newsletter_2007

NEWSLETTER: APRIL 2007

Previous issues of the newsletter are posted on our website at http://my.core.com/~riponhistsoc.
Website and Newsletter Editor: Jean Woolley, riponhistsoc@yahoo.com

Membership and Annual Dues

When are dues due anyway? Life members pay their Society dues once and don’t have to think about it again. But what about the rest of us who prefer to pay our dues each year? Dues are payable at the time of the annual meeting in November for the following year. They may be paid at the meeting or mailed to Bill Woolley, Treasurer, Ripon Historical Society, PO Box 274, Ripon, WI 54971.

Individual Membership	$10 per year
Family Membership	$15 per year
Student Membership	$5 per year
Individual Life Membership	$100
Life Membership for a Couple	$150

We were pleased to welcome the following new members during 2006: Nancy Baker, Sarah and Ralph Colonna, Linda Corder, Richard Farvour, Kat Griffith, Soren Hauge, Savannah Hauge, Bjorn Hauge, Sue Kohl, Hannah Lo Bianco, John Olson, Mary Jane and David Schanke, Anna Sherwood, Ralph Sherwood, Joel Streblow, Jack Teela, Robert E. Timm, Kathryn Wild, Tim Wise, Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Zimman,

New Members

Welcome to the Mark Schowalter family of Port Washington and Earl Hansen of Ripon.

In Memory of Ferne Haensgen

Long-time member Ferne Haensgen passed away on December 10, 2006. Having lived in Ripon most of her 103 years, Ferne witnessed nearly a century of Ripon history.

Donna Sereda Assists Society

Donna Sereda, whom many of you will remember as Donna Krueger, has been advising our Society on a number of questions relating to the administration of our archives. Donna recently retired from her job as head of the Library-Archives Collections Bureau at the Wisconsin Historical Society after a 27-year career. Donna grew up in Ripon—her mother Leona Krueger still lives here—so she is more than just a professional advisor for us. She has been extremely helpful. Donna continues to live in Madison with her husband, Jay Denovo.

Tell Us About Your One Room School

Ripon’s Little White Schoolhouse, birthplace of the Republican Party, has recently been restored and refurnished. Its fame came from a famous meeting that resulted in the birth of a new political party, but its day-to-day function as a school was also critical in building the educated citizenry required to live successfully in a democratic society. It wasn’t the only little schoolhouse in the area. If you attended a one-room school, we’d like to hear about it. Please write down a memory or two and send them to Jean Woolley at 611 Hillside Terrace, Ripon, WI 54971.

March Program Features Historic Preservation

A good-sized crowd came to our March program, which started with a social half-hour at 4:30 on March 22, followed by a program on the history of the ten-year-old Historic Preservation Commission. Jeff Bumby and Evelyn Kain, both current members of the commission, presented a video the commission created with Riley Icenogel and Bev Christ. The video consists of interviews with various people who have been involved in different ways with the process of restoring old buildings. Mary Brandt of the Ripon Historical Society, an original member of the commission, told of its founding and purpose. Craig Tebon of Ripon Main Street talked about the economic advantages of restoration. John Porter, Jim Davis, and Rich Schroeder described the restoration of the Odd Fellows building. David Sakrison and John Splitt showed an Italianate porch they added to the Sakrison home on Watson Street. Bob and JoAnn Kleisner described their joy in doing all of the restoration in their Ransom Street home themselves. Sherry Huseboe, a realtor, discussed the appeal of restored older homes. Dan Parks, a lawyer, talked about how he used tax credits to help finance the restoration of his home on Ransom Street. Jerry Grout offered insight into meaningful personal connections with historic buildings, using St. Peter’s Church as an example.

April Program: The Story of Ripon Printers

The April program will take place on the regularly scheduled date and time, Thursday, April 19, at 7:00. PM. Andy Lyke, President of Ripon Printers, and Audrey Lyke, a founder and current board member, will tell the story of the company known around Ripon as “The Printers” from its beginnings as an offshoot of the local newspaper and small printing operation with 13 employees to its position as an international corporation with about 330 employees.

Open House Scheduled for Father’s Day

On June 17, all three of our buildings will be open for the summer open house. You’ll also be able to stroll through the historic gardens. Be sure to see the interesting new exhibits in the Pedrick House museum. One exhibit will feature toys and sporting equipment dating from 1915 to the late 1940’s, including Bob Ashley’s well-used tennis racquet collection. The other special exhibit will be a unique button collection. Retired Rosendale teacher Belle Lawson (1875-1973), who owned and lived in the Pedrick-Lawson house at 515 Ransom, collected buttons from her Ripon friends and family. She sewed the buttons on cards, which she organized by family. Some of the buttons go back to Revolutionary War and Civil War times. Ms. Lawson’s log books describing the buttons will also be on display. Visit the barn to see the “big stuff” like sleighs, old time plumbing, and farm machinery and tools.

Summer Guided Tours

The summer guided tours in August and September of 2006 were so successful that we have expanded these offerings for 2007 to include July. These tours differ from the open house experience in that they are structured and visitors stay with a guide, learning in greater depth about the historical artifacts. Adults and children alike will enjoy these tours of our houses. To participate, come to the front door of the Pickard House any time between 1:00 and 3:00 on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of July, August, and September—July 8 and 22, August 12 and 26, and September 9 and 23.

Please Join the Docent Corps!

Have you been a docent and wished you had more information about your assigned room? Would you like to be a docent or guide but haven’t a clue what that involves? Do you have special knowledge to share about specific historic items? Are you too busy for regular involvement in the work of your Society but would like to help occasionally? All of us probably fall into some variation of one of those categories. With our expansion into guided tours and our ongoing need for open house docents, we recognize a need to increase our docent corps and provide training. This is an opportunity for experienced docents, as well as people who have never done it before, to learn procedures and acquire a depth of knowledge about a specific room or area of the museum. The plan is to station docents in the same area whenever they work. Attention middle school and high school members: This is an excellent opportunity for you to become involved in the work of your society! Call Joyce Rudolph at 748-5354 (mornings) or 748-6834 (home) for information. She will be offering training in May.

Farvour Bavarian China Display

On your next visit to Pickard House, be sure to see the dining room table setting. Life member Marylin Farvour Shaw has given the Society the set of Bavarian china that is on display. It belonged to her mother, Rosemary DuMez Farvour, and probably dates to 1942 when Rosemary married Frank Farvour. The set includes a variety of extra pieces, including egg cups and a sauce boat.

May program: The Rebirth of the Birthplace of the Republican Party

Our program on Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 7:00 PM will be one of a number of grand re-opening activities associated with a long-term project of planning, raising capital, restoring, and updating the Little White Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse, which was rapidly deteriorating, will now be better able to accommodate both Ripon’s tourism industry and its educational programming. Panelists Paula Price of the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce, Little White Schoolhouse Committee members Joan Karsten and Bill Woolley, and Peter Kasuboski of Ripon Area Builders, will describe the efforts that brought us to this point of celebration.

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2006

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Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles and Pictures

If you have an Internet connection, you can find some fascinating newspaper articles on early Ripon at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wlhba/.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has digitally reproduced thousands of historical newspaper articles on Wisconsin people and communities. Most articles were published between 1860 and 1940, though a few published earlier or later than these years are also included. Click on Basic Search and put Ripon in as the keyword. You’ll be surprised at the interesting old articles! Want to see some great old pictures of Ripon? Go to http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/ and use Ripon as the keyword for your search. One of the pictures on the site is a 1943 Speed Queen semi.

A Bargain on Great Vintage Note Cards

Good news! While reorganizing the office here at the Ripon Historical Society we discovered an abundance of Eve Faustman Heritage Print note cards. You are welcome to pick and choose from the last available prints to be had of these marvelous depictions of early Ripon and Ceresco. Some of the prints are no longer available, but a wide selection will be offered at our April meeting for only $1.00 per card.

Students from College Have Class with Us

On March 8 George Miller, Jean Woolley, and Nedra Martz hosted Andy Kirchmeier’s secondary education class in a discussion of ideas for using their local and state historical societies and websites in student teaching, in future teaching positions, and in getting acquainted when moving to a new community.

Pedrick Scrapbooks Need Preservation

Sam Pedrick (1868-1963) was the quintessential Ripon Historian. Photocopies at the Society and at the Ripon Public Library of his necrologies and family files have been extensively used over the years for research and genealogy. Now, thanks to Ben Sprague at the Library, they are in a digital format and people all over the country are expressing their appreciation for being able to use them online. Pedrick’s scrapbooks are also well used, but they present a problem. The items he pasted into old books are not of uniform size or shape, and they aren’t on single sheets that can be photocopied. They are deteriorating from age and use. Researchers must use the original--and only-- copies. College intern, Amanda Flannery, working with Emily Stovel, has photographed many items with a digital camera with good results. However, it’s slow and there are hundreds of items. We’re still looking for the technology and manpower to get these done. If you have ideas or time to work on this project, please call George Miller at 748-5354.

Riponites Who Made History

Can you match the names of these Riponites with their achievements? Answers are below.

1	Carrie Lane Chapman Catt	A. First American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics; a member of a committee that petitioned Columbia University for the founding of Barnard College in 1889
2	Winifred Edgerton Merrill	B. Ardent abolitionist instrumental in helping fugitive-slave Joshua Glover to escape to Canada; Civil War Officer who led the Union troops in the Battle of West Point, April 16, 1865; Superintendent of the San Francisco Mint after the war
3	Ben Marcus	C. Ripon native who started a large department store in London and coined the phrase, “Only ___ shopping days left until Christmas”
4	Harry Selfridge	D. Susan B. Anthony’s principal assistant and successor as head of the Women’s Suffrage movement; planned the strategy to win suffrage; the person principally responsible for the 19th amendment; founder of the League of Women Voters
5	Oscar LaGrange	E. Polish immigrant who started a successful chain of theaters with one theater in Ripon; later owned a chain of theaters, hotels, and restaurants

Answers: 1. D; 2. A; 3. E; 4. C; 5. B