochrane.
Cochrane was publisher of The Times-Union at Marinette for six
years, after serving as Division Manager for the former Chicago
H erald and examiner. Prior to then he ser ved three years as classified
adver tising director of the Scripps League of Newspapers, with central
offices in Seattle, Washington. He reshaped the classified departments
of Scripps papers in such cities as Seattle ; Portland, Oregon; Boise,
Idaho; Spokane, Washington and Dallas, Texas.
After grad uating from Stanford U ni versit y, in California, Cochrane,

34 2

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

a native of Wisconsin, operated on a system of spec ial con tracts with

independent newspapers. Whil e a t Marin ette, Coc hran e became
Secretary of the Marinette Savings an d Loan Association, and President of the Marinette County Council of Sportsman's clubs. H e also
served as President of the Marin ette Sportsman's club.
Cochrane purchased Studley's stock in the News Publishing Company on August l , 1944, and on February I, 1949, acquired th e
Menasha 7(ecord from Ira H. Clough, veteran Menasha publisher.
The name of the paper was th en changed to T win City J\(ews-1-(ecord.
Its present place of publication is Neenah.
In fall of 1927, the Jlppleton 'Post Crescent established a Twin
City office, including a Neenah and Menasha section in its daily
publications, which are ci rculated in both cities.
Jlddenum

The Menasha 7(ecord of later days was originally known as t he

Menasha e vening '13reeze, and so remained until 1904. When Bloom
disposed of the paper to devote his interest to the Neenah fi eld, the
Menasha paper continued under the ownership of S. E lmer Smith and
Charles W . Lamb from 1904 to 1906; under A. Duane Clinton and
S. H. Clin edinst, i906 to 1913 or 1914, and Clough from 1914 to 1949.
The late R ev. J. S. J ersild published T he Vanskeren here from June,
I 892 to l 899. It was a Danish language paper.
Earlier s till was a Menasha German language newspaper ow ned by
a Mr. Klinker. There is also record showing that a paper call ed the
J\(ye Vansker (also Danish) was founded by H arold Sc hmidt in 1899
and published by him until 1902.
The J\(eenah qazette, founded by Charles H . Boynton, D ecember
23, 187 1, was published by hi m until September, 187 5, when he was
j oined by Gustave A. Cunningham. The latter continu ed the paper
until l 878, when H. L. \iVebster took over until September, I 880;
then L. F. Cole until June, 1882; and H . A. Stone un til r 898, when it
was absorbed by the J\(eenah Daily T imes .
There appears some doubt about the early p eriod of The J\(ews.
Some sources say the paper was star ted in 1880 as the J\(eenah J\(ews,

JOURNALISM

343

becoming the Twin (ity Vaiiy :J<ews in June, i 88 1, conti nuing as

su ch until May 19r9, when th e merger with The Times took place.
Bowron and Potter are cred ited wi th being the founders of T he :J{ews ,
and it was purchased from t hem by K imball in 1883.
Compiled by ] ohn Studley

All T know is just what I read in the papers.

W1LL ROGERS

LABOR MOVEJ\llENT
<;;rowtlz and 'Development of the .(abor J\!Iovement n :>.(_eenalz-Menaslza
A LARGE part of the wage earners in Neenah-Menasha who work at
trades and in the mills have organized themselves into labor unions,
and there are today some fifty union locals, with a total membership
of over six thousand.
The unions in our towns are accepted and respected and are playing
a respon si ble part in t he life of t he community, with the relation s
between management and labor on t he whole being remarkably good.
The great majority of employers cooperate with their unions, and
together they are constantly improving th eir techniques and procedures to provide a just and smooth-working relationship.
This has not always been so. Any report on th e history of the labor
movement, whether it be in Neenah-Menasha, in the nation, or in the
world, cannot be drawn in rosy hues of peace, understanding, and
harmony, as unfortunately the opposite has been altogether too
common.
During the past 200 years t he brilliant technological developments
of t he industrial revolution have been a constant, triumphant march
of progress, but the con version of these achievements in to blessings
for all the people has been slow and full of tragic setbacks. Until the
last two decades, when people have learned t hrough their government
techniques to stabilize the economic life, boom s and depressions
caused hardship to all segments of the people, but the workers in the
towns and cities were particularly hard hit. Added to this was the
harsh lack of governmental concern for the welfare of the Jess
fortunate.
Thus, life for the working man in early Neenah-Menasha was full
of hard work and long working hours. As in the rest of the nation, the
pattern of farm work from sunrise to sunset was followed as a matter
of course by the budding industries. vVe must assume, however, that
the hard life of the early worker in our area never took on the stark,
grim aspects of the slum life in the bigger cities. Certainly the closeness
.144

LABO R

MOVEMENT

345

to nature, with its lakes and for ests, must have greatly softened the
harsh ness of earning t he substance of life and given a more wholesome
purpose to life.
As local industry expanded and prospered, t he disparity between
the Jiving standards of t he workers and their employers increased and
resulted in r estlessness.
It was in i882 that this restlessness led to th e forming of the firs t
labor union in Neenah-Menash a. Fifteen iron workers at t he Bergstrom Foundry had heard and read about the advantages of joining
togeth er to present a un ited front in asking for better wages and
working conditions and for med a local of t he Molders and Fou ndry
Workers Union . T he idea caught on, and twelve years later when
Labor Day was declared a legal holiday by act of congress, t he firs t
Labor Day parade was held. About 500 men, not all of whom were
union members, joined in a parade down vVisconsin Avenue and to the
old Schuetzen Park, where a Labor Day picnic was held, complete
with plenty of food and speeches.
T h e first community organ ization of unions took place in I900,
when five union s with a total membership of about 200 formed t he
Central Labor Body. In that fi rs t group were the iron molders,
barbers, carpenters, masons and boot and shoe workers.
After the upsurge of union organizing around t he turn of t he century, the movement fell upon lean days. An unsuccessful strike by
the papermakers at the Kim berly-Clark Corp. discouraged union
activity in t he mills for many years. Without strong national organiza tions, financial resources or legislation for t heir protection, and with
publi c opinion run ning counter to the idea of workers making de.mands upon their employers, t he early unions found the going very
tough. During prosperous times they would sprout up, only to disintegrate during depr essions. T h e Iron Molders Union may be cited
as a good example of this. Loca ls h ave been chartered four times and
collapsed t hr ee times.
As in the nation, World War I brought a flurr y of union activity to
Neenah-Menasha, and t he old Central Labor Bod y was reactivated
and reorganized in 1917 under t he name of Neenah-Menasha Trades
& Labor Council. T he eight local charter members were the Iron

A HISTORY OF NEENAH

Molders, Masons, Wireweavers, Papermakers, Carpenters, Barbers

and Clerks. They elected August Raprager as their first president.
Among the delegates representing t heir locals on this first council were
John Kunschke and August Raprager, masons and bricklayers; Ed
Wright and Fred Eickman, carpenters; Frank Klinke, barbers; \Nilliam \Nege, Andrew Zemlock and Joe Bretthauer, papermakers; Ed
Howley and Frank Krickenberg, wireweavers; and Andrew Andersen,
molders.
Other unions th at joined shortly t hereafter were the Painters,
chartered in 1918, E lectrotypers in 1919 and Meatcutters in 192r.
It is interesting to note that the Papermakers U nion, which later
grew to be the union with the second largest membership in the Twin
Cities, at that time was strictly a crafts union and admitted to
rnembership only the men di rectly involved in making paper. Neither
was there a local for each m.ill but one local with a scattered membership throughout the variou s mills.
The union that today has by far the greatest membership locally,
The Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers, also carried on organizing
work in t he area. John P. Burke, wh o was then and still is, international president of the union, personally carried on organizing work
in the Fox River Valley during t he summer of 1916. While he was able
to organize some mills to t he North, h e met with no success in NeenahMenasha.
A great forward step in working conditions took place in the early
part of 1916 when the three-shift, eigh t-hou r day was introduced for
paper machine workers. Until that time these men had been working
from 6 P.M. to 7 A . M. and from 7 A .M. to 6 P.M. , a thirteen hour night
shift and an eleven hour day shift. \i\lhether this move was made to
t hwar t theefforts of the union organi zers, or because of the realization by Management that the two-shift day was an anachronism, is of
course difficult to ascertain. I t was probably a combination of the two.
The depression following \ iVorld War I had the usual effect of reducing union activity, but the Trades & Labor Council continued to
operate. Up until 1929 they met at the Neenah Eagles Hall, and from
then until 1935 they met at the Danish Hall.
When in th e early part of the Roosevelt Administration the Na-

LABOR

MOVEMENT

347

tional Labor Relations Act became law, workers could engage in union
organizing activity without fear of losing their j obs. This marked the
beginning of the great growth of the union movement in NeenahMenasha, as well as in the nation.
The first indu strial type union to organize in the twin cities was at
Marathon Paper Mills, where The Pulp and Sulphite Local #148 had
its charter issued in August, 1933 . Charters were later issued by t he
same international union to Menasha Wooden Ware Local #201 in
1934, Menasha Mill Supply Local #123 in 1935, J ohn Strange Local
#273 and \iVisconsin Tissue Local #279 in 1937, Wisconsin Container
Local #432 in 1941, Kimberly-Clark Local #482 in 1943, Central
Paper Local #737 in 1951, Edgewater Paper Local #748 in 1952,
Manhattan Rubber Local #812 in 1955 and Bergstrom Paper Local
#889 in 1957.
The Papermakers International was also active and chartered
Local #353 at Marathon in 1936, Local #324 at Wisconsin Tissue
Mills in 1937, Local #107 at Neenah Paper in 1938, Local #465 at
Whiting Paper and Lccal #467 at Kimberly-Clark in 1943 and Local
#477 at Gilbert Paper in 194+
Simultaneously, existing unions were strengthened, and new unions
sprang up in other fields of private and public enterprise. Many
unions, particularly in the building trades, are part of Appleton area
organizations. The Electricians, Painters, Pipefitters, Truckdrivers
and Meatcutters are arnong locals thus organized. There are many
union organizations representing public servants. Thu s, Post Office
employees belong to the Letter Carrier's Association; the State,
County and Municipal Employees have units at the \~linnebago
H ospital, the office of the Wisconsin Employment Service and among
city employees of both Neenah and Menasha. Th e firemen in botl1
cities belong to the Fire Fighters Union, and t here is a unit of Teachers
Union in Menasha.
Among local union s not heretofore mentioned are Bookbinders,
Musicians, Sheet Metal \Vorkers, Laborers, Cement Finishers,
Engravers, Bartenders, Machinists and three locals of Printing
Pressmen.
All labor organizations in the Twin Cities have an AFL background

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

with th e exception of two, the Communications \iVorkers (Telephone)

CIO, a nd t he Menasha Split Pull ey U ni on, which is a unit of t he
U nited Mine Workers Local #so.
As mentioned before, t he two dom ina nt union s are The Pulp and
Sulphi te Un ion, with about 3,500 members, and the Papermakers,
with over 1,1 00 members. Originally the AFL chartered the U nited
Brotherhood of Paper Workers in 1893, but in 1903 it split into t he
two present union s, with t he Papermakers limiting its membership
to the men d irec tl y involved in t he making of paper
This distinction has become less sharp, and today there is much
overlapping. Thus the Papermakers represent all the workers at
G ilbert, Whiting an d Neenah Paper Companies, while at J ohn Strange
and Bergstrom Paper Companies the Pulp and Sulphite Union represents all the workers. At Kimberly-Clark, Wisconsin Tissue and Marat hon, both un ions h ave locals along t he traditional lin e3. (Marathon
also has contracts with t he Printing Pressmen, Engravers, and Machinists.)
Jn spite of this oppor t unity for rivalry, the two organizations get
along remarkabl y well. At t he t hree mills where both are represented,
contract negotiations are carried on j oi ntly. Both unions have a history of acceptance of private ownership and operation of enterpri se,
with emphasis on gradual improvem ent of the economic lot of t he
worker.
T his attitude has no doub t h elped to gain t he acceptance and t he
general friendly response by management once the unions were
established, and also contribu ted towar d setting t he tone for t he overall harmonious Labor-Management relations for which Neena hMenash a prides itself.
A good example of this growth of un derstandi ng and good will a re
even ts which took place a t the Menasha Wooden \iVare Corp. In
1934 a rather bi tter strike broke out at that plan t and lasted for four
weeks. Twenty yea rs later, in Jul y, 1954, an in vita tion went out to
all employees and their families for d inn er, entertainment and danci ng
at the Menasha Elks Club. Co-hosts were t he management and t he
un ion celebrating two decades of &etting along well together. Mowr y

LABOR

MOVEMENT

349

Smith, pres ident of t he corporation, and J ohn P. Burke, president of

the In terna t ional union , s hared t he speakers' pla tform.
Th e reward of thi s sort of friend] y cooperation has been t he fading
away of the old bittern ess and belligerency t hat had been necessar y
for th e creation and success of t he labor movement. Jn its place has
come a sense of equality and responsibilit y, and a desire to work with
other groups in the many fields of common interes t, to make our land
and community a better place t o li ve.
Th e Trades and Labor Council, t hrough delegates from m ember
unions, is t he voice of organized labor local.l y. During the last decade
it focused much of its a t tention on com munity affairs. Thi s program
got un derway when John Arnold became Trades & Labor President
in 1946, and has continued under th e succeeding presidents, J ohn
Goodwin, Robert Forstner and Claude Cash. U nder the leadership of
John Arnold, t he Council becam e outs po ken in its praise and cons tructive criticism of all phases of city government. The various welfare organi zations al so received acti ve parti cipati on and support in
t heir fund raising drives, and this was warmly welcomed b y th e other
groups that had been shouldering these obligations.
w h en in l 947 th e Council ad vocated the forrnation of a Commun ity
C hest, it encouraged civic leaders to proceed with the organization
of thi s often contemplated project. Labor represen ta tives that have
served on the Community Chest Board of Direc tors or committees
include : J ohn Arnold, J ohn Pawlowski, Ebbe Berg, Ed Phillips,
Cla yton Cummings, Al Kass, Al E vensen, J ohn Good win , Geo.
Krause and Hugo \ i\Toeckner.
The relationship between the Council and th e Chamber of Commer ce has reached a high degree of cordiality. Th e Chamber often
invites Council representatives to dinner meetings, and t he Cou ncil
re turns the courtesy. The Junior C hamber of Commerce aw ard to the
outstand ing young man of 1948 was gi ven to John Pawlowski, secretary of the Trades and Labor Council.
T o celebrate and emphasi ze the record of friendl y and p eaceful
industrial relations, the Trades and Labor Council in 1951 inaugurated
a Labor-Management Dinner, the first of its kind in the U.S.A.

350

A llrSTORY

OF

' EENAH

Unions invited their top management people, and t he Council invited

publi c officia ls and civic leaders to be t heir guests and to break bread
and mingle wi t h union offi cials. Th e response was ver y g ratifying,
with more than three hundred persons filling the Germania Hall to
capacity. The affair was so successful and deemed so worthwhile,
t hat it has sin ce been made an annual event. It is th e custom to have
a man from management and a man from labor s hare the speakers'
rostrum. Ou tstanding p eople have been obtain ed to address these
congenial gatherings. Among local men pr esenting management
v iews have been Roy Sund, Ralph Kehl and H enry Boon . Labor
speakers have included t he international presidents of Pulp and
Su lphi te, Papermakers, Teachers, and State, County and 1.unicipal
Workers' Unions. A rewarding resul t of these Labor-Management
d inn ers is t hat the idea is catc hing on and is being copied elsewhere.
'When John Arnold retired as presid ent in 1954, he cou ld look back
on nine years of lead ing the Counc il at an often h ectic pace along
many a n uncharted path. There was the routin e work of providing
meeting halls fo r member u nions, assis ting in t he formation of new
local s, giving help in the few small strikes, runnin g L abor D ay picnics,
and representing Labor at civic affairs . There were also many innovations in addition to those previously mentioned; such as, di nn er
meetings for uni on presidents, parti cipation in commu ni ty safety
programs, s tepped up political leg work for candidates friendly to
L abor, tours by Council delegates t hrough local mill s, chartered bus
trips to Madison to see t he state government in operation, and arranging for University of YVisconsin chool for \iVorkers classes at
1 enas ha Vocational Sc hool.
While a contempla ted Labo r T emple has never become a r eali ty,
t he Marathon Local # i+8 opened its own h ome o n Center Street in
Menas ha in 1953 A fo rmer auto sales room and garage, it was completely remodeled and contains offices, a conference room, a social
room and a large meeting hall.
\Vi thin t hei r organizations t hree local union people ha ve earned t he
d isti nction of bei ng chosen to posit ions as representatives of t hei r
international uni on. They are Va leria Brodzinsk i, Wellington (Du ke)
Meyer a nd Edward Zeininger, all of the Pulp and Su lp hi te Union.

LABOR

MOVEMENT

35 1

Of course the main concern of unions is the interest of their members

in their relationship with their ernployers. This goes far beyond t he
signing of contrac ts, setting wage scales and fringe benefits. In the
larger mills meetings between union officials and su pervisory personn el are frequent and are usually conducted in a friendly and
cooperative manner for t he purpose of seeking orderly solutions to
problems, such as : interpretations of con tracts, seniority, promotions,
job openings, time studies, determination of wage rates, training
programs, disciplinary actions, layoffs, etc. The reward to management for t his effort is a more satisfied, constant and loyal work force.
Th e reward to th e workers is a greater sense of securi ty and digni ty,
in the knowledge that they will be dealt with fairly and not be t he
victims of arbitrary treatment.
This report has only scratc hed the surface of t he labor movem ent
in Neenah-Menasha. Particularly is t he coverage of the earli est days
scant, and it is hoped that more information will be uncovered and
recorded. Those pion eer union men who dared to think "dangerous"
new thoughts and who had the courage to s tand up and face the consequences of their beliefs, are the real heroes of t he labor movement.
To t hem succeeding generations of workers mu st be forever grateful.
Compiled by Ebbe Berg

LEGAL PROFESSION
of the legal profession in t he City of Neenah runs back
to the year after Wisconsin became a s tate. One Elbridge Smith was
admitted to th e law practice April Io, I849.
Moses Hooper ca me from Maine in i 857 and opened a law offi ce
in Neenah. He continued his law practice here for six year s, and then
moved to Oshkosh. Of this period .Mr. Hooper later said that "the
first year in Oshkosh, I just made m y living expenses. The second
year I made living expenses and enough to pay off the i6oo debt I had
at Neenah." H e was born in Maine in 1835 and died in 1932 at the
age of 97 years, at which time he was the oldest active member of the
American Bar Association. He was an active member of the bar for
76 years, and became an outstanding authority in the specialized law
practice pertaining to water power, riparian rights and real estate law.
H e was for many years the legal coun sel of t he Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Memorials on the life and work of Mr. Hooper are found in
Vol. 235 of Wisconsin Reports, pp. xxviii-xxxi.
Jam es C. Kerwin is perhaps the most illustriou s lawyer who practiced in the city of Neenah and retained his residence here t hrough the
years. He was born in t he Town of Menasha in i850 and died in 192r.
During his earl y life he lived on his father' s farm in the area known
as the "Irish Settlement." He acquired this family homestead and
owned it until t he time of his death. Out of the same neighborhood
came the great Dr. Jam es B. Murphy, w ho attained international
reputation. Mr. Kerwin's brother, Michael, went into the field of
medicine and also attained an international reputation in that field .
Very early in his practice Mr. Kerwin was elected City Attorney and
served in that capacity with conspicuous ability for twelve years .
For four yea rs he was a member of th e University of \iVisconsin Board
of Rege n ts. H e was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court .in
April, 190+, and ser ved as a member of t hat court fo r 16 years, until
the time of his death. Memorials on t he life and work of Mr. Kerwin
are found in Vol. 177 of \iVisconsin Law R eports at pp. xxxii-xxxviii.
One of Mr. Kerwin's famous cases involved a telephone pole which
TH E RECO RD

352

LEGAL

PROFESSION

353

stood in th e s treet at t he Barnett Drug Store corn er. Th e case was

in stituted by M. E. Barnett and M . Vv. Kru eger against t he T eleph one
Company. Th e Supreme Court o rdered t he T eleph one Company to
r emove th e pole and to pay for damages ( 106 \Vis. Repo rts 96- 1 10).
The litigation over thi s telephone pole continued for six years ( L8961902) and th e case entered the Supreme Court three different times,
an d t he Circuit was reversed twice in t he process ( I I 5 Wis. Reports
I 50) . Th ese cases were probably the most noted of l\1r. Kerwin's
achievements as a lawyer. The decision s in them and the subsequent
legisla tion which grew out of them fi xed t he law as to rights of abutting property owners and utilities in and to the highway. Mr. Kerwin
acqu itted him self so well in this litigation that the T eleph on e Compan y later employed him as its general a ttorney in the place of the
attorn ey who had opposed him in the litigation.
The name of \;vesley Mott also loom s large in the early histor y of
the legal profession in Neenah. He was Justi ce of the Peace in the
T own of Winchester for man y years, and acquired a good working
knowledge of the law in that office and by reading s uch law books as
he could get hold of. H e became Deput y Clerk of the Circuit Court
at Oshkosh and occupied that position for about four years, where he
enlarged his legal knowledge and training by observing an d s tudying
the cases t hat came before t hat court. He was admitted to the bar
January 31, 1889, by which tim e he had already practiced law in
Neenah four years after taking over the office and prac tice of George
vV. Todd in 18 85. He was Jus ti ce of the P eace here for man y years.
Mr. Mott was a great reader of li terature, especially the classics, an d
could quote freely and extensively from them.
The Mott name has become something of a tradition in the city of
Neenah, beginning in I 885 and s till being carried on by Mayhew Mo tt,
t he son of Wesley Mott. Mayhew Mott joined his fath er in 1902 in
the law practice under t he name of Mott & Mott. This partnership
terminated upon the death of t he elder Mott in 19 18, and Mayhew
Mott has continued in the practice ever since. H e was City Attorney
during the turbu lent reform days when the city was being cl eaned up
under the mayorship of "Bill" Clark, in 19 12 and follow ing years. H e
was also attorney for the Twin City Building, Loan & Savings Asso-

354

HISTORY

OF

NEENA H

ciation for many year s. The Mott fam ily has thus been in continuous
legal practice h ere fo r abou t 75 years. Mayhew Mott is the oldest
practicing attorney in Winnebago Count y at t his time.
J am es C. Kerwin and WesJey Mott were con temporaries. Mr.
K erwin's first law suit was tried in Mr. Mott's Ju stice Court in the
Town of Winchester. The case was tried in t he barn on the Mott
farm . I t involved a quarrel between two farm er s, the details of which
are no doubt full y described in t he Justice R ecord of that suit, now
covered with t he dust of oblivion. About 30 years later, in 1905 , Mr.
Mott appeared in the W is. Supreme Cou rt and argued a case which
involved th e will of Lucy A. Smith. Sitti ng on the Supreme Court
bench at t ha t time was M r. Kerwin, and the occasion no doubt reminded both of t hem of Mr. Kerwin's first law suit before Mr. Mott.
Mr. Kerwin wrote the opinion of the Cou rt of t hat will case and Mr.
Mott won it (Marcia \iVells vs Mildred C ha3e, 126 Wis. R epor ts 202) .
\iVh en Mr. Mott was Deputy Clerk of t he Circuit Court, it was suggested to him that he ought to take t he bar examination and be
admitted to the practice ofl aw, but h e though t he was hardly qualified
to do so. The Judge of the Court at t hat tim e (Judge Harshaw)
asked Mr. Mott what was necessar y to start a Jaw suit in Circuit
Court, and M r. l\1ott answered that it would be necessary to prepare
a summons a nd complaint and have it served upon the defendant.
The J udge replied that the answer was correct and immediately
announced that l\1r. Mott h ad passed t he bar examination and was
legally admi tted to the practice of law.
Among the earlier lawyers of Neenah was Merritt L. Campbell, who
came from Omro and practiced here in t he late 189o's a nd early
J9oo's, after a period in J. C. Kerwin's offi ce as an unders tudy. He
was Mayor in 1901- 02. H e and a few of his fellow townsmen organized
the Equ itable Fraternal Un ion in 1897 and Mr. Campbell became t he
Secretary of tha t organization. About 1906 h e discontinued th e practice of law and devoted his entire time to t he secretaryship of t ha t
organization, which later consolidated wi t h t he Fraternal Reserve
Association of Oshkosh, forming the Equitable R eserve Association.
Another one of th e earJier attorneys was Charles H. Gaffney, who
practiced here fo r a number of years, between 1893 to about 1914,

LEGAL

PROFESSION

355

during which time he was City Attorney for four years. He attain ed
considerable notoriet y when he shot Dr. Han sen and was tried and
convicted of attempted murder. As a result, he spent several years in
the s tate prison at \Vaupun.
Other attorneys who practiced here in t he early 19oo's were
Chester D. Cleveland, Jr. , the son of the Hon. C. D. Cleveland, who
was Ju dge of t he County Court at Oshkosh for many years. H e was
City Attorney from 1907 to 1909. M r. Cleveland abandoned t he
practice of Jaw and became a movi e actor in Cal ifornia.
J erem iah (Jerry) Mulloy is remem bered here by t he old-timers as
a rip-roaring attorney whose practice was an exciting one. He moved
to Missou ri and to Arkansas, and became a judge in t hat area. One
of t he stori es told about him grew out of a law su it in which t he matter
of pasteurized milk was involved. The opposing attorney told him
that he did not even know what pasteurized milk was. Jerry's reply
was t hat anybody knew it came from cows that were out to pasture!
He was City Attorney in 1901, and from 1904 to 1906.
Beginning about 1912 there was an influx of younger lawyers who
commen ced t heir law practice here.
Lew is J. Somers and Charles H . Velte came to Neenah in that year
and formed t he partnership of Somers & Velte. The partners hip was
dissolved at t he end of 1915, when Mr. Velte rnoved to Menasha and
opened a law offi ce t here. For several years he had a law offi ce in
Menasha and one in Neenah, and then continued his practice entirely
at t he Neenah office. H e also had a law office at \i\linneconne for several years . M r. Somers moved to New Haven, Conn., about 1920.
Clarence C. l~ enn came to Neenah in 1912 and associated himself
with 1ayhew 1ott under the firm name of Mott & Fenn. Mr. Fenn
was City Attorney when he went into military service in 1917, and
has remained in that service ever since. He became a Brigadier
General during t he second \i\lorld \Var. At this time he occupies an
office in th e Pentagon at \i\lashington, D. C.
George H. Kell y came here in 191 7 after having practiced at DePere, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Kaukauna . He was City Attorney
in 1919, and from 1920 to 1929. He was City Attorney fo r both
Neenah and Menasha. He was also the attorney for the T win City

A HIST ORY

OF

NEENAH

Building, Loan and Sa vi ngs Association fo r a number of years. H e

continu ed to prac ti ce here un til hi s death in 1929.
Carl F . Mickelso n assoc iated himself wit h C has. H. Velte for a
short time in 1922, when he went to t he law offi ce of Fawsett and
Smart, in M ilwaukee, and his roommate at law school, Reinhold D.
Molzow , stepped into hi s s hoes and continu ed t he assoc ia tion, which
developed into a partnership under t he name of Velte & Molzow in
1925 . Thi s partnership s till exists at th is time.
Glen \tV. Barto commenced his practice here in 1925 and continued
until his license was revoked by th e Supreme Court in 1930.
John W . O'Lear y came here in 1927 and E lbert C. J oyce came in
i93L Mr. O'Leary and Mr. J oyce formed a partnership in 1936 under
t he name of O'Leary & Joyce, which continues to t he present time.
Arthur P. R emley assoc iated himsel f with the firm of O'Leary & Jo yce
in 1946, and la ter became a partner in the firm of O'Leary, J oyce &
R emley. Mr. O'Leary was C ity Attorney from 1930 to 1950. M r.
Remley severed his relationship with the firm in 1957 and went in to
practice for himself.
L. Osman Cooke came to Neenah in 1930 and Gaylord C. Loehning
in 1932. T hey formed a partn ership in 1948 under the name of Cooke
& loehning, wh ich is still in existence. Mr. Loehning was City Attorney from 1950 to 1955. H e was also Police J ustice fo r a number of
years before that.
Howard E. Bloom, after many years' connection with the Soo L in e
Railway Compan y, commenced his practice h ere in 1938 and is still
.
.
111 practice.
E lm er H. Radtke commenced his practice in 1938 a nd continued
until 1943, when he wen t to R eedsburg, Wis., where he is still practicing law. He was the first presiden t of the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Chester S. Bell came to Neenah in 1942, after h aving practiced in
C hicago for m an y years. He became the chi ef attorney for t he Kimberly-Clark Corporati on, and continu ed in t hat capacity until his
retir emen t in 1955. During his residence in Neenah, Mr. Bell actively
associated . himself with the various activities of the County Bar
Association.

LltGAL PROFFSS l ON

357

C harl es E. Sc haller commenced practice here in J 949. He was

Police Jus tic e from 1950 to 1956. He was elected City Attorney in
1956, and s till continu es to hold t hat offi ce.
Robert C. Di R enzo and J erorne T. Bomier formed a partn ership
under t he name of DiRen zo & Bornier and commenced t he practice
of law in Neenah in 1953. Tn t hat year Mr. DiRenzo was rel ieved from
active duty in the U . S. Air Force, and M r. Bomier resign ed fro m t he
F.B.I. Upon in ves tigation of ever y city in t he s tate over 8,ooo population, t hey co ncluded to locate in Neenah because t hey believed t his
city o ffered more opportun ities t han an y o ther city of comparabl e size
in the State. Mr. DiRenzo is also a Certified Public Accou ntan t.
Edmund P . Arpin is a native of Neenah and came here in 1954
from Madison to open a law offi ce. Wallace L. Pearson came in 1955
and associated himself with Mr. Arpin under t he firm nam e of Arpin
& P earson. Mr. Arpin is P olice Justice and Mr. Pearson is Assistant
District Attorney.
Charles A. Littlefield was admitted to th e bar in September, 1954,
and cam e back to his home town to begin his law practice in association with Velte & Molzow.
.(ist of ufttorneys with Vates of ufdmission to <:_Bar
Elbridge Sm ith
B. H amilton
Moses H ooper
J ames C. Kerwi n
George V1/ . T odd
Wesley Mott
Henry C. Schaefer
Byron J. Sanders
Charles H. Gaffney
C hes ter D. Cleveland, J r.
Mayhew M ott
J eremi ah M ulloy
George H. Kelly
T.ewis J. Som ers
Charles H. Veltc
Clare nce C. F en n
R ei nhold D. Molzow

J.

4/ 18/ 49
7/ 25/ 62
7/ 8/ 57
2/ 2f7 5
1 J / 29/78
1/J 1/ 89
6/ 25/90
10/ 3/ 92
6/ 21/ 93
6/ 20/ 95
6/ 19/ 02
4/ 8/ 05
4/ 17/ 08
6/ 4./ 12
6/ 19/ 12
6/ 16/ 15
7/ 28/ 22

Carl F. Mickelson
B . D. Cannon
G len \~1 Barto
J ohn W. O'Lear y
L. Osman Cooke
Elbert C. J oyce
Gaylord C. Loeh ni ng
H oward E. Bloom
Elm er H. Radtke
Arth u r P. Remley
R ober t C. D eBaufer
Chester S. Bell
Charles A. Schaller
R obert C. D i Renzo
Edmu nd P. Arpi n
\Vall ace L. Pea rson
Charles A. Littlefield

Compiled by Charles H. Velte, with the collaboration of Mayhew Mott

10/ 21 / 22
7/J 1/ 23
8/ 13/ 25
6/ 20/ 29
6/ 23/Jo
8/ 1 r/J I
6/ 20/ 32
8/ 8/J8
12/ 23/J8
10/ 22/ 41
12/ 14/ 42
4/ I4/ 44
7/ 2+/ 49
9/ 11/ 50
2/ 10/ 50
'd / 1/ 50
9/ 10/ 54

NEENAH PUBLIC LIBRARY

A LITERARY SOCIETY, believing t hat t he city needed more cultural
opportunities, organized as the Neenah Library Association in March,
r882, to raise fund s for a library. T hrough the effor ts of this organization, our presen t library an d library ser vices were begun .
The members of t his first com mittee were the R ev. J. E. C hapin ,
J. N . Stone, Mrs. J. A. K imberly, Mrs. G. V./. Todd and Mrs. J ohn
Proctor. By-laws and a cons titution were draw n up and the first
library was establ ished in a roo m in the First National Ban k.
Throu gh a series of li terary programs and musicals, money was
caised to buy books and periodicals. This comrnittee, whic h was
enlarged and changed from time to time, carried on until Sep tember I ,
1883, when all t he hold ings of t he Association were turned over to the
city , which th en assumed the respon sibility of the care and maintenan ce of the project. T he library was m oved to the City Hall,
where it remained un ti l transfer to t he new building. During its stay
in the City Hall, it was twice r emodeled and enlarged to take care of
the growing interests and needs.
Through the efforts of M r. R obert Shiells, a Board member, 312,500
was obtain ed from Andrew Carnegie toward a new buildi ng. Th e
ci tizens of Neenah rai sed t he balan ce needed through popular subscripti on. Mrs. Theda C lark P eters gave the site, on t he Fox River,
which at t hat time was in the geographical center of t he city.
In January, 1904 , th e new library was com pleted an d op ened for
business. Miss Zana K. Mi ller was t he first lib rarian and 1\1iss Cora
Lan sing the assistant.
The building, which cost about $28,000, is of Bedford stone and
gray brick, with a fron t age of 175 feet. The center part is 7 1 feet high
and has two wings, each 48 feet high. T he interior woodwork is oak,
as were th e p olished floors. T he first floor housed t he book stacks, a
sm all reference room, the children's room, a large reading. room an d
t wo smaller offices. The room arrangement is convenien t. The basement had one large room and smaller ones u sed for storage. The
members of the ' i\lomen's Tuesday Club furn ish ed t he large room and
358

LIBRARY

359

were given permission to use it for their meetings until such time as
it was needed for library purposes.
As the population of Neenah increased and more people availed
themselves of library privi leges the library became crowded. In i932
the Children's Department was moved to a room downstai rs, giving
the Adult Department muc h needed room. That has now again outgrown its quarters, but there is no place to expand. The children's

Neenah Public Library

room, too, became crowded, and a store room was added to it. Now
that we are doing more and more school work, and children are encouraged to do more reading, this, too, has become crowded. Books
are ci rculated by members of the library staff at three school s during
th e sc hool year, and classes from the other schools visit the library
regularly for library instruction and to select books for study or pleasure reading.
In 1955 the Women's Tuesday Club was asked to find another
meeting place, as the room was needed for library use. The members
had met here regularl y for 51 years.
From a book stock of 8,804, the library has grown to 39,000, and
from two librarians to seven. Circulation today is over I 80,000 a year.

A HISTORY

OF

EENAI-1

Th e library has not only been a place to select books and do reference work, but has been a central meeting place for many other
activities. During World War I, the Red Cross had its headquarters
here, using the downstairs room, as well as the main reading room,
to carry on their sew ing and knitting projects. " Bundles for Britain"
used the Club Room during vVorld War II for their war work. The
Winnebago Day School met in the library t he first year it was organized. The Neenah Museum sponsored many fine ar t exhibits in the
Club Room, and several local artists also held shows here. Being centrally located, the library has been a meeting place for many small
groups and some vocational classes.
The library is governed by a Board of six members, appointed by
the Mayor and Council, and the Superintendent of Schools as an exofficio member. The present Board consists of Mr. Harry Korotev,
President; Mr. Ambrose Owen, Secretary; Miss Nellie Hubbard; :M r.
Gilbert Krueger; Mr. C.H. Sage, grandson of Mr. R obert Shiells; M r.
Harold Men nes, Superintendent of Schools, and Mrs. A. E . MacQuarrie. Miss May Hart, Chief Librarian , was appointed to office in
i 928, succeeding Miss I da Kellogg. Mrs. Clarence Bredendick is the
Children's Librarian.
In 1954 the library celebrated its 5oth anniversary in this building.
The growth and success of t he library is due to_the &ne members of
the Boards, who have given much time to the needs of the library,
and to the librarians and their staffs in stim ulating the reading habits
of the community.
May Hart

T hat there should one man die ignorant who had

ca pacity for knowledge, this I call a tragedy.
THOMA S CARLYLE

NEENAH'S J\1EDICAL HISTORY FROM

r878 TO 1957
DuRING the time covered by Mr. Cunningham in his history of Neenah, and a few years beyond 1878, it was apparentl y quite easy to
obtain a license to practice medicine. In the few states requiring a
permit, politic al influence, rather than knowledge, was often an important requirement. Many of the men professing to be physicians
had never attended a medical sc hool. They had managed to become a
"Doctor of Medicine" as far as the trusting public was concerned
merely by assisting an older doctor for a period.
Neenah, however, was most fortunate that the majority of its early
doctors were graduates of the best medical schools of t hat day. Each
one was dentist, oculist, obstetrician, surgeon, internal medicine specialist, psychiatrist and counselor. He used comparatively few drugs.
There was a folding black leather case that fitted into his special back
coat- tail pocket. Contained in its tiny glass bottles were carried most
of the drugs used in average calls. Paregoric, Dover's powder, quinine,
morphine, bismuth, calomel and salol were a few of these s tandbys.
He also carried a bag containing dressings, instruments, chloroform
and occasionally wooden-handled forceps. There was always a bottle
of carbolic acid to use for sterili zation . Aseptic surgery, the important
contri bu tion of Lord Lister, was not yet in use. The adm ini stration of
anesthetics was still in a crude s tage. There were only vague ideas
concerning hemorrhage and infections. Smallpox was the only infectious disease the profession knew how to combat.
It is doubtful if any of our young men of today can appreciate the
physical endurance r equired of these older generations of doctors . The
long country rides, either in a buggy or on a saddle, over makeshift
roads, were exhausting. There was a fairly good dirt road going
toward Winchester as far as "Bailey's Corners," now Ridgeway golf
course. Often a doctor's horse would be tied to a post at this place for
hours, while hi s less fortunate rnaster waded through mud, marsh
land and often snow dri fts to some early settler's home and back.
36 r

A HISTORY OF NEENAH

Tn 1 877 Neenah had the distinction of being the first town in the
state, and one of the first in th e nation, to have telephones. There
were but four: Mr. Henry, t he druggist, had two, one in his home and
one in the store, which was in the same location as Elwers' Drug
Store today; Dr. Barnett on Church Street had one; and the fourth
was in Dr. Robinson's large, new home across the bridge on Commercial Street, now belonging to the Y.\tV.C.A.
But don't think that a Neenah docto r could have built that home
in those days from medical fees! It was paid for by money made in
the manufacture of paper! D r. Robinson was one of the first men to
have the idea of making p aper in Neenah. He and five other men
formed a stock company that was instrumental in bui lding Neenah's
first paper mill in 1865. Dr. R obinson was the superintendent the
fi rst year, and, according to Mr. Cunningham, "ran it very successfully." This mill was eventually sold to the Kimberly-Clark Company.
Dr. Robinson's first home had been on the corner of Main and Torrey Streets, within easy reach of farmer patients. It is still there.
Many far mers passed each day with farm produce, often including
heavy loads of logs or wheat for the saw and fl.our mills. On one occasion a young barefoot boy was brough t into the house suffering from
a broken leg received in a fall from his father's load of logs. T he doctor's wife gave what first aid she could and wondered at the many sincere questions the lad asked concerning the study and practice of
medicine. l\ifany years later a prosperous-looking bearded gentleman
called at the hou se on the island and said, "You do not recognize your
little barefoot John who had the broken leg, do you, Mrs. Rob inson?"
He then introduced h imself as John B. Murphy, who had become the
famous Chicago surgeon.
There was a weal th of more human interest stories regarding the
work of the early doctors here. One frequently told concerned a little
Indian boy. Each fall a number of Indian families came into town,
trad ing wild blackberries for old clothes. Their favorite campsite was
"the forty acres," now th e property including the estates of the Ernst
Mahlers and the Mowry Sm iths. As a rule these Indians had their own
medicine man, but on one occasion during a measles epidemic, they
decided to try one of ours. But the good doctor was not able to make

MEDICAL

HISTORY

an accurate diagnosis, for when he arrived, t he frightened little patient had climbed to th e top of one of the tallest trees, and refused to
come down!
Tt was about this time that the autornobile was invented. \i\lhat a
boon that was for the doctor! By about 19ro they had come into general use, and the new Theda Clark Hospital was opened for pa ti en ts.
In this locality, at least, the days of kitchen surgery were over.
The advance of medicine and surgery has gone along a parallel line
with that of industry and the arts. In some instances it has advanced
to a point approaching the miraculous since the days that Mr. Cunningham wrote his final chapter. Modern methods and instruments of
diagnostic aid have been largely responsible for the medical advancement. The electro-cardiograph, the electro-encephalogram have contributed untold help in diagnosis. Antitoxins of diphtheria, tetanus,
and gas bacillus have saved cou ntless lives. Th e program of immunization for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough has helped in raising the life expectancy from 29 to 66 years. Typhoid fever has becorne
practically extinct, and tuberculosis is fast falling in its wake.
The advancement in the techniqlle of surger y and obstetrics has
been phenomenal. The modern surgical technique and the precaL1tions
in obstetrical deliveries, and the care both before and after birth of
the baby, has wiped out the most dreaded of all calamities of yesterday, namely childbirth fever.
The new miracle drugs, penicillin and the rnycins, have aided tremendously in the control of infections. The newer methods of premature and sick infant care have contributed a large part to human welfare.
The most dramatic and spectacu lar advancement no doubt is the
modern surgeon's contribution. The radical removal of the malignant
disease from practically any organ of the body is now a common procedure. The chest and heart surgery is now done as readily by specialists in that field as was the appendectomy when first undertaken.
The modern methods of anesthesia have contributed untold comfort
to millions of war wounded, and to civilians who are required to undergo su rgery. It is no longer necessary for one to breath in the nauseating fumes of ether or chloroform. Sodium pentothal administered in

HISTORY

OF

EE

AH

the vein ca rri es the patient off into clouds as though he were on a
magic carpet. rt has also rend ered man y surgi cal procedures possible
and safe that formerly were t hough t not advisable to do.
Two Neenah doctors en li sted in World War r. Th ey were Th addeus
D. Smith and Clarence C. D el 1arcell. Dr. mith was the first American officer to be wounded in th e World War, receiving a knee injury.
He was on t he staff of Harvard Base H ospital in F rance when it was
bombed in September, I91 7 . Dr. Fitzsim mons, t he first American
officer to be kill ed in t he great war, and for whom t he large Den ver
Hospital is named, was a victim of t he sam e bomb.
Dr. Del Marcell received a broken back in a N eenah car accident
shortl y after returning from Service. It subsequ ently caused his death.
Dr. Harold Baxter was the only doctor from Neenah to enlist in
\ i\7orld War II, when he joined th e Navy. H e was assigned to the ship
Boise, which became famous early in the war by making direct hits
on six Japan ese war vessels within a few minutes. I t was one of the
first times that radar was used. Dr. Baxter remained in t he "\Tavy, and
is now a psych iatrist with the rank of Captain.
The V\lomen's Auxiliar y to the \ iVinnebago County Medical Society
was organized in 1932. T he aims of this group are to promote friendliness, to assist with h ealth activities, and to promote h ealth education. Most of t he Neenah doctors' wives became ch ar ter members.
This society has been very active through the past twenty-four years,
and has proved to be very worthwhile.
Listing of physicians who have practiced in Neenah, from 1878 up
to and including 1956 (in about th e same order as they began thei r
practice in Neenah) :
Galentine : General Practitioner
Clark, Edgar W., General Practitioner
Robinson, I athaniel Stillman: General P racri ti oner
'Wright, Aaron: General P ractitioner
Moore: General Practitioner
Van Vuren: General Practitioner
Mem m ler: General Practitioner
Messman: General Practitioner
Barnett, J ames : General P ractitioner- President of the State Medical Society

1888- 89
Beach : General Practitioner

MEDICAL

HISTORY

Pach am : General Practitioner

Mc Dermot: General Practitioner
Barnett, J am es, J r.: General Practitioner
Conover: General Practitioner
Gibbons : General Practitioner
Greenwood, Samuel : Radiology (Purchased his first X-ray machine in 1902,
seven years after the discovery of X-ray. Thi s means that this is probably
one of the oldest radiologic offi ces in the middle west, if not in the country.
This practice purchased from D r. G reenwood in 1941 by Dr. Beatty; Dr.
Ryan became associated in 1953.)
Jesperson, Thomas : General Practitioner
Mitchell, Frederick: General P ractitioner
Ozanne, Irving: General Practitioner
Russell, Rosa A.: General Practitioner
Smith, Eli J.: General Practitioner
T odd, Gordon S.: Eye, Ear, Nose & Th roat
Giffen, L. W. : General Practitioner first, then th roat specialist; patented a
throat remedy known as muko solvent.
Del Marcell, Clarence C. : General Practitioner
Dollard, C. E.: General Practitioner
Smith, T haddeus D . : General P ractitioner
Rogers, Ron ald B.: General Practitioner
Ryan, Daniel J oseph : Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat
Pitz, Matthias : G eneral Practitioner
Williamson, George H .: General Practitioner
Canavan, John P.: General Practitioner
Graham , Albert : U rology
Brun ckhorst, Frank 0.: General Practitioner
Peterse n, Gordon \V.: I ndus trial Medicine
Lowe, Roy C.: Eye
Baxter, Harold L.: P sychiatry (in Navy)
Beglinger, Harold: Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat
Anderson, Gerhard R.: General Practitioner
Lowe, Robert: Internal Medicine
Ozanne, Bryce: Anesthesiologist
Brown, Robert C.: Bone and Joint
Quade, Raymond C.: Neurosurgery
Strauser, Emery R. : Pathologist
Regan, David M.: General Practitioner
Pansch, Frank N.: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Bea tty, Sam uel R.: R adiology
Smith, Frederick 1-1. : Surger y
Henning, Elizabeth: Psychiatry
Henning, Roger E.: Internal Medicine
Smith, R obin : Pediatrics
Kirchgeorg, Clemens G.: Eye

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Talbot, Allen E. : Anesthesiologist

Ryan, Donald: Radi ology
Springer, Vincent E.: General Practitioner
Bonfiglio, R alph G.: Internal Medicine
Horn, Gilbert: General Practitioner

Uf.merican Uf.cademy

~/

(feneral 'Practice

first chapter of this society in \ i\lisconsin was organized in Neenah,

August IO, J 947, under the direct leadership of Dr. J. P . Canavan.
The national charter was given to the Neenah chapter on August 26,
1948 . Other chapters followed in our state, and "Wiscons in is now sixth
in membership in the United States. The following physicians were
charter members:
THE

T. P. Canavan
Paul T. O 'Brien
Richard A. J ensen
Oscar F. Foseid
George N. Pratt, J r.
\Nilli am B. Hildebrand

George Hi ldebrand
Fred G . .J ensen
George R. ~ebel
Gerhard R. Anderson
Thaddeus D. Smith
George E. Forkin

The American Academy of General Prac tice has grown to become

second only to th e American Medical Association in number of its
members. Dr. Vlilliarn B. Hildebrand, of Menasha, one of the Neenah
charter members, became National President in 1954.
Compiled by Dr. and Mrs. T. D. Smith

Physicians and Surgeons presently practicing

of November, 1957) :
G. R. Anderson
Wallace S. Bailey
H.F. Beglinger
R alph G. Bonfiglio
R. C. Brown
Frank 0. Brunckhorst
J. P. Canavan
J ohn E. Conway
L. F. Corry
Albert P . Graham
Gordon H. Hardie
Elizabeth Henning
R oger H enning

111

the Twin Ci ti es (as

George B. Hildebrand
William B. Hildebrand
Gilbert H orn
F. G. J ensen
R. A. J ensen
Clemens Kirchgeorg
J ohn R. Iebel
F. . Pansch
George N . Pratt, Jr.
R.H. Quade
D avid M . R egan
D onald J. R yan
R ober t L. Schwab

MEDICAL HISTOR Y

George P. Schwci
Frederick H. Smith
Thaddeus D. Smith
V. G. Springer

Ralph Suechting
Allen 1-0:. Talbot
Paul E. vVainscott

Osteopath:
A. \\'. i\ [uttart

Chiropracto rs :

Optometri sts:

LI. X. Furman
R. E. Geiger

D. M. Anderson

P. L. Schlaefer

W. I''.. J ung
0 . P. Lovik

Corr Opticians

C hi ropodist:

Veterinarian:

K ent L. Scholl

C. A. Fredrich

36-I

NEEN AH -!\1EN ASH A 11IL1 TAR Y HISTO RY

l898-t955
T HE close of the Ci vil War brought a period of t hirty years free of the
threat of war, and t he Twin C ities enj oyed it along with the rest of t he
nation. H owever, the sinking of the battleship, Maine, in the harbor
a t Havana on Febru ar y I 5, l 898, ended this era of peace, and marked
t he beginning of the Spanish-American War.
Neenah and Menasha had no units engaged in th is war. Evidently
only seven or eigh t Twin City men ser ved in the Armed F orces du rin g

S. A. Cook armory, headquarters for Company I.

this war, but there ar e no formal recor ds avail able and memor y h as
dimmed in recollection, even among three of this number who are
ali ve today. These t hree are Col. J. B . Sc hn el ler, Bart Homan and
Thomas F. Thomsen. Two of t he others, now dead, were Clifford
Lansing and H ans Lauritzen.
Th e first organized military unit in t he Twin Cities following t he
Civil War was formally orga nized in 1899, with J. B. Schnel ler as
Captain. Three years later, in 1902, this unit became a part of the
Wisconsin National Guard and was designated as Company I in t he
old "First \iViscon sin " infan try regim ent. It was the predecessor unit
368

MILITARY HISTORY

of the present-day Company I , 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Divisio n. To provide a su itable housi ng for Neenah's military unit, Hon.
S. A. Cook built and dedicated t he present armory in 1906.
The first Menash a unit, si nce the Civil War, did not come in to being
until the outbreak of \iVorl d \i\Tar I. It was organized as Company E,
Fourth \i\Tisconsin Infantry, and was formally mustered into federal

According to J ake Schneller (No. 1 man, top row), thi s group of Neenah men were all privates in the
Oshkosh Company prior ro the mustering in of 1eenah's Co. I in February 1902 . Photo take n at Camp
Douglas (probably) in 190 1. Top Row: J ake Schneller,
elson, Dick O' Brien, Dunc McMurchie, Bill
Relyea, J ohn Ri tten. 2nd Row: Otto Draheim, Retzlaff, Bill Halsey, Unknown, Ed. Wickert, Sore nson?.
Bottom Row : elson, James Sorenson, Doc Holden, Frank Schneller, John Schindler, Ed. Heckle,
Peter Schneller, Ralph Dietz, Roland Peck. On Ground: Fred Wright, Earl Sharpless.

service on August 5, 1917. I t was t he predecessor unit of today's

Headquarters and H eadquarters Company, 1st Battalion, J27th
In tan try.
Company I saw ser vice on the Mexican border from June 30, 1916,
to Janu ary 19, i 91 7, but its return home was shor t-lived. Six months
later, on August 5, 1917, it was again called fo r d uty in world War I.
It participated in the Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne an d Meuse-Argonne
offensives, and was part of the Army of Occupation in Germany after

A HISTORY

OF NEE NAH

the signing of the Armistice on November II, 1918. It left Germany

for home on April 18, 1919, after six months under fire on fi ve fronts,
meeting and helping to vanqui sh 23 German D ivisions.
The \iVorld \iVar I hi story of the Menash a unit, Company E, was
similar to t hat of Company I. Mustered in to service on August 5,
1917, it ser ved in Fran ce and in th e Army of Occupation, returning
home in Jun e of 1919.
As accurately as one can determine the figures, 684 Twin City men
served in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps in World War I. Of thi s
total, twenty-fou r from Neenah and fifteen from Menash a were killed
in action or died in the Service.
On October I 5, 1940, the two Twin City comp anies of the Wisconsin National Guard were again mu stered into Federal Service for
training d uty , which led, on D ecember 7, 1941, to participation in
world War II. Both units were th en, as now, a p art of the R ed Arrow,
or 32nd In fantr y Division, and ser ved as su ch throughou t the war,
culminating in more than three years of fighting in the Pacific Thea ter,
from Australia to recapture of the Philippines, and occupation of
Japan after its surrender.
I t has been ver y difficult to get accurate figures as to the number of
Neenah-Menasha citizens who served their country in the Armed
F orces during World \iVar II. The Neenah H onor R oll listed l,648
nam es, whereas the Menasha Honor R oll li sted 1,384 names, making a
total of 3,032. H owever, Selective Ser vice Board 3 of "Winnebago
County, whi ch h ad jurisdiction over Neena h, tlenash a and t he
north ern p art of \iVinn ebago County, h as records to show that a total
of 3,837 men served in the Armed F orces in \i\lorl d \i\lar II, and it is
apparen t tha t the large majority of these were res idents of N eenah
and Menash a.
Best available records also show that of thi s total, 41 men from
Neenah gave th ei r lives while in the Service.
I t has been virtuall y impossibl e to get figures on Twin City participation in the "police action" in whi ch t his cou ntry has engaged
sin ce World War II, and p articularly in the so-called Korean W ar.
Selective Service records do show that a total of I ,349 p ersons from

MILITARY HISTORY

371

Neenah and Menasha have served in the Armed Forces sin ce October,
1948.
None of the T win City militar y units participated in the Korean
hos tilities.
Th e Twin Cities now have t hree \Visconsin National Guard units
since the reorganization of the 32nd Infantry Division after \iVorJd
\iVar II. They are Com pan y I, 127 th Infantry; H eadquar ters and
Headquarters D etachmen t, Ist Bat talion, 127th Infantry; and Medical Comp any, 127 t h Tnfantry.
The U . S. Arm y R eser ve Center moved into its new building on
Third Street, 1enasha, in the spring of 1955. At the present time
t here are six men permanently stationed h ere, with Captain Thom as
F. Keough, Area Commander, in charge of the Center. Five companies of t he 274th Infantry R egim en t, comm anded by Col. H. H .
D esMarais, t he 84th Quartermaster Company, and 5009 R esearch
a nd D evelopm ent Un it are stationed here.

Veterans' Organizations
TH E close of \i\7orld \iVar I saw t he forming of a new, and what has
sin ce become a ve ry powerful, veterans' organization, The American
L egion.
Neenah and Menasha wer e earl y in organizing t heir pos ts in thi s
new association. Th e Neenah P ost was nam ed in ho nor of J ames P.
H awley, who died in t he sinking of th e Tuscania on February 15,
19 18. T he Menasha Post was nam ed in honor of H en ry J. Lenz, an
artilleryman who was kill ed in action und er circums tances of outstanding bravery in l,rance on Jul y 15, 19 18.
F oll owing \ iVorl d War TI, the ranks of t he Ameri can Legion were
op ened to all veteran s of that war, and many h ave become members.
Each of t he Twin Cities also h as a chap ter of th e Veterans of F oreign \Vars, an organization which takes into m embership only those
who h ave served t he U nited States in war in foreign lan ds.
Also, Ch apter No. 46 of t he Disabl ed Am erican Veterans was o~gan
ized in 1945, with a membership of 52 at the present ti me.
Th e \iVinn ebago Veteran s' County Service Offi ce, located at 51 4

372

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Co. I Football Team, 1907. Back row, left to right : Dick O'Brien, J oe Anderson, Louis Larson, J ohn
Schneller, unknown, T ony Weber. Front row, left to righ t: Charles Shepherd, Bill Kue hl, Chris Jersild,
Emmett C hristofferson, Jim Christofferson, Oscar F uechsel, unknown, Fred P eterson, unknown. The
little boy is also unknown.

North Commercial Street, was instituted J anu ar y I, 1936, to assist

veteran s in filing for benefits from federal, state, county or city
sources. The service is supervised by the Winnebago County Board of
Supervisors under an act of the State Legislature during t heir 1935
session.
By Dan A . Hardt, Colonel, Infantry

God gran ts liberty only to t hose who love it

and are always ready to guard and defend it.
D ANI EL "WE BSTER

THE JOHl\T NELSON BE RGSTROM ART

CENTE R AND MUSEUM
I N THE will of J ohn N . Bergstrom, who died in 195 I, appeared this
clause: " If at the time of the death of m y wife the City of Neenah
shall have established a museum, then m y trustee shall pa y to said
City $50,000 for museum purposes."
Preliminary work toward t his civic project s tarted August JI, 1953,
wh en the Rotary Club of Neenah, un der the chairm ans hip of F. H.
~Terling, called together a committee of leading citizens to study the
possibilities of establishing a public museum in Neenah . Mr. Ernst
Mahler was elected Chairman of thi3 s tud y committee. Other members : Mayor Carl Loehn ing, John W. O'Leary, J. Ru ssell Ward, Mrs.
J ohn N. Bergstrom, Henry Young, F. H. Werling, Mrs. H . K . Babcock, Mrs. C. B. Clark and Jam es C. Kimberly.
The first step in the establishment of such museum occurred in the
fall of 1953, when the Ci ty of Neenah accepted the offer of Mrs. J. N .
Bergstrom for t he use of her home at 165 N orth Park Avenue, Neenah,

373

37+

A HISTORY

OF

EENAH

as a public art center and museum. Ti tle to t he property was transferred to the city and Mrs. Bergstrom reserved use of the property
as her residence during her lifetime. (Mrs. Bergstrom died February
13, i958.) At that time the city passed a city ordinance dedicating
the property for use as an art center and museum to be operated by
the City of Neenah Municipal Museum Foundation, Inc., whi ch
Foundation was to assurne all operating expenses of th e museum. (Jn
other words, th e city will have no cost to bear. )
The second step in assuring the Museum was taken on September
22, i9 54, wh en t he Articles of In corporation were filed for th e City
of Neenah Municipal Museum Foundation, In c.
According to the incorporation papers, purpose of the new Foundation was to establish and maintain a public art center and museum
in the City of Neenah, to be known as the John Nelson Bergstrom
Art Center and Museum, and for other educational and cultural purpose;;.
The affairs of the Foundation are managed by a board of fi ve directors, o ne of whom will always be the Ma yor of Neenah, and the oth er
four elected annually by a Board of founding rnembers.
The original founding members of the Foundation are: M rs. E vangelin e Bergstrom (subsequently deceased), Mrs. Jessie K. Clark,
James C. Kimberly, Mrs. Geraldine H. Kim berly, Ernst Mahler, Mrs.
Carol L yon Mahler, S. F. Shattuck, Mrs. Ruth H. Shattuck, Mrs.
Fanny L. Babcock, Miss Helen E. Babcock, Miss F. Elizabeth Babcock, The Mayor of N eenah, Arthur R emley and J. Russell ' V'ard.
(These Founding members are still in office in April, 1958.)
The first Board of Directors elected October 25, 1954, were: Mrs.
J. N. Bergstrom , Ern st Mahler, J. Russell Ward , Carl E . Loehning
and Arthur P. Remley.
The officers elected October 25, 1954, are still in office:
President- Mr. Ernst Mahler
Vice President- (to be filled)
Secretary-Treasurer- J. Russell Ward
Attorney- Art hur Remley
Executive Director- Prof. Charl es M. Brooks, Jr. (of Lawrence College)

The In ternal Revenue Service of the United States Treasury De-

MUSEUM

375

partrnent on August 24, 1956, recognized the City of Neenah Municipal Museum, Inc., as an educational tax exempt organization, contributions to which are deductible for tax purposes.
The Foundation has raised funds from citizens to perm an en tl y endow said museum and its operation. The Foundation will bear all
expense of maintaining the museum and t he Bergstrom home.
Mrs. J ohn Bergstrom (by will ) left all her famous paper weight
collection to the City of Neenah Municipal Museum, Inc., and, in
ad d i ti on, su bstan ti al funds for t he perm anent endowment of said
Museum.
(The above data supplied by']. Russell Ward. )

NEENAH'S PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS

Columbian Park
IN 1843 the early settlers, many of whom came from the New England
States, set aside as a village "green" one and six-tenths acres of
ground, now known as Columbian Park, still referred to by older residents as "The Green." It is interesting to know that our "Green" is
older by fourteen years than famous Central Park in New York City.
This area, in the center of our first ward, has always been a play
center. It contains two softball diamonds for summer use. The center
of the park is flooded in winter for ice skating. In the northeast corner
of the"Green"we find a sandbox and play apparatus for small child ren .
Along the west border are two electrically lighted tennis courts, also
lighted horseshoe courts. An artistic shelter building provides toilet
facilities, storage and a warm room for skate changing in winter.

7\,iverside Park
To MR. JOHN PROCTOR, more than to any other citizen of his time,
belongs the credit for municipal ownership of this property. He was
far-sighted. He believed that "where there is no vision, the people perish." The entire point might have been bought for a song, and Mr.
Proctor urged its purchase by the city, but his argument fell on deaf
ears. As a compromise, the Council did, in 1872, buy the nineteen and
one-half acres which we now know as Ri verside Park. $4,400.00 was
paid for the property, and the records reveal that considerable criticism was leveled again st ou r city fathers for so extravagant a use of
public funds.
An eighth grade girl, never d reaming that her expression would find
its way into print, penned these lines:
" A more beautiful sight could not be found than the Fox River near the Riverside
Park on a mild spring day. The hazy atmosphere and the calm rippling water is
quite bewitching. The river, always the color of the sky, is a heavenly blue, and the

PARKS

377

New pavilion, Riverside Park, opened to t he public during the summer of 1956.

reflection of the lovely green foliage in its mirror-like surface is exquisite. A person
sitting on th e shore o f the river drinking in its beauty could no t help being charmed
with th e blending of th e different tints into one perfect harmon y."

In the early days Riverside Park became a mecca fo r steamboat

excursions from other cities. A dance pavilion was constructed in the
north tip of t he park, adjacent to the dock. A shelter for picnic tables
was nearby, and two toil et houses were spotted in t he cen ter of t he
area.
During t he 193o's Phelps Vlyrnan, of Milwaukee, an eminent landscape archi tect, was employed by the city to design Washington Park
and to redesign Riverside Park. According to his plan , the original
dri ve, whic h closely followed t he shor eline, was mo ved to its present
position .
Mr. \tVyman and the then Park Board visualized a new pavi lion facin g west in t he deep bend of t he dri ve, embod ying all needed features,
such as toilet facil ities, kitchen, stage, dance floor and space needed
by the yach ting enthu siasts, particularly du ring regattas. The pavilion

~8

3 I

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

was constructed on th e eas t side of the drive during the fall of 1955
and spring of 1956, coming into full use over t he summer of 1956.

Shattuck 'Park

IN

early days of t he city, the site of Shattuck Park was occupied

for varying periods by t he Northwest Sewer Pipe Company, the
Ar thur Bishop Marble vVorks, Fenton and Ch alfant Coal and Wood
Yards, C. A. Sorenson's Boat ~lorks, t he Neenah Steam Laundr y, and
as a dumping ground for refuse. About 1910, Clara A. Shattuck conceived the idea of securing this property and converting it into a
beauty spot. The completed park was deeded to the city of Neenah
by Mrs. Shattuck in 1915. Shattuck Park contain s one and six-tenths
acres. I ts shoreline measures approximately 400 feet.
In 1957 this park was reconstructed to provide accommodation not
only for t he vast in crease in small power boats, but for the parking of
cars of boat owners. The center of the park was re-done, creating a
beauty spot, with flowers and high-growing s hrubbery, where citizens
may come for relaxation or enj oyment of the noon lunch.
THE

'Doty 'Park
PRIOR to 1922, the larger part of the area known as Doty Park was a
low-lying piece of property owned by C. B. Clark, whose father purchased it many years before with t he thought that some day he or his
family might utilize it as a building site. In 1922, however, Mr. Clark
presented it to the city for park purposes. A group of individuals
added to Mr. Clark's gift by purchase of the frontage on Lincoln
Street, making, in all, nine and 25/ 100 acres. The shoreline measures
approximately l,200 feet.
To secure t he fill for the low portions of this tract, and at the same
time, to produce an artistic feature in itself, a lagoon was dredged
through the lowest section of the property. The dredging created an

PARKS

379

island whi ch also adds charm to the landscape. In August, 1928, Doty
Park, in its present fo rm , was dedicated.
The opening of t his park corrected a n unbalanced commu nity situation. T here had been a growi ng desire on t he part of residents of the
th ird and fi ft h wards for a park on their side of t he river. The construction of t his p ar k on the "Island" was also in line with the policy
of the park board to eventually secure a park or a playground for eac h
major section of t he city.
At t he Lincoln Street entrance of t he park stands a repli ca of t he
"Mansion" of 'i\fisconsin's second territorial governor, James Du ane
Doty. The G r and Loggery now houses a growing collection of hi storic
obj ects. (The present structure is a r eplica of t he original, and was
constru cted in 1948.)
T his park, des ign ed by Mrs. E lizabeth Thuerer, is easily Neenah's
most beautiful open sp ace. Phelps ' iVyman, consultant of t he park
board from 1929 to 1932, added a delicate touch to the original design
by opening up vistas through t he shrubber y, looking out onto Lake
\i\finnebago, across to Riverside Park, and south to 'Wisconsin Avenue.

l(imberly Point Park

IN 1929, a superb p roperty, called Kimberly Point Park, was added to
Neenah's p ar k system, t he gift of M rs. Helen Kimberly Stuar t . The
park looks east on to the broad exp anse of Lake 'W innebago and north
onto the mouth of t he ri ver.
Jn 1944, Mr. J. C. Kimberly, sensing the need of a light marking the
entrance to the river, donated su ffi cient funds to erect a beautiful
lighthouse at a point where lake and river meet. This structure also
serves as a comfort station for t he Kim berly Point area.
Beautiful Lake Shore Drive makes a U turn around t he outer edge
of Kimberly Point, j oining with North Park Avenu e, which lies to
the west of t he park. The strip of land outside the drive, bordering
the 870 feet of shorelin e, is rich in scenic value. Any p leasant eveni ng

380

HISTORY

OF

Kimberly Poin t in

NEENAH

1902.

during the summer or early fall, small groups may be seen at t he outdoor oven s preparing their picnic supper.
M rs. Stuart was in strumental in providing t he colorful cherry and
other blooming trees on Kimberly Point. Among these choice trees
was a shoot from the famous \iVashington Elm . This is now a sturdy
tree, properly marked, and a constant reminder of our American heritage.
It will be remembered that the "Old Council Tree," rendezvous of
the Indians, stood close to Kimberl y Point. This site is indicated by a
monument in commemoration of the Old Counc il Tree and the American Indians who met under its branches.

'W ater Street u f.rea

I N 193 T, when t he City Council voted to con struct a concrete retaining wall between the foot of Lincoln Street and t he C&NW tracks,
they did what they voted to do- and more. The wall made it possible
to reclaim from the Fox Ri ver, two and t hree-tenths acres of land
which, in due time, passed into the keeping of t he city.

PARKS

Lighthouse on Kimberl y Poinr today.

Washington Park
OuR community is indeb ted to Mrs. Sara Bergstrom, whose gift, in
1931, fin anc ed the purchase of most of t he property included in t hi s
eleven and one-half acre tract. Ordinarily, t he construction of a park
of this size would extend over several years, a nd t he cost would be
cared for by appropri a ti ons of successive Councils. H owever, t he
city's need for work proj ects du ring the depression squeezed into a
s hort sp ace of time what would otherwise have been a long process.
Thi s area is designed primarily for pla y. I ts eastern edge is laid out
fo r the use of little children. Three tennis courts fit into t he sou t hwest
corn er. A fi eld for hard ball takes the cen ter of the s tage, and t he swale
adju sts itself to a softball diamond for summer use and an ice rin k in
winter. During t he winter of 1932-33, 262 mature t rees were transplan ted into our parks and street borders. Many of these may be seen
in vVashington Park, where t hey create a pleasing effect wit hout in
any way detracting from t he freedom of play.

High School ~thletic Field

I N I 93 I th e original plan of t he t hen School Board was to build t he
High School and its athletic field on onl y th e west half o f what is now

H IS TORY

OF

NEENA H

t he sc hool proper ty . T he east hal f was res idential and pasture l and .
T h rough t he cooper ation of Mr. an d M rs. S. F . Shattuck, t he en tire
bloc k was acqu ired. T he grou nds, as t hey now exist, were laid ou t b y
P helps Wym an, landscape architect, and plan ted b y Kleckner Bros.,
landscape gardeners.
Subsequ ently, t he city, t hroug h i ts School Board , acquired nine
additi onal acres to t he sout h, mak in g total playing fi eld s o f 2 0 .7 acres.

,(_,audan F ields

SouTHWEST of our H igh School Athletic F ield li e two fi elds, each 144
x6oo feet. \Ve find t his proper t y set asid e fo r park purposes in th e
original plo t o f Bigelow's Addi tion d a ted 1856. T he fi elds take t heir
na me from a Mr. L audan, whose residence p roperty fronted on t hem .
As t he ci ty extended itself sou t hward, these tracts became increasingly
valuabl e as a neighborhood pl aygrou nd a nd for pupils of t he \ Vilson
Sc hool.

Park Statistics
Approximate P ark Acreage :
Ri verside Park
Kimberl y P oint
Co lumbian
Shattuck
High School F ields
Laud an F ield s
Do t y I sland
W ater Street
Washington
Cook
Swimm ing pool & fi eld
Second W ar d P laygroun d
H oover School Area
Whiting Boat H ouse

Approxima te 'vVater Fron tage :

19 5

3.5
l. 6

J .6

20 .7
4 .0

9 . 25
2. 3
IT .

.99
8 .4
4. o r

5 .00
.5
92 . 85

D oty I sland
Riversid e
Kimberl y P oint
Sha ttuck
W ater St reet
W as hington
Lake Shore Aven ue
Wisconsin Aven ue
Whiting Boat H ouse
Swimmi ng pool & fi eld

I ,200 feet
1, 500 feet
870 feet
400 feet
500 feet
r 50 feet
2,256 feet
500 feet
84.6 fee t
653 feet

8,1 13.6 fee-::

PARKS

J{ecreatt'on
I N 191 I we find the first recorded expenditure for playground equipment- $15.51 for swings in Riverside Park. Three years later $So was
appropriated for tree removal and layout of baseball diamond on the
"Green."
I 9 I 6 saw appointment of Paul Coon, a public school physical education instructor, to conduct playground activities from June 12 to
August I. This must h ave been an unimpressive experiment, for
nothing more is recorded concerning organized summer recreation till
I 926, when the Council turned down a formal request for a program to
cost $3,500.
In i926, however, through Red Cross and private contributions,
George Christoph was employed to conduct a summer program. This
marks the beginning of the Playground Section of the Neenah Park &
Recreation Department of today.
Between i926 and 1931 the financing of the annual summer programs becarne the joint responsibility of the city and the Red Cross.
In 193 1 Armin Gerhardt took over as summer d irector. In that year,
also, the first Pet and Hobby show was staged. Later Florence Oberreich guided the summer program to new heights.
The Neenah swimming pool and "Rec" building were completed
and opened to the public in 1940, with Paul Stacker as Manager, and
Ole J orgensen as Pool Su pervisor. This facility added color to the
expanding recreational program. Pool attendance for that year was
70,83 1- while the indoor, all year program drew a patronage of
22,142.
The National ' i\Tomen's Championships, staged in the Neenah pool
during August of 1942, still Jives in the memories of thousands of
local residents.
During the planning period, Ole Jorgensen did a thorough j ob of
research on swimm ing pools, which facilitated the work of the architect, Thomas E. Tal lmadge.
The property on which the pool is built was made available to the
city by two citizens, C. B. Clark and S. F. Shattuck.
Coming down to 1947, the property south of the pool and recreation
building was developed as a lighted softball park.

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Recreation Building and Swimming Pool.

That year t he total budget askings of the Park & R ecreation Commission (including the swimming pool) were $44,456.26, with estimated receip ts of $1 3,229.00 and net appropriation of tax monies of
iJI,227.25.
Through t he years, and particularly sin ce earl y 1946, under the
leadership of a full-time d irector, there h as been steady developrnent
of a broad year-round program in volv ing citizens of all ages.
Paul Stacker was the first full-time d irector of pool and recreation.
Bill Miller h as been full- time recreational director si nce October 1,
1948.
Compiled by Dr. ]. M . Donovan

<;;olj (lubs
TRIB UTA RY to Neenah and Menasha are t he coun t ry clubs and golf
courses, all of whic h have a close relationship to life of t he Twin Cities.
The pion eer club, R iverview, of Appleton, is now su rrounded by
the growing city. \iV hen it was founded in the earl y years of t he 20th
century, it had a rural setting.

PARKS

Butte des Mor ts Golf Club, west of App leton.

Ri dgeway-three miles west of Neenah.
North Shore, located on the north shore of Lake Winnebago.
The Appleton Municipal Golf Cou rse and the Bridgewood course
south of Neenah are in constant use by Twin City folk from May to
October.

"The Grand Loggery soon became a landmark for every traveler on the FoxWisconsin waterway. From Lake \!Vinnebago the boathouse at the water's edge, the
trim log buildings wit h s hi ning windows under the majestic elms and maples, suggested a scene in a fairy story. As one landed and approached the Loggery, the
illusion grew. Surely none but a few England hand had planted the low sweetbriar
under the wi ndows, the sweet william, mignonette, nasturtiums, and heartsease beside the latticed doorway. But the square hallway hun g with fanciful Indian handiwork might have been a chieftain's lodge. A papoose's crad le hung by a broad beaded
band, a warrior's shirt- embroidered, fringed, and adorned with strings and wampum- baskets, trinkets, ceremonial atti re, skins of otter, deer, and mink, crowded
the small entrance."
From Chapter 18 of Alice Elizabeth Smith's biography
of J ames Duane Doty, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, copyright 1954

ON PLANNING FOR 1 H E FUTURE

DuRJNG World War II, un der the leadership of an enterprisin g former
citizen, R udy Lotz, regular d iscussions were held by Directors of t he
Neenah-Menasha Cham ber of Commerce on "Post War Planning."
Lotz was clear-eyed on the upsurge in home and school building whi ch
would overtake u s at war's end. H e visualized the growth of our cit y
to t he south and sou t h west. He and his com mi ttee urged, among other
t hings, t he immediate purchase of school p roper ty in the vicini ty of
what is now t he Wilson sc hool. H ad that been done, t he real estate on
which the Wilson school s tands woul d have cost t he city 50 per cent
less th an its eventual purch ase price.
Although the city h ad a Planning Commission, it had never functioned as such, except during a brief time, in t he early 193o's, when
Kimberly Stuart was chairm an. Meanwhile, the "post war" planning
group of t he Chamber of Commerce o rganized itself in to an informal
Twin City Plans Comm it tee, raising their funds privately, em ployi ng
a qualified planner, and endeavoring to assist the cities and townshi ps
of Neenah and Menasha in revision of their outworn zoning statutes,
resurveying their intercity street systems, and in other ways endeavoring to assist their hard-pressed coun cils and town boards to look ahead
ten to twenty-five years.
Chairman of this committee was "Bud" Durham, who was ideally
suited to t he job. Not onl y was h e possessed of an engineeri ng type of
min d, bu t his r esidence was in Menasha and his business in Neenah.
It had long become obvious to all th at the Twi n Cities were dependen t
on the cooperation of t he adjoining townships of Menash a and Neenah. When "Bud" Durham d ied in i952, the Chamber Committee
was continued under th e co-chai rm anship of Morgan Wheeler and
Frank Sh attuck. Personnel of the Twin City Planning Committee
was :

PLANN I NG

From Neenah

From 1\1enasha

S. F . Shattuck, Co-Chairman
John Tolverson
D . K. Brown
Al Staffeld
Charl otte Mcintyre
Dr. J. L. Donovan

Morgan Wheeler, Co-Chairman

Hayward Biggers
Konrad Tuchscherer
J ohn P inkerton
Armin Weber, Sr.

T h is Committee resigned on August

letter of resignation:

12,

1954. We q uote from their

"vVhile our efforts have not been entirely bare of results, the persisting inability
or unwill ingness of the cities and townships of Menasha and I eenah to cooperate in
planning the growth of this area prompts us to tender our resignation s at this time.
"In thus presenting our reasons for resignation, we would make clear that we
recognize the human limitations of ou r city and township adm inistrations.
"Since the war, our cities and adjace nt areas have experienced a surging growth,
and with growth came mounti ng time demands on public officials. Every person on
these boards and councils has a full-time j ob or occupation. T hey give to public
busi ness marginal time that other citizens reserve for family life or social pleasures.
"It is our conviction that the vol ume of city and town ship business has outgrown
the capacity of elected officials to handle it on marginal time. Certain it is that the
pressure of current problems crowds out attention to what the city and area growth
pattern is to be five to twe nty-five years from now. These are problems requiring
time, thought, and study. They are of more signifi cance to the oncoming generation
than are the immediate problems of today.
"Our resignation, effective at once, is therefore submitted in the hope that a new
approach may be found to carry forward this much-needed activity of city and area
planning."

Time for 'J\.ejlection and a Perspective .(ook

THERE then foll owed six months of quie t. M r. Ken neth Schellie, of
Metropolitan Planners, In c., who had advised with the former Ch amber of Commerce Committee, poi n ted ou t the way in wh ich the Fox
Valley area from Kau kau na to Neenah is bound together by economic,
social, industrial and commercial ties.
T he area in volves a fast-growing region of four cities, three villages
and seven townships, with more than 100,000 population .
At about t his time, J ohn Scanlon, who had served Menash a well as
Mayor, retired from that position. J ohn believed in the economy of a
plan ned fu ture for our Fox Valley. T o shor ten the stor y, John Scanlon
called the elected heads of th e fourteen municipal ities to meet in Kau-

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

kauna in January, i955. A pl an of organization, prepared by Mr.

Schelli e, was presented at t hat meeting. Many subsequent meetings
were held up and down the Valley during 1955 and into 1956, culminating in a climactic meeting in Little Chute on May 3, 1956. On t hat
day the following nine municipalities became ch arter members of the
Fox Valley Regional Planning Commission:
Cities: Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kaukauna
Vi llages : Kimberly, Little Chute, Combined Locks
Townships : Menasha and Neenah
Elected by acclamation as first Chairman of t he Commission was
Don Colburn, a Neenah man who, as Secretary of the Neenah-Menash a Chamber of Commerce, had worked closely with its Planning
Committee.

Nothing ever succeeds which ex uberant spiri ts

have not helped to produce.
:'\TrnTZSC HE

POST OFFICE
there are no records available to substan tiate the claim or
to give early locations of the post office, P. V. Lawson, in his H istory
of Winnebago County, states th at, " the post offi ce was established in
Winnebago R apids in 1844, and Harrison R eed was appointed postm aster."
Mrs. M. E . Barnett recalls th at "before the P etti bone Block and
Russell H ouse fire in 1883, t here was a post offi ce in the rear p art of the
present First National Bank building. T he evening mail that came into
Neenah on the C&N\ i\l train was
delivered a t the post office about
8 :oo P . M . Stores were open every
evening for business then, so all of
the bu sin ess men would hurry to the
pos t office to pick up their m ail,
U.S. Government Post Office.
causing a great deal of ac tivity on
'Main Street.' H erm Schooley was
the post offi ce clerk, and h e had everything packed, ready to vaca te
if necessary, due to t he fire.''
Abou t t he '90s, it is known t hat the post office was loca ted in the
present "J{_ews-'l(ecord" bui !d ing.
City deliver y ser vice started in Neenah on December 1 , 1899. T here
were four carriers : Allen Montgomery, Julius J orgensen, H enry
Sheerin and J am es Sorenson. Cliff Lansing and Eli Defnet were substitute carri ers. Mr. George Scott, a rural carrier, had been carrying for
an unknown period befor e this d ate.
The present pos t office was authorized in 1916. It was constructed
by the Treasury D epartm ent (\i\lilliam A. McAdoo, Secr etary) , as all
fed eral buildings were at t hat time, an d was subsequ en tly turned
over to th e Pos tal Departmen t. T he cornerstone la ying took place in
19 17, and the struc ture came into use on April 21, 1918.
At t he present time t here ar e ten city deli ver y routes (foot routes),
one m ounted rou te (b y auto), t wo parcel post routes and two rural
routes.
THO UGH

390

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

*""

About 1896, when the post office was in the building at corner of \\"est Wisconsin Avenue and Church
Street, presently occupied by the News Record. Left to right: Ji m Brown, postmaster; Charles Poepke,
clerk; Louis DuBois, J r., clerk; George LeT ourneux, assistant postmaster.

In 1956, with t he tremendous increase in popul ation, it was necessary to en large the present post office. Changes were made to facil itate
load ing a nd unloading of mail trucks at t he rear of t he building, and
a driveway put in from Colu mbi a n Avenue through to Franklin Avenue. At the same time, property was purchased on each side of the
dri veway, and is being used for publi c parking.
Local postal r eceipts, starting with 1923, at 5-year inter vals, are:
I 923- S 57 , 277
192872,060
193372,924
193884,983

Compiled by George F. Rasmussen, P ostmaster

1943- $ J 4 l , 703
1948- 155 ,828
1953- 197,236
1957- 353,1 48

N EEN A H CHAPT ER OF T HE A MERIC AN

RED CROSS
T HE Neenah chapter of th e Am eri can R ed Cross was orga nized April
30, l 9 17. Th e offi cers were as foll ows :
E. J. Lachman, Secretary
F . E. Ballister, Treasurer

C. B. Clark, Chai rman

W. Z. Stuart, Vice-Chairman

Th e Execu t ive Committee were :

r year : S. F . Shattuck, M iss J en nie Frazer, Miss R obertson, Mrs. J. A. J amison
year : R ev. C. V-l . H eywood, H . K. Babcock, Mrs. J ohn P. Shiells, Rev.
D . C. J ones
3 year: Mrs. T. D. Sm ith, Mayhew Mott, Mrs. W. Z. Stuart, D r. I. E. Ozanne
2

Th e Ch airm a n, Mr. Cl ark, appointed a member ship and working

commi ttee. B y J a n uar y, 1919, they had a membership of 3,841 adults
and 968 juniors, totalling 4, 809.
The working commi ttee makes hun d reds of garm ents, consis tin g of
sweaters, wristle ts, stockings, and a lso layet tes for t he servicem en 's
wives.
The h ome ser vice departrn en t w as and still is busy with vetera ns
and th eir famili es, plu s all th e local ser vice th ey a re called on to render
when necessary.
A life-saving p rogram was s t arted in the summ er of 1923. The first
ins tru ctor was George C hri stoph. This also was th e firs t year of p roviding Christm as baskets a nd clo t hing where needed .
The Ch apter started t he recrea ti on al progr am in th e summ er of
1927 and contin ued it un til t he City took it over in 1940 . T he Ch apter h as, however, continued to pay a subs t antial part of t he cost.
During t he depression years, from J 93 J for n early a decade, t he
Chap ter wor ked wi th th e M ayor's Co mmi ttee to give assis t ance to
all who needed it during those years.
The Blood P rogram came in to exis tence in 1950 as a part of t he
National R ed Cross policy and program. L eon T olversen h as gi ven
39 1

39 2

A HI S TORY

OF

EEN AH

fin e leadership, sin ce its beginning, as C hairman. This Progra m makes

bl ood av ailable to a ny residen t of Neenah without ch arge, no m a tter
wh er e the perso n m ay be in this coun t r y a t the tim e a blood transfu sion is required. The onl y charge is for hospital ser vices a nd m a terial s where t he t ra nsfu sion takes place. Th e cos t to the Neena h Ch apter
for this p rogram is approxim ately S1,500.oo a year.
Th e C hap ter carri es on an ex tensive R ed Cross N ursi ng P rograrn
un der the super vision of Mrs. C. G. R. J ohn son. Thi s in cludes ins tru ctio n in hom e nursing to residen ts of Neenah, an d to t he students in
the High School, who take t he instruction as a part of t he regul ar curriculum. The local C hap ter fi nances all t he cost of supplies fo r t hese
courses.
Th e Can teen Service, u nder t he d irection of Mrs. Fred Ben tzen, is
a regul ar part of th e local R ed Cross Program . I t prepa res and ser ves
t he food at th e Blood Ba nk. It also serves d urin g tim es of serio us fires
or community emergencies, and a t spec ial meetin gs wh en food is
ser ved .
Th e Gray L adies P rogram has been well developed under t he leadership of Mrs. C. G. R. J oh nson . 1embers of t his D epa rtmen t sp end
several hours each mon t h a t th e Winnebago State H ospi tal in occup a tional and r ecr eational t herap y. M rs. T. C. Epps is C hairm an of
Volunteers and Prod uction and is in cha rge of all Volun teer groups
in clud ing Gray L ad ies, Blood Bank a nd Veterans H ospitals.
Mr. and M rs. C. B. Clark h ave been largely in stru mental in ini tiating t he build ing up and p romotin g o f t he local R ed Cross C hap ter,
and mu ch of its success is d ue to t hem. M rs. Cl ark is still active as
Execu tive Secr etary. Sever al other peopl e ought to be m en tioned wh o
h ave ser ved long and well sin ce t he C hap ter was organi zed : Norton
J. Willi am s an d M. W. Schalk ser ved d uring the d iffi cult years of t he
Second W orld War, M r. \~illiam s as C hapter Ch airman and Mr.
Schal k as Fund Dri ve C hairm an. Dr. J. M . D onovan has been actively
conn ected wit h t he loca l R ed Cross activities, as a Direc tor and otherwise, more t han JS years. C ha rl es J. Madson has ser ved in like ma nner for more th an 30 years. T he same is true of :M rs. J. F. G illin gham.
Am brose Owen has been Treasurer for m ore th a n i 5 years. Mrs. C. F .
H edges was Secretar y for 9 years.

RED

CROSS

393

The Neenah Chapter has always gone over the top .in t he Fund
Dri ve and has responded generously to special appeals for emergency purposes.
1957- 58 offic ers are: Mrs. C. B. Clark, Executive Secretary; Robert
Wood, Chapter Chairman; Dr. J. J. Bouressa, Vice Chairm a n ; Mrs.
Armin Gerhardt, Secretary and Ambrose Owen, Treasurer.
Submitted by Charles Madson

SCHOOL HISTORY*
COMPILED BY MRS. HELEN L. ROBERTS

AccoRDING to a reco rd kep t by Superin tendent Moulton, in 1847 a

small fram e building was erected on the Ridge Road about a mile
south of Neenah for a grocer y store. This project was abandoned, and
during th at summer a public school was op ened there, under Miss
Carolyn Boynton, with twelve pupils. Th e teacher received $r.50 a
week, and boarded "arou nd ." This was the beginning of t he Neenah
public school sys tern.
The first school house in the city of Neenah was an old log cabin
near the public square, about where Immanuel Evangelical Church
now st ands. T hi s public square is now "The Green." A man named
' i\lilli am Dennison taught thi s sch ool in 1847- 48.

establishment of System-Officials and 'Buildings

THE city school system was establ ished in 1875, with M r. T . T. Moulton as Superintendent, and 660 pupils attending. Mr Moulton was
elected by the voters and to act, ex-officio, with th e Board of Education. Th ere were seven bu ildings : The Brown School, later called th e
Mixed School, which stood on the northeast corner of Caroline and
Isabella Streets; the Island Sc hool; the "Point" School, a one-room
brick s tructure, housing th e firs t, second and thi rd grades, located on
the west side of wh at is now known as Linden Court, then Short
Street; t he Fourth ~l ard School ; and three buildings for grade and
high school on the lot facing Walnut Street, bound ed by Franklin
and Columbian Avenues. T he high school building was at the front
of the lot on Walnut Street. Between i 875 and 1878 a n ew brick bu ilding was built in the Fourth W ard on Washington Street, now Adams,
between Harriso n and Van Streets. T his was a two-story, two-room
building holding four grades and heated by a huge wood-bu rnin g
stove on each floor. Miss Isa Brown was the first principal, and Miss
Marie Bergstrom taught on the lower floor.
*Since the writing of this article, the new ward divisions of the city have gone into effect.

394

Top: eenah Senior High=School,

constr ucted in 1929.
Center: New gymnasi um added to

High School in t955.

Bottom: Academic addition added
High School in 1953.

to

Roosevelt School

McKinley School

Washington School

Kimberly School

A HISTORY

OF

"EE

AH

On 1arch 20, I 879, the Neenah Council appropriated SI 5,600 for

a new First vVard School. Th e foundation was to be of stone from th e
Neenah qu arry and pressed brick from the eenah brick yard, like
those in t he Ru ssell H ouse. ' iVith t he furnace and equipment, t he cost
came to $25,000. This build ing is th e present Washington School,
standing on t he same lot as the old h igh school, bu t fa r ther back fro m
the walk on Walnut Street. A remodel ing project was carried out in
the summ er of 1935, at which time t he cupola housing t he old school
bell was r emoved.
A new school was needed on t he I sland, so in 1888 the council appropriated $10,000 for a Third ' iVard School on East Forest Avenue,
between First and Second Streets. Later the amount came to Srn,173
and t he agreement was that p aymen ts were to be made each month
up to 85% of t he work done and materials furni shed, a nd the remai nder paid on completion of the work. Th ere were six classrooms.
Mrs. I da Montgomery was the first prin cipal.
On J an uary 12, 1893, the Mayor stated a special tax levy would be
required to meet the expense of build ing a new Second ' iVard School.
Th e Sc hool Board, with J. N. Stone as Superintendent, had requested
S15,ooo, but possibl y $20,000 migh t be needed to comp lete the building. As there were approximately 2,000 c hildren of school age, with 57 r
in the Second Ward, the School Board was unan imous! y in fa vor o f
t he improvement, but the Mayor was afraid t he taxpayers might not
be. H owever, when one alderman stated a new sc hool was absolutely
necessary when basemen ts were uti lized for classrooms, on Janu ar y
l 9, l 893, an appropriati on of SI 5,000 was made for the erection of a
new Second 'Vard building on t he northwest co rn er of 'iVashington,
now Adam s Street, and I sabella S treet. This is now th e Lin coln
c hool. A special tax of I 3 was made to meet the expense. A resolution to t his effect was adopted on Febru a ry I, 1893. The new school
h ad six classrooms, a nd was to be built of brick, with Duck Creek cut
stone t rimming, and Washington state 1um ber. Mrs. Tsa LeT ourneux
was t he firs t principal.
As our school enrollments incr eased and the city grew, more schools
were n eeded for the pupil s. In 1923 t he old T hi rd ' i\Tard School was
torn down a nd a new one (of red bri ck and cu t sto ne) built in its

SCHOOL HISTORY

399

place, t he present R oosevelt School on E . Forest Avenue. The first

principal was Miss Maud D oi bear. Tn i 927 t he old Fourth \Yard
Sch ool was condemn ed, as t he ceiling in the ups tairs room had developed a curve, and t he new sch ool, now the McKinley School, was
built on t he same location . Mrs . Hugh R oberts was t he first principal.
Th e new building was built just behin d and ci rcling t he old one, so
classes could continu e until the end o f t he sc hool year in Jun e, 1927.
Th en th e old brick buildi ng was torn down . T o avoid accident, no
recesses were given th e child ren du ring t his period , bu t school was
di smi ssed 15 minutes earl y, much to th e j oy of all!
As the First \i\la rd School was becom in g crowded, it was decided b y
the Cou ncil , in 1906, to build a separate building to house the high
school and vocational school studen ts, who were attendi ng t he Firs t
\ Vard chool. This was t he Kimberly School, on South Commercial
Street. The first principal was E . M. Beeman . At present, t he seventh
and eigh t h grade s tudents attend t his sc hool. 1r. H arvey Leaman is
principal.
ln 1928 plans were made for t he present hig h school on Division
Street. This bui ld ing was to take care of the four high sc hool g rades,
with t heir Manual Ar ts, Athletic, Home Economics and Commercial
D epa rtments, as well as t he Vocational School. Thi s new build ing
was opened in t he fall of 1929. An academic addition was added to it
and opened in November, 1953. Th e old high school gymnasiurn coul d
no longer take care of the Ph ysical Educational classes, a nd, in 1955,
a new addition was m ade to h ou se the Athletic D epa rtm en t.
The city was pushing outward, and, in 1939, two add it ions were
made to the M cKinley Sc hool in the Fourth \Vard. The Wilson Sc hool,
on Higgin s Avenue in t he First Ward, was built in 19+8. This school
was opened in September, 1949, and a large additio n to it was buil t in
1952. Miss Evelyn Van Beek was, a nd is, the first principal.
Owing to land annexed to the city, McKinley School was overcrowded, and a beautifu l, modern school, t he Hoover School, was
erected on Cecil Street, between Hun t a nd Zemlock Avenues, in 1953 .
Miss Blanche Mcin tyre is the principal. Jn 1957, six rooms ar e being
added .
Again t he risi ng school population demands mo re room. A new

HISTORY

OF

EENAH

Interior view of Wilson

School.

l nten or view of T a fr School.

M odern H oover School serving the -,ch ward. l n the fa ll of 1957, the still more modern Taft School
opened its doors to c hild ren of this fastest growi ng section of the city.

SCHOOL HISTORY

school, the Taft, was opened in the fall of 1957, with M r. Al bert Goerli tz as principal. This beau ti ful building is on \iVestern Avenue.
J\(_aming of School

~uildings

THE school buildings were originall y called First Ward, Second vVard,
etc., according to the ward in which they were located. After th e first
\;>\lorJ d War, the American Legion obtained permission to ren ame the
buildings af ter our Presidents. The First \iVard School was renamed
\;>\lashington; the Second Ward, Lincoln; the Third \iVard, Roosevelt;
and the Fourth Ward, McKinley. When a new sc hool was built in the
First Ward, it was named Wilson; the new one in the Seven th \iVard,
Hoover; and th e new o ne just built in the Fourth Ward, Taft.
The Kimberly Sc hool was named after Mr. J. A. Kimberly, who
was president of the school board when the building was erected.
Superintendency

AT FIRST, the Superintendent of Schools was elected by the people

and did not h ave to possess certain certified educational qualifications. H e ran for offi ce and was not required to teach classes or visit
the teachers. About the turn of the cen tury, this was changed. T he
Superintendent was chosen by t he Board of Education. He had to
h ave a degree in education, and preferably some experience in the
fi eld. Gradually his position grew to a supervision of all teachers,
teachings, buildings and conduct of the schools.
M r. E . M. Beeman came to Neenah in 1903 as the first educational
superintendent. When the Kimberly School became the High School,
h e was the first Superin tendent and Principal. At hisdeathin191 7,
M r. C. F . Hedges took over his position, and continued as Superintendent of Sc hools, until his resign ation in 1946, when Mr. H arold B.
Men nes took over, and is now ser ving as Superin tendent.
Mr. J arnes K. Ballan tyne was the firs t full-time High School prin cipal in 1929. Mr. H arley Borgen is the present prin cipal.
First High School (iraduates

THE first graduating class of the Neenah High School was that of
Ju ne 29, i877. The commencement exercises were held in Sc huetzen

A HISTORY

OF

EE

AH

Hall, which stood on t he northeast corner of the present Commercial

Street and Columbian Avenue. There were nine graduates:
.J ennie Cook
l ellie Herrick
Della Boardman
Eva Leavens
Jackson Tullar

Minnie Gittins
Della Brown
Mamie Ford
Fannie Wheeler

The High School principal was H. A. Hobart, whose salary was

$ 120 per man th. He had two assistants in the High School, Miss
M. G . Van O'Linda and Miss Julia Bacon. There were ten teachers
in the grades, five in the Interm ed iate Department and five in the
Primary Department. The total cost of school operation for that year
was $8,ooo.
There were only eleven grades in the school system at this time,
but in the fall of 1 877, another grade was added to t he high school,
making twelve in all. The class graduating in r878 included Miss
Anna Proctor, who had remained in school to take t he extra year.
ince then the graduating classes have varied in size from two in
1880 to 204 in the class of 1956. In i 88 1 the class graduated from the
new High School, now the \i\' ashington School. Th ere was on] y one

1eenah

High School, about 1896. Mr. Conant, Superintendent of Schools, center, second row.

SCHOOL HI STO RY

member, Ben Davis, who was persuaded to pos tpone his party to the
nex t year, 1882, when four girls would graduate. These four were:
Helen V\lheeler, Grace \i\lrigh t Brown, Lutie Olmstead and I da
Krueger Barnett.

forming of l(indergarten
FoR many years children below the first grade, who attended school,
were said to be in t he Prim ary Grade, but in 1898 a kindergar ten was
establi shed in N eenah. C hildren from t he First and Third \i\lards
went to Dana Club Hall , where Miss Sad ie John son was t he teacher.
Mr. V\latts, fat her of then C hief of P olice \Vatts, w ho was the janitor
at the Third \ Vard School, walked t hese children to sc hool each day.
At t he Lincoln School, which children from Second and F ourth
\i\lards a ttended, tliss Eva Treleven from O mro was the teacher. H er
p arents came each weekend on Fri day to take her home, and one of
t he deligh ts of the child ren was t he bi g St. Bernard dog t hey brought
with t hem. Th e dog would lie quietl y under the piano (it was an oldfashioned square) until sch ool was dismissed.

elementary Supervisor
I N 1937 t he School Board decided the sc hool enrollment was gettin g
so large in th e elementary grades, t hat a supervisor s hould be engaged
to h elp with t he work. Mrs. Laura Ulery was hired and served four
years. T hen Miss Mauree Appl egate ( Mrs. \i\7ilbur Clack) came for
a brief period and left to become a teacher at L aCrosse State Teachers'
College. Miss Mar y \ Vill its too k h er place and is still here, doing an
excell ent job, fa ithfull y and conscientiously.

r:./luxiliary Organizations and J nterests

SPECIAL ED UCATI ON- l n Marc h, 1920 , a room fo r c hild ren who had
had tubercular contacts, or who fo r ot her reasons needed special care,
was opened in t he au di tori um of t he City H all. It was called the
"Fresh Air Schoo l," as th e chi ld ren were given a rest period after
their noon lunc h. At thi s tim e t hey were bundled up and all the
wi ndows opened. Mi ss Leah Anvootz was t he teac her. A s umm er
camp, call ed t he "Fresh Ai r Camp" was established on t he shore of

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Lake Winnebago about t he sam e time, for summer care of many of

these children. The school was maintained un til the spring of 1926.
A Special Education room for child ren who had di fficu lty in learning, du e to emotional d iffi culties or speech defects, was established in
1931 in the Kimberly School. Miss Marge Wegman was the first
teacher, with fifteen studen ts from all grades. In the fall of 1948, as
the need for t his type of education was greater a nd more recognized,
another room in t he basement of t he Lincoln School was started under
Miss Mary Burke, with nine children. This room took t he primary
child ren, ages 6- 10 years. Th ose child ren from ages 10- 16 years
attended the K imberly School. At th e age of 16 th ey go on to high
school. In 1948 t here were thirteen children who entered high sc hool
under this program. Mr. Kenneth Poulton is t he part-time high
school teacher.
Neenah schools are not fiscally independent, and state aid limits
the enrollm ent in t hese room s because of th e specialized work .
T here are many educable children with minor speech diffi culties,
for whom special help is needed, so in 1947, a Speech Correction
teacher, Mrs. Arvo Vaurio, was engaged. T h is work is still continued,
with the teacher visiting th e various schools twice a week for her
work.
In t he spring of 1952 an additional need for special teaching was
recognized. Many children, due to illn ess, suc h as rh eumatic fever,
accidents or other di ffi culties, were obliged to lose long periods of
school attendance. For these a home-bound cou rse under qualified
teachers was inaugurated.
For m any years pupils have been sen t from Neenah to t he Morgan
Orthopedic School at Appleton, and to t he School for the Deaf at
Oshkosh.
NEENAH-1VlENASHA ASSOCIATJOJ\T FOR RETARDED CHI LDREN- As t he
publi c was learning to recognize t he fact t hat reta rded children cou ld
be h elped to use t he abi lities t hey had if given proper training, an
associa tion for this pu rpose was formed in Neenah -Menas ha in 1956,
with Mrs. F . J . Liebl as President. A class, sponsored by the association, is held in t he First Congregational C hurch in Menasha. M rs.
J ohn H anchett, a special education teacher, is in ch arge.

SCHOOL HISTORY

In Neenah a step forward was taken when a roo m in t he \iVilson

School was opened in Sep tember, 1957, fo r Trainables. Thi s special
ed ucation room is supenrised and par t!y finan ced by the State Department of Public In stru cti on. There are nine child ren, between
the ages of seven and fourteen, attend in g. A half-day sess ion is the
recom mended tim e for these children, and Miss Janet Evans teaches
them from 1:30 to 3 :30 P . M . Miss Evans is sp eciall y certified for this
work , the aim of which is to give the child ren skills of social competency, rather than academi c skills.
In i 912 the first school
nurse, Mrs. Florence Lee, was appointed by the Health Committee
of the Neenah Council. She served for three years. There have been
onl y fi ve nurses since t hat day: Sall y Conner Arnemann , Ada Garvey,
E velyn Scholl, Beth Lewis and Thelma Davis. Their duties at first
were concerned onl y with the school children; holding clinics for immunization s ; visiting t he homes of sick children ; inspecting the children for communicable disease, etc. As the school population increased and more was learn ed about the close link between the health
of the public at large and the school children, the sc hool nurse gradu ally became the city nurse, as she is known today.
Th e heal th of Neenah sc hool children is carefully watch ed. All
child ren are weighed an d measured periodicall y. Vision screening and
rechecking is done in grades I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and II. Hearing is
checked by audiometer tests given in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and II.
Immunization and booster shots are given for diphtheria, tetanu s and
whooping cough. Small pox vaccinations and tuberculin tests are
admini stered. Iodine treatments are gi ven for goiter prevention .
In 1932 an Oral H ygienist, Miss Kathleen H ogan, was selected to
.look after the dental needs of the children . Two inspections a year are
held, and each week two clinics are held, various den tis ts giving
appoin tments. T his program was due to the efforts of Dr. J. M. Donovan and Mrs. Donald Sh epard. Members of the VNA Auxiliary
transport school children to and from the dentists' offices for their
appointments. Miss Dorothy Keune is the present Oral Hygienis t. In
1950 flu oridation of the water supply in both Neenah and Menasha
resulted from this program.
SCHOO L NURSE AN D HEALTH PROTECTION-

A HISTORY

OF NEENAH

~ims

THE belief of t he Neenah educational system is t hat it has:

"A responsibility fo r he lping boys and g irls
T o be good citizens.
To do cri tical thinking.
T o h ave adeq u ate ski lls.
To develop u nderstandings, appreciatio ns, and attitudes which include t hose
moral val ues whic h are im portant in our cultu re a nd our heritage.
To make wor th-while use of t heir leisure time.
T o be physically and mentall y healthy."

In H igh School the curriculum consists of fifty formal courses.

Basic requirements for graduation include four credits in social
studies; three in E nglish; one in science; and one in m athematicsa total of nin e. The remaining six credits may be chosen from elective
courses. A fin e selection of voca ti onal subj ects is offered, and a
student completing traini ng in some areas is ready for employment
upon graduation.
As pupils enter High School, t hey are gi ven a R egistration Bulleti n,
which contains th e Course of Study. T his Course of Study lists t he
requirements for each of t he four High School classes, according to
t he course selected, besides t hose for all pupils. There are courses
offi ered in Busin ess Education, Home Economics, Industrial Arts,
General Cou rse and a College Preparator y Course. R equirements for
college entran ce a re carefully explained. And, by the way, Neenah has
been on t he accredited list of t he N orth Central Association since
1907. In t his bulletin t he various subj ec ts are explained and the
purpose for t heir being given. Both pupil and parents are r equested
to stud y t his bulletin in order to map out the mos t helpful course.
There is even a sp ace for parents' signature for approval of t he course
chosen.

A1usic Program

IN THE earl y 19oo's a music supervisor, Miss Leona R eynolds, had

been engaged to teach vocal music in t he grades, or singing, as it was
called. In 1937 M iss Ru th Roper was engaged as a special music
teach er, in ch arge of all vocal music t hroughout the grades, and glee
clu bs and choru ses in both Senior High and Kimberly schools. As

SCHOOL HI STO R Y

enrollment grew, an assistant was hired, so t here are now two vocal
teac hers, one for the grades and one for K imberly and Senior High
Schools.
In 1929 Mrs. Helen Stuar t paid the salary for Mr. Lester Mais to be
engaged as a Band Director for the H igh School. Sh e helped purchase
needed instruments, and, in addition, purchased a house so the
Director would have a place to live. Under Mr. Mais, the band
program became very popular, so shor tl y a Junior Band was organized
for eighth grade pupils. There are now three bands at High Schoolthe Varsity, the Junior and the Beginners . At Kimberly School there
are four bands, two Beginners in seventh grade, and two Juniors in
eigh th grade. By the spring of 1956, Mr. Mais asked to be relieved of
the responsibility of the Varsity Band. Mr. Rober t 0. Gruetzman was
engaged to have over-all supervision of the music program of the
Neenah Schools. A string program, viol in, was started in the fall of
1956 in the fourth and fi fth grades throughout the city, for both
class and orchestra work . Mr. Gruetzman instructs these groups, as
well as the Senior Band.
rArt

FoR many years art was combined with music, under one teacher.
Finally art was dropped from th e curriculum. About ten years ago
it was felt that there was so much latent talent among students, that
a special teacher was engaged to teach art. As talent developed,
another teach er was engaged for Sen ior High and Kimberly Schools.

Home economics- Vocational School

A HoME EcoNOMICS CouRSE was established in 1896. This course,
called Domestic Science at that time, was established largely through
th e influence of Mrs. Helen Cheney Kimberly. She was very much
interested in woman's place in the home being useful and scientific
as well as om amen tal. She said if a man believed better cattle could
be produced by sc ientific feeding and raising, so could ch ildren, and a
man should be interested in how h is children were fed! But the City
Council thought girls should be taught cooking at h ome by their
mothers. However, Mrs. Kim berly finally convinced them this was not

+08

A HISTORY OF NE ENA H

Domestic Science Class rf Neena/1 H ig/1 School- 1896. Front row, left to right : Mary Ulrich, Ethel Brown ,
Tracy Smith, Mrs. J ennie Jamieson, teacher, Vina Olson Reynolds, Gertrude Willis Sawyer, Rose Rola nd
Hughes. Back row, left to right: Elizabeth Neustetter Bruncke, Delle LeTourneux R oberts, Alice
Kerwin, Mary Harth, Bonnie Kimball, Leila Austin, Clara Scott.

necessaril y being done. Furthermore, mothers were not scientificall y

train ed. T hey agreed to give it a trial if she would provide a room.
This she did , by putting a stove and tables equ ipped with cooking
utensils in the Mixed Sc hool. On August 17 of t hat year Mrs. J ennie
Jami eson was hired at $22.50 per mon th for five months to teach
cooking classes. In I 897 the term was extended to 9t months, from
Septernber 5 to June 8. At first a studen t h ad on ly two years of cooking, but in 1898 a third year was given and a class was graduated.
In 191 I a state law was passed au thorizing a voca tional school, and
a State Board was set up to admi nistrate it. Before this, Neenah h ad
typical departments of an industrial and comm ercial character in
high school, and manual training in both grade and high school. On
April 8, 1912, at a meeting of the Board of Education, Comr. J. J.
Leutenegger for Special Commi ttee, presented the names of M. VI/.

SCHOOL HISTORY

Krueger, J. C. Kimberly, W alter Osborne and Wm. J ackson , two

being em ployers and two employees, together with the Supt. of
Schools, E . M. Beeman , to compose an Indus tri al Commission, wi t hout p ay . This was p assed. On August 14, 1912, the nam e of Vv. C.
\ i\ling was approved to fill the vacancy caused by resignation of Mr.
M. V1/ . Krueger, who was unable to serve due to p ress of business. On
August 21, i912, the Board of In dustrial Education met and Mr.
J. C. Kimberly was elected ch airman and Sup t. E . M . Beeman,
secretary. On May 15, 1913, at a meeting of t he Board, it was proposed to organize an In dus tri al School. This was the first organized
In dustrial and Adult Educational School. After a meeting with t he
finan ce committee of t he City Council, the establishment was carried
out.
At the present time a pupil mu st attend public school until 18 years
of age, unl ess at t he age of 16 he can p rove he is gainfully empl oyed.
T hen he is required to attend voca tional sch ool one day a week until
I 8 years of age.
In 1938 Mrs . Irma Kyle was hired to teach Horne Economics in t he
High School. Kn owi ng h er previous success in adult education, she
was asked, in the middle of the year, to take over vocational work.
At the time she was teac hing clothing two nights a week in night
school, an d Miss R uth Sawyer, foods teach er at Kimberly Sch ool, h ad
a night class in food. Classes in k nitting and clothing were organized
and met in various rooms of the grade schools.
In May, 1939, t he H omemakers Club was organized, with M rs.
Kenneth Harwood as President. Meetings were held in the C ity Hall
a uditorium, Public Library and Neenah Club, wherever space could
be found.
At first, exhibi tions were held for th e members sh owi ng work accomplis hed during the year, bu t due to d ifficul ty of transporta t ion
when lamp shade making and slipcoverin g of furniture became part
of th e work, and a lso due to lack of space, t hese exhibitions were
abandoned. Now TV s hows are held . The first one, in March, J 956,
was shown on C ha nn el 5 in "At H ome With Peg Spoor. " M rs. El la
\ i\lilson gave a demonstration of roll making.
In 1955- 56 th ere were 22 a fternoon and 29 evening classes, 51 in

HIST OR Y

OF

NE EN AH

all, in adult homemakin g. 667 persons were en rolled, some of them

men, in su ch classes as landscaping and upholstering. Classes were
cond uc ted in lea t hercraft, j ewelry, foods, nu t rition , lamp shades,
d rap eries, hooked rugs, decorative painti ng and fur remodeling.
Mrs. Irm a K yle is full- time teacher, wi t h fifteen part-tim e teachers.
F ood N utri tion is also t aught in t he Practi cal N urses course a t
T h eda Clark H ospi tal by vocational school teachers.
School 'Population Soars

STUDENT popul ation soared in t he year 1956- 57. On opening day of

school in Sep tember, 1957, there wer e 3,597 boys and girls enrolled
in t he public schools. F or t he fi rst time in histor y, high school enrollment was over l,ooo, as there were 1,01 4 boys and girls present on
opening da y. T wenty-five new teachers were welcomed to the Public
School teaching s taff, m aking a to tal of 124 teac hers in our publi c
school system. T h e paroch ial schools had 897 pupils.
T wenty-Five Year Teachers

I N 1951 t he Neen ah Teachers' Association decided recogni tion should

be given to all teachers in t he N een a h schools, who h ad t aught for
a p eriod of 25 years or more. At t he annual spring banquet, held a t
H o tel Athearn , in Oshkosh, pin s were given to those teachers. T h ey
wer e also presented with a Certifi ca te of R ecognition of Service from
the N eenah Boar d of Educa tion, and one from t he State Superin tenden t of Schools, M r. George \iVatson.
T h e following year t he Kiwanis Club gave a recognition d inn er for
th ese teachers, who were given gold pin s, in scribed "25 Years of
Ser vice," and an H onor Cer tifi ca te. T he Kiwani s h as continu ed this
practice an d every year enter tains all teachers who h ave reached
t hese years of serv ice. As a teac her reaches the 25 year mark, a pin
and cer tifi cate is p resented to the teac her at t he dinn er. T he fol lowing
are "25 year" teach ers in N eenah (*indicates those teachers who h ave
taugh t 25 years in t he Neenah sys tem).

SC HO OL HISTORY

*Gordon Albert
Thora Anderson
*Mary Baird (deceased)
*Mary Brandsmark (retired)
*Carl Christensen (retired)
Edith Cumming
*George F . Chr istoph
*Maud Dolbear (retired)
*J ean Fraser (deceased)
*Armin Gerhardt
Margaret Griffi ths
Elizabeth Gotham
*C. F. Hedges (deceased)
* TeJI Hubbard (retired)
*Edna Mae Harris (retired)
Elizabeth H ughes
*Ole J orgensen
*Katharene Kafer
*Fannybelle Kiser
Margaret Kuchen berg
*Anna Klein hans (reti red)

Harve y Leaman
*I sa LeTourneux (deceased)
*Lester Mais
*Helen McDermott (deceased
*Nellie McDonnell (deceased)
Harold B. Mennes
*J anet Menning
*H annah Natwick (reti red)
*Ruth Iielsen
J osephine O'Mark
Arthur Paff
Helene Peterson
*Minna Hanson Petersen (retired)
Kenneth Poulton
*Al Poellinger
*Helen L. Rober ts (retired)
Margaret Sam bs
*Evelyn Van Beek
*Ivan Williams
Mary Will its
Edwin Zenisek

To th e list must be added the names of Clara Patzel and Castella

Beisenstein, wh o h ave faithfully served in the office of the H igh
School for twenty-fi ve years or more.
It is important th at the physical aspect of the schools should be
well cared for, and we h ave th e following who h ave fait hfully seen to
th at :
Mr. Frank Merkley
Mr. Emil Dan ielsen (deceased)

Mr. Chris Peterson (deceased)

School ".Board
history of Neenah P ublic Schools would not be complete without
mention of the School Boards of Education, which h ave helped make
the system grow to i ts present h igh standards. Sp ace will no t perrnit
givi ng the names of all who h ave contri buted so generou sly of thei r
time and efforts, but there are a few who have served many years in
the past and so me who are still serving.
I n the days when the school comm issioners were elected to rep resen t
THE

412

A HISTORY OF

NEENAH

their ward and no t the city at large, we find the names of J. A. Kimberly, for whom Kimberly School is narn ed; C. B. Clark, who ser ved
as President of the Board ; D. L. Kimberly, J. J. Leutenegger, L. J.
Pinkerton, Dr. L. J. McCrary, C.H. Vel te, Dr. J. P. Canavan, Mrs.
H elen K. Stuart, Norton J. \l\Ti lli ams and Mrs. Jay Gillingham.
Coming down a few years later we find Mr. Leo Schubart, who
served as President for many years ; R. J. Sund, President sin ce T949Neenah citizens will never appreciate or express t he debt of gratitu de
th ey owe to R oy Sund for his far-seei ng and sacrificial service during
t he explosive post-war period of our city's growth (Mr. Sund annou nced his retirement from the board in January, 1958) ; Dr. R . H.
Quade, Thad C. Epps, Gordon Mortenson, George Hrubecky, Fran k
H ochh olzer, Mrs. Ione McConnell, R. D . Molzow and Mrs. Marion
Tollette.
The Board of Vocation al Education also contain s the nam es of
many of t he faithful : J. VV. Bergs trom, one of t he firs t to ser ve, Henr y
Young, George L. Madson, Nathan Bergs trom , Jam es Keating,
Albrecht Gross, Einer Nielsen, Melvin Redlin, J ohn Neubauer and
Alan Adrian.

School 'Papers
lN 1895 a school periodical called The u.!rgosy was es tablished to
provide a method by which t he li terary ability of t he high sc hool
student could be developed. It was published at various times during
the year, with a special comm encement issue. The price was 5 per
cop y, or 35 per year. With finan cial difficu lty of publi ca ti on increasing af ter a few years, it was d iscontinu ed. In 1919 the firs t volum e of
an annual, The [ouncil Tree, was published. This was con ti nued
until 1922, and was the firs t annual put out by a high school s tuden t
staft.
After t he new high school was bu ilt in 1929, t here wer e apparentl y
no school publications. Th en a school paper, The [ub, wit h a d ul yelec ted ed itori al staff, was star ted and is now in fl ouri shing co ndition,
being a semi-m on t hly pu bl ication and primaril y a student endeavo r.
The an nu al is now call ed The 1(ocket and is pub lished by t he staff

SCHOOL HISTORY

eac h year shortly before com mencemen t. The first J(ocket was published in 1937.
High Sc/1001 Organizations

\iVITH the many worth-while extra curri cular act1v1ties provided at

Neenah High School, it can be understood why we have so many fine
you ng people coming fort h. There is almost no interest of young people
which is not provided for in some club or group.
One of the earliest organizations was the Conservation Club, under
the guidance of Mr. Armin Gerhardt. T his club is interested in the
conservation of our natural resources. Rabbits are trapped during the
wintertime and turned over to the State Conservation Department.
Members attend Trees for Tornorrow Camp.
The Biology Club, under Mr. John Gundlach, attracts those interested in plant and animal life.
The Science Club, und er Mr. Leonard Krau se, is a hobby and
interest group. This group has "ham" radio artists, amateur photographers and other future scientists.
The Th espians, under Mr. Kenneth Anderson, takes care of those
with asp irations for t he stage. The y present excellent plays each year.
Bocks are not forgotten . The Library Club, with Mr. Charles Buck
to guide, h elps in maintaining the school library.
Those who are interested in languages have both a Latin and a
Spanish Club under Miss Fannybelle Kiser. One of their highlights is
a Roman banquet done in authentic style.
The Home Economics Club, under Miss Hel en Firkus, not only
interests future homemakers, but at Christmas-time provides a tree,
gifts and a party for children in the primar y grades who need a little
cheer.
Mr. George Christoph with the Safety Club is helping reduce accidents, not only with automobiles, but bicycles and all traffic hazards.
If you are interested in a printer's work, Mr. Al Poellinger has the
Printers' Club.
Mr. \iVilliam Dunwiddie brings in spiration to the school for all
events with the Pep Club.

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

The Debate Club, also under Mr. Dunwiddie's gu id ance, has been
excellent in helping students with a kn owl edge of impo rt ant public
issues. Eac h year debates are held with other high sc hoo ls in t he state.
To take care of other inte rests of the students, there is a Girl s'
Athletic Club, C heerleaders, Student Coun cil, Girls' Senate and
F u ture Teachers' Club. The latter group, under Miss Margaret
G riffi ths, was organized to help those interested in teaching as a
profession . I t h as been organized only a few years, but has grown,
until, in 1957, it sent a group of between JO- JS to attend a meeting
of similar organizations at Os hkosh.
The Honor Society, organized in 1948, under M iss Helen Hughes,
includes the students who h ave attained scholastic honors according
to a national society.
Those interested in journalism have their groups to take care of
publish ing The (ub, issued monthly, and the yearbook, The7~pcket.
The students who remain at high school during the noon hour are
not forgotten. Under Mr. Ole J orgensen, an Activities Group pro vid es
games and other forms of recreation . No one has idl e time to breed
mischief.
T he latest club at Neenah High School is the Vars ity Service Club,
wh ich was formed in September, 1957. The President is John Ki rchgeorg, and faculty advisor is Warren Sc hu knech t. T he purposes of the
club are to usher at school function s, keep a bulletin board of pho tographs of school activities, institu te school traditions and keep the
newspapers advised of school doings. At present the femi nine element
seems not to be included in membership.
In 191 8 a Junior Red Cross Society was formed at the High School,
and a French orph an was adop ted for t hat year. Th ere are Junior
R ed Cross groups in all the grade sc hools, who eac h year send boxes
of gifts to child ren in foreign countries.
Junior Historical Societies are formed in grades 4, 5, and 6.

cAthletics

IN THE fall of I 896 there was a great athletic awakening at Neenah

High. A football team was organized, but was h ampered by lack of a
field on which to practice. In the spring of r897 an ideal field of about

SCHOOL HI STO RY

th ree acres was found in the First \Nard, about a 5 min u te walk from
t he High School. This was purchased, and, with t he a id of volu nteer
labor from t he school boys, made into an athletic field enclosed by an
81 high tigh t board fence. The total cost, including grandstand, remodeling an old house in to a clubhouse, with refreshment stand,
tennis courts, baseball diamond and track, was S 1, loo. Three boys,

Right: Conference Champions 1950-1951:

Back row: Coach 0. Jorgensen, D. \\"isthoff,
D. Metz, D. Schultz. Second row: Mgr. D.
Knaack, F. \\"iesner, J . O'~eil, Mgr. D.
I .aflin. Front row: .M. Blank, R. Ri ne, R.
Jorgensen, J. Shannon, J. Gundlach.

Below: Neenah High Conference Champions

1957: At far right, Tom Porter, Head
Coach, and Don Bartelt, Assistant Coach.
At far left, Assistant Coach Joe Braun.

J oh n T olversen, Sidney Coats and John Carmen, brought in a large

spruce t ree frorn ten miles out in the country and made a flag staff
601 h igh.
During t he fi rst year on the new field, Neenah held 8 games o f
football, 3 of baseball and held '.l field days. Th ey won all of the
football games, 2 of t he baseball, l field day and tied t he other.
No regular athletic coach was hired at t he Neenah High Sch ool
until t he fall of 1919, when A. C. D enney, who is now at L awrence

A HISTORY

OF

NEE ' AH

College, Appleton, was hired. From then on the physical education

program in our schools has gained in strength. For the first time in
history in March, 1920, the Neenah High School was represented at
the State Basketball Championship, held ever y year at Madison, and
came out in second place. In i930 t hey won t he State Championship,
and have been down there 12 times.
Football, track, baseball and intramural spo rts are participated in
by the stud en ts on both high school and grade level. The girls as
well as boys are given ph ysical education .
Th e high school football team has had two nndefeated seasons in
1956 and J 957.
J\(eenah T eachers' c:/lssociation

of the ::\feenah teac hers had been held for years at the call
of and under t he direction of the School Superintendent. About 1935
a need for a Neenah Teachers' Association, with a constitution and
regularly elected officers and stated meeting times, was felt. A committee was appointed, with Marvin Olson as chairman for the
organization . On September 21, 1936, the first meeting of the ::\feenah
chapter of the 'i\Tisconsin Education Association was held in charge of
I van "W illiams, President. Harvey Leaman was elected President for
the following year. At first only two meetings a year were held, but
as need arose and t he Neenah group joined t he National Education
Association, as well as the W isconsin, t he organization here reorganized its constitution and became more and more vital in t he school life.
It belongs to t he Northeastern Association and t he Fox Ri ver Valley
group. A paper called, From Our Schools, is a publication of the
Board of Education of the Neenah Public Sc hools, written and edited
by Neenah Public School Teachers. Th e paper (four pages) is issu ed
at least twice a year and contains information about our schools. It is
available on request.
MEETING S

lligli Sc/100/ U//1mmi Vfssociation

THE Neenah High School Alumni Association was organ ized in I 888 .
It met once a year, t he last week of the sc hool year. After t he first few
meetings, which were held in the hig h school assembly room, t he

SCHOOL

HI STO RY

association met annually for a dinner, or alumni banquet, as it was

called. Th ese d inn ers were held in t he d ini ng room of t he )Jeenah
Club, Sign of t he Fox, Nor th Shore or \' alley Tn n. Seniors were
honored guests. The sen ior classes continued to grow in size, and the
di nn er expense became too great; t hen, too, the sen iors wanted their
own banquet, so in 1934- 35 the Association was d isbanded. The last
banquet was held in 1934 at t he Valley Inn.
'Parent-Teacherc/fssociation
TH E P .T.A. is not exac tl y a recen t organization within our school
system . As far back as about 1915 Mothers' Societies were formed.
The Fourth and Second vVard mothers were one group, a nd the
mothers of Kimberly School and t he First and T hird \i\'ards formed
the other. These grou ps met once a month after school in one of the
classrooms of the Lin coln School or Kimberly School. Such topi cs
as Disease-spreading Flies, given by M rs. Maurice Barnett, were discussed. These groups fell in to decl ine and were abandoned . H owever,
as the P.T.A. movement was spreading over the country in 1930,
t hrough t he efforts of Mrs. H elen Stuart a P.T.A. group was for med
at t he \iVashin gton Schoo l. Mrs. R eginald Sanders was the first
President, and t he group met once a mont h in t he aftern oon after
school. The time of meeting was later changed to even in g to allow the
fathers to attend . The group disbanded a nd reorganized twice, but
eventually became the present Washington P.T.A.
(Th e National Parent-Teacher Association was organized in 1896
in \Vashington, D. C., by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson
H earst.)
Several attempts have been made to organize Parent-Teacher
Associations at Kimberly School and Neenah High School, but parents
seem to feel it makes too many meetings to attend when there are
children in lower grades. \iVith a highly organ ized city such as Neenah,
no doub t they a re righ t.
In i934 a P.T.A. was organized at R oosevelt School, with Mrs. R. E.
Sanders t he first President. I t met once a month in t he afternoon,
and was, of necessity, largely a mothers' group. Tn 1936 t he group
joined th e state organization, with meetings in the eveni ng to which

.p 8

A HISTORY

OF

N EE

All

fathers were able to come. Jn i9+6 it was disbanded, as no offi cers

could be found for President and Vi ce-Presiden t, but in 1951 another
group, calling itself the Mothers' Club, was organized with Mrs.
D onald Mitchell as President, and is ver y fl ourishing today. This
group began meeting afternoons, and changed to evenings so fa thers
could attend.
In the sp ring of 1941 it was decided at both the Lincoln and McKinl ey schools to form P .T.A. groups. Mr. Irvin ' iVin ters was elected
President at M cKinle y, and Mrs. Ambrose Owen at Lincoln. These
two groups h ave maintained a steady growth.
After the "Wilson School was built, a P.T. A. was organized, with
Co-Chairmen Mr. and Mrs. William Cramer, to meet with the
vVashington P.T.A. Meetings were to be held altematel y at each
school, but at the first meeting the attendance was so la rge, eac h
group became a separate P.T. A.
At H oover School a group was imm ediately organized, with Mr. and
Mrs. J am es Crust as Co-Presiden ts.
Taft chool p arents felt the work of the P.T.A.'s in Neenah has
been so helpful, an assoc iation shou ld be formed at thei r school. This

N eenah High School graduating class June i892. F ront row: \Viii J oliffe (son of Me thodist minister);
Dr. Emma J aeck (presenrl y li ving at Omro); H elen Babcock, M a bel Wil liams; Art Koch; Rear row:
Harry Hewitt (Hewitt St. named for his famil y); Milo Pinkerton; M ar)' Larsen Brandsmarck; James
Barnett (Dr.); Gunlof Guthormsen; Ed Bergstrom (who designed Valle y Inn); J ohn Bergstrom (co.
found er of Bergstrom Paper Co.); and \\'ill Stowe.

SC HO OL

HI STORY

was done in the fall of 1957, with Mr. and M rs. C. Morrow as CoPresiden ts.
On J anuar y 26, 1942, a P.T.A. Council was formed, with M r. Carl
Gerhardt as P resident. T here were representations from six Neenah
organizations : the High School, K imberl y, Washington, Lincoln,
McKinley and R oosevel t. T h e rural schools : Lakeview, Spring Road
and Tullar, joined this council. Today the counc il works wi th the
Menash a council in conducting a workshop every spring for members
of the Twin City groups. T he P.T.A. groups are active and helpful.
T h e McKinley P .T.A. h as organ ized two child study gro ups, "Tiny
Tots" and "Wee Folks," which are for young mothers, and a group
called "The Child Study Group" for mothers of older children. T he
Hoover P.T.A. is affi liated with these groups.
At presen t there are six active P.T.A. organizations in Neenah, all
affiliated with the state P .T.A. : Washington, Lincoln, McKinley,
Wilson, Hoover and T aft, with an active Mothers' Club at R oosevelt.

''Ji '(ity Father' Talks"

From The T win (ity Vaily J..(_ews of Januar y 23, 18 88 :
Edi tor Daily News:
Your issue of Saturday, J an. 21, contained a communication from a resident of the
Third Ward, severely criticizing the 'ci ty fathers' for allowing little children to remain out doors in the cold whi le awaiting the arrival of the teacher to unlock the
school house. That the children are locked out and perhaps suffer from the severe
cold may be a fact, but in justice to the members of the city council I would say that
they have nothing whatever to do with these matters. The care of the school houses,
hiring of teachers and janitors, is in the hands of the school board, and the 'city
fathers' have no knowledge of the offense of which they are accused by the irate
'Third Warder' unless some of them happen to be 'father' to some of the little ones
who are compelled to stan d out in the cold. That the complaint is a just one, is conceded by all right minded citizens, for in such weather as we have had this winter it is
hard enough for the children to walk to school, without having to stand out of doors
when they arrive there. Ch ildren are not expected to start for school until a reasonable hour, and then they should find the school house open and warm. The 'Third
Warder' is quite right in his accusation, but his complaint should be directed to the
school board instead of the innocent and long suffering 'city fathers.'
One of the Council

Times haven't ch anged!-parents still complain when their child ren

aren't all owed in the school- at 7 :30 or 8:00 A.M. !

420

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

A Was~. ingto n grade school class of the late 189o's. Complete identification could not be made, but included in the group are: Anna Fe lton, , ellie R uegge, Anna Michelson, Anna Gram, M yra D unn, Gu y
Young, P aul H einicke, Emma Dobber tin, J ennie Larsen, Arthur Klinke, Belle Klock, Conrad Schmid t,
Carolyn Giffin, Fred Wa tts, Luci lle Schwartz and M a ry Bergstrom .

School Strike
EoucATIO N should teach the folly of a strike and th e wisdom of arbi-

tration , bu t in 1 901 a strike took place in the Neenah High School.

T he Superintendent, Mr. J. H. H ealey, who, by the way, was at
that time elected by the City Council and did not necessaril y need
education degrees, and Mr. 0 . J. Schuster, Principal of the High
School, had been "feud in "' for some time. On Monday morning of
the last week of school that year, as Mr. Schuster was writing examination questions on the board for the senior class, Mr. H ealey appeared. H e dismissed the Principal from his duties and took over.
T ook over? No, attempted to. Mr. Schuster h ad very quietl y left the
building and gone home. I n thei r indignation and loyalty to their
Principal, th e student body arose and left the building, not quietly,
I fear. Two stud en ts were left in the room ; one h ad come to school

SCHOOL HISTORY

+21

tardy and did not know the reason for t he exodus; the other, who

Ii ved with a grandmother, feared her disapproval. The stud en ts

paraded to t he home of Mr. Schu ster and voiced t hei r lo yalty to him .
H e t hanked t hem, but u rged no d isturbance and advised t hem all to
go home.
Some parent or parents made a complaint against 1r. H ealey fo r
his actions, and a mass meeting was held t hat even ing in the old R ink,
which was on Canal Street. Mr. Sc hu ster was reinstated and classes
res umed the next d a y, but t he graduating class that Jun e r eceived
un signed di plomas fo r t heir part in t he strike. L ater in the summer
t he Board agreed to sign t he diplomas, so "all's well that ends well. "

Paro chi al Schoo ls

Nu:NAH has t hree parochial sc hools, t he Trini ty L utheran , St.

Margar et-Mary, and M artin Lu t her. St. Patri ck 's School, situated
in Menasha just across t he boundar y line on ~i co l et Boulevard, is
attended by so me of t he Islan d chi ldren of that congregation, as is
St. 1ary's High chool in l\fenash a. Win nebago Day School, a private
chool located on Wi nnebago r\.venu e, in M enasha, d raws pupils from
t he N eenah area. This sc hool was opened September T, 1932.
T. 1\1ARGARET-l\1A1n-'s CHOOL- St. Marga re t-Mary's School is
located on Di,rision Street. Tt was built in 1950 and has eigh t grades.
Excavation was begun in Sep tember , i950, for t he school build ing,
and in February, 195 r, fo r the Sisters ' H ome. About t he middle o f
Augu st i 951, six teac hing nuns and a house sister of t he Sisters of t he
H oly Family of Nazareth carne from C hicago to conduct t he new
sc hool, t he first Catholi c parochi a l sc hool in Neenah. School op ened
Septem ber 7 with an enrollment of 30+ pupils d ivided into six gr ades,
from t hird t h rough eighth. Th e M ost Rev. Stanislaus V. Bona, Bishop
o f the Cat holic Diocese of Green Bay, ded icated t he sc hool and convcn ton September 30. Th e con vent was ready for occupan cy March
10, 1952. On February 6, 1955, St. 1argaret-Mary paris h voted to
erect a recr eation cen ter to t he west end of the school building. Th.is
was com pleted in J anuary 1956.

422

HISTOHY

OF

NEENAH

There are now ten teaching Sisters and two lay teachers, with an
enrollment of 510 pupils in eight grades.
TRINITY LUTHERAN SCHOOL-Trinity Lutheran Sch ool was organized
in the early seventies, a few years after the congr egation was organized
in i865. It was born of a two-fold need, to give the ch ildren of t he
parish a Christ-centered education on a daily basis, and to teach the
children in the mother tongue, German.
The :first sc hool stood on ' "7alnut Street, next to t he church, between
Olive Street and Washington Avenue. The building has since been
r emodeled into a home. The teachers were the p astors of the church.
who were qualified by the better education they received at th eological
schools. In I 884 the congregation saw the need for a full-time teacher,
and one was hired.
A new church had been erected on the corner of Oak Street and
Franklin Avenue. The congregation had grown and a new school was
needed. In I 893 one was built on Oak Street, beside t he church. Soon
the number of children required another teach er, and a woman
teacher, somewhat of an innovation at that time, was called to assist
the man teacher. In 1912 Mr. '"7illiam Hellerman was called to h ead
the school, a post which he held until 1955, when he asked to be relieved of h is h eavy work load. He is presently teaching th e eight h
grade. Mr. ' "' E. Stoekli succeeded Mr. Hellerman.
Under Mr. Hellerman's able and dedicated Christian leaders hip, the
enrollrnent of the school increased from 50 or 60 to 285 students. No
longer is it a "Dutch College," as English has replaced German in
t he classroom . T he eighth grade was added; likewise t he kindergarten .
New textbooks, an expanded curriculum, new teaching methods, are
used, besides rel igious instruction, which not only is given daily, but
permeates all teaching regardless of subject matter.
During t he last war, th e gymnasium was used part-time for classes,
as Pearl Harbor rendered useless the building plans for a new school.
Materials were not available. The opened mission churches of Martin
Luther and Grace Evangelical increased school enroll men ts, as those
children were permitted to attend Trinity school. On April 6, I951,
just one year to the day after construction was begun, the pr esent

SCHOOL

HISTORY

423

school opened its doors to the first classes. Constructed at a cost of

more than $200,000, it h as seven full-time and one remedial teacher;
with 255 dail y pupils. There are three male teachers and five women
teachers.
The obj ect of the school is to make good C hri stian citizens.

Trinicy Lurheran School,

1900.

Top row, far lefr, Mr. Braun, a reache r, and Reverend Froeh lke.

MARTI r L uTHER CHOOL- The latest of Neenah's parochi al schools

is the Martin Luther School, on Adams Street. T his school started in
September, T957, with R everend Paul Hartwig as t he Principal and
one assistant teacher. Sixty-two pupils are enrolled in grades I
t hrough 6.
The school is in t he former chapel of the Martin Luther congregation . This chapel, built in 1947, was constructed for t he dual purpose
of being used as a church for t he congregation, and as a school when
the present church ed ifice was constructed (1956) . Thi s bu ilding wi ll
serve as a school un til plans for another school can be realized in
about 1960.

TRANSPO RT AT IO N
COMPILED

BY

GEORGE

BANTA, JR.

7(ailroads
CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN R AILWAY- The first railroad to r eac h
Neenah was t he Chicago and North western, whi ch came in i 86I as a
part of th e expansion of the road from Oshkosh to Appleton and
Green Bay . This road was a merger of t he Galena and C hi cago
Union and the R ock River Vall ey Union, which had been reorganized
as the Chicago, St. P aul & Fond d u L ac R.R.

Chicago & :--rorthwcstern D epot, at intersection o f Commercial and Railroad Streets .

The first depot was located where t he tracks intersect Sou t h

Commercial Street near t he present plan t of t he Neenah Milk
Products Company (now the Galloway Company) . The original
idea was to swerve to the west across t he slough, and then go straight
south along t he west shore of Littl e Lake Bu t te des Morts. The right
of way was constructed and t he ties put in place to a point somewh ere
near the west encl of t he present C.& .vV. b ridge, when t he protests
of Menasha resid ents, parti cu la rl y t he ow ners of the Menasha Woodenware Corpor ation, caused a change in plans. The line was reengineered to bring the tracks across t he isla nd in their present loca424

TRANSPORTATION

t ion so t hat t11ey passed through bo th tow ns. The depo t was th en
m oved to a site in t he rear of t he J ersild Kn itting Company buil d ing,
presently owned by Marathon Corporation, and rem ain ed there until
i 893, when the present brick struc ture was erected.
The first indu strial siding was built by J ohn Stevens, who owned a
ft our mill now occu pi ed b y t he plant of t he Neenah Paper Company.
It is s aid th at this siding was put down over a weekend when no
injunc tion could be served on him . In 187 5 the railroad built the spur
which serves indus tries along the entire power canal.
TH E Soo L1 1 E- In the year 1909 t he Can adian Pacific Railroad,
through its subsidi ary, the M inneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste.
Marie, needin g an ou tlet to Chicago, began negotiations with the

Right: Old Soo Line (Wisconsin Central)

depot (between Sherry and Main Streets), in
process of demolition following completion
of new station to the nor th.

Below: modern depot of the Soo Line located

between Main and North Lake Streets.

A HISTORY

01? NEEN AH

Wisconsin Central, whi ch was t hen in bad shape financially. A 99-year

lease was effected under which the CPR took over management of
the \i\Tisconsin Central. Previous to this, certain fl our milling interests
of t he St. Paul-Mi nneapolis area built a road from Minneapolis to
Sault Ste. Marie, known as the Soo Lin e. During the depression of
t he 193o's, bo th roads, the Soo and the Wisconsin Central, were in
receiverships, whereupon the CPR bought the bonds and the controlling stock of the Wisconsin Central, and continu ed the operation
of these two roads by t he Soo Line. The Soo Line pays t he Wisconsin
Cen tral for use of its tracks. T he two roads pool the use of t heir
en gm es.
W1scoN SIN CENTRAL R AILROAD-The organization of the Wisconsin
Central resulted from the pooling of interests of various groups which
were striving t hrough the eighteen sixties to build a railroad to reach
Lake Superior. These were the Winnebago & Lake Superior, t he Portage & Superior, and the P ortage, Stevens P oin t & Superior. The first
two h ad been assigned Federal land grants by Congressional resolution approved May 5, l 864.

Wreck on rhe Wisconsi n Central Line nea r \\"inneconne Avenue, October 3, 1907.

TRA

SPORTATION

+27

The first consolidation of interests occurred in May, i869, with their

merger under the name of the Portage, \Vinnebago & Superior, with
the following di rec tors: George Reed, President; Benjamin F. Hopkin s, John P. McGregor, Henry Hewitt, Henry P. Strong, W. G.
Germain, Charles N. Paine, Reuben M. Scott, and J. S. Buck.
The overlapping land grants of these interests finally resulted in an
award of approximately 888,288 acres from which the \iVisconsin Central even tu ally realized about six million dollars.
Judge George R eed, of Manitowoc, a brother of Harrison Reed and
Curtis Reed, was the dreamer, the prornoter, and guiding h and that
accomplis hed the difficult merger. He had succeeded in securing a land
grant to build a railroad from "Doty's Island to Lake Superior" and
he interested Gardner Colby and a Bos ton group in financing the venture.
General headquarters for the proj ect were established in Janu ary,
1870, at the new National H otel in Menas ha. In November, 1870, the
offices were moved across the street to the Bates Building, where they
remained until 1872, when permanent general offices were set up in
Milwaukee, with operating headquarters in Stevens Point.
The assumption of the name Wisconsin Central took place on February 4, I 87 1, when the following officers and directors were elected to
form the first board:
Gardner Colby, President
George Reed, Vice-President
Samuel H. Walley, Treasurer
Frank W. Webster, Secretary

Boston, Massachusetts
Menasha, Wisconsin
Boston, M assachusetts
Menasha, Wisconsin

On October 3, 1955, a significant gathering was held at Hotel Menasha, at which time a bronze plaque (see page 30), attached to the
north wall of that hotel, was dedicated. The inscription on this plaqu e
reads as follows:
" WISCONSI r CENTRAL RAILROAD was formally organized in the National
Hotel on this site by Judge George Reed and his associates, February 4, 1871. Here
the contracts were let for its construction and the first general office was located .
The road secured a land grant to build a line from " Doty's I sland to Lake Superior."

The first train ran from Menasha to Waupaca, October 2, 187r.

The vVisconsin Central's rails actually reached Neenah in 18 80

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

when the crossing of Lake Butte des Marts on the C.&N.\V. bridge
was abandoned and a lin e cons tructed around the south end of t he
Jake. Th e first passenger and freight depot was loca ted at the west
end of "Wisconsin Avenue.
In 1882, when the lease of the Milwaukee & Northern was given up,
the Central organized the Milwaukee a nd Lake Winnebago R.R. and
built a line from Neenah to Schleisingerville (now Slinger). Here
their trains reached Milwaukee with trackage rights over t he C.M.
&St.P.R.R.
M ILWAUKEE & NORTHERN RAILWAY- The building of the Wisconsin
Central in this area brough t with it another rai lroad when a branch
of the Milwaukee & Northern was constructed into Menasha from
Hilbert Junction in 187 1 to give the Central a connection to Milwaukee. The mainline of the M.&N. had begun building in 1871 from
Milwaukee to Green Bay, and the Central leased the road in 1873, an
arrangement which continued for nine years, during which time
through trains were operated between Milwaukee and the north country over both roads.
As a part of this deal the Menasha & Appleton R . R. built and
opened a line between t hose two cities in 1880. This road was leased
by the Wisconsin Central, but reverted to the Milwaukee & Northern
in 18 82, when the Central gave up its lease of both. During this period
the M.&N. got to Neenah and established a station on the island
where it is s till located on West Forest Avenue.
In 1895 t he Milwaukee & Northern was sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul and became its Superior Division. This is now
t he Chicago, Milwaukee, St. P aul & Pacific, and is known as t he
"Milwaukee Road. "
W1scoNSIN & NORTHERN R AILROAD-Th e last railroad to build into
Neenah was the Wisconsin and Northern, which reached to outskirts
of the city at Winnebago J ct. on the Soo Line in 1920. This line was
organized in 1906 by Charles R. Smith, of the Menasha Wooden ware,
Leander Choate and Charles Bray, of Oshkosh, and M. J. Wallrich ,
of Shaw ano. These men h eld extensive timber tracts north of the

TRANSPORTATION

Menomin ee Indian R eservation, and when Marvin Hughitt, President of the Chicago and Northwestern , refused to provide trackage
in to th e area, they decided to build their own line. So they employed
C. H. Hartley, of Oshkosh, a former division superintendent of the
No rthwestern, to act as general manager, and construction was
star ted north from Sh awano in 1906.
In stages, the Wi sconsin and Northern was extended north through
Neopit, W hite Lake and Crandon to Argonne on the east and west
line of the Soo and sou th from Sh awano to Black Creek and Appleton
before th e final extension which brought the trains to Neenah.
This line was sold soon after to th e Soo Line, whi ch actual] y gave
Neenah its fourt h railroad, since the Wisconsi n Central, though ope rated by the Soo Line, is in reality an independent road.

(For histor y of Interurban Service, see section "Electric Light, Electric Power and In terurban Service.")
<Air Travel

TH E North Central Airlines (formerly named \iVisconsin Central Airlines) has ser ved Neenah since 1948, when the Oshkosh airport became usable for the cornp any's planes.
Presently its aircraft fl eet numbers twenty 25-passenger DC-3's.
Star tin g in 1948 with non-scheduled intrastate fligh t ser vice, the
North Central now offers regular ser vice, not only to Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul-Minneapolis, bu t to 43 cities in North Dakota,
Minnesota, \;v'isconsin , Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
Early scheduled service was directed from Madison. In 1952 the
compan y moved its general offices to 'W old-Chamberlain Field, Min neapolis-St. Paul.
The year 195 8 marks their tenth an ni versar y of operations as a
scheduled interstate carrier.

PUBLIC UTILITIES
Water System
As NEENAH entered th e last decade o f the I9th Cen tu r y, t he citizens
were s till u sing water from private well s for cooking an d for d rinking .
For all other domestic purposes ever yone had a cistern in his basement, getting rain water from t he roof. T o replenish cistern s in dry
seasons, sever al enterprising members of the commu ni ty installed
tanks on trucks and d id a bri sk busin ess in raw lake water. This was
before water treatment had become an exact scien ce- t herefore, w hen
in t he early '9o's t he city fath ers responded to publi c pressure for a
city water system, t hey did th e normal thing and drilled a deep well.
Th e well water was t urned in to newly laid city mains in I 893.
I t was a reasonable supposition t hat a city water suppl y would
eliminate cisterns, but wh at a disappoin tment to discover that the
newl y found water suppl y was so h ard (60 grains per gallon) that i t
was useless fo r washing of d ishes and clothes, or for use in washbowls
or bath tubs, and not much good for cooking! E ventually it proved too
h ard for flu shing toilets and for use in heating sys tems. The excess of
mineral salts coated and fin ally clogged t he piping.
The city limped along for forty years under t his han dicap. M eanwhile, our sister city of Menasha pointed the way, in stalling a treatment plan t to :fllter an d purify ri ver water, produ cing a potable, allpurpose suppl y. It was not until it became obvious t hat Neenah
was losing ou t with hom e builders and new industr y that a group of
citi zens, known as the Neenah Ad vancement Committee, o rgani zed
to do something about it. Mem ber s of thi s Committee were:
H.J. J ung, Chairman
C. F. Gerhardt, Sec'y-Treas.
L. 0 . Schubart
1 . H. Bergstrom
G. E . Sande
Geo. H. Williamson
S. r. Pi ckard
.J ames \;\,1ebb
Gaylord C. Loehning

R. A. Vanderwalker
E . H. N icholson
T. D. Smith
Max W. Schalk
C. E. Clark
Gilber t Courshon
F.. J. Boehm
S. F. Shattuck
K im Stuart
430

U TILITI ES

431

Thi s Comm ittee broug ht to th e voters at the spring elect ion o f r932
a proposal to do away wi t h t he wells and purchase a system to treat
Jake water. This mo ve met with a 2 to 1 defeat.
Th e su bj ec t t hen simmered unti l the fall of 193+, when th e Neenah
Advancement Comm ittee created a Water Committee consisting of:
S. F. Shattuck, Chairman
G. E. Sande
G. F. Gerhardt
Kim Stuar t
A. S. McArthur
Frank Wi tt
Ed Kalfahs
Wm . Blo hm
Chas. Neubauer
Otto Steffenhagen

Earl Brien
Em mett E . Christofferson
Chas. Korotev
Vi/. A. Dra hei m
Chas. Madson
Wm . Swentner
Henry Engfer
Marvin l . Olson
Carroll M. McEathron

It was obvious t hat a physical demonstration of what can be done

with our lake water must be made. A small, gaily painted water pl ant
was buil t on t he Wiecker t proper ty, adj oining North Commercial
Street . The International Fil ter Company supplied th e equipment for
an alu m, lime, carbon process. The Committee went to work, peddlin g
water all over town, serv in g it to lunch eon and dinner meetings of
all sorts, and in vi ting citizens to tr y it ou t for washing, cooking and
all domestic purposes! A running fire of commen t was main tained in
the press and t hrough th e mails for nin e m onth s prior to the spring
election of 1936. On April 7 of t hat year t he vote in favor of the presen t water system was 2,45 5 for to 6 54 again st. Every ward voted
favorably ! It was at t his election t hat Ed Kalfahs becam e Mayor, and
it was under his administration that water from t he new plant flowed
into Neenah 's mains on February 4, 1937.
Sewer System
to r 88 r, N eenah had no ~ewer sys tem. Out-of-door toilets were
in vogue. The modern septic tank h ad not yet been invented.
In t h at year, 1881, a group of citi zens petitioned t he city fathers
"to lay a sewer from Main Street to som e point under t he railroad
track of suffi cien t depth and capacity to carry all the sewerage on

PRIOR

43 2

A HISTORY OF NEENAH

The petition that gained flir Neenah its fir.rt sewer sys/em. R eside nts whose homes or businesses fronted on
Wisconsin Avenue pe titioned the city fathers in April 1881 for permission to lay a sewer line down the
avenue, under the C.& r.w. tracks, and emptying into Li ttle Lake Buttes des Mores. The property owners
benefiting from this utility were, of course, obligated to pay the cost thereof. It is interesting to note tha t
this sewer line was laid twelve years before Neenah had a city wa ter system.

UTILITIES

433

both sides of \ Visconsin Avenue up as far as th e Nor th Western R a ilroad crossi ng in to Lake Butte des Morts." The petition was signed
by J. B. Ru ssell, Alex Billstein , J. Brown , H enry Sherry, A. W. Patten, W. P. Peckham, P. Gaffney, A. C. Briggs, Wm. Krueger, J. A.
Kimberly, J. N . Stone, D. C. Van Ostrand, Chas. Vv. J ohnson, J. R.
Davis, Sr., Edward Smith, E . P. Marsh, J. R . Barnett, Geo. Rodgers,
F . C. Shattuck, H . B abcock, D. L. Kimberly.
1

The modern remodeled Sewage and Garbage disposal plant which will go into operation in June 1958.

Their petition was acted upon favorabl y. A sewer district was cha rtered, bonds issued to pay for the improvernen t with appropriate tax
rate, sewer lines were laid, and the systern began operation in 1884.
A second sewer distri ct was set up in I 890 to serve petitioners along
l:.orest A venu e. B y J 900, four sewer districts were in existen ce, each
with its bond issue and consequent tax rate. In t he year 1935, t he
several separate sewer districts were consolidated in to a unified city
system.
In 1937, a sewage d isposal p lant serv icing both Neenah and M enas ha came in to oper ation. Pre vious to t hat time, all waste was dumped
in to L ittle Lake Butte des Mor ts. In t he disposal pl an t, t he solids are
set tl ed and filtered out, then dried and burn ed in an in cinerator; t he

.+34

A HISTORY OF

EE

AH

residue liquids are c hlorinated and go into the lake ; the dry solids
from the incin erato r are used as fill around the community.
As these words a re written, the Twin Cities are experiencing growing pains. The present sewage disposal plant is outgrown. Building is
underway to enlarge the operation to include increasing sewage capacity, mill wastes and ga rbage disposal.

HISTORY OF THE NEENAH- MENASHA

VISITING NURSE ASSOCIAT IO N
THE Neenah-Menash a Visiting Nu rse Association was founded in
r908, and its original purposes s till apply today. As stated in its present cons ti tu ti on, those purposes are :
I. To promote heal th: individual, fam ily and community.
2. To prevent disease by teaching the principles of health, h ygiene
and sanitation .
3. To provide skilled nursing care for th e sick in their homes on a
p art-tim e basis.
Char ter members of the organization were: Mrs. A. M . Gilbert,
Mrs. J. C. Kimberly, Mrs. C. B. Clark, Mrs. J ohn Shi ells, Mrs. Lyle
Pinkerton, Mrs. Lou is J ourdain, M iss Ann Pleasants, M rs. George
Banta, Sr., l\1rs. J oh n Bergs trom, Mrs. G. \f\T. Dodge, Mrs. J acob
Hanson, M iss Mary Hamilton, Mrs. W. H . Strange, Mrs. Fred Elwers,
Mrs. J. R. Barnett, and Miss Mary R obertson. Mrs. A. M . Gilber t
was the first President.
The first recorded bu dget was for $800; the 1958 budget is $J3,870.
T he nursing staff was then all-inclusive in Miss Ida Heinicke, a practical nurse, at a salar y of $so per month. She walked to the I i6 visits
per month she made. In 1929 the first train ed graduate pu blic health
nurse was employed, Miss Laura Chase. Today the s taff num bers
fi ve registered nu rses and two trained practical nurses, and the case
load averages l,050 visits per month. Originally the Association had
an annual fund-raising drive. No fee was se t for p atien ts who could
pay, but they were asked to pay anything they could, which ranged
from 5 cen ts to a maximum of 50 cents. Today free and p art-pay service is given whenever the p atien t is unable to pay the full fee of $2.50
The VNA is affilia ted with the Community Chest, and $24,170 of the
1958 budget will be from that source.
The Visiting Nu rses were the pioneers of public health nursing in
435

--

__,

Tlze T wo Homes of llze //NA. Tn 1940 the Visiting urse Associarion acquired the former home of I. W.
H unt (above) on East Forest Avenue for a headquarters. The first meeting of the VNA in their new quarters
was on October 8 of that year. By the mid-5o's this space had become inadequate. Following the death of
Mrs. H elen K. Stuart in 1956, Mr. ] . C. Kimberl y, acting for the Kimberly famil y, gave the present
proper ty at 406 East \-\1isconsin Avenue, for merly the home of Mrs. Stuart, to the VNA (below).

VISITING

NURSE

ASSO C IATION

437

this corn rnunity . Th ey preceded sc hool, city and in d ustrial nurses.

Throu gh the years o th er services have been added to the all-important
beds ide care : Child H eal t h Centers, Mothers' Classes, Fathers' Classes, Den tal Clin ics, Loan Closet and Tndustrial N ursing. The VNA
Auxiliary is closely associated.
Histor y records that in the firs t fund-raising drive a butcher gave
soup bones to make broth in the homes of the ill!
Miss Heinicke had a horse and buggy at one time- the horse
couldn't take the cold; Miss H einicke did! Mrs. J.C. Kimberly later
donated the first car.
In i956, following th e death of Mrs. H elen K. Stuart, Mr. J. C.
Kimberly offered to the VNA, Mrs. Stuart's former home at 403 East
Wisconsin Avenue, backed by an endowment of $100,000 to guarantee proper maintenance and upk eep. \i\lith acquiescence of the city
au thori ties, t his genercus offer was accepted in August, 1956, and this
valuable property became the headquarters of the VNA.
Officers of th e Association in 1957 are:
President- Mrs. R. L. J ohnson
1st Vice President- Mrs. Fred H ollenbeck
2nd Vice President- Mrs. 'vV. B. Bellack
Secretar y- Mrs. Gilbert Bayley
T reasurer- M r. Clark Harris

Compiled b)' Mrs . R . JV!. Eiss

Visiting Jl(_urse cAssociation cAuxiliary

I N 1933, when it became obvious that members of VNA were unable

to carry on all the work of dri ving for dental clinics and keeping the
nurses' supplies complete, the Junior Auxiliary was bro ugh t in to being.
The first meeting was held in Janu ary, 1933, and dues of $ r.oo per
person were decided upon. Mrs. J ohn Pinkerton was Chairman of the
group an d Mmes. John V\Tilterding, Stuart Thompson, R.H. Kuehmsted, R. McMillen, S. N. Pi ckard, K. Lawson, T. Gilbert, Miss Pauline D eWolf and Miss Doroth y Brown comprised th e original committee.

A HISTORY

OF

NEENA H

On February 20, 1933, t he seco nd meeting was held and a constitution was drawn . Mrs. Kuehmsted was elected Vice-Chairman and
Mrs. T ed Gilbert, Secretary and Treasurer. Monthly meetings were
held in t he homes of members. B y 1934 there were twel ve active members. In April of that year, two auxiliary members were appointed to
attend t he monthly meetings of the VNA Board in order to establis h
a closer working arrangernen t between t he two groups. Dues, plus
proceeds of food sales, provided a small amount for t he treasury.
In l ater years, an an nual d ance has been held to raise money for the
work.
Presently one VNA Auxili ary member is elected to serve on the VNA
Board, and two members are invited to attend t he monthly m eeti ngs
of the VNA Board.
VNA Auxiliary members continu ed to drive for dental clinics until
t hat work was recently absorbed by the Community C hest. This group
rnakes all n ecessar y sewing repairs for VN A nurses, and su pplies th e
kits u sed in t heir daily calls.
Compiled by Mrs. W. B. Be/lack

WINNEBAGO PLAYERS
BIRTH of the Winnebago P layers occurr ed in 1928, when the board in
charge of dedicating t he newly-completed Doty Park decided on a
home talent play as par t of the ceremony. "Prunella" met with such
popular enthusiasm th at its sponsors began envisioning a little theater
production as a permanent summer attraction. The idea grew, and in
1929, a hundred persons or more tried out for the cast of "Smilin'
T hru." Twenty-two hundred attended its two performances, and the
future of the ' iVinnebago Players was assured.
Audiences of those earlier days will remember v ividly "Pomander
Walk," "Rip Van Winkle," "Devil in the C heese," "The Return of
Peter Grimm," and in later years, "Blithe Sp irits," "I Remember
Mama," etc. Ruth Dieckhoff, speech teach er at Neenah High, directed
the first play in 1928, and continued in t his capacity until she left
Neenah. She and her work are remembered with gratitude. Miss
Dieckhoff is now Mrs. H. B. McCarty, of Madison.
Unusual as these plays have been as dramatic achievements, there
h as been a civic aspect which has been more significant. Talent of
both communities h as been given opportunity for expression in the
various fields of dramatic production. Ac tors, costumers, makers of
sets, production staffs, directors and business managers have been
necessary to the success of these performances. In producing them,
there has come about an enlarging community friendliness such as
few other civic enterprises could arouse.
T h roughout its earlier years, and even up to a few years ago wh en,
temporarily, the P layers took a breathing spell, the citizens of Neenah
and Menasha have given generous support to the Players. The result
h as been something of which th e whole community may well be proud.
In 1957 the Recreation Department began sponsoring an amateur
dramatic group, with performances given in the new Riverside Park
pavilion. Under t he able direction of Kenneth F . Anderson, speech,
drama and English teacher at Neenah High School, highly successful
(Continued on page 446)

439

YACHTING
Sailing on .(,ake Winnebago
I N co TN ECTION with t his historical project, we assembled a summ ary
of yachting on Lake Winn ebago. Sin ce t hen, J. C. Kimberl y has published a com plete and very readable volume tracing t he hi stor y of
sailing, reaching back J OO years. We, t herefore, cancelled out ou r
modest write-up and refer ou r readers to Mr. Kimberl y's breezy effort.
Vve content ourselves with picturing t he development of boat fo rms
a nd sail plans from the days of t he " sand baggers" down to the present.

Ri verside Park shore during regacta week. This colorful scene will be repeated in 1958, when the I.L.'r".A.
returns to l'\eenah for its annual regatta.

YACHT I NG

441

The "Minerva" of Fond du Lac, a "sand bagger," sailed many a race on the N eenah course against similar
boats such as the "M yra Bell" owned by Will Davis. Note the topsail.

T ype of boat sailed and raced on inland lakes of Wisconsin in the !are ' Sos and early '90s. Thq were called
"sand baggers." All crew members except rhe sheer renders transferred sand bags from side to side when
the boat was put about.

442

A HI ST ORY

OF

N EEN AH

T his type of sloop-rigged boat followed the "sand baggers." lr was raced on L ake Winnebago during t he
late '90s and first decade of t he 20th cenrury. T he boats passed out as the "ski mming dish" type of racer
appeared.

First of the many one-design fleets to be owned and raced over the Neenah triangle. There were seven of
these cat yawls which made their appearance about I 896.

YACHTING

443

Comi ng into the " teens" and '20s, we enter the era of the double boards and twin rudders- sleek, slim
and speedy.

Winnebago/and Marathon
ON A COLD, blustery day in J anuary, 1949, the idea of the vVinnebagoJapd Marathon was born in the sports department of the Krueger
Hardw are Compan y. Jiggs (George) J agerson and Gib (Gilbert) Neff,
after much idl e talk, though t it would be a grand idea to have an outboard motor race about 100 miles long. As it finally shaped up, the
starting point would be the Neenah river proceeding into Lake \.Vinnebago to Oshkosh, \.Vinn econne, Fremont and return. As it turned out,
th e actual mileage was 92 miles. This activity developed to be the
largest stock outboard motor race in th e world and had as many as
288 entries in t he years t hat followed. This event was held yearl y
through 1954.

444

A HIS T ORY OF

NEENAH

Tri-(ity CSoating (lub

"This organization is dedicated to the promotion of motor boating as an enj oyable
and safe pastime or recreation for t he enti re family.
"It aims to accomplish this bya. Educating all members in the principles of good and safe boat handling and
navigation.
b. Promoting by example, ed ucation and propaganda, good and safe boat handling, and navigation by non-members, young and old.
c. Promoting good fell owship among the members of t his club and neighboring
clubs by programmi ng activities for all members of t he family."

THAT is the purpose for whi ch the club was organized as stated in the
preamble of the club constitu ti on.
T he bi r th of the Tri-City Boa tin g Club took place at a meetin g in
the Shattuck Park boat house in August of 1954. Th e purpose of the
meeting was to star t drafting pl ans to form a boat club. P resent at
th is first meeti ng were Lawrence Driscoll, Frank Sharpless, Russell
Arnold, Maynard Eisch, Wesley Christensen, Katherine and Herber t
vVienandt, Ada and R alph Stahl.
On Sep tember 8, 1954, the same group met at the w hiting Boat
House wi th Commodore Lester Guddin and twenty members of the
Osh kosh Outboard Club. They were there in response to a request
from the Neenah group for assistance in how to organize and promote
a boat club. As a result of the talk by Commodore Guddin, it was
decided to give the proposed club a name and to get membership
application cards printed. Th e name chosen for the club was th e T riCity Boating Club.
T he next meeting of the newly form ed club was held at the W hi ting
Boat House on Septem ber 22, 1954. Serv in g as temporar y offi cers
were Lawrence D riscoll, Comm odore; Frank Sh arpless, Vice Commodore; Ada Stahl, Secretary; Russel l Arnold, T reasurer. At this meeting a committee was formed fo r the purpose of designing a club emblem . Serving on this comrnittee were Law rence Driscoll, Frank
Sharpless and Eric Isakson .
Election of permanent officers took pl ace on October 6, 1954, at the
w h iting Boat House. Officers elected were : Lawrence D riscoll , Commodore; F rank Sharpless, Vice Com modore; Fred \N. Grupe, Treas-

YACHT I NG

445

T he Tri-Cit)' Boating Club, organized in 195.+, needed dockage facilities, and Neenah's waterfront was
preempted. T he pressure of need gave birth to this enterprisi ng idea:-two double lines of '"finger" piers,
entering from Shattuck Park. D uring 1957 this part was redesigned to serve the purposes of the boating
enthusiasts, and at the same time to retain a beauty spot at its heart.

urer ; Verndy ne S telow, Secretary. Appoin t men ts made at t he meeting

were : Irving Stilp, H a rbormas t er; J oyce An derson, Histori a n. Commi ttee Ch a irmen : M elvin R a usch , En ter tainm ent; Alfred Gin nc w,
Cruise Planning; Margaret G eisler, Publicity; \Vesley Saecker, M embership; E d ward S telow, House.
A t th e November 3, 1954, meeting t he co nstit u tion and b y-laws
prepared by t he cons titution committee , h eaded b y H erm an Du pont,
were read a nd approved b y t he membership. Also approved was t he
clu b burgee. Its fi eld color is deep blue. Tri angular in shape, it has
t hree whi te s t ars with points tou ching enclosed by a red circle. Th e
t hree stars symbolize the Tri-Cities of >feenah, 1en asha and Appleton.
Club members hip h as grown from th e original group to seven t y
fam ily memberships totalin g over two hu nd red twenty-five men,
wom en and child ren. Acti v ities h ave in cluded : fam il y cruises a nd pi cnics, potluck suppers, dances a nd costum e p ar t ies.
Th e club stands ready to prov ide as it has in t he past volu n teers to
assist th e law enforcement agencies in search a nd rescue work on L a ke

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

\Vi nn ebago. I t has worked in close cooperat ion with Mr. S. F. Shattu ck and the Park Board of t he City" of Neenah in planning facilities
in Shattuck Park fo r boating.
1957 offi cers are : Fred W. Grupe, Commodore; Frank Sharpless,
Vice Com modore; Melvin Rau sch, Treasurer; Verndyne Stelow,
Secretary. Members of th e Executive Committee: Lawrence Driscoll,
H erman Dupont, and Maynard Eisch. Commi ttee Chairmen: Robert
Romeyrn, Program; Clement Murph y, Cruise Planning; Ed Stelow,
H ouse; Theo Grupe, Publicity; J oyce Anderson, Historian ; Helen
Tuttrup, Calling.
Compiled by Fred W. Grupe

WINNEBAGO PLAYERS
(Continuedfro111 page 439)

plays were produced, among them "Andrades and Th e L ion," "Man

of D estin y," "Sunday Costs Five Pesos," "Spread ing The News,"
"Th e B oar, " " H appy Journey " an d " T en N.1g h ts .rn a B arroom . "
There were 80 acti ng roles, and over 100 people worked on the crews.
The 1958 season looks even more promisi ng fo r this enthu siastic group.
Compiled by Henry Y oung

Y.W.C.A. OF

NEENAH-~tfENASHA

(Formerly the Young w omen's Club)

I N THE early i9oo's more and more women were being drawn from
a protected horne life into in dustrial employment. It was brought to
the atten tion of the Tu esday Club that here was an opportu ni ty to
provide advantages for broader life interests for working girls.
In the spring of I911 a club for girls was organized. Interest in the
clu b was stimulated by the work of Th e Boys' Brigade, in Neenah,
and by a Girls' Glee Club, sponsored by a women's organization, now
the Economics Club, of Menasha.
The Girls' Club started in a small way with emphasis upon social
ac ti vities. Groups of girls were invited to homes of members of the
Tu esday Club for parties, games and fo r picnics d uring warm weather.
In 191 2 a Director was engaged to coordinate the work already
started. Later, club rooms were opened in th e buildin g on the northwest corn er of Church Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
In the fall of 1914 the Girls' Clu b was conver ted into the Young
Women's Club of Neenah and Menas ha. As more women were entering office and industrial pos itions, a broader program and more space
were required . In the fall of 1915 the former Robert Shiells' home at
243 East Doty Avenu e was rented as a club house.
Then emerged the emphasis on th e needs of younger girls,- character-building activities, carnping for girls, and organizations such as
the Camp Fire Girls. Several groups of Camp Fire Girls were organized. Camping facilities at Onaway Island were made available to the
groups. The women of Neenah and Menasha, by accepting leadership
of these groups and aiding in transportation to camp, made this venture one of the most rewarding. Th rough the generosity of two Neena h women, a recreation hall was added to the build in g. Here a stage
was erected and d ramatic wo rk prospered for awhi le.
Fol lowing World War I the Directors of the club responded to
another commun ity need. Our city lacked adequate dining facili ties
447

4+ 8

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

Y. \\'.C.A. Building on the corner of \\"e t :\'orth \\"ater and Commercial Streets.

for the in creasing number of employed young peo pl e. First, a cafeteria was open ed in rented space on Commercial Street. Later, a group
of citizens secured t he lower floor in the Eagles' Buil d ing on Wisconsin A ven ue for a res taurant, known as Th e S ign of t he Fox. This was
a noble experiment t hat wilted for lack of patro nage due to drug
stores in stallin g lunc h counters w here food cou ld be sold for lower
pnces.
Mea nwhile, t he Neenah Board of Education granted th e use of
rooms in t he present \iVashington School for night classes in sewing,
cooki ng and millinery. Members of th e Tu esday Club gave t heir time
and help in these classes.
Comin g in to t he later twen ties, it became obvious to the Tu esday
Club that a broader base mu st be found if t he needs of t he growing
communi ty were to be served. That pressure led t hem to t he Y.W.C.A.
After d ue consid eratio n, affi lia t io n with t he natio nal o rganization of
Y.\V.C.A. was effected in 1929.
Coincident with t his merger, t he res idence proper ty o n t he corn er
of W est North Water and Commercial St reets was purchased and
r emodeled to ho use t he growing program.

Y. W .C.A.

449

The Neenah-Menash a Y.W.C.A. has adap ted its program from

year to year in accord ance with the trends in th e changing needs of
wom en and gi rls. F ac tors taken in to accoun t are t he increase of employment of all ages of women, the earlier age at which th e larges t
group of young women m arry, and the mobility of t he population.
Community reso urces for education and recreation are examined from
tim e to tim e so that t he Y.vV.C.A. activities do not duplicate to a n y
degr ee those t hat a re offer ed by civic and other volun teer agencies.
Membership has been established in accordance with national policy
on a fee sharing basis. Adult members reached a total of 500 in 1956.
Education al and recreation programs are offered th rough seven adult
clubs and several projects, as interes t warrants. At presen t t he interes ts are center ed in crafts, makin g use of t he r emodeled Craft \iVorkshop on t he seco nd fl oor. Sports are less important as the community
resources are in creased, especially in the r ecreation departments.
The eighty year old r esidence, t hanks to adequate repairs a nd additions to equipment, stands t he test of time and many meetings.
Arnong th e adult clubs, one of t he most pop ular is \iVelcome Stranger, form ed for women who are new in th e city. During t heir firs t year
t hey m a ke new friends at t he "Y," while within a few mon t hs t hey
establis h community contacts and fin d their place in community life.
A demand for co-ed groups- single men and girls out of schoolh as had t he backing of t he "Y" for a decade. At present the Menash a
and Neenah R ecr eation D epartm en ts cooperate with t he Y.W.C.A.
in providing facilities for larger gatherings or informal sings and game
evenmgs.
Th e build ing is much used by commu ni ty groups for meetings. It
is available at a nominal rate for recep tion s and showers. The sp acious
a nd attractive lounge provides an at tractive meeting place for the
community.
The teen-agers ha ve increas ing facili ties in churches and schools,
with t he result t hat th e larger portion of th e members hip is in t he
seven t h, eigh t h an d nin t h grades. Camp was d iscontinu ed, since
churches offer co-ed camp.
R efl ecting the trend in t he U .S.A., more and more of th e yo ung
married women look to t he "Y" for services. At present the Day

450

HISTORY OF

NEENAH

Nursery offering the pre-kindergarten training four mornings a week

has a registration of I 20 three and four year old children. It is registered with the State Department of Welfare-Children's Division.
Among the forward-looki ng activities is the bringing together of the
foreign -born citizens of the commu nity. At this writing an international group is in process of forming.
Employed women have always been a chief concern of the Y .W.C.A.
Clubs and classes have provided for their educational and recreational
needs. However, clubs have diminished in importance as the in terest
span of you ng women has shortened. Short- terrn projects, such as craft
classes and mu sic listening groups, were tried. A single girls' club,
meeting monthly, is affiliated with the Na ti on al Employed Girls'
group. T his club prov ides a place for the new girl to make friends.
Plans and policies of the Y.W.C.A. are under the direction of a
Board of Directors of 21 representative women, elected for three-year
terms by the members. Each branch of the Y.W.C.A. is autonomous.
During the 27 years of its history, more than 200 have served on the
Board.
T he Y.W.C.A. was a ch arter member of the Neenah-Menasha
Community Chest.
Compiled by Miss Helen E. Babcock and Miss Grace McLay
As a postscript to the above, it should be recorded that Miss Helen Babcock's
vision and constancy is largely responsible for the Y.W.C.A.'s present healthy condition, as it was for the Y.W.'s predecessor, " The Young Women's Club.''
W hile many citizens had a hand in purchase of the present building and grounds,
three women, M rs. D . W. Bergstrom, Sr., M rs. Carl ton Smith and Miss H elen
Babcock, carried t he heavy end of the load.

"FROM the story of the fortitude, courage and devotion of

men and women, we create the inspirations of youth. "

HERBERT H OOVER

YOUTH OR GANI ZATI ONS

'Boys' 'Brigade

THE Boys' Brigade of Neenah-Menasha had its inception one evening

in the early fall of 1899, when D r. J. E. Chapin, then pastor of the
F irst Presbyterian Chu rch, stopped to ask six boys wh y they were on
the streets beyond the nine o'clock curfew.
The patriotic fervor of the Sp anish-American War was still warm.
The boys wanted an "Army" where they cou ld have military d rill.
Dr. Chapin said he would see wh at could be done.
Something was done. Forty-six charter members of the Neenah
Boys' Brigade were signed up on J anu ary 22 , 1900. Early leaders were
Charles J ohnson, Oscar Lindsey, George J ones, with Vernon Holden
as drill master. In 1901, at D r. Chapin's insistence, Frank Shattuck
took over.
T he Brigade started under the wing of the local Presbyterian
Church. Being the only organization of its kind in the town, boys from
other churches were naturally attracted to it. It soon became obvious
that something must be done to avoid weakening the loyalty of boys
to the church of their parents' choice. Suc h thinking led to the adoption of two simple principles upon which the Brigade h as developed
across t he years :
I. Membership of a boy must rest upon regular attendance at the
church or Sunday School of his p arents' choice. A monthly report
card, to be presented during the active Brigade season, records
the boy's attendance at his own chu rch or school. T his record is
an important factor in honors awards at the close of each Brigade
season.
2. A community is a better place in which to live in which boys of
all fait hs have the maximum of wholesome common experience
together during their adolescent years.
In 1947, the Community Chest was organized as a Twin City institution, and th e Boys' Brigade became a ch arter member. Up to this
451

452

HISTORY

OF

EENAH

The original Boys Brigade Building and the modern addition cons tucted in 1957.

YOUTH O R GAN IZ A TI ONS

453

time, various boys from Menas ha had become members, but coincident with Ch est mem bership, the Brigade became a Twin City organ ization .
!. M ich elson H all, southwest corn er of South Co mmercial Street and Columbian Avenue, where the present pos t office
stands.
2 . An old skating rink, wh ich stood near the corn er of Church and
Canal Streets.
3. Lecture room of the Presbyteri an Church (then located across
the street to the west of the present sanctuary on Church Street) .
4. A gymnasium covered with corrugated metal, which stood on
the site now occupied by Bergstrom Paper Company's boiler plant.

MEETING PLACE S .-

Boy's Brigade bas ketball team: Firs t row, left to right: Bill Vogt, Archie Benjamin, Edgar J ones, John
LeTourneux, Neal Woodworth. Back row, left to right: Ralph Smith, coach, Ernest Draheim, George
Paul, S. F. Shat tuck.

454

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

5. A building owned by t he Dan ke Creamery, on South Commercial Street, was purchased in 1928 and r emodeled fo r group meetings,
with use of Wesley Hall of the Methodist C hurch for d rill. When t he
Methodist C hurch burned in i937, plans were laid to erect a gymnasium adjoining t he Boys' Brigade building to t he west. This building, with toilet and bath facilities, was completed and came in to service in r938.
6. On January 20, 1957, t he new Brigade Building, fronting on
Columbian Avenue, was dedicated. The Brigade opened its 58th season in the fall of 1957 wit h 41 S boys, 76 adult leaders, and 46 junior
leaders, who are included in the roster of 415 boys.
The Boys' Brigade Association is an incorporated body. It holds
title to t he property, defines t he policies and objectives, and, in general, maintains oversigh t of t he program. As larger ser vice opport unities and increased r esponsi bili ties came in to view with the new building, t he number of Directors was incr eased from twelve to twenty.
T hi s is a self perpetuating board. As t hese lines are written, t he following ni neteen citizens constitute its mem bership:
S. F. Shattuck, P resident

L. 0. Schu bart, Vice President

L. C. Sti lp, Secretary
D. J. J ones, Treasurer
. H. Bergstrom
D . K . Brown
E . L. Rickard
Harold Mennes
Earl Graversen
Dedric W. Bergstrom, Jr.

Earl Williams
Irwin Pearson
H oward Angermeyer
J ames Crust
Ar thur Remley
Stanley Severson
Ar thur R . Hedlund
Fred W. Grupe
Carl L. Williams

CAMPING-The first summer camp was held in 1903 on t he east shore

of Lake ' iVinnebago. In 1904 and r905, camps were also held across
t he lake at a spot near the outlet of Mud Creek. A trip to t he Dells of
the Wisconsin was proj ected in t he summer of 1906, and in 1907 occurred the first camp in t he ' iVaup aca lakes region. It was on t he 1907
expedition t ha t a six-acre island at t he north end o f Rai nbow Lake
attracted t he notice of t he leaders. Permiss ion was gran ted by th e
owners of the island to cam p there in 1908 and again in 1910 and l9J J:
after which the island was purchased and renamed "Onaway."

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS

455

Not onl y has Onaway been th e site of the Brigade's annual cam ps
ever si nce, bt1 tan abiding love for Camp Onaway h as taken root in the
hearts of an untold number of local boys. This love an d loyalty was
demonstrated during the summ er of 1955, when an out-of-door chapel
was planned and financed by "Old Boys" who in th eir boyhood days
had camped there.
IN1ERNATIONAL CAMPS-During the summer of 1952, one leader and
three older boys represen ted the Neenah Company at an international
camp in Denmark. Again, in 1954, two leaders and four boys attended
a ten-day international encampment of Boys' Brigades on th e playing
fields of Eton, in England. Here, as in Denmark, enduring friendships
were formed with boys from the far places of the earth. Our boys came
back from t hese international gatherings wondering why the United
Nations couldn't be conducted on the high level of understanding and
international friendship that prevailed in the camps.
Still another Brigade International Camp in J amaica is lis ted for
April, 1958, recognizing the 7 5th anniversar y of the organization, to
which the local Brigade expects to send ten boys and three leaders.
LEADERSHIP- The first captain, chosen by Dr. Chapin, was Vernon
Holden. Following Frank Shattuck as captain, Harry Thomas temporarily took over. During World War I, \i\Taldemar Bergstrom and Ernest Draheim carried on, succeeded by Leo Schubart, upon hi s return
from overseas. Then came, in line of succession, Lyall Stilp, Paul
Stacker, Howard Neubauer, Howard Angermeyer, Chester \i\Tittenborn, and, presently, Gordon Altenhofen.
Space does not permit mention of the hundreds of men and older
boys who have ser ved in the expanding .program of the Brigade
through the years. In 195 5- 56, 58 men, plus older boys, constituted
the leadership staff; 333 boys from the 6th grade through senior year
in high sc hool were enrolled.
By 1951 the burden of detail on volunteer leadership became so
heavy, that J ack Casper was employed as program coordinator, with
office in the Brigade build ing on Sou th Commercial Street, now in
the new quarters on Columbian Avenue.

A HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

F rom a half dozen boys on the s teps .of old Mi ch elson Hall in t he
fall of i 899, has come the Bo ys' Brigade that has carri ed on in these
Twin Cities for more than 58 years. When the Neenah Boys' Brigade
began its life, there were no similar organizations for boys in thi s area.
It antedated the Boy Scouts, which came into being in Britain prior
to World War I , and appeared in the United States shortly thereafter.
Progressing steadily d uring th e ups and downs of th e past half-century, the Boys' Brigade has been a demonstration of the vitality of
voluntary and unpaid leadership.

"Boy Scouting
\tVmLE some activity in Boy Scou ti ng commen ced in th e Twin Cities

soon after its introduction to the United States in 19 10, no records

exist of that activ ity. Among th e oldest local troops s till in existence
today are those at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and the Congregational Church. T he form er, Troop 3, was form ed in 192 1. The Troop
Committee consisted of A. E . Arnemann, James C. Kimberly, and
Rev . U. E. Gibson; and the Scoutmaster was Ra ymond E. Heron.
Charter members were: Harold Arnemann , Kenneth Asmus, Emery
Blenker, Floyd Burrows, R oy Casperson, Howard Christofferson,
R oy Darling, T om Darling, Kenneth Dean, W infred l~e ns ke, Urban
Gibson, Earl Gon ion, Maurice Hall, Neal Klausn er, Kend all Leudtka,
Alfred Moore, Franklin Otis, R obert Schwartz, and H enry Stowe.
T roop 14 at t he Congregational Church was formed in i926. Its
first Troop Committee included H. M. Nor thrup, E . H . Schultz and
Rev . J ohn Best with John C. Lloyd as Scoutmaster. Charter members
were: Alan Adams, Evan Bloun t, Lyle Cornish, L eslie Dietz, Harold
Kues ter, Karl Kloepfel, George Prosser, and Frank Robi nson.
The Valley Council was organized in June of 1920 with the Appleton
R otary Club making application for its registration . Neenah and
Menasha became part of th e Council in 1923. Th e firs t Council campsite was provided with the purchase of Camp Chicagami at the north
end of Lake Winnebago in 1927. T he site of ou r present camp at
Gardner Darn was given to the Valley Coun cil in r933 b y the vViscon-

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS

457

sin-Michigan Power Co.; this includes 1450 acres along the W olf River
north of the Menominee Ind ian R eservation. Camp Chicagami was
sold in I939
Scouting has grown and continues to grow in the Twin Cities. It
includes today approximately 1,000 boys in ten Cub Scout Packs,
nine Boy Scout Troops, and four Explorer Units.
Submitted by Harold Sperka

(fir! S couting
THE R ev. Albert A. Chambers, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, organized the first Girl Scout troop in Neenah-Menasha on
Nov ember I, i938 . Miss Lucile Ru sch was selected as leader for a
troop of 24 girls and M rs. John R. Kimberly was responsible for securing funds in the community to spon sor the troop.
By 1940 fi ve troops were organized in the Twin Cities, working on
such proj ects as backyard playgrounds, rally days, hospital favors
and disposal bags for the hospital, collecti ng clothing for the needy,
and Girl Scout cookie sales. Plans for establishm ent of a Girl Scout
Council for Neenah and Menasha were under way. The National Girl
Scout Headquarters sent Mrs. H azel Barber, field representative to
h elp organize the Council. M rs. C. W . Nelson was elected chairman
of the steering com mittee and when the Neenah-Menasha Council of
Girl Scouts was chartered in March of 1941 , she was elected first Commissioner. Servin g with her on the Board of Directors were: Mrs.
J ohn R. Kimberly, Deputy Commissioner, M rs. C. G . R. John son,
R egistrar, Mrs. S. N. Pickard, Secretary and Mrs. Horace Du Bois,
Treasurer. Girl Scouting had grown to such an ex tent it was felt expedient by the Council to employ a full-tim e paid Executive Secretary.
In October 1943 , Miss Margaret Coles was em ployed to fill tha t position.
Ca mping up to this point consisted of overnights at the Boy Scout
camp on Lake W innebago; however, the girls are now attending
established Girl Scou t camps. Th e summ er of 1944, 75 Twin City
girls attended Appleton's Chalk Hills Camp and 45 attended Apple-

+58

HISTORY

OF

NEENAH

ton's Day Camp. Tw in Lakes Camp was r ented by th e NeenahMenasha Council of G irl Scouts for establis hed camping the summ er
of 1945.
In six years Girl Scouting in the Twin Cities had grown from one
adult and 24 girls to 140 adu l ts and 450 girls.
A merger of the Appleton and Neenah-Menasha Councils of Girl
Scou ts was proposed in 1946. Believing that the Girl Scout organizations of Neenah, Menasha and Appleton should work together more
closely and realizi ng t he greater benefit which girls in the area would
r eap under a combin ed organization, t he Councils voted to merge in
March of 1946. The merger proposed that t he two organizations merge
and a new area Council be elected to ser ve all three cities, each city
to be represented equally on the new council ; t hat Chalk Hills Camp
be used by Scouts from all th ree cities, that one experienced Executive
Secretary be employed to serve the three cities, with one field worker
assisting h er. Miss Esther E. Pickles was named new Executive Secretar y of the Appleton-N eenah-Menasha Girl Scout Council. In 1947
Kaukauna and Kimberl y became a part of this jurisdiction and t he
whole new Council became known as the Fox River Area G irl Scout
Council. T he elected officers of t he Board of Directors were: Mrs.
Frank Bieder man, Commissioner; Mrs. J.M. H olderby, Ist Deputy;
Mrs. Bazil McKenzie, Treasurer ; Mrs. R. N. LeVee, Secretary. Miss
J oan Hickey was employed as the first Field Director of t he F ox R iver
Area Girl Scout Council.
Girl Scout membership in t he new Council grew by leaps and
bounds. There were now 1283 girls in Neenah-Menasha, Appleton,
Kaukauna and Kimberly, enj oy ing a happy Girl Scout experience of
camping, community service, fun and adventure in the eleven program
fields of interest.
Day Camping was made availabl e once again in 1949 and 1950 for
all of t he Browni es and Intermediates, at T elul a h P ark in Appleton,
with a goal in m ind t hat some day t he Counci l could own and operate
its own Day & Troop Camp, a nd t hereby offer a progressive program
of camping to more girls. T h at goal became a reality in 1954 when a
beautifull y wooded 40 acre campsite, loca ted in the city limits of
Kaukauna, was purchased by t he Fox River Area Girl Scout Council.

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS

459

144 Brownie, Interm ediate and Seni or Girl Scouts from the Twin
Cities attended the Day Camp \.Vinnecomac the first summer of its
operation, under th e d irection of Miss Patricia Bodette, Field Director for the Council.
On January 23, 1956 the Cou ncil voted to extend its jurisdiction to
the counties of Outagamie, Shawano, including the entire Menomonie
Indian Reserva tion, \.Vaupaca, except the rnunicipality of New London, \.Vin nebago, the eastern half of \.Vaush ara coun ty, and the township of Harrison in Calumet county.
Now, in 1956, with M rs. R . B. Sawtell as President of the Fox
River Area Council, and Mrs. Lloyd DuC haine as District Chairm an
of Girl Scouting in Neenah and Menasha, 747 Twin City girls in 52
troops under the guidance of 264 adults are enjoying a Girl Scout
experience.
Compiled by Miss Patricia Bodette

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