USA > Wisconsin > Washington County > Washington County, Wisconsin : past and present > Part 14
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will work together upon the problem of farm life. In the Social Cen- ter Conference held at Madison in 1911, Herbert Quick in an address gave this description of this new type of a country school: "When the school of which I am speaking is fully developed, no farmer will think of planting seeds until they have been examined in the school for the purpose of testing their genuineness and their freedom from noxious adulterations. Tests of soil will be made in the school labor- atory. The examination of farm animals for tuberculosis and other disease will be to a considerable extent done in the schools. Tests of milk will be made and in the schoolyard will be developed strains of poultry of supreme excellence for either egg or meat production. The keeping of accounts on the farm is so complex that no farmer under ordinary circumstances is able to keep an adequate set of books. And in the country school which I have in mind, will be the counting room of the neighborhood, in which a complete cost system will be kept by teachers and pupils and comparisons made as to relative profits of various farms in the neighborhood, which will gradually change agriculture from its present status to that of a business con- ducted upon the exact lines which characterize the business factory methods. The girls will take part in all these things and in addition will study domestic science and learn the economical and efficient and satisfying management of the home."
In this way the problem of vocational education in the rural schools would easily be solved. It would be much harder to solve for the city schools, because of the diversified vocations of the city. In the public schools of West Bend an important step in that direction was taken in 1911 by the introduction of manual training. This was made possible by the untiring efforts of the local Woman's Club. Instruction in domestic science for the girls will be the next thing this club aims at. The movement for manual training sprang from the conviction that more should be done to fit boys for the practical duties of life. This conviction was gained from the success of the trade schools of European countries, especially Germany. Now, however, the direct pedagogical value of manual training is considered of more importance than the effect it may have on the future em- ployment of children.
As another, although transitory, educational step may be mentioned the opening of an evening school at Hartford in 1912. To instruct the many foreign men working in the extensive automobile works in that city in the language and customs of the country, it was deemed necessary to open a school of that kind.
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The public schools in the county are taught by 141 teachers. Of these, 23 are male teachers, exclusive those in the high schools. The total salaries paid to male teachers in 1911 were $15,083.95; and to female teachers $31,542.25. There were 7,877 children of school age (from four to twenty years), of which number 3,403 attended school. The average daily attendance was 2,249. The total amount spent for education in 1911 was $102,702.81. One of the most able school superintendents the county had was Charles F. Leins; he held the office for many years. The present incumbent is George T. Carlin.
CHAPTER XXII
ORGANIZATIONS
Washington County Agricultural Society
On November 1, 1855, a number of men gathered in the village of Hartford and held a meeting in which the first steps toward organ- izing an agricultural society were taken. The officers elected were: President, Hopewell Coxe of Hartford; Vice-President, John Kessel of Richfield; Treasurer, William Rohn of Jackson; Recording Secre- tary, Geo. C. Williams of Hartford; Corresponding Secretary, Patrick Toland of Erin; Committee on Arrangements, Phillip Dhein of Ger- mantown, Thomas Hayes of Richfield, and D. W. Maxon of Polk. The president was instructed to draw up the constitution and by-laws for consideration and adoption at the next meeting which, as it was voted, was to be held at the court house in the village of West Bend, on the first Monday of November, 1856.
In the meeting at West Bend, on November 8, 1856, the consti- tution and by-laws were adopted and a full board of officers elected, thereby completing the organization of the society. "The Washing- ton County Agricultural Society" was the name adopted, and its objects, as stated, were: "To promote and improve the condition of agriculture, horticulture, and the mechanical, manufacturing and household arts within the county of Washington." The treasurer had, during the year, received membership fees to the aggregate amount of $IIO.
The new society must have found difficulties in carrying out its mission; maybe there was something lacking, for it led a feeble life for almost a year and a half. In 1857 no fair was held, and the records show no meeting held till April 18, 1858, at which a new board of officers was elected, and a resolution passed requesting the treasurer to collect what money may be due to the society, and to report in the next meeting, whereupon it was adjourned to the third
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Monday of May, 1858. The adjourned meeting, however, was not held, and the society was considered broken up.
On November 9, 1858, a number of citizens of the county held a meeting for the purpose of reorganizing the society, and placing it on a more effective working basis. A new committee, consisting of F. O. Thorpe, Silas Wheeler, and William Rohn, was appointed to draft a new constitution and by-laws. The committee reported, and their report was adopted. The name of the society remained the same, a fee of 50 cents was collected from the members, and the annual membership dues thereafter were fixed at $1.00. A new provision of the constitution, however, at once gave new life to the organization and vastly increased the interest taken in it. It read as follows :
"Article VI .- The society shall hold an annual show or fair of agricultural and horticultural products; of agricultural and mechan- ical implements; of domestic manufactures and of domestic animals at such time and place as the Executive Committee shall designate."
The annual fair evidently was the thing lacking in the former con- stitution, for since its introduction the machinery of the society ran on without any serious break-down.
The reorganized society held another meeting in West Bend on December 8, 1858, in which the following officers were elected: Pres- ident, Densmore W. Maxon of Polk; Vice-President, James Volmar of West Bend; Recording Secretary, F. O. Thorpe of West Bend; Corresponding Secretary, W. H. McCracken of Barton; Treasurer, William Rohn of Jackson; Executive Committee (in addition to the above who were also members), Geo. Ramsey, Silas Wheeler, and F. W. Nolting. General Committee, John Moran of West Bend, Peter Frazer of Barton, James Rix of Polk, Mathias Altenhofen of Ke- waskum, Ludwig Joeckel of Jackson, John Graham of Hartford, Ulrich Senn of Wayne, Wm. A. Smith of Farmington, John Sell of Addison, T. E. Vandercook of Trenton, James Kenealy of Erin, Klumb of Germantown, and Peter Schulteis of Richfield.
In the Courthouse Square at West Bend, in December, 1858, the week following the reorganization of the society, the first county fair was held. It was a success and it showed that the idea had found a fertile soil in the minds of the farmers of the county, although the exhibition was rather insignificant and the prizes were very small as compared with those of the fairs held nowadays by the society. In all there were $81 paid as premiums, "and a prouder set of con- testants never bore off the prizes from the Olympian games, than
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those who won them at this first fair held in Washington county." The first premiums awarded went to the following exhibitors :
Class No. I, fruits and vegetables-Apples, David Jenner; Hun- garian grass seed, Silas Wheeler; corn, Ethan Maxon; beans and potatoes, L. B. Root; beets and carrots, Chauncey Gray ; peas, Ludwig Joeckel; winter wheat, John Moran; turnips, Andrew Werner.
Class No. 2, swine-Best Lester boar, Silas Wheeler; best Suffolk sow, James Geer; best barrow hog, Arzbacher & Bro.
Class No. 3, arts and mechanical productions-Pictures, Dinah Harrod; printing, Josiah T. Farrar.
Class No. 4, domestic manufactures and household arts-Cheese, J. E. Geer; butter, Mrs. M. A. T. Farmer; embroidery, Mrs. P. A. Weil; knitting, Mrs. M. A. T. Farmer; beer, Mayer Bros .; black-cur- rant wine, Ch. Gray; white-currant wine, John Findorf; currant jelly, Mrs. M. A. T. Farmer.
Class No. 5, cattle and sheep-Durham cow, John Moran; best fat ox, Mayer Bros .; native cows, James E. Geer; Durham bull- calf, John Moran; heifer-calf, James E. Geer; Merino buck, James E. Geer; Leicester buck, W. H. McCracken; Merino ewes, James E. Geer; native bucks and ewes, James E. Geer.
Class No. 6, horses-Stallion, Martin Loos; native stallion, Ludwig Joeckel; Black Hawk colt, Paul A. Weil; Morgan colt, Christ. Eck- stein; Morgan, six-year-old, John Rix; breeding mares, Messenger, seven years old, Ethan Maxon; Morgan, eight years old, Wm. Rohn; Black Hawk, six years old, Wm. Hamilton; Vermont Morgan, John Rix; native, John Findorf; French, Carl Wilke; two-year-old mares, French, Christopher Eckstein; Morgan, James Rix; Morgan-Black Hawk, John A. Rix; Messenger, Wm. Rohn; Black Hawk, D. W. Maxon; matched teams, native, Peter Lars; native, four years old, L. B. Root; Business, eight years old, J. A. Rix; Duroc, John Moran; best pair of mules, Wm. W. Verbeck.
At the close of the fair, all bills and premiums paid, there remained $24.58 in the treasury, and in the minds the assurance that the miss- ing link had been found to connect the society with the community. Ever since the county fair proved to be a conspicuous factor in devel- oping the main resource of the county, agriculture and its branches and dependent industries. With the exception of two years, fairs have been held annually since 1858. There is no record of any for 1860; the following year, October 8, 9, and 10, it was held at Cedar creek. In 1862, owing to the perturbation of the war, the fair was post- Vol. I-11
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poned. In the following year, and every year since, it was held in West Bend.
The institution of the county fair was firmly established, but as yet there were no suitable grounds provided to hold it on. The first move in this direction was made in the fall of 1866, when a com- mittee was appointed to call for bids for a tract of land for that pur- pose. Several offers were made, and after some discussion and modification of the terms, it was decided to buy a tract of eighty acres from John Findorff. This transaction, however, was annulled, as the society did not promptly act its part in the deal. As to this matter the records show the following entry :
"The society having failed to comply with the condition (to build a track and otherwise improve the grounds before receiving a deed), made by Mr. Findorff, and the agreement made between him and the society, Mr. Findorff withdrew his offer, leaving the society, in regard to fair grounds, in its former status. Several meetings were after- wards held, and, in March, 1867, the society was so fortunate as to buy twenty acres of land from H. J. Weil, adjoining the village of West Bend. A more beautiful tract of land could not have been acquired. The track is made and two buildings are up. It cost $1,500."
This tract of ground was conveyed to the society on April 6, 1867. It is an elevated and level place on the east side of the Milwaukee river, affording a view of the county seat and of the surrounding country extending in rural beauty for miles to the hilly horizon. The first fair was held here October 1, 2, and 3, 1867. Formerly the fairs were held in October, later on September was selected. Improvements of the grounds have constantly been devised and carried out in propor- tion to the funds available. Under the secretariate of Wareham P. Rix who held the office for about twelve years more land was purchased to the fair grounds, and at present the race track is being rearranged.
The present officers of the society are: President, C. A. Schroeder ; Vice-President, John Jansen; Secretary, Jos. F. Huber; Treasurer, B. C. Ziegler. The honorary vice-presidents are: Math. C. Weiss, Addison; Peter Jansen, Barton; Michael Lynch, Erin; Wm. H. Gruhle, Farmington; Hy. V. Schwalbach, Germantown; Anton Mueller, Hartford Township; C. J. Heppe, Hartford City ; Herman Groth, Jackson; E. C. Backhaus, Kewaskum Township; Lehman Rosenheimer, Kewaskum Village; John Koester, Polk; Wm. C. Meyer, Richfield; August Storck, Schleisingerville; John B. Ahlers, Tren-
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ton; Ph. Schellinger, Wayne; Carl Vogt, West Bend Town; Jos. Ott, West Bend City.
Washington County Old Settlers' Club.
In the "Register of the Washington County Old Settlers' Club," printed in 1904, the Hon. S. S. Barney gives the following brief his- tory of the club:
"The Washington County Old Settlers' Club is now nearly thirty years old, and as many of its early members are gone, and those who are left are only waiting a few years to join the great majority, it has been thought advisable to have its early history written by one of the survivors.
"Some time in the winter of 1873-4, Maxon Hirsch, then a resident of West Bend, and one of the very earliest settlers of this county, gave a dinner at the Washington House, in West Bend, to the old settlers residing in the vicinity. I was then a recent comer in West Bend, and for that reason and perhaps because I was considered too young to be called an old settler, was not present on the occasion, but I heard much about it from those who were present.
"My recollection is that Hon. L. F. Frisby made a speech on the occasion, and I know from what I heard that a very pleasant time was enjoyed by all who were present.
"It was much talked over for some time after, and gave rise to a sentiment that it would be a wise thing to have similar reunions every year. This sentiment gradually ripened into a resolution to organize an Old Settlers' Club, and accordingly some time late in the year 1874, a preliminary meeting for that purpose was held at the Washington House, at which time a committee to draft a constitution was ap- pointed, and the meeting was adjourned to meet at the same place on the 16th day of January, 1875. At this last meeting the committee reported, a constitution was adopted, officers elected, and it was decided to hold the first annual festival at the Washington House, on the 22nd of February following. This is the first meeting of the. club of which any record was kept, and was in fact the first meeting of the Washington County Old Settlers' Club.
"It is interesting here to note that when the club was organized, West Bend, and in fact Washington County, was about as old as the club now is. West Bend was first settled in 1845, so that it was then thirty years old, and the club is now nearly of the same age, so that those who are now left to look backward to the beginning, will recog-
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nize the first meeting of the Old Settlers' Club as the half-way house on the road.
"Grandpa Wightman was the first president, Balthasar Goetter the first treasurer, and I was the first secretary. The first two men- tioned took a great interest in the club meetings as long as they lived, and the old, old settlers will never believe otherwise than that the pleasantest reunions the club ever had were those held at the Wash- ington House soon after its organization.
"I well remember that at the first meeting some of the old pioneers mildly objected to my being considered an old settler, because the only claim I had to the distinction was that I was born in the county in the year 1846, and for that reason was only an old settler in name, but not a pioneer in fact.
"My name is third on the list, however, and now, after the lapse of thirty years, during which time my head has been covered with 'frost that never melts,' there are none who dispute my title as an 'old settler.'
"This reminiscence leads to the thought that in looking over the whole county, we find that there are very few left among us who are entitled to be called pioneers by reason of having come here in mature years in the 40's. Of the thirty-five members whose names appear on the first page of the record book, only ten (10) are now living, and they nearly all belong to the same class of old settlers as myself, hav- ing either been born here or having come here in infancy.
"As a class and a generation the old pioneers of Washington county have passed away, and the few who are left are only patiently waiting a few days for the 'shadows to a little longer grow,' when they will emigrate for the last time, as we trust, to fairer fields than even our own beautiful hills and valleys.
"The poet is right, and
'Art is long and time is fleeting, And our hearts like muffled drums are beating Funeral marches to the grave.'"
The club holds its annual meeting regularly on Washington's birth- day, the 22nd of February, in the Washington House at West Bend. It is preceded by a banquet, and followed by an entertainment. Membership in the club is conferred on any person of good moral character, who settled in Washington county prior to January 1, 1858, or who has lived in the county for twenty-five years, by signing the constitution and paying a matriculation fee of one dollar. The pres-
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ent officers are : President, Glenway Maxon; first vice-president, Mrs. G. F. Hunt; second vice-president, John Harns; third vice-president, Jos. F. Huber ; secretary, G. A. Kuechenmeister ; treasurer, E. Franck- enberg.
Cedar Lake Yacht Club
The organization of the Cedar Lake Yacht Club was perfected in 1898 by the adoption of fixed articles and rules. But the beginning of yachting on Big Cedar lake dates two years farther back, and sailing is known to have been practiced as far back as 1851. In that year the first sail craft, the Prince Paul, plied the limpid waters of the lake. It was the property of B. Schleisinger Weil who at the time lived near the southern shore.
On the eastern shore the Indian chief Mishowa and his tribe had their tepees. The wigwam stood on the site of Maxon's farm. They may have gazed with astonishment when they saw a craft on the water, which looked altogether different from their birch canoes. Maybe they thought the great Manitou himself was captaining the boat made of oak planks, which without paddles was gliding with its great white wings toward the shore clad in the pristine beauty of its vegetation.
The sail boat as named in honor of Prince Paul of Wuertemberg, a scion of the royal house of Wuertemberg, who at the time was on his exploring trip through the western states, and happened to be the guest of Mr. Weil when the boat was launched. Although the craft would not have stood any comparison with the yachts of today, it was at the time considered the acme of perfection. Special care had been taken to satisfy the critical eye of His Royal Highness who together with his private secretary and Mr. Weil were the first crew that manned the vessel.
A long time passed before another yacht cut the waves of the lake. In 1896 the Bloomer Girl of ex-Commodore G. A. Kuechenmeister and the Hildesia of Adolph Rosenheimer put in their appearance. Both were heavy boats of the old keel type with a wooden center board, and not unlike a Noah's ark. The Bloomer Girl was a cat boat about 21 feet long, and the Hildesia was a sloop of similar size. Soon afterwards the Hexe, owned by Capt. Kremer of Chicago, was added. It was a combination of a cat boat and a sloop with inside ballast and center board.
One day, when the three yachts were ruffling the pellucid surface, it happened that the bows came in a straight line, which would have made a good start, if a race had been intended. It also happened that
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this incident aroused the old desire that forever springs from the human breast, to get ahead of each other. The sporting instinct being astir, the three captains went ashore and arranged the first regatta.
On the following Sunday the three yachts reported at the fixed time for the regatta. A stiff breeze blew from the southwest. A few kegs had been anchored to serve as buoys. There were no rules, nor judges, and the time for the start was indicated by the firing of a gun -a double-barreled contrivance from the time of the French revo- lution, which Mr. Kuechenmeister had preserved as a relic. One of the yachts had been on the way but a few minutes, when a gust of wind dipped her stern below the water, filling the hold half full of it. To the skipper this was a novel and quite unpleasant experience, but the crew did not loose heart over it. With pails they went for the wet intruder, putting the boat back into the right position, and con- tinuing on their journey until somebody on the shore to their great relief again fired the gun when the first yacht had reached the last buoy. The crews were greeted with cheers by the summer guests who had assembled on the shore to watch the race. An enthusiastic friend of yachting presented to the victor a tin cup as a memento of the first regatta on the lake. The recipient was the captain of the Bloomer Girl, and ever since he has guarded that impromptu trophy like a valuable loving cup.
The spectacle of a yacht race can be witnessed on Cedar lake most every Sunday afternoon during the months of July and August. Soon after the earth has passed aphelion, and the sun hurls down his rays almost perpendicular on our latitudes, and the season of the summer hotels at the lake begins, the dimpled sheet of water becomes the scene of real maritime life, though on a small scale. Yachting has come into its own. Any of the Wisconsin lakes, that is sufficiently frequented, has its yacht club. The yachts are, according to their size and mode of building, divided into classes. Class A contains boats 38 feet long. Those of class B measure 31 feet. Both have a main sail, and in front of it a jib sail. The old yachts had a center board which could be let down into the water through a shaft in the middle of the vessel; it served to prevent it from careening in stiff breezes or squalls. The newer yachts have two bilge boards instead of a center board, which are on the side. The crew as a rule consists of four or five men, each of whom has his special duties to perform. Class C com- prises the smaller yachts of the sloop and cat boat types which do not conform with the two former classes. Class D consists only of
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cat boats which have a water line of 18 feet. They are the real mod- ern yachts.
The races are governed by the Seawanhaka time tables. The course is either a straight line, or a triangle, the points of which are indi- cated by buoys. At a given signal, a pistol shot, the race begins. For the victors pennants and loving cups are offered by the club, or by in- dividual members.
.Andrew J. Fullerton Post, G. A. R.
Andrew J. Fullerton Post, No. 193, Department of Wisconsin, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized in West Bend, March 21, 1885, "to preserve and strengthen the kind and fraternal feelings which bind together the soldiers, sailors and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion, and to perpetuate the memory and history of the dead; to assist such former comrades in arms as need help and protection and to extend needful aid to the widows and orphans of those who have fallen; to maintain the allegiance to the United States of America, based upon a paramount respect for, and fidelity to the National Constitution and Laws, to discountenance whatever tends to weaken loyalty, incites to insurrection, treason or rebellion, or in any manner impairs the efficiency and permanency of our free institutions ; and to encourage the spread of universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all men." It is the only organization of civil war veterans in the county and practically covers the latter. Their thinned ranks only once in a year appear in a body before the public, and that is on Memorial Day, the program for its befitting celebration being arranged by them, and the graves of dead soldiers and veterans throughout the county being decorated by comrades delegated by the commander.
The charter members were: C. L. Powers, John Thielges, Charles Silberzahn, N. N. Emery, Geo. W. Jones, George Emmett, August Neimeier, Elias Smith, Albert Story, Joseph Huber, W. P. Rix, John Emmett, Richard C. Rohn, J. R. Kohlsdorf, Andrew Schmidt, John Koester, and Charles Hantke. The present officers are : Com- mander, Geo. W. Jones; Sr. Vice-Com., Wm. Rau; Jr. Vice-Com., Peter Druecken; Chaplain, Martin G. Blackmun; Quartermaster, Lor- enz Guth; Surgeon, W. W. Cooley; Officer of Day, Wm. Colvin ; Offi- cer of Guard, Al. Story. The members are : Charles Silberzahn, N. N. Emery, Geo. Emmett, John Emmett, John P. Gumm, Mathias Regner, Franz Hoffmann, Byron Fairbanks, Gottlieb Metzner, Joseph L. Brott, Albert Duncan, Michael Johannes, Phil. Heipp, Jacob Wagner,
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