First
Organizational Meeting Held
An organizational meeting was held
August 14 at the Fairwater Lions Club to explore interest in and goals for a Fairwater
Historical Society. Attending were Arlene Erdman, Florian Laper, Cirena Lenz, Arlene
Leppin, Betty Loechelt, Cheryl Sanders, George and Marian Sanders, Jerold and Debbie
Sanders, Bob Schuster, Oliver and Frances Stelter, and Barbara VandeBrink.
In recent years much that is representative of
Fairwater's colorful 152-year history has been lost, including many of the commericial
buildings constructed before the turn of the century. Organizers feel that a local
historical society is needed to identify important items and places in the village’s
past and to speak for their preservation.
Attorney Steve Sorenson of Ripon has been asked to
create a non-profit corporation as the first step in establishing a society. A second
organizational meeting has been scheduled for October 2 at 2:00 at the Lions Club, and
everyone with an interest is encouraged to attend.
Preserving Public School Building a
Priority
Among the remaining buildings of historical
significance in the village is the former public school. Constructed in 1910 and abandoned
in the mid-1970's, the building is currently deteriorating rapidly due to water damage.
Preservation and the ultimate restoration of the structure for use as an historical museum
is a high priority for society organizers.
1910 photo of the newly completed public school and its
first students
Lions Club members, the current owners of the former school, indicate that replacement of
the building's roof could cost in excess of $20,000, about the same as the cost of
demolishing the building. Neither option is considered possible as a Lions Club project,
and the building is being allowed to decline.
An alternative being discussed is
the transfer of the original 1910 portion of the structure to a village historical
society. It is believed that an historical organization would have a greater opportunity
to promote a preservation project.
If ownership is transferred, the organizers propose an
immediate campaign to raise funds to replace the building's roof. A long-term plan for
restoration of the school as a museum would be developed as a second phase of the project.
Organizers anticipate applying for state and federal preservation funding.
Interest in Creating Interim Museum
Because restoration of the former school for use as a
museum is considered a long-term project, finding a building that can be used as an
interim museum has also been identified as a priority.
Organizers are concerned that many historical items are in
danger of being lost over the next few years. The creation of a museum is considered an
essential step in encouraging the donation of these items to a permanent collection.
Buildings discussed as candidates for an interim museum
include the former Lenz Garage constructed on Main Street in 1940, the first floor of the
former Horn-Lee store constructed in the Main Street business district early in the
current century, and the red brick barn currently owned by Margaret Laper. The latter now
houses Mrs. Laper's personal historical collections and is one of the oldest and most
historically important buildings remaining in the village. It was originally constructed
as a stable for the hotel operating at the end of the last century on the property now
occupied by the Montag residence, and it is the last of the buildings constructed of the
distinctive red brick believed to have been produced in the village.
Storage Arranged for
Document Donations
Historical society organizers have
made arrangements to store photographs and other documents that may be donated to a
permanent collection. Until a museum can be established, donated items will be catalogued,
boxed, and stored in an air conditioned environment to protect them. Organizers are now
actively seeking to locate materials of local significance and to receive pledges for
their contribution to an historical collection.
Missing Murals Located
Two large murals at one time hung in the main room on the
lower level of the Fairwater Civic Center, on loan from the Milwaukee Public Museum to
commemorate completion of the Civic Center in 1941.
Both paintings were removed from their original location
in the 1960's to protect them from vandalism and stored in a lower room of the Civic
Center. They were later moved to the garage of the parsonage to protect them from moisture
and were forgotten. The paintings were relocated by Jerry Sanders and placed in more
suitable storage.
It is hoped that interest can be generated to restore the
paintings and that they can again be hung for public viewing in the village.
Bridge Monument Located
At one time early in the century a large block
of concrete stood in the vicinity of the highway bridge over the north branch
of the Grand River. Inscribed with a dedication to "education" thought to have
been written by Towne Miller, the monument measured approximately five feet in length and
two feet in height and width.
The monument has rested in the water below the bridge for
more than fifty years and is now threatened by bridge reconstruction. Organizers of the
local historical society have indicated an interest in raising and preserving it as a
monument for an eventual museum.
Stelters Pledge Donation of Remaining
Plocker Inn Structure
Oliver and Francis Stelter have offered to donate the
remaining portion of Captain William Plocker's 1848 stagecoach inn and tavern to a village
historical society. The structure is thought to be the oldest remaining building in the
township of Metomen and is of major historical significance.
Constructed in 1848 just south of the village near the
junction of Wisconsin’s military road and the early north-south road running through
Fairwater, Captain Plocker's building was the first inn in Metomen. The structure still
standing on the Stelter farm was originally the inn's parlor and has been used by the
Stelter family as a garage.
Historical society organizers have learned that an
early marriage between Henry and Molly Schure took place in the structure while it was
still in use as a parlor and believe that photographs of the wedding survive and could be
a critical resource in restoring the structure. It is hoped that the building can be
relocated and placed under shelter to preserve it.
Parlor of the Plocker Inn, still standing on the Stelter
farm |
Gottlieb and Henrietta Stelter seated in front of their
home, the original Plocker Inn |
Fairwater may be unique among the
world's villages in having not one, but two Web sites devoted to its history. Florian
Laper's collection of photographs, biographical, and historical information related to the
Fairwater water wheel, past village president J. W. Laper, and the former community of
Utley can be visited at:
http://www.dotnet.com/~laper/
Bob Schuster's pages documenting the history
of the village and the area can be visited on his Wisconsin Local History Network site for
Fond du Lac County at:
http://www.wlhn.org/fond_du_lac/communities/fairwater/fairwater.htm |
