NEWSLETTER
FALL
2003
Todd Berens Entertaining a Full House
Todd Berens Enlivens the History of the Lewis and Clark Expetition
Drawing on over forty years of personal study of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Todd Berens, the current Vice President of our Society, presented a lively account of the origins of that famous exploration as part of the current national bicentennial celebration of that event. Talking to a capacity crowd at the Society on October 16, Berens’ explained that the primary goal of the famous expedition was not, as commonly thought, an exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. Instead, American leadership, and Thomas Jefferson in particular, was more interested in trade than land and sent the two explorers up the Missouri in search of a transcontinental water route that could link the American east coast to the opening trade in the Pacific. Berens then went on to demonstrate a full mastery of all the details of the expedition in a long discussion with members of the audience following the presentation.
Annual Meeting to Feature Potluck Dinner and History of the Historical Society
The program for our annual meeting, on November 20th, will be a panel discussion on the history of our own Society followed by reminiscences and recollections from members of the audience. The program will be taped and will be the foundation for a systematic oral history program devoted to the long career of our society. The program will be preceded by a potluck dinner starting at 6:00 p.m. There will be a short business meeting at 7:00. The program will follow that meeting. The program is open to the public and we hope that members will come, bring friends, and share with us your cherished stories regarding this Society.
The Society will also elect its officers for 2004 at the Annual Meeting The Nominating Committee chaired by Barbara Scott has proposed the following names for officers: President: WilliamWoolley, Vice President: Todd Berens, Secretary: Nedra Martz, Treasurer, Harry Heileman.
Frank Farvour Opens Society Program Series with Look at Ripon’s Barns.
The Wisconsin Historical Society, along with other historical groups in the country, has designated 2003 to be the “Year of the Barn” and has held several events in the state to examine and celebrate the barns that are such a distinctive part of our rural and architectural heritage. Our Historical Society joined that celebration with an outstanding program by our own Frank Farvour, who has been collecting pictures and stories about barns in the Ripon area for years. Speaking on September 18th to a capacity crowd at the Society, Farvour provided a virtual historic tour of Ripon area barns using slides as well as his own special warmth and humor. His program was taped and has been repeatedly aired since then on the local television channel.
Christmas Open House to Feature “Father Christmas” Exhibit
Our annual Christmas Open House will be held December 6th, a Saturday, from one to three p.m. As before, it will be linked to Ripon’s celebration of “Dickens of a Christmas. Long-time member, Lynne Shaw, has graciously offered her collection of Father Christmas items for a special exhibit. Lynne and her family lived in Bad Kissingen, Germany, in 1968, when the figure of Father Christmas, the German version of Santa Claus, visited the town for a photo event. Due, in part, to her Dutch heritage, Lynne loved the visit, which became the inspiration and beginning of a life-long hobby. Lynne has collected dozens of Father Christmas items and photographs while family members and friends have been generous in giving her Father Christmas items as gifts as they know that they are much appreciated. We thank Lynne heartily for sharing this collection with us as it will surely be a delight to view.
In addition to the Father Christmas exhibit, our Christmas Open House will include music and refreshments.
Society’s “Adopt-a-Garden” Program Celebrates First Year
For the past year a number of local gardeners have taken responsibility for our several gardens. Evelyn Kain has been responsible for the back southeast corner gardens at the Lawson House. Barbara Scott has worked on the front and west sides of the Lawson House. Sue McConnell has taken care of the area around the south and west side of the barn. Bonnie and Arlyn Sanders are taking care of all the gardens around the Pickard House, with Mary Brandt and Bonnie Brooks helping. Beth Howman-Combs has adopted the herb garden at the Lawson Pedrick House, which she has done for a years.
The success of the system was recognized at a brown bag lunch at the Society sponsored by Mary Brandt. The lunch offered the gardeners a chance to meet each other and to share questions and knowledge and to discuss ideas about the coming year.
We still need a few volunteers to adopt other parts of our gardens, particularly the shrubs at the Lawson-Pedrick House, the peony bed there, and the flower bed along the south property line. Any members or friends of the Society interested in adopting their own garden should call Mary Brandt at the Society, 748-5354. Our gardens have become a source of great pride to both the Society and the volunteers who have adopted their parts of them.
The Way It Was—circa 1927
Harry Washkoske
(We have tried to include stories about Ripon in each of our Newsletters. A former Riponite, Harry Washkoske, answered your Editor’s call and submitted this story of one of his boyhood memories of Ripon. )
During my Jr. and Sr. High School years I lived in Ripon at 420 Washington St. At that time there still existed a livery stable at the foot of the hill on that street. Now, for those of you who have never heard of a livery stable, it was a place where you could rent horses, saddles, buggies, etc. For those who have never heard of a buggy, it was a four-wheel, steel-tired wagon which was drawn by a horse. The livery stable was a 1927 version of today’s “Rent-a-Vehicle” business.
This livery stable had a standing order to furnish a horse and wagon to the post office each weekday. When the horse was all harnessed and hooked up to the wagon the stable employee would look outside and hail the first student who walked by on his way to school. The student would be requested to ride on the wagon and hold the reins. He was informed not to try to drive or steer the horse, since the horse knew the way but would not move unless someone was sitting on the wagon seat. The route was Washington St. to Jefferson St., to Pacific St, and then through the alley behind the east side of Watson St. It then ran from Jackson St. to Scott St. At that point on Scott St. there was a large water tank where the horse would take on his water supply for the day. The route then continued on to the rear door of the post office where the student would perform his only function, namely secure the reins properly, and then continue on foot to school.
President’s Corner:
Looking at all the articles in this edition of our Newsletter indicates that the last several months have been busy and productive ones at your Historical Society. They have been successful as well. Our Projects Day ended with everything on our “To Do” list completed. Our Open House attracted visitors from Green Lake and Omro. Our programs have attracted full houses.
One major reason for our success has been our volunteers. Being a volunteer at the Historical Society is one of the easiest and most satisfying ways we have in our town of being involved in something significant. Volunteers need no special education or background. They can put in as much or as little time as they can afford each week or every other week and can often come in at hours convenient to them. We have projects ranging from organizing archival records, working in our costume collections, preserving our three historic buildings, serving as a docent for school visits, or taking over one of our historic gardens. If you are interested in getting involved, call us some weekday morning at the Society at 748-5354 and we can discuss possible projects that might interest you.
Bill Woolley
