Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

March 5, 1992, Page 16

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Oldies

By Dee Zimmerman

 

As you drive five miles east of Neillsville on Highway 10, you can see the large brick house.  Some changes have been made through the years, but the basic structure makes it recognizable.

 

The house is on a corner lot of Highway 10 and Pray Road.  It was built by William and Minnie Kurth in 1881 on their farmland, which consisted of 125 tillable acres plus some wooded acres, a sizable farm for that time in history.

 

The structure was built to serve as a hotel and family home.  Mr. Kurth died a year after the completion of the building.  Minnie Kurth, with the assistance of their seven children, continued to run the hotel and farming operation after Mr. Kurth’s death.

 

The above structure as built to serve as a hotel and family home by William and Minnie Kurth in 1881.

 

The above structure as built to serve as a hotel and family home by William and Minnie Kurth in 1881.

 

“One of the finest farm residences in Clark County,” was owned by G. D. Hosley.

 

This large house with brick exterior sits on a knoll near the intersection of Highway 73 and County Trunk “G” (“C”) one and one-half miles north of the Neillsville city limits.

 

The site was described in the early 1900’s as “one of the finest farm residences in Clark County.”  The farm was owned by G. D. Hosley, who had the house constructed in the 1880s and 1890s.  Mr. Hosley had resided in Clark County most of his life and was engaged in farming and lumbering.

 

In 1888, Mr. Hosley married Carrie M. Raymond.  Could it have been he built that fine house for his bride?  After 100 years, the house exterior appears the same as this photo.

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(Thank you to the Neillsville native residents who have been so helpful in providing me with the “missing links” in these articles, when I have called them.  Being an “import,” I often need help with the details accompanying the photos.)

•••••

Compiled by Terry Johnson

 

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO—1967

 

Robert Grambsch, a senior at Loyal High School and son of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Grambsch, attended the Young Republican Leadership Training School in Washington, D. C.   He was “one of seven young men from the seventh congressional district” to attend.  Grambsch heard a speech by Barry Goldwater, who had been the Republican presidential candidate in 1964.  The Clark County Republican Party provided $100 toward expenses for Grambsch’s eight-day trip.

 

On page 6, publisher Wells F. Harvey told how Ronald Reagan, then governor of California had asked state employees to work on Lincoln’s birthday.  The employees did not like it: “Only three of the thousands of state employees turned up for work.”  Reagan at that time was seen as one of a new crop of Republican state governors who campaigned against inflation and government spending.  Wells F. Harvey concluded his comments by stating: “Now Ronald Reagan has his opportunity.  He is in a big-spending, heavily taxed state.  His predecessor had gone on an orgy of extravagance, luring the ‘people’ to the near-ruin of the state treasury.  In history such policies have often temporarily won the people and made idols of their sponsors.  Now what will Ronald Reagan do?  Will he continue to stand by his guns, through thick and thin and make a last ditch fight for public economy and financial stability?  If he does, he will stand out as a national leader and presidential possibility.”

 

In Cloverbelt basketball, the Warriors posted five straight victories to tie for second in the eastern division of the conference.  A page one photoengraving showed Coach Kenneth VanDam with team members: Kenneth Carl, Kenneth Short, Dave Roberts, Charles Schlegelmilch, Bruce LaZotte, Bill Knoff and Steve Siebert.

 

FIFTY YEARS AGO—1942

 

“Relics of Clark County’s early days are slowly being assembled in the forestry department office on Sixth Street, just north of the county jail.  Over the last few years County Forester A. C. Covell has assembled quite a collection of mementos of those days when the noise of woodsmen’s axes rang out through the timbered lands of the county.”  Included in the collection were tree log stamps, used to identify logs as to which logging concern had cut them.

 

“A Large Egg: An egg measuring eight inches in circumference the long way and 6 ¾ inches the other is reported to The Press by Mrs. Martin Kurasz, who resides south of Neillsville.”

 

The Clerk of Court’s office handled a total of $13,218.87 in 1941 for alimony and child support payments.

 

The Clark County Red Cross War fund was over quota in fund-raising for the second time in five months.  Both fund drives that were over the top were led by Jess W. Scott of Neillsville.

 

News from Star Corner: “Muriel Burr, teacher at the Goldenrod School, treated all her pupils be taking them to the show, ‘One Foot in Heaven,” Friday afternoon in Neillsville.”

 

Appearing at the Adler Theatre: “The Maltese Falcon” with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor.  Continuous showings from Sunday (from) 2:45 till 11 p.m.  Matinees cost 11¢ and 25¢.  Later showings were 11¢ and 28¢ (tax included).

 

Society:  “Mrs. D. E. Peters was hostess to her bridge club Wednesday evening, Mesdames R. P. Munger and Frank Hepburn winning the honor scores at cards.”

 

“Fradette-Darling:  Bethel Lorraine Fradette, 217 South Grand Ave., Neillsville, the daughter of County Treasurer and Mrs. J. H. Fradette, became the bride of Master Sergeant Earl Lee Darling of Camp Livingston, La., at three p.m., February 21, 1942.  The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Darling, Neillsville.  The marriage took place at the Methodist Church, Natchez, Miss., Rev. W. B. Alsworth performing the single–ring ceremony.  Attending the couple were Jeanette Short and Sergeant Vernon Gaier, Neillsville, now of Camp Livingston.

 

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

 

Pischer-Ackerman Wedding:  “On Wednesday afternoon of last week, Miss Nora Ackerman became the bride of Alvin Pischer, the ceremony having been performed by Judge Schoengarth at the home of the groom’s mother in this city.  The attending couple were (was) Miss Jennie Ackerman and Rueben Pischer.  The bride wore a very pretty gown of dark blue silk and carried roses.  Only relatives and close friends attended the wedding and partook of the wedding supper which followed.  The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Ackerman and a young lady of unusually pleasing qualities and capability.  The groom is a young man of high integrity and is industrious and trustworthy and he and his bride will undoubtedly attain all the happiness and success in life which is their just due.”

 

Thanks:  “We, the Carl Mundt family, father and children, of Chili, Wis., wish to return thanks to the many true friends who extended sympathy by ministering to the needs in the dying hours and the burial of our dear wife and mother.  We were also greatly pleased to see so many of our true friends from Neillsville, whose train arrived too late for the services in the church, who showed their sympathy by their presence.”  Carl Mundt Sr. and children

 

A Great Bargain:  “Two second hand Edison Home Phonographs for sale.  Green or dry wood token (taken) in payment.  Woelffer’s Drug Store.”

 

“It is said that fools and their money are soon parted.  Wherefore we are impelled to conclude that there are people on our subscription list who are not fools.”

 

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO—1892

 

To Subscribers:  “Something pretty large is the total of subscriptions due the TIMES, and as Vol. X is drawing to a close, there should be a friendly coming forward and jogging ahead of credits.  This sort of item is not news, but is much easier and not more disagreeable than a bill through the mails.  The receipts are ready for you at this office.”

 

“B. Greenberg has opened up and has been doing business several days in the Rabenstein & Esch building.  It is a good location and will some day be the center of Neillsville’s business district.”

 

“If you want to get yourself a nice lot to build a home on call on M. C. Ring.  He will sell lots well located, handy to the furniture factory and to the business part of town, on easy terms and small payments monthly or quarterly, as you like.  In this way a poor man can get a home of his own.”

 

“We farmers are making maple sugar this week.  It is fine weather for it.”

 

“Mssrs. John Hein and Emery Bruley are in Kentucky looking up the timber prospects of that state.”

 

Street Improvements:  “The attention of citizens should be emphatically called to the fact that Neillsville is not getting anything like an adequate return for the money annually spent upon the city streets.  The money spent as at present is really thrown away, for the same work has to be done over again year after year, which is unnecessary, and very poor economy.  The old plan should be abandoned, and all the road money applied, as far as it will go, each year, to building road beds of crushed rock and gravel.  Leave all other streets to the care of property owners, who should turn out with shovels and hoes once a season and fix the mud, until the city’s permanent work extends throughout the town.  This and thus only can emerge from our present back woods condition.”

 

 


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