Exploring History & Discovering Your Spark
Had you been around during World War I you would have lived through some things that would have made you say, "Uhhh, is this America?!" Yeah, things got that ugly. Freedoms were suspended, food was rationed, and your neighbor could get you arrested for saying gesundheit after a sneeze. There are a few of those… Continue reading Throwing Shade During WWI: The “Slacker” Part I
The Lebanon Historical Society posted on its Facebook page some transcripts of the Town of Lebanon Justice of the Peace records. One of the entries was about a murder that happened which included sworn testimony given by my Great-Great Grandpa Johann Frederick during an inquest held at the Lebanon Town Hall. This was a great story… Continue reading Great-Great-Grandpa Frederick the Murder Witness
I have slowly made progress on my family tree book in the last few months. I'll admit, it's harder to work on hobbies when you have a little person to take care of, but I make time here and there when Emmett is sleeping. I know one day he will appreciate having this history about… Continue reading Frederick Family Farm
It's been two years since the quest began to bring this original Winnebago County Courthouse light fixture back home. My former supervisor and friend Isaiah and I have a mutual appreciation for architecture and history. Our courthouse is a beautiful example of the Depression Moderne style from the 1930s. I was fortunate in that he… Continue reading The Courthouse Light Returns
Check out the new "My Work" tab in the About Me section on the menu bar. I've had inquiries from people in the last couple of months asking for my help with research requests on family members or other local historical information. I've decided to put my skills and history degree to use to help… Continue reading Historian for Hire
There are traces of the CCC left all over the Northwoods!
The Winnebago County Gold Stars page is now complete. Please click here to visit.
April 6, 2017, will mark the 100th anniversary of the United States of America officially entering World War I. The US was hardly prepared to fight a war in 1917. When war was declared, there were only 208,000 men in its standing army--80,000 of them were part of the national guard. Additionally, weapons and munitions were in short… Continue reading Winnebago County’s Gold Stars of WWI
In a previous post I wrote about the establishment of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and the construction of the county's first courthouse. That first courthouse was a simple, two-story structure constructed in 1849. That building was outgrown shortly after completion, and county officials began discussing a plan to build a new facility. According to one account, court was no longer… Continue reading Winnebago County Courthouses-Part 2
In 1958, Allis-Chalmers announced that it would build a research laboratory for development and testing of nuclear technology. The 30-acre site chosen was a few miles south of West Allis in the village of  Greendale, Wisconsin, a planned community built during the Great Depression. The facility consisted of 2 main structures totaling 27,000 square feet* of space for labs, office areas,… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Greendale Research Facility
The Weekend Historian 