Museum Update Annual Meeting Presentation by Sister Dolores
Transcription
Museum Update Annual Meeting Presentation by Sister Dolores
Winter 2016 Langlade County Historical Society Annual Meeting Presentation by Sister Dolores Demulling O n November 19th the Langlade County Historical Society held its annual meeting and banquet at North Star Lanes in Antigo. Sister Dolores Demmulling of the Religious Hospitellers of St. Joseph described the history of the Order, which has been administering Langlade County Memorial Hospital since its beginnings. The Order was founded in La Fleche, France in the 1630s by Jerome LeRoyer. It established a hospital in Montreal in 1642 with three Sisters arriving to administer it in 1649. Subsequently it expanded to other parts of Canada before developing hospitals in various parts of the U.S. It was while administering a hospital in New London WI that the Sisters were visited in 1933 by a contingent of civic leaders from Antigo. They came to visit a friend who was hospitalized due to an accident at the train depot while on route to Chicago. They were so impressed with the hospital that they asked the Sisters to Museum Update A come to Antigo and take over an as yet incomplete hospital. Construction had begun but was halted due to the Great Depression. Three Sisters, Sisters Ann McIntosh, Melvina Martin, and Gladys Ridout arrived in Antigo with three pieces of luggage, $20, and faith. They faced an incomplete building, an outstanding debt of $18,000 and no funds available to complete or furnish the hospital. But complete the hospital they did, and the Order has continued to run it for about 80 years. Sister Dolores Demulling’s presentation had a particular poignancy since she and her colleagues Sisters Adele Demulling and Jean Bricco will not likely be replaced and are the last of the Relgious Hospitellers of St. Joseph who will serve the local hospital and our community. Today, Langlade Hospital is operated in partnership by the Catholic Health International and Aspirus.About 80 people esentation on how an important major goal for the upcoming year is the redesign of the main floor ceiling and lighting, which are badly in need of repair. Some preliminary plans have been drawn up for lighting. The goal is to better display our artifacts but still maintain the character of our historic building. As a first step we must repair the ceiling and heating duct work, again with efforts to restore the character of the building. Much research and cost analysis still needs to be done and these steps are underway. Once remodeling begins it will be necessary to close the museum for a time. aspect of our local community grew out of, and is connected to, the vision of a man in France almost 400 years ago. Sister Dolores Demulling (far right) related the history of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph and its role in establishing Langlade Memorial Hospital. With her are colleagues Sisters Adele Demulling (far left) and Jean Bricco, and Dr. John McKenna. Dr. McKenna, now retired, was on staff at the hospital. His father, Dr. Eugene McKenna performed the first surgery in Langlade Memorial. Dr. John McKenna provided the corsages being worn by the Sisters. Curator: Mary Kay Morrissey Wolf Directors: Dean Blazek Fran Brown Nancy Bugni Glenn Bugni Judy Grimm Lisa Haefs Joe Hermolin Gary Whitman Diane Zuelke Page 1 Thank you Items Donated: Lloyd Anstutz: Miscellaneous items Alan Berger: WWII army bicycle (loan) Jeanne Darling: Treasurer’s book Springbrook School 1905-1948 Connie Deau: Photos & Summit Lake memorabilia in memory of Bob & Ann Rasmussen Foster Dunwiddie: Letters from Shirley Geilfuss Mrs. Grzywacz: Military items of Alan Sage Joe Hermolin: CCC memorabilia Robert Palfres: WWI British Army cap badge Jackie Reynolds: Pictures from World Book Lois Schoenfeldt: music and news items in memory of George Schoenfeldt Naomi Stickney: Antigo memorabilia Paul & Debra Syrjala: Chair & stool in memory of Esther Currie Memorial Donations: In memory of: Robert Umsted In memory of: Ed Morrissey from Vanguard Charitable for ceiling and lighting renovations Monetary Donations: James Aulik Langlade County Genealogical Society Sheldon Foundation Sheila Hall for ceiling and lighting renovation Membership Renewals: Karen Aulik-Now, Fran Brown, Roger & Kay Doran, Ann, Paul, & Joshua Duffek, Wallace Eckart, Lauria Fellner, Judy Grimm, Sheila Hall, Marion & Clifford Hoffmeister,Jean Marilyn Hunter-Preiss, Sally Jansen, Mary Josvai, Fred & Kathleen Kelm, Ron Korn, William & Charlotte Kraft, Jeff & Cheryl Marx, Jackie Reynolds, Sandra Robrecht, Nick & Jeanette Salm, Sam & Carol Steffan, Dick Strasser, Dumaune & Judy Turney, Bill & Helen Williams, Diane Zuelzke New Members: Victoria & Jerome Marx Clark Palmer Thanks to MacKenzie Lee for videotaping the annual meeting Page 2 LANGLADE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Sources for Tips on Restoring Historic Buildings M any people are interested in the history of the house they live in or the building where they do business. They consult the museum and we are happy to help in any way we can. We do have some advice to offer. But our expertise is limited. If you want to research your home the Wisconsin Historical Society can help through its web site. Sandborn maps are a good place to start and the maps are now on line. They were prepared for insurance companies assessing fire risks to buildings. The maps for Antigo and Elcho provide details on the footprint of a building and extensions such as porches. The maps are color coded so you can tell what materials were used in construction. Some people at the museum can help walk you through finding and interpreting Sandborn maps online but call ahead to schedule before coming in. People may be interested in restoration of an historic home and for that our expertise is even more limited. But some help is available at the touch of a computer keyboard. The Wisconsin Historical Society has assembled a series of articles to help steer you in the right direction. At www.wisconsinhistory.org/ preserve-your-building you will find a drawing of a house divided into sections as shown here. Just click on a particular section and you will be directed to articles concerned with that part of the structure. In total there are 145 articles. The articles provide do it yourself tips or suggest when to call in a contractor. This resource was created to help building owners understand preservation and restoration techniques and also why preservation matters and how to plan and finance a restoration project. LANGLADE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Preserving Francis Deleglise’s Legacy A ntigo may be the first city in Wisconsin to make an effort to preserve part of its history. In 1914, as the city grew and downtown buildings proliferated city officials decided to move the Deleglise cabin from its original location near Antigo Lake to what was then the library (now museum). Over 100 years later and after two further moves on the grounds of the library/ museum and a major restoration in the 1990s, we still strive to preserve the cabin even as we raise funds to update the museum’s main floor ceiling and lighting. The rumble of traffic on Superior Street and the passing years have caused some deterioration to the WINTER 2016 chinking. As in the past we turned to Terry Laib for preservation expertise and assistance. Francis Deleglise’s original Antigo home, erected in 1877, is still in good hands and offers visitors a glimpse of pioneer life in Langlade County. The cabin is closed in winter and some cold sensitive artifacts are moved indoors. Terry Laib specializes in restoration of Wisconsin’s historic structures. Once again he visited Antigo from his home base in New Berlin.. On an unusually warm and pleasant fall day he repaired some of the chinking on the Deleglise cabin. In 1914 city officials preserved Antigo’s first home by moving it south a few blocks on log rollers from its original location near Antigo Lake to the library/museum. The small addition which had been Deleglise’s office has been removed for the move and is indicated by the white wash at the left end of the cabin. Forest History Comes to Antigo & White Lake T he Forest History Association (FHAW) held its 40th annual meeting this past October in Antigo. For the past four decades the FHAW has been collecting and making available valuable information on Wisconsin’s history of logging and its associated industries. The archives of their annual proceedings and their newsletters are accessible online through the Wisconsin Historical Society. Joe Hermolin used the museum’s archives of material from Elcho’s Civilian Conservation Corps camp to describe the importance of the CCCs during the Great Depression. Attendees toured sites in Antigo, including the Wood Technology Center at Northern Technical College, the museum, and Kretz Lumber. In White Lake they toured their museum and gained an appreciation of the importance of the Wolf River in log drives. A tour of the museum, particularly our collection of logging photos was a highlight for many of those participating. It is remarkable to see how an important part of northern Wisconsin’s economy developed from rather humble origins to where it is at today. Wood products provide almost 60,000 jobs with an economic impact of almost $23 billion state-wide. Presentations of local interest included the story of the CCC Camp 657 in Elcho, given by Joe Hermolin, the role of trees in landscaping urban parks given by Sara Repp, Antigo’s Park, Recreation & Cemetery supervisor, and the story of the World War II glider pilot training school based in Antigo given by Sara Conner of the Camp 5 Museum/Wisconsin Forestry Museum . These talks were recorded Many conference attendees were fasand will be made available in the cinated by the museum’s collection of near future. photos and artifacts related to the history of forest products industry. Page 3 LANGLADE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2016 Working With the Wisconsin Historical Society A t our local museum we try to preserve and share various aspects of local history, but this is not an easy task. Curator Mary Kay Wolf and volunteers are all dedicated to and interested in how we got to where we are and telling that story. But we are basically all amateur historians and could use all the help we can get. For that we turn to the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) for technical advice and, occasionally, for financial support. an emphasis in expanding what it can do to help local museums. While their role in reaching out to local communities may grow, it is not a new mission. We are affiliated with the WHS through the Wisconsin Council for Local History. Through this affiliation we gain access to workshops, meetings, webinars, technical advice, opportunities to connect with other museums facing similar dilemmas to ours, and to grants. The WHS was formed in 1846, two years before Wisconsin became a state. For many years it worked out of a room in the state capitol and operated on a budget obtained by annual membership fees of 50 cents. In 1898 members of the Society advocated for helping create a network of local affiliated historical societies. In 1899 Green Bay and Ripon became the first two local affiliates. Today there are almost 400 affiliates (including us) in every corner of the state. At about the same time the WHS was able to move out of the state capitol and into its own building on the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus. The WHS, and its Foundation, are currently reexamining their role with In recent months the WHS through its Foundation has been consulting The Wisconsin Historical Society has offices and archives in a building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus. The Society is older than the State of Wisconsin itself. Page 4 with local museums and looking into ways that they can expand their assistance. At a recent meeting in Rhinelander representatives from many local museums in the Northwoods met to discuss results of a survey which sought to determine the character of local museums and what help they need. The last such survey was conducted about 10 years ago and technological changes have altered the way many organizations operate. After reviewing the survey results there followed a roundtable discussion on how the Foundation could improve on what is currently offered and what additional programs might be welcome. This was the first of a series of such roundtables around the state. By the summer of 2016, after a number of sessions, a summary will form guidelines for how the Wisconsin Historical Society and its Foundation can help us in Langlade County in our mission. An annual conference organized by the Wisconsin Historical Society is one of the many ways the WHS helps local museum staff and volunteers learn and network. LANGLADE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY WINTER 2016 Railroads Not long ago the railroad was the main mode of travel. Tracks crisscrossed Langlade County and the depot was an important part of any town. Top Row: Antigo’s original depot erected 1892 (l), New depot erected 1907 (r) Middle Row: Pelican (l), Summit Lake (r) Bottom Row: Mattoon (l), White Lake (r) Page 5 LANGLADE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL THANKS Special Thanks to Santa (Bud) who posed for photos and listened to 218 kids, accompanied by 246 parents/ grandparents. Each child got a toy or book thanks to the C.A.R. Thrift store. Thanks also to volunteers who acted as Santa’s elves. October 1 to May 1, Thursday to Saturday May 1 to October 1, Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MEMBERSHIP DUES Individual, 1 year: $25 Individual, 3 years: $50 Family, 1 year: $30 Family, 3 years: $70 Junior (18 or younger), 1 year: $3 Business, 1 year: $100 Life Member: $250 At one time nature controlled ice skating. Kellogg’s Pond (Antigo Lake) was a popular spot and even had a warming hut. Skates were different then, they were clamped onto regular boots. ITEMS FROM THE MUSEUM Langlade County MUSEUM HOURS: Historical Society 404 Superior St., Antigo, WI 54409 Phone: (715) 627-4464 Email: [email protected] web site: www.langladehistory.com 404 Superior Street Antigo WI, 54409 ADDRESS: WINTER 2016
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