Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

November 3, 1999, Page 28

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

The Good Old Days   

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

November 1869

 

Dr. Crandall is building a new house and barn on the west side of town. It’s late in the season, but Doc expects it to be done yet this fall.

 

A new harness shop will soon be opened in Neillsville by P. S. Dudley.  He is a practical workman of considerable experience and will do first class work, besides keeping a large stock of goods in his shop at all times.  The shop will be located in the building on Third Street, formerly used as a warehouse by Hewett, Woods & Co.

 

Hewett & Woods are building a warehouse and a hotel near their new saw mill along Wedges Creek, seven miles west of Neillsville.  The travel upon Humbird Road is constantly increasing and it deemed practicable to start a hotel at that location for the accommodation of travelers.

 

The old Union House in this village has lately been opened by Joseph Head, and the name change to Hubbard House. The building is one of the oldest in town, and though the outward appearance is not very inviting, guests will find the “innards” well provided for.

 

Notwithstanding the present hard times, George Lloyd & Co. is putting in a logging crew on Rock Creek.  They expect to get in about two million feet this winter.

 

The price of hops is advancing and people in the hop growing regions are getting excited. The crop in England and Germany has been a failure.  Those countries have not raised enough for its own consumption and have sent large orders for hops to New York City.  The price in Sauk County is reported to be worth 20 to 23 cents per pound and is going up at the rate of one cent per day.  Fifty cents a pound is predicted as a probable price soon.  We hope this may be so and that it may have a good effect of enabling area hop growers to recover the severe losses of last year.

 

The flour and feed store of Nyhers & Co., located under our office, is getting a good fun of custom work.  At any rate, they carry in and out a considerable quantity of flour, feed, oats, etc. we’ll vouch for that.  Less noise down there on the first floor, please.

 

A couple of deer hunters think they have found in a certain place in Clark County, a rich gold mine. They did find a substance having an appearance of the precious metal.  They say it was in a rock, like quartz.  One of them enthusiastically remarked that if it is gold, there is plenty of it, enough to pay off the national debt.  Then it certainly is a most valuable discovery, but, “All is not gold that glitters.”

 

Capt. Tom LaFlesh is buzzing around town a good deal this week. The Captain is constantly busy, and is now getting supplies into his camp on the East Fork.  He plans to put in two or three million feet of logs this winter, with no bad luck.

 

November 1939

 

Attention deer hunters!  If you should suddenly be confronted by a skunk with red coloring where the white stripe should be along its back, don’t be alarmed.

 

It is just Jennie, the unofficial mascot of Jack Creek Square.  Harvey has dyed the white parts of her fur a brilliant red to mark her.

 

Since the dye job was done, Jennie disappeared, again.  Someone suggested she probably looked in a mirror and scared herself.

 

Local National Guardsmen will start their first fall encampment under orders announced at drill Monday night.  The encampment will continue until Nov. 17 at Camp McCoy, Sparta.  The encampment has been ordered as a part of the war department’s “preparedness” policy.

 

During the encampment the company will be housed in barracks equipped with spring cots and mattresses.

 

The company will leave with 46 men and four officers.  Eleven members of the Service Company were discharged from duty at the drill last week because of age and conflict with private duties. Efforts are being made to bring the company up to strength before starting the encampment period.

 

The other evening a woman walking down Neillsville’s main street became entangled in a piece of twisted wire. Extricating herself and with wire still in her hand, she came face to face with Slim Bruhn at the A&P corner.  Here’s (a bit missing).  (missing words) your shop,” remarked the lady.  Relieving her of the wire, Slim answered, “Maybe it does, but I’ll have you understand that we’re no haywire concern.”  (Slim Bruhn and his co-partner, Martin Feuerstein, owned and operated the B & F Machine Shop at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets. D. Z.)

 

Those who hurry along on the main road, northwest of Greenwood, see off on the west a spire reaching into the sky.  Below the spire is a substantial and seemly brick church; east of it are a substantial brick parsonage and a white frame school building.  These are structures of Emmanuel Reformed Church; otherwise known as the West Side Reformed Church.

 

The present members of the church look back with something that belongs in satisfaction upon the labors of those who planned and built it at about 1900.   There was service and devotion which is said to have constructed both church and parsonage for money outlay of $7,000.  The property is certainly worth $35,000 today, upon a reconstruction basis.  It is sturdily built; it dominates the countryside.

 

For a visitor who recently attended a worship service at the West Side Church, a noted custom was found which is still followed in some other area churches.  The tendency was marked for a separation of sexes; a sort of parting of the sheep and the goats, so to speak.  The men were seated on the left side and the women on the right.  About this there is no apparent rule in German churches, but for some reason, now lost in limbo, men were evidently put at the left and women at the right, and there they tend to stay.

 

As the spire reaches high into the sky outside, so the pulpit stretches upon the inside. The reason for the pulpit’s design of height was because the church also has a gallery, and the preacher was intended to be located where he could see both levels and those on both levels could see him. 

 

A second point of interest was the usual expanse of vacancy between the preacher and his first auditors.  The same holds true in other churches, preachers must always talk across cold and empty pews before making their first impact upon the human audience.

 

Rev. Franzmeier preached vitally and interestingly about the inevitable choice which all must make.  “Choose you this day whom you will serve,” Jos. 24:15, the appropriate text for an Armistice sermon.  Franzmeier has been a minister there for ten years and it is his first pastorate.

 

The church is served by a body of substantial laymen in various capacities.  The elders are Ferdinand Decker, Martin Yaniga, William Steiger, Emil Nash and Albert Fravert.  Of the Ladies’ Aid are Mrs. Albert Liebzeit as president; Mrs. William Steiger, secretary; Mrs. George Humke, treasurer.

 

A project for a Clark County Hospital was advanced Tuesday to the county board of supervisors.  The proposal was made by 17 physicians in Clark County, who were represented by a committee, consisting of Dr. B. H. Dike of Owen, Dr. H. H. Christopherson of Colby and Dr. Milton Rosekrans of Neillsville.  This committee of physicians met with a joint committee of supervisors and discussed the proposal.

 

November weddings with the Clark County (Clerk) have been as follows: Miss Irene Selves and Andrew Kapusta; Miss Lucille Jensen and Harold Pagelsdorf; Miss Marie Bracken and Clifford Elliott; Miss Ruth Lindner and Erwin Noeldner; Miss Luella Berrett and Alvin Wendt; Miss Ruby Coates and Walter Verkuilen; Miss Mildred Selves and William T. Ormond; Miss Rosie Stevens and Clyde Horton.

 

Shop at Kuester’s Meat Market – fresh pork shoulder, 13¢ lb.; or fresh pork ham, 15¢ lb

 

The new Pontiac has just arrived at Reinhard – Davis Co. located on East Sixth Street in Neillsville.  The price starts at $783, plus rail rates, state and local taxes.

 

Seif & Byse Ford Sales Co. has some good used cars to sell.  You may select from: 1938 Ford Deluxe; 1938 Ford 60 H.P. Coach; 1936 Ford Coach; 1936 Ford Sedan; 1935 Ford Sedan; 1936 Plymouth Deluxe Coach; 1933 Chev. Sedan; 1931 Willys Sedan; two 1929 Model A Sedans; 1930 Model A Coach; 1929 Chev. Coupe; two 1929 Model A Coupes; 1930 Durant Coupe; 1929 Chev. Sedan; 1930 DeSoto.

 

The Congregational Church of Neillsville was organized in 1891.  There were 33 original members including family names of Hart, Deutsch, Chambers, Ackerman, Brown, Williams, Weinberger and Condit.  Construction of the church building was completed in 1893.  The above photo was taken on the 50th anniversary of the congregation, 1941.  Located on the northwest corner of Fifth and West Street, in Neillsville, the church building was razed circa 1970 with the site presently being occupied by Mid-Wisconsin Bank.

 

 


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