NEWSLETTER: AUGUST 2005

Summer Open House a Success

 

A pleasant June afternoon and a number of special attractions resulted in a near record turnout for your Society’s Summer Open House on Father’s Day, June 19^th. Special features for the Open House included our ongoing exhibit on Scouting in Ripon, a special display of signed quilts dating from the beginning of the 20^th century, our gardens, and the Lawson House. The Prairie Band provided lively music, and visitors consumed a great deal of lemonade. A new supply of brochures for the walking tour of the new Southwest Historic District was also available, and a number were taken.

 Student Program Features Ripon in World War II

The April program at the Society featured a presentation on Ripon in World War II by our two student interns from last year, Zack Chitwood and Jessica Owens. Zack’s presentation focused on the impact of the War on farming in the Ripon area. He argued that major impact of the War was to accelerate both the decline of the family farm that had already begun during the depression and the mechanization and electrification of farming. His study was based largely on oral history interviews he carried out in the summer of 2004, supplemented by research in newspaper accounts. Jessica used the letters from Sam Pedrick to his daughters, in the Pedrick collection in our archives, to look at the impact of the War on families in Ripon. She noted that while families, like the Pedricks, were willing to get involved in efforts to support the war, there was concern that these efforts were putting a strain on family life and ties. The student presentations were followed by a lively discussion in which several members of the audience who had been in the war shared stories of their experiences with the rest of us.

 Program Celebrates Frank P. Farvour, “The Man and the Builder”

Our Society’s own Frank B. Farvour presented a program focused on his grandfather, Frank P. Farvour, the builder of some of the most prominent houses of the late 19^th century in Ripon. Nearly all of them are still occupied today. Frank’s grandfather grew up on a farm, was a logger, and then a carpenter. He became a self-taught architect and builder of quality homes. Frank then showed current pictures of some of the homes his grandfather built. The program was accompanied by an exhibit of some of the carpentry tools that the senior Farvour used in the building of these homes.  

September Program to feature Cemetery Research

Our first program for this fall will be given by Clarence and Diane Bemis who will report on their lengthy and meticulous research on graves in Ripon’s Cemetery. Cemetery grave markers and records are a major source of genealogical information for a community. Sadly, many of the gravestones in the Ripon cemetery have fallen over and may sink out of sight. Clarence and Diane are rescuing the information on the stones, taking pictures of them, and correlating the information there with existing records. It has proven to be a fascinating form of historical detective work and promises to be an interesting program. The program will be held on Thursday evening, September 15, at 7:00 P.M. at the Society at 524 Watson. Refreshments will be served.

 Ripon Second Graders Compare Past And Present

 

Dave Gray helps kids compare items and prices from the 1910 Sears Catalog with things that serve the same function today.

 People in Ripon haven’t changed, but the way they live their lives surely has! That’s what Barlow Park’s second graders discovered as they visited the Pickard House museum and library of the Ripon Historical Society on May 1 and 2. They saw how people who lived sixty to a hundred years ago took care of their basic needs to eat, sleep, keep clean, and keep warm. They experimented with some of the ways families entertained themselves. They saw styles and fashions in clothing and home decoration. After touring the museum, the children made drawings that compared an item used long ago with one that would serve the same purpose today. Each class was at the Historical Society for an hour, just long enough to get excited about seeing more. Volunteers who acted as docents and guides for the second graders were Betty Gatzke, Arden Gatzke, Shirley Pohlman, Barbara Scott, Dino Zei, Paul Dolata, Ann Marie Godfrey, Bonnie Brooks, Shirley Williams, Jeff Bumby, Jo Wickstrom, Joyce Rudolph, Lynn Shaw, Sandra Steinbring, Louise Schang, Dave Gray, Ralph Quinney, Betty Berens, Mary Alice Wilkinson, Frank Farvour, George Miller, Bill Woolley, and Jean Woolley. Museum exhibits were created by Mary Brandt, Michelle Benson, and Joyce Rudolph. Frank Farvour, Paul Dolata, and Jean Woolley took photographs, which ran continuously as a slide show on the computer during the June open house.

Retired Educators Visit Society

On April 26^th, 25 members of the Wisconsin Association of Retired Educators visited the Society as part of their annual convention. The convention was hosted this year by the Green Lake Area Chapter of the Association. A number of the retired educators who visited indicated that they were active in historical societies in their own communities and were impressed at what we had to offer.

 Dennis Miller Donates Pedrick Tombstone to Society

During a remodeling project, Dennis Miller, owner and operator of Miller’s Tavern, discovered a sculptured grave marker in the form of a small praying angel. The marker had been made for “Charlie” Pedrick, who died as a small child. He was the older brother of Sam Pedrick, a founder of the Ripon Historical Society who left the vast collection of papers and documents that form the backbone of our archives. Mr. Miller was kind enough to offer the marker to the Society. Although carved from soft stone, the sculpture is still in good shape even though it has been damaged, with the head and two hands broken. The head has been found and Mary Brandt, our Artifacts Curator, has taken charge of the restoration of the sculpture before we give it a permanent home in the back yard of the Pedrick-Lawson house.

 Society’s Financial Campaign Reaches Goal

A final “Capstone” gift from Thomas Caestaecker of Green Lake meant that our financial campaign to build our endowment met with complete success. As a result, even though we were faced with some unexpected major expenses this year, the additional income generated by the new funds means that we are still operating within our budget. We would again like to express our great appreciation to all members and friends of the Society who made this success possible.

 Memorial Tree Planted at Pickard House

After the Society discovered that the tree in our front yard near the driveway was dying and would have to be taken down, Audrey Conant volunteered to provide for a new tree to be planted as a memorial to her late husband, Roger. The new tree is a Crescent Maple, a variety known for its fall color. A memorial plaque has been placed near the tree. We appreciate Audrey’s thoughtfulness in providing a memorial tree that will add a note of freshness to the appearance of the Pickard House for decades to come. 

RIPON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
President	Bill Woolley
Vice President	Todd Berens
Secretary	Shirley Williams
Treasurer	Harry Heileman
Newsletter	Bill and Jean Woolley

Meet Our Volunteers: Joyce Rudolph

 

Joyce shows second graders that the organ keys won’t play unless you pump the foot pedals. Human muscle rather than electricity provided power to make things work.

 Joyce joined us quite recently as a volunteer. She has been working in a number of areas at our Society, but is especially interested in exhibits. She played a major role preparing the exhibit on Scouting in Ripon.

 Joyce came to Ripon when she was ten and stayed on to graduate from high school. She moved around Wisconsin during her career, returning to Ripon once for a stint as Director of the Ripon Area Service Center. She is now retired and has returned to Ripon for good. Joyce has proven to be a creative and cheerful volunteer and we are pleased that she has joined us.

 A “Kwik Trip” Can Help Your Society

You can now help your Society without cost to yourself by getting a “Kwik Card” for use in making purchases at any Kwik Trip. Kwik Trip, Inc. has established a Kwik Rewards fund raising program which will pay designated charities and non-profit organizations up to 6% on eligible in-store purchases made on “Kwik Cards.” For our Society to participate we need at least five members to sign up for “Kwik Cards.” Several have already done so, but we could use more. All you need to do to sign up is call the Credit Department at 1-800-305-6666.

 Society Programs Available on Video Cassettes

Did you miss one of our programs that you really wanted to see? Nearly all of our evening programs are videotaped for local broadcast by Video Age and are shown several times on channel 19 for over a month. Afterwards, we are given two courtesy copies, which means we have one available for loan to members who were not able to get to the program itself. If you want to borrow one, call the Society at 748-5354 any weekday morning between 9:30 and 11:30 and we can arrange a time for you to pick it up.

 Help Wanted

The Society needs a volunteer for typing catalogue cards for accessioned artifacts that we continue to receive. No skill is needed as we have found that an old fashioned manual typewriter still works best for this purpose. If you can spare a few hours on a week-day morning each week, it would make a significant difference in our getting through our backlog. You will also discover that you will be working in a highly congenial atmosphere with a number of other Society members who enjoy their roles in preserving Ripon’s heritage. Anyone interested may call Mary Brandt on a weekday morning at 748-5354.

 Heritage Prints and Cards Still Available

 

State Street Octagon House

You can give your occasional correspondence a real Ripon flavor using note cards made from the original series of eleven Ripon Heritage Prints. The cards, complete with envelope and a lengthy historical discussion of the buildings depicted, cost only a dollar each. We also have copies of some of the prints themselves for only $2.00 each and a few that are framed for $3.00 each.

Ripon Historical Society
508 Watson Street
Ripon, WI 54971
(920) 748-5354
woolley611@yahoo.com