Time Lines - Sheboygan County

Time Lines
A newsletter published by the Sheboygan County Historical Society / August 2015
June Third Saturday Sheboygan County Main Streets
It seems that almost every large
town and city has a street named
Main. Looked at from a contemporary prospective, this would seem to
be a silly topic for any museum
event. However, it wasn’t all that
many decades ago, when the term
Mainstreet had a real and distinct
identity all of its own that had nothing to do with a street name. (The
three cities that this event focused
on all have streets named Main, yet
none of them were the main street.)
Mainstreet was the street that was
the heart of a community’s commercial, municipal and social identity.
It was the bustling place where the
action was, where people went to
see and be seen.
For numerous reasons, the importance of Mainstreet in most communities has diminished to the point
Yvonne Baumeister
Scott Lewandoske
that the name means little. The
once vibrant city centers are often
victim to low tenancy and disrepair. Some communities are making serious attempts to revitalization, A shining local example is
the city of Sheboygan Falls, which
has been nationally recognized for
its efforts in restoring and rehabilitizing its Main Street.
and Sheboygan Fall’s Mainstreets.
On June 20th, the museum and 160
guests welcomed nine presenters to
reflect on the pasts, report on the
presents, and speculate on the futures of Sheboygan’s, Plymouth’s
Among the presenters, were historians Scott Lewandoske (Sheboygan),
Missy Liberski (Plymouth) and
Beth Dippel and Yvonne Baumeister (Sheboygan Falls). Former Sheboygan Mayor, James Schramm,
was present to share his accomplishments of his administration. Plymouth Downtown Manager, Randy
Schwoerer and the President of the
Sheboygan Falls Chamber of Commerce, Shirl Breunig shared on the
current states and future plans for
their respective communities.
Rounding out the day’s presenters
were Bernie Markevitch and Henry
Jung in the Kohler Gallery. Their
colorful insights on a series of historic Sheboygan Mainstreet photos
was entertaining, educational and
very popular with our guests.
Randy Schwoerer, above
Shirl Bruenig and Beth Dippel, below
Missy Liberski, above
Bernie Markevitch, below
Former Sheboygan Mayor, James
Schramm and guests
From the Director’s Desk
Change in Membership Year
New Members
I recently returned from a family
vacation to our nation’s capital
where I visited several of the museums located there. However, this
time in Washington was different.
Even though I enjoyed all the fantastic exhibits, including seeing a
Garton Toy Co. Kidillac on display
at the National Museum of American History, I found myself observing and asking questions about the
operations of the museums I visited.
We hope that you, our members
and your guests, have had an opportunity to visit the Museum and
enjoy this year’s interesting and
informative programs and events.
Admission is always free for members. A great bargain!
Please give a warm welcome the
following people who have joined
the Sheboygan County Historical
Society:
I was able to speak with docents,
collections staff, security and custodians and found that our little museum is in step with many aspects of
these large museums. This proved
to me that though we have areas to
improve on, we are on the right
track to make our museum a wonderful attraction for both citizens of
and visitors to our county.
I also came to the realization that
even though I was on vacation, I
was still working to find ways to
make our great museum even better.
To me, that is what my position is
all about. I have no problem with
using personal time to learn how to
enhance my place of employment.
I am grateful for the opportunity to
be able to continually learn about
my job and strive to make our museum a destination to visit. After all,
if it is fun it cannot possibly be
work. Right?
Director Travis Gross takes the mic during the 50 / 50 Raffle drawing
The coming year will see changes
in the financial administration of
the Historical Society and Museum. The change that will affect the
membership is, beginning in 2015,
the membership year will follow
the calendar year, January 1 to December 31. How will this affect
you? For this year, your membership will be extended to December
31st, an additional two months.
That means your 2014-15 membership card will allow you and your
guests to attend the Preview Party
and Holiday Memories 2015. You
will have received two Holiday
Memories exhibit seasons for the
price of one – a real bonus for our
members and their guests!
In October you will receive your
annual membership renewal notice, as before. Once you’ve renewed, your membership card will
be mailed to you before the end of
December. We appreciate your
quick response to this mailing so
that the cards can go out as a bulk
mail, saving the cost of first class
postage.
Thank you again for your support
of the Sheboygan County Historical Society and Museum. Membership support helps provide the
funding needed to maintain our
facilities and the artifact collection
as well as supporting our events
and student education programs.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and
we look forward to seeing you
around the Museum!
Joyce Gerlach, Cascade; Glenn and
Terri Grunwald, Cleveland; Sara
Hall and John Tucker, Linda
Langum, David Schram, and Penny
Arndt, all of Plymouth; and JoAnn
Hart Hoel of Poynette.
Ken Molitor, Ken Koehler, Mary
Jane Norris, Steve and Cindy Heinen, and Walter Brendel, Sr. of Sheboygan; Philip and Dianne Luhmann of Chicago; and Janna and
Ken Beck of Random Lake.
From the Interns’s Desk
My name is Lucas Henderson, and
I’m a student at the University of
Wisconsin – Eau Claire. As a History major I have covered a large expanse of topics, but in the three
months I’ve been with the museum
I have been consistently blown
away by how rich Sheboygan’s history is. It has led to a fascinating
journey in which I’ve met some
wonderful people, from the staff
and board members at the museum
to the fantastic volunteers who give
their time to a great cause. However, what is somewhat upsetting is
that there’s little to no participation
from people of my generation. I
know that in an age when you can
look anything up online it can be
easy to sit back, but I’m urging millennials to give museums like this
one a chance. If you’re reading this
and you have grandchildren, bring
them here to volunteer or just see
the buildings. Show them this newsletter. Let them see that if they give
it a chance, they could be blown
away too. Thank you to everyone
who has made my internship special!
The Sheboygan County Historical Society has as its primary mission to collect, preserve,
and educate about the history of Sheboygan County.
$1,000 Club and Buy A Bill Fundraising Initiative.
July Third Saturday
Prohibition and Temperance
The Sheboygan County Historical
Society has as its primary mission to
collect, preserve, and educate about
the history of Sheboygan County.
Prohibition began January 29, 1920
with the passing of the 18th Amendment. For the next 13 years there
would be numerous illegal drinking
spots, called speakeasies with hidden rooms, barely drinkable booze
and jazz music.
The Sheboygan County Museum
commemorated this historic era on
July 18th with an evening program
focused on prohibition and temperance. Members and guests admired
Jimmy Olson’s 1929 Mercedes
Benz Gazelle parked at the entrance
to the Museum. In the Kohler gallery Tamara Lange explained the
basics of home brewing and the
distilling processes used during the
era, some of which are still used in
home brewing today.
While the Oshkosh Bourbon Street
Jazz band played 1920s era music in
the back gallery, several couples
took the opportunity to show off
their dance moves. In the classroom other guests tried their hand
at Black Jack, Craps and Roulette
using Museum money. There were
two 50/50 raffles, beer, wine and
other beverages, and light snacks
throughout the evening. As always,
historic pictures and terms (also
known as Flapper Speak), were
part of the evening.
A big thank you to all our members, friends and guests who arrived in Roaring 20s attire and
helped set the mood for the evening. It was a great program with
the possibility of becoming an annual event!
The Sheboygan County Museum
and Historical Society depends
heavily on the generous donations
of our members and area businesses
to continue our monthly programing, Holiday Memories and Full-day
Student Education programs.
This year $6,000 has been raised
through the very generous support
of the $1,000 Club by the following
people: Verna Bachmann, Janna
and Ken Beck, Ron and Darla Becker, William and Shirley Schultz,
Konrad and Mary Jo Testwuide III,
and Gene and Janet Worscheck.
The related Buy A Bill initiative has
raised $4,157 during this same time
frame. Thank you to the following
donors: Richard and Ase Athan,
Richard and Amy Balge, Harold and
Fran Beckman, Peter and Ramona
Daane, Keith and Christine Garnett,
Noreen Gartman, Pat Glass, Steve
Harrison (Old Wisconsin Sausage
Co.), Rosalie Hartmann, Cathy Isa,
Ken Korb, Shirley Larsen, Fern Le
Mahieu, George and Angie Longo,
Patricia Lubbers, Anton Markelz,
Marge Mattern, Suzanne Miller,
Russell R. Nery, Mary and Wayne
Novak, Earl and Betty Opgenorth,
Allen and Marilyn Price, Susan
Ramey, Michael Reinbold
(Reinbold Novak Funeral Home),
Annaceil and Randall Reineking,
Joan Ribich, Gertrude Rindfleisch,
Kathy Schafer, Diana Schultz, Mike
and Chris Short, Peggy Tauschek
(Victorian Chocolate Shoppe), Robert and Darlene Thiel, Richard and
Emma Thieme, and Al and Carol
Udovich.
Trivia: Despite the end of prohibition it wasn't until 1966 that all states
in the U.S. had abandoned the
alcohol ban.
Sheboygan County
Historical Society
and Museum
ADDRESS SERVICE
REQUESTED
3110 Erie Avenue
Sheboygan , WI 53081
(920) 458-1103
Calendar of Coming Events
Please call host sites for details.
Sheboygan County Historical Society
(SCHS)…………………..…920-458-1103
Sheboygan County Historical Research
Center (SCHRC)...………..920-467-4667
Wade House……...……….920-526-3271
Random Lake Area Historical Soc.
(RLAHS).…………………..920-994-4682
Lutze Housebarn………….920-693-3454
Oostburg Historical Soc. (OHS)
…………………………..….920-564-3148
Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin
(AHCW)…………….……...920-783-3333
Plymouth Historical Society (PHS)
……………………………...920-893-1876
Centreville Settlement
(CS)…………………………920-946-8897
Kiel Area Historical Society (KAHS)
(920) 565-3830
Aug 22, Civil War Concert Band & Pie Social, Ply. Art Center
Aug 22, Breakfast at the Inn, Wade House
Aug 30, Arts & Crafts Fair, Wade House
Sept 3, Buchen and Baum’s Tour Through
Sheboygan County, 1944, Random Lake,
SCHRC
Sept 12, 2nd Annual History Hill Music Fest
(Noon-6 pm), SCHS
Sept 12, Annual Ladies Tea, PHS
Sept 12, 2nd Sat., The Brave Journey of an
Orphan Train Rider, SCHRC
Sept 14, Finding Your Way: Locating and
Using Maps in Your Research
(Advanced) SCHRC
Sept 19, Collectors & Their Collections,
SCHS
Sept 24, Genealogy Class: Using Maps in
Genealogy, Kiel, SCHRC
Sept 26, Fall Family Fun Festival, RLAHS
Sept 26-27, Civil War Weekend, Wade House
Oct 1, Random Local History, Random Lake,
SCHRC
Oct 7, Abraham & Mary Lincoln’s Psychologies of Death, SCHRC
Oct 10, 2nd Sat., Spiritualism & Séances in
the White House, SCHRC @ SCHM
Oct 10-11, Autumn Celebration, Wade House
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit No. 84
Sheboygan
WI
Oct 12, Advanced Class on Using Census
Reports, SCHRC
Oct 14, Lincoln’s Dreams, Omens & Portents
of Impending Death and Ghosts Abide:
Lincoln’s Ghost and Paranormal Events
Associated with the Assassination,
SCHRC
Oct 15, Celebration Dinner at Amore, PHS
Oct 17, Sheboygan County Firsts, SCHS
Oct 17, Breakfast at the Inn, Wade House
Oct 17-18, Autumn Celebration, Wade House
Oct 21, The Plot to Steal Lincoln’s Corpse,
SCHRC
Oct 22, Writing Your Family History, Kiel,
SCHRC
Nov 5, Sheboygan County Connection, Part 3,
Random Lake, SCHRC
Nov 6, Native American Heritage, RLAHS
Nov 7, Hearthside Dinners, Wade House
Nov 9, Vital Records, Birth, Death and Marriage Records, SCHRC
Nov 14, Hearthside Dinners, Wade House
Nov 14, 2nd Sat., Wisconsin Agriculture: A
History, SCHRC
MUSEUM & TIME LINES NEWSLETTER STAFF
Travis Gross, executive director; Angela Hullin, Nancy Koeppen, Tamara Lange, Allen Price, David Reese,
Dale Robson, staff members. Museum phone (920) 458-1103 Museum e-mail: [email protected]
Museum website: http://www.sheboygancounty.com/government/departments-f-q/historical-museum
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Diane Wilcenski, Sheboygan, president; James Olson, Sheboygan, 2nd vice president; Carol Kolzow, Sheboygan, secretary; Ken
Ristow, Sheboygan, treasurer; Travis Gross, Sheboygan, museum executive director; Atty. Todd Basler, Mary Lou Haen, Sheboygan
Falls; Margaret Heyn, Sheboygan; William Holbrook, Sheboygan; Henry Jung, Sheboygan; Darla Jean Kraus, Random Lake; Paul
Rudnick, Elkhart Lake; Joel Sandee, Sheboygan; Marjorie Stonehouse, Sheboygan.
ENDOWMENT TRUST
. . . is designed to support the mission of the Society through interest earned and designated donations to support special projects,
exhibits, restoration projects, updating office equipment, and other pressing needs outside the “operating budget.”
KENNETH W. CONGER EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENT FUND
. . . provides funds for Society programs for the education of children, introducing
programs to meet those needs, developing new audiences and securing a solid financial base to support this mission.
We invite your support of the both endowments through financial donations of cash, investments or property.