NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER 2009

 

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

 

It’s That Time of Year Again

What time of year is that? Well, for the Ripon Historical Society newsletter editor it’s time to be sure to include a slate of officers for the coming year, announce the November annual meeting, make sure the membership list is current and accurate, and remind annual members that their dues are payable now. Annual dues remain at a low $10/individual, $15/family, $5/student. Life memberships are still $100/individual, $150/couple. Please send your dues to: Treasurer, Ripon Historical Society, PO Box 274, Ripon, WI 54971.

 

October 22 Program: A Brief History of Mitchell’s Glen (This is the 4^th Thursday, not the usual 3^rd Thursday)

"Monapacataca" is the name ancient Winnebagos gave to their own at Mitchell's Glen. It means "The Indian who loves his home so much.” Very little has changed here in this sandstone wonder since the natives were evicted--rounded up and hauled off to reservations in Iowa and Nebraska. The Shooting Stars and Bloodroot, the Pileated and Ruffed Grouse, the little sand spouts made by artesian currents, and the smoke of an oakwood fire have all remained. Eric Ratering has lived at the Glen House for three years. His program, "A Brief History of Mitchell's Glen,” will reacquaint you with its principals.

 

Annual Meeting in November to Honor Retiring Board Members (Starting at 5:30 PM, not the usual 7:00 PM)

At our annual meeting this year we will have a light dinner honoring members of our Society who have retired from the Board this year or who will be retiring at the end of this year. In addition we will be honoring, in particular, Mary Brandt and George Miller for their many years of day-in-and-day-out service to the Society. The meeting will begin with a preview of an historic film of Ripon recently discovered by Craig Tebon and will also include the election of officers for next year. The meeting will begin at 5:30 PM on Thursday, November 19^th at the Society headquarters at 508 Watson. The Proposed Slate of Officers for 2010 is: President, Bill Woolley; Secretary, Sue Loomer; Treasurer, Roberta Walker. As yet, we have not found anyone willing to be Vice President. This position does not require a large time commitment. Interested? Please call Bill Woolley at 748-2260 for information.

 

September Program Report: History of AAUW in Ripon

Judy Haase and Shirley Pohlman, each of whom served as president of the Ripon branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) for many years, were the presenters at our September 17 program. Their displays, as well as their presentation, highlighted significant contributions AAUW has made nationally and locally toward improving education--particularly for girls and women. Members of the audience joined Shirley and Judy in remembering the camaraderie they shared through AAUW with people they might not otherwise have known and the mentoring experiences and friendships that flowed from those associations. Kathy Lang, who was a member of the Ripon Women’s Club, commented that she had similar positive memories of that organization. One of the local AAUW programs that is still thriving in Ripon is the Art Presenter program in the elementary schools, which was started over thirty years ago. That is but one example of how the positive impact of an organization can outlive the organization itself.

 

Ripon in the 20^th Century: Memories Wanted

Most of you received a letter from the Society this summer indicating that we are undertaking a project to begin research on Ripon’s history in the twentieth century. The Miller/Pedrick book ends in 1918. In our letter we asked for volunteers to undertake research projects and the response, so far, has been even better than we expected. We now have fourteen volunteer historians working on projects. We would now like to expand this project and invite people who have memories of activities or organizations in Ripon to offer to share those memories with an interviewer. There are many things such as the race tracks in Ripon or the airport, or businesses such as the water heater factory or the egg drying plant, or organizations such as the Philatelist Society that are now gone almost without a trace except in the memories of people involved. If you have memories of any organization or activity in Ripon that is now part of the past, we invite you to share those with us. Please call the Society at 748-5354.

Ripon Historical Society Archival Collections: Records of Organizations

As demands on people’s time changes and they choose among an increasing array of different activities, some very vibrant organizations have seen their membership decline. At some point the remaining members realize they can no longer function and act to dissolve their organization. Ripon has, from its very beginning, been a community of active citizens whose accomplishments most often occurred under the auspices of church and secular organizations. The records of those groups are an important part of our history. Upon dissolution these records may be donated to the Historical Society archives. Collections of organizations given to the Society in 2009 include the Order of the Eastern Star (1930-1995) and Church Women United (1970-2009). In addition to these, the archives contains collections from groups such as the Ripon Community Art Center (1954-1986), Ripon Garden Club (1931-2000), PACE/ACE (1982-2002), and the Germania Singing Society (1936-1945), among many others. Our Collection Policy states that The Society keeps materials belonging to clubs and organizations from the dates of their inception to twenty years prior to the present year or to their dissolution. The Ripon Public Library provides files to house current materials of clubs and organizations.

 

Early 20^th Century Recycling

A trip to the Society archives reveals some interesting ways that people in the early 20^th Century conserved and recycled resources. Ripon attorney Sam Pedrick had a passion for preserving the history of Ripon and the families who lived here. He clipped newspaper articles and saved pamphlets and brochures. He typed family histories and obituaries on his typewriter and cross-referenced them. He kept information about marriages, family businesses, and Ripon events and activities. Thanks to modern technology, much of Sam’s work has been scanned and is accessible online at the Ripon Public Library website. In addition Bill Woolley has photographed some 1800 of Pedrick’s documents in order to digitally preserve them. However, seeing Sam’s originals in the archives is part of history itself--the way he recycled. Being an attorney, Pedrick periodically received new sets of bound law books. Did he discard the obsolete books? No way! They became scrapbooks, into which he glued all sorts of documents he considered important to preserve so that Ripon’s future generations would have a sense of the history of their community. He realized that in order to help people find information, he’d need an index. To accomplish this, he created a system that recycled used envelopes. During the past year, archivist Nedra Martz has transferred Pedrick’s envelope index into a 9,000-entry computer database, sometimes consulting quintessential Ripon historian George Miller to help her decipher Pedrick's handwriting and spelling. The Society welcomes the addition of the database to the archival resources available to students, genealogists, community historians, and anyone else who is interested in Ripon’s past. And if you’d like to see Sam Pedrick’s originals, an archivist will don white gloves and show you some samples. They are deteriorating, but thanks to the dedication of volunteers like George, Nedra, and Bill at the Society and Ben Sprague at the Ripon Public Library, the information has been digitally preserved and can be used without white gloves.

 

 

Example: Sam Pedrick Envelope Index

Example: Bill Woolley Pedrick Scrapbook Photo

 

Topic	Title	Volume	Pages	Digital	Notes
Booth War	Booth War at Pickett	17	56-57	Yes	See "La Grange, O. H."
Booth War	Booth's letter	12(d)	37	No	See "La Grange, O. H."
Booth War	Booth's letter to La Grange-1860	04(3)	391-392	Yes	See "La Grange, O. H."
Booth War	Carter, George-1901	04(6)	11-41	Yes	See "La Grange, O. H."
Booth War	Carter's narrative	12(d)	24	No	See "La Grange, O. H."
Booth War	Comments in Glaze's History	12(a)	97	No	See "La Grange, O. H."
Booth War	Dunham, Daniel-article-1947	30	97-101	Yes	See "La Grange, O. H."

Example: Nedra Martz Computer Index

 

Nancy Livingston Remembered

We remember Nancy Livingston, who passed away on July 15. Nancy was an enthusiastic and loyal member who attended meetings regularly and who helped the Society as a volunteer in various areas.

 

Cemetery Walk

On a brisk October Sunday afternoon, visitors to Hillside Cemetery were treated to conversations with the ghosts of several people who were significant in Ripon history: John Scott Horner (Todd Berens), William Mears Dawes (Gary Wetzel), Clarissa Tucker Tracy (Joyce Rudolph), Isabella Town Hunter (Lara Grant), Aaron Bailey (Earl Hansen), Rev. Elisha Cooke (Bill Woolley), Mason Brayman (Connor Hanson), William and Annie Starr (Ashley Lohry and Daphne Kranz), and Frank LaFayette Anders (Debbie Hanson).

 

Lawson House to be on Parade of Homes

The Lawson House will be part of this year’s Parade of Homes sponsored by the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce during the Dickens of a Christmas weekend. This opening will coincide with our annual Christmas Open House so that visits to the house may be made without buying a ticket to the entire Parade of Homes. The Parade of Homes will take place on Saturday, December 5^th, from 10:00 to 4:00. The Lawson House is located at 515 Ransom St.

 

Membership List: Please check this list for accuracy. Life members are indicated by an asterisk. Questions or Corrections? Call Sue or Norm Loomer at 748-6002.

 

*Mrs. Norman Albright

Don Amsden

Don & Betty Armstrong

Diane Ashley

*Mary Avery

*Clarence & Diane Bemis

*Michele Benson

*Todd & Betty Berens

Margaret Beuthin

Russell Blake

*Mabel Bloedel

*Alan Bonsen

*Maggie Brandt & Bert Lyons

*Mary Brandt

Jodi Brewster

Marilyn F. Briese

*Bonnie Brooks

*Jeff Bumby

*Charlotte Burr

*David Busker

*Thomas E. Caestecker

*Jack & Bev Christ

*Sarah & Ralph Colonna

*Paul & Florence Conant

*Audrey Conant

*Linda J. Corder

*William & Janet Crook

*John C. Diedrich

Richard & Cynthia Diemer

*Paul Dolata

Joan Dorsch

*Alice Doss

Harriet B. Dowdy

*Mary Eager

Richard Farvour

*Jean Grant Fraga

*Robert & Patricia Francis

Jane Frederick

*Kent Gallaway & *Elizabeth Olson

Neil Giffey

*Ann Marie Godfrey

Lara Grant

Pat Grahn

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

Dan Jonas

*Evelyn M. Kain

*Audrey Kallio

*Jean Keith

Phyllis N. Kielisch

*Beverly King

Margaret Klapperich

Matt Koski

*Aaron Kramer

*Nancy Kuhn

*Robert & Suzanne Lennox

J. Gregory Lagnan

*Robert & Margaret Lambert

Vivian Lindquist

Norman & Susan Loomer

*Astride H. Lowry

*Joyce Lueck

*Audrey Lyke

Wesley & Donna Marquart

*Nedra Martz

*Sue Marvin

Elvire McAlpine

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

Tracy O'Brien

John Olson

*Martha & Bernice Parfitt

Dan Parks

*Sam Pickard, Jr

*Shirley Pohlman

Andrew Prellwitz

Ralph & Lois Quinney

Steven Riemer

*Rik & Helga Rikkers

*Ann L. Rosenberg

Robert & Nancy Royce

*Joyce Rudolph

Arlynn & Bonnie Sanders

*Shirley Sather

*Louise F. Schang

David & Mary Jane Schanke

Mark Schowalter

*Fern Schultz

*Meg & Bruce Schwemmer

*Barbara Scott

Donna Sereda

*Marylin Shaw

Marvin & Marilyn Stark

*John & Sandra Steinbring

*William Stott

Emily Stovell

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

Kate Williams

*Patricia Watson 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

 

The Octagon Buildings of Ripon

This is the introduction to a paper by Jack Steinbring, who lives in the Ripon octagon house purchased by his father, Arthur E. Steinbring, in 1906. The entire article is on the Ripon Historical Society website at http://my.core.com/~riponhistsoc. Click on the Research button and then scroll down to Ripon History Research.

The City of Ripon, Wisconsin is distinguished in the field of domestic architecture by having Wisconsin’s densest concentration of mid-Nineteenth Century octagonal buildings. Four of these unique structures, all part of a fad initiated and promoted by the eccentric amateur architect Orson Squire Fowler, were built within three blocks of each other at Ripon between 1850 and 1860. Three were private homes and one was a school. Three of these buildings were made from a limey gravel and clay material called “grout,” invented by Joseph Goodrich, who built a hexagonal stagecoach inn of it in 1845 at Milton, Wisconsin. Actually, widely varying mixtures of lime, clay, sand, and gravel, certainly incorporating the variations used in Wisconsin, had been in use since at least Roman times and were widely used in Britain from whence most of Wisconsin’s earliest immigrant families came. Only one of the Ripon octagons was a frame dwelling. All of the buildings were in the western area of the town within the earlier community known as Ceresco, one of the many American utopian experiments in communalism carried out during the mid 1800’s. This “Wisconsin Phalanx” was commenced in 1844 and was officially disbanded in 1851. It is quite interesting to note that all of the Ripon octagons are traceable to the Phalanx membership, many of whom continued to reside in the area after dissolution. One, in fact, was built by the former leader of the group, Warren Chase.

 

Dates to Remember

October 22, 7:00 PM, Program: Mitchell’s Glen, Eric Ratering (Note change of date: This is the 4th, not the 3rd Thursday)

November 19, 5:30 PM, Annual Meeting, Light Supper, and Program (Note the change of time: This is at 5:30, not 7:30)

December 5, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Dickens of a Christmas Parade of Homes at Lawson House