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The Fairwater Society has asked Fond du Lac County to consider the creation of an historical park to preserve the Fairwater water wheel and the 1912 Laper Electric generating plant. Erected by Jesse Laper in 1925 to provide additional electrical power for the Fairwater, Brandon, and Alto area, the water wheel is the largest ever constructed in the United States. Six decades before Laper began his electrical operations, the twenty-two acre property now for sale through Lake Real Estate in Green Lake was the site of the one of the county’s first flour mills. Built by Franklin Lathrop in 1847, Fairwater Mills was operated continuously through the early 1890s by Lathop and William Plocker, A. C. Bisbee, N. C. Hurlburt, John Laper, and Gottlieb Stelter. Together with a general store also built by Lathrop, the mill property is thought to have been the nucleus around which the village was organized late in 1847 or early in 1848. Documenting the property’s historical importance, the society’s proposal also notes the opportunity to preserve an undeveloped stretch of more than a half mile of the Grand River below the Fairwater dam. The proposal suggests the development of hiking trails along the river and the restoration of the oak savanna and tallgrass prairie vegetation that was native to the site’s west-facing slopes before the area was settled in the mid-1840s. The society is scheduling a meeting with county executive Allan Buechel, the Fond du Lac County Historical Society, the State Historical Society, and the village to discuss interest in the project. It has suggested that a partnership between the county, area utilities, and industries historically associated with with electrical technology in the state be created to purchase the property and develop the park. With the approval of contracts to complete roofing, heating, and electrical work on the old Fairwater schoolhouse, the society used its October meeting to discuss how to proceed with the creation of a master plan to guide the restoration of the building and development of an area museum. Acknowledging the attachment many current and former residents have to the ninety-one-year-old building, those attending concluded that as many members of the society as possible should be involved in the planning process. The meeting concluded with a proposal to create a
planning team for each of the building’s classrooms and to assign
each of the society’s members to one of the teams. Among the ideas the society has discussed have been the recreation of a period classroom in the intermediate division room and the simulation of an early general store in the upper division room for displays related to area businesses, industries, and farms. Suggestions for the primary division room have included the creation of a local history research center and the development of displays related to the Fairwater churches and Fairwater area families. The teams are being asked initially to begin developing their ideas without regard to the cost or work involved and to give consideration to the furnishings needed, how the exhibits will fit into overall restoration efforts for the building, and the potential for both permanent and changing collections. Walking tours of the school have been scheduled for the November meeting to kick off the planning process.
Four recent additions to the society’s collections span the first half of the last entury. Among them are the 1950 Fairwater-Brandon-Alto telephone directory, the 1924 county report from the Assessor of Incomes, a carbon copy of a 1923 letter from village president W. R. Abercrombie announcing Fairwater’s observance of Warren G. Harding’s death, and a 1905 picture postcard of the C. O. Tinkham and Dr. O. M. Layton houses. Donated by Alice Miller from the estate of Hazel Miller, the Fair Water-Brandon-Alto, Ladoga-Brandon, Eastern Alto Telephone Companies directory is sprinkled with advertisements from Fairwater businesses, including Card Motor Company, Born Hardware, Francis H. Kuehn Hardware, Fairwater Creamery Company, The Fairway Store, Fairwater Garage, Lee’s Grocery, Scheid’s Quality Food Market, Harley A. Loomans Insurance Agency, Hankerson Kaiser-Frazer Sales & Service, Ripon State Bank, Plagens Oil Company, and Maynard Schuster Old Line Life Insurance Company District Agent.
Other Fairwater businesses listed in the directory but not advertising include the American Stores Dairy Company, the Cement Block Company, Co-Op Milling Company, Fairwater Milling Company, L. W. Frei Store, Kiddie Kookies Company, Gilbert Klosterman, C. D. O., Lenz Service Station, and Stellmacher Lumber Company. The Annual Report of the Assessor of Incomes for Fond du Lac County, Wis., 1924, also from the Miller Estate, reports the assessed value of personal property and real estate in the county by township and community. Among its figures, it reports that of the county’s water and light industries in 1924 Laper Electric Company was second in assessed value only to the North Fond du Lac plant. Total real estate in Fairwater was assessed at $458,935, seventh among the eleven communities in the county. The report also indicates that the village boasted 98 automobiles and trucks, 27 wagons, carriages, and sleighs, 39 swine, 50 sheep, 38 horses and mules, and 92 cattle. Fairwater ranked ahead of Eden, North Fond du Lac, Oakfield, Rosendale, and St. Cloud in the value of merchants’ and manufacturers’ stock. Stock in the Fairwater State Bank was assessed at $26,180. Metomen ranked third among the county’s townships
in the number of sheep, sixth in swine, third in total real estate,
and fifth in combined real estate and personal property. NOTICE I hereby direct that the flags of all schools and public buildings remain at half mast until the close of the day. I recommend that all businesses and activities
be suspended from 2:30 to 3:30 P. M. giving the people of our community
an opportunity to join in the ceremonies. The 1905 postcard of the Layton and Tinkham homes, donated by Bob and Kathy Schuster, is the Society’s first photographic record of the early Layton and Tinkham residences. The Tinkham house, one of the first in the 1903 North Fairwater plat, is located on the west side of Main Street. The Layton house, built in 1904, is located at the top of the Fairwater hill on the east side of Main Street. The card was acquired from the Malcolm Company in Monroe, Georgia. The telephone directory and the county report have been added to the Fairwater Web site. The Fairwater Study Club’s 1960 history of the village indicates that “a terrible disaster” struck the village around the turn of the century in the form of a major fire in Jimtown. The Study Club history reports that the fire “destroyed the entire east section of downtown between the years of 1899 or 1900, when a certain merchant left town the morning after for parts unknown.” The source for the report was not identified and has been unconfirmed, until now. Earlier this fall Loma Klossner began studying the microfilm for the area’s newspapers looking for reports about the fire. A complete reading of the 1899 and 1900 papers turned up nothing. She recently expanded her search and has now located an account of the fire in the August 1, 1901 Brandon Times, reproduced below. FIRE AT FAIRWATER Last Saturday evening at about six o'clock word came up to "Bill town" that "Jimtown" was all in flames, and soon every able bodied person was at the scene of the fire and doing all in their power to help in saving stock and buildings out side of the block that was burning. By hard work the fire did not get much of a hold on the buildings across the street owned by J. W. Lyon, C. C. Cease and Tinkham Bros., although they were frame buildings and are badly charred. It was thought at one time that Tinkham Bros.' elevator would burn and it was saved only by hard work. It was the same with the livery stable connected with the hotel, all the contents were all taken out of the barn and some of the whips and blankets have not got back. It is thought the fellow that took them has not stopped running yet, but wants to get them in a safe place. It is reported that quite a little property was taken. A basket of silverware from the hotel and some wearing apparel belonging to Mrs. Kingsbury that were known to have been taken out of the burning building have not been found. The fire was discovered in the store of R. Gerth while he was at supper in the hotel, his family being at Oshkosh visiting. It was preceded by what sounded like an explosion, and on looking in at the door the whole interior seemed to [be] all in a blaze. His stock which consisted principally of dry goods was totally destroyed [and] was covered by an insurance of $3,000. He lived over the store and his household goods were lost, on these he had an insurance of $600 so that his loss is not as heavy as the others. The building occupied by him was in the middle of a block of three, two belonging to Josiah Batson. The one on the south was occupied by C. H. Kingsbury as a grocery store with living rooms overhead. The fire burned through the walls so quickly that his was almost a total loss, covered by an insurance of only $1,000. The fire gained headway so rapidly that Mrs. Kingsbury, who ran up stairs to try and save some of her wearing apparel, was obliged to be taken out of the window. The building on the north was a two story brick venee[r]ed structure owned and occupied by C. C. Cease as a hotel. On him the loss falls heaviest of all as he only carried an insurance of $1,000 and practically nothing was saved. His block across the street occupied by him as a hardware store was considerably damaged and on this his policy had lapsed. The fire was one of those unaccountable ones and in all probability the cause will never be known. The block was built three years ago. Mr. Batson's building was insured for $2,000. It is not known whether the block will be rebuilt or not. The paper also included a letter of appreciation from the businessmen affected by the fire: We wish to hereby acknowledge our appreciation
for the help given us by so many who assisted us in preventing the spread
of the fire and saving of property in our village last Saturday evening,
and thank you heartily for the work done on our behalf. The article validates the landmark research done by the Study Club four decades ago and answers questions the society has had about commercial development in Jimtown. It confirms that the Lyon shoe store listed in the 1901 state gazetteer and the Cease hardware store were located in the Tinkham block on the west side of Main Street. It also locates the Kingsbury grocery on the east side of the street. Of particular interest is the signature of Dr. Layton in the letter of thanks. The 1901 gazetteer lists Dr. P. Puls as Fairwater’s physician and surgeon. Dr. Layton was not listed until the 1903 issue of the gazetteer. The fire report indicates that Layton was already in the village by early 1901. The Gerth drygoods store was previously unknown. Klossner has continued the search for information about the fire in the the 1901 and 1902 issues of the Times and has found several followup stories: “The burned block is to be rebuilt at once. A solid brick structure is to be erected and will consist of a hotel and two stores. C. C. Cease will build a hotel and store and Charles Kingsbury a store with dwelling rooms above.” (August 28) Building commenced last Friday. (September 5) The plate glass was put in the front windows of the new building in lower town the first of the week. (November 14) “The new block is nearing completion. Mr. Kingsbury is already located in his store. (December 12) C. C. Cease is moving into his new hotel this week. (January 9, 1902) The marketing award related to the fire probably goes to Cease’s insurance company. Theresa Mutual Insurance ran a Times ad on January 2 that read: At the time of the fire in Fairwater Mr. Cease was insured in the Theresa Mutual Insurance Co. Three days later he had his draft for the full amount of the policy. Other older companies were much slower in pay. Which one would you like to have insure your property? The society will computerize its collection records this winter. Lois Schmuhl, the society’s accessions officer, has volunteered to enter the data and will use the computer donated recently by Rachel Mueller for the records. Kevin Dier-Zimmel, who presented at the Society’s
Civil War program in September, was acknowledged recently for his role
in documenting the Wisconsin connection of Frederick Douglass during
the decade preceding the Civil War. Dier-Zimmel was recognized during
the dedication of the Douglass historical marker in Beaver Dam and during
the annual dinner of the Waukesha Branch of the NAACP. Dier-Zimmel also
located Douglass’ great-great-grandson, who was invited to be the
keynote speaker during the dinner. Paul Spraggins, President of the
Waukesha NAACP, and former Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus gave Dier-Zimmel
a plaque expressing appreciation for his work. Spraggins praised Dier-Zimmel
as one of those historians who transcend his research in bringing a
deep sense of passion and understanding to his work. The society’s annual October brat sale in Brandon raised $900. The Lutheran Brotherhood added to the society’s efforts with a gift of $500. The proceeds will be used to match the State Historical Society grant the Society received in August. Donald Wyman has asked the society for assistance in locating information about Emma Barnes, his great-grandmother, who was born in Fairwater in 1873. Loma Klossner’s recent detective work turned up this announcement from the February 17, 1902 Brandon Times: “W. J. Mozley who has been operating a creamery at five corners Green Lake, will build a cheese factory at south Fairwater near the old mill site. Work will be rushed as fast as possible to be ready for operation in the early spring.” Kurt Kunert recently shared the following story: “When I was about 8 my folks took me to Wisconsin Dells, where we visited the Indian village set up near Stand Rock. While we were there a scary (to me) Menomonie (or maybe a Winnebago) “chief” in full head-dress asked me where I was from. I stammered “Fairwater,” but he heard “fire water.” He thought I was a snotty kid with no political correctness, until my folks explained that we really were from a town called Fairwater.” In recognition of the Pond family Underground Railroad station in Alto, the society is sponsoring the Web site for the recently organized Wisconsin Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Bob Schuster maintains the site, designated as the official clearinghouse for Underground Railroad information in Wisconsin. The site is located at www.wlhn.org/wnf. |
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NEWSLETTER
Meetings Acquisitions Membership Web Site www.wlhn.org/fairwater_histsoc Newsletter
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