newsletter_2008_10

“Discover the Unexpected”: Society to Celebrate National Archives Month

October has been designated Wisconsin Archives Month. As part of that celebration and as part of Ripon’s celebration of its 150^th birthday, our Society is holding an open house in its archives prior to the program meeting on Thursday, October 16^th. Our Society has one of the best set of archival collections of any small town in the state. This collection includes 50 volumes of documents related to the history of the city collected by Samuel Pedrick over a period of sixty years, as well as other document and photograph collections related to the history of many of Ripon’s religious, civic, and social organizations, special collections of documents related to Ripon families and homes, and a database with over 7000 entries related to obituaries of past Ripon citizens.

For people who are unacquainted with our archives, the Society is hosting a special open house on October 16^th, from 6:30-7:00, prior to the start of its regular program meeting. The motto for this month’s celebration is “Discover the Unexpected” and the Society is certain that many in Ripon will discover unexpected and exciting facts about their families, homes, churches, and town by visiting our Archives during this open house. Bill Woolley

History of the Chartering of Ripon

Our regular monthly program will be at 7:00 on October 16, immediately following the Archives Open House mentioned above. The program will be devoted to the 1858 chartering of the City of Ripon, now celebrating its 150^th birthday. George Miller will discuss the decision to combine the villages of Ripon and Ceresco into one city. They were two very different communities, but they also had a lot in common. As usual, the public is invited to enjoy the open house, the program, the informal discussion, and the social time afterward. George Miller

Election, Program, and Supper November 20

Our November program will start at 5:00 with a brief annual business meeting and election of officers. The meeting will include a light supper. A free will offering will help to defray the cost. The nominating committee presents the following slate of officers.

President	Bill Woolley
Vice President	Todd Berens
Secretary	Shirley Williams
Treasurer	Roberta Walker

Lara Grant will present a program entitled Cemetery Art: The Evolution and Symbolism of Gravestone Carvings. She will discuss the meaning of carvings on gravestones, with a special emphasis on those found in Ripon cemeteries. She’ll show photos of Riponites (while living, of course) and then show their stones and describe the images on those stones. Lara Grant

Annual Dues Payable in November

Attention, annual members! Please remember to pay your dues for 2009, which are due in November. Your dues help to offset the ever-increasing costs of printing and mailing this newsletter. While nearly everything else has gone up in price, our annual dues are still just $15.00 for a family, $10.00 for an individual, and $5 for a student. You can pay your 2009 dues at the October or November meetings or send a check to Treasurer, Ripon Historical Society, P.O. Box 274, Ripon, WI 54971. Life memberships remain at $100 for an individual and $150 for a couple.

Members Who Passed Away in 2008

Since this is the last newsletter of 2008, we honor here the memory of our members who died during the past year: John and Nellie Murray, Esther Huibregtse, Eileen Hall, Ray Schultz, and Myra Erdman. If we have missed recognizing anyone, please contact Barbara Scott at 748-2545.

It’s Always Something With Old Houses!

This summer and fall our Historical Society has continued to work on the Pickard House and Pedrick-Lawson House to help preserve the buildings for future generations to learn from and enjoy. At the Pedrick-Lawson House we have secured the plaster that was starting to let loose on the ceilings in the Military Room, bathroom, adjoining room, and kitchen. The ceilings in those rooms have also been taped, plaster coated, and painted. We were fortunate that Steve Riemer came back to do the plaster and also repair the wallpaper that was coming loose. At the Pickard House we have replaced some of the wood moldings that have started to deteriorate and continued the painting process. The spots that have started to peel have been scraped of all loose paint, sealed, and painted. Other areas that needed painting have also been washed, primed, and painted. This is the third year John Brink has worked on the house, improving its appearance as well as preserving it for the future. This work will be ongoing for years to come in order to keep the buildings in good condition. In looking ahead, the board is considering changing some of the landscaping at the Pickard House in the future. The house now has railroad timbers for flower box frames. It would be nice to return the house to its original look by planting shrubs around the house at lawn level. This would also require some elevation changes in the lawn for proper drainage.

Ralph Quinney

Staying “Green” in our Landscaping

We have continued to treat the lawn twice a year with a product known as Corn Gluten. Corn Gluten is a natural organic material that provides 9% nitrogen. The product will not kill existing weeds in the lawn, but it does provide pre-emergence control that will prevent seeds from growing. We hope that using Corn Gluten will improve the growth of the grass, stop the germination of weed seeds, and strengthen the lawn to be more competitive with the weeds. Ralph Quinney

Ripon College Summer Interns

Ripon College students, Jacqui Fingerson, who looks toward a career in museum work, and Megan Sikowski, who favors being a librarian, spent time this past summer at our Society. Under the leadership of the College’s history professor Russell Blake, their six-week internships were divided between the Ripon College archives and our Society. Working with our artifact collection, they learned how to and practiced being docents for an open house and accessioning works by local artist Eva Faustman. Joyce Rudolph, Michele Bensen, and Mary Brandt were their curator mentors. They also assisted assisted archives curators Nedra Martz and George Miller with the preservation of the Pedrick Papers collection. As in previous years, we enjoyed the fresh points of view and the help provided by our interns. They keep us on our toes! Mary Brandt

High School Volunteer Clara Wild

High school sophomore Clara Wild volunteered once a week last spring into the early summer. Clara was a willing worker and helped out wherever needed. She assisted Nedra Martz in the archives and Joyce Rudolph with exhibits, research, cleaning of artifacts and a variety of other museum-related tasks. Joyce Rudolph

May we borrow your collection?

Do you have a collection that could be loaned to the society for an exhibit? At this time we are looking for collections that relate to Christmas. In the future we would love to display any type of collection that would be of interest to the general public. We are willing to help you pack and unpack it if necessary and we will treat your treasures with the best of care. If you have a collection you would like to feature in one of our temporary special exhibits, please call Michele or Joyce at 748-5354. Our exhibits are on display at our monthly programs, and we have at least one special exhibit at each open house. Joyce Rudolph

Christmas Open House December 6

Pickard House, our main building at 508 Watson, will be on the annual Dickens of a Christmas Tour of Homes sponsored by the Ripon Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, December 6. While this is a fund-raising event for Ripon and tickets are required at the other featured homes, the Ripon Historical Society will be open from 10:00 until 4:00 at no charge. As always, we will have special Christmas exhibits, music, and refreshments. The whole family is welcome!

High School Yearbooks Needed!

We currently purchase a yearbook each year from Ripon High School. Why didn’t we think of this sooner? Anyway, we didn’t. Now we have to find kind people in those classes who would be willing to donate a yearbook. Who would do that? Perhaps someone might part with the book, knowing it would always be accessible at the Society. Perhaps a couple of high school sweethearts married and ended up with two yearbooks. If they’d give one to the Historical Society, it would be a great service. Here are the years we need: 1957, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992.

This is Mimi. She and her little doggie friend Sam like to hang out at the Society on the days their people, Michele and Bonnie, come in to volunteer.

*Mrs. Norman Albright

Don Amsden

Diane Ashley

*Mary Avery

*Clarence & Diane Bemis

Joyce Benson

*Michele Benson

*Todd & Betty Berens

Margaret Beuthin

*Mabel Bloedel

*Joyce & Alan Bonsen

*Maggie Brandt & Bert Lyons

*Mary Brandt

Marilyn F. Briese

*Bonnie Brooks

Jeff Bumby

*Charlotte Burr

*David Busker

*Thomas E. Caestecker

*Jack & Bev Christ

*Sarah & Ralph Colonna

*Roberta Comfort

*Paul & Florence Conant

*Audrey Conant

*Linda J. Corder

*William & Janet Crook

*John C. Diedrich

Richard & Cynthia Diemer

*Paul Dolata

Joan Dorsch

*Ålice Doss

Harriet B. Dowdy

*Mary Eager

Richard Farvour

Fred & Carol Flickinger

*Jean Grant Fraga

*Robert & Patricia Francis

Jane Frederick

*Kent Galloway & Elizabeth Olson

*Arden Gatzke

Neil Giffey

Ann Marie Godfrey

Lara Grant

Kat Griffith & Soren Hauge

David & Judy Gray

*Opal M. Griffiths

*Gerald & Lynn Grout

Karen Hanisch

*Neola Hannaford

Earl Hansen

*C. P. Haseltine

*Jon Heatley

*Harry Heileman & Jean Johnson

*Marilyn Henning

*Harold & Kathleen Hoth

Jim & Nancy Hynes

*Ted & Gwen Jones

*Evelyn M. Kain

*Audrey Kallio

*Jean Keith

Phyllis N. Kielisch

*Beverly King

Margaret Klapperich

*Aaron Kramer

*Nancy Kuhn

*Robert & Suzanne Lennox

*Robert & Margaret Lambert

Vivian Lindquist

*Nancy Livingston

Norman & Susan Loomer

*Astride H. Lowry

*Joyce Lueck

*Audrey Lyke

Wesley & Donna Marquart

*Nedra Martz

*Sue Marvin

Susan & Daniel McConnell

*George Miller

*Gordon & Hazel Minch

David & Janet Minor

*Allen J. Mortenson

Darren Mueller

*Kevan Nault

*Bill & Judy Neill

*Randallin Nichols

*Ruth Nimz

*Lee J. Ninneman

*Douglas & Lynn Northrop

*Helen Nowinski

John Olson

*Martha & Bernice Parfitt

*Sam Pickard, Jr

*Shirley Pohlman

Ralph & Lois Quinney

Steven Riemer

*Rik & Helga Rikkers

*Ann L. Rosenberg

Robert & Nancy Royce

*Joyce Rudolph

Arlyn & Bonnie Sanders

*Shirley Sather

*Louise F. Schang

David & Mary Jane Schanke

Mark Schowalter

*Fern Schultz

*Meg & Bruce Schwemmer

*Barbara Scott

*Marylin Shaw

Marvin & Marilyn Stark

John & Sandra Steinbring

*William Stott

Joel Streblow

*Shelley Swan

Jack Teela

Natalie A. Tinkham

*Michael & Norma Trump

Alice Uecker

Roberta Walker

*Holly Welk

Audrey A, Wesner

*Mark Weller

Gary Wetzel

*Ralph & Jo Wickstrom

Kathryn Wild

*Shirley L. Williams

*David & Karen Williams

*Patricia W. Wissing

Jean & William Woolley

*Eric Black & Jennifer Woolley

*Pamela Woolley

*Maria Vittone & Steve Woolley

*Melinda Morales & Allen Woolley

Thomas & Chris Worrall

*Fern Zamzow

Shirley Zentner

Richard Zimman & Valerie Cox

Thursday, October 16, 2008, 7:00 PM	George Miller: History of the Chartering of the City of Ripon
Thursday, October 16, 2008, 6:30-7:00 PM	Archives Open House George Miller, Nedra Martz, and Bill Woolley will be in the archives to host a special open house prior to the start of the regular program meeting.
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 5:00 PM	Lara Grant: Cemetery Art in the Ripon Area The program will be preceded by a light supper at 5:00 and followed by a brief annual meeting and election of officers.
Saturday, December 6, 2008, 10:00 to4:00	Christmas Open House As part of Dickens of a Christmas, the Ripon Historical Society will be featured on the annual Tour of Homes. One slight difference is that a visit to “our” house is free. No admission will be charged.