The first floor with a 16-foot ceiling consisted of a public lobby (south side), spacious workroom (north side) and money order and registry room (west side). The lobby was illuminated with ornamental bronze electric fixtures. A postmaster’s office and stairway to the basement were located on the east side. The basement had a “swing room” for clerks and carriers and rooms for the postoffice inspector, civil service, internal revenue collector, janitor, a coal-fired boiler for steam heat and public toilets.

In 1877, the Total Abstinence Society voted to build a hall. A site was donated, located just east of the school, by James Peppard. The hall, measuring 30 by 50 feet, was known as Temperance Hall. The hall was home to many meetings, family gatherings, and an annual St. Patrick Day celebration – when there was a dispensation from the abstinence pledge. The hall was in operation until a larger dance hall was built in Osman.

Edwin Bedell left Manitowoc on Thursday, August 19, 1897, on the steamship “J.W. Moore” for Buffalo. He was traveling with 100 others as part of an encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R). As they arrived in Buffalo, Edwin went on an excursion to Niagara Falls on August 21 and by the time he and his acquaintance returned, it was late. Edwin was making his way to his sleeping quarters, missed his footing and fell through the hatchway, and was instantly killed. His body reached Manitowoc the following week and was received by the local G.A.R. post.

As World War 2 took hold in Europe, Guila and her mother settled in Nazi-controlled Paris. The young star continued to perform throughout Axis territories during the war. She claimed later in life to have performed a concert at which Adolf Hitler himself was present.

His passion for history and efforts to preserve the stories of our early German settlers led him to lead a small group of citizens to form the Manitowoc County Historical Society in 1906.  Emil Baensch’s efforts have lived on beyond his years and demonstrate that one individual with vision and commitment can inspire a community for generations. 

Newton, located in the southern half of Manitowoc County, was named after Sergeant John Newton, a revolutionary war hero who rescued ten American prisoners who were to be hanged by the British. In May 1780, Newton was taken prisoner after the surrender of Charleston and died soon afterwards of smallpox on board a British prison ship.  The story was popularized by Mason Locke Weems, better known as Parson Weems (an American book agent and author who wrote the first biography of George Washington immediately after his death) in his school books in the early 19th century.

During its many years, the Hotel Hamilton hosted meetings, wedding receptions and society events. In 1948, the hotel welcomed Coach Earle Neale and the Philadelphia Eagles football team of the National Football League when they arrived for a week of training at Walsh Field. The Eagles had previously trained in Two Rivers during 1941 and 1942.

Perkins, Hamilton, and Fellows, a Chicago architect, firm was hired to design the new high school. The architect recommended the Roeff’s Hill site from a list of choices because “Nature has made it one of the best high school sites in the USA.” At the time of the construction plans, 15 acres were required for an ideal high school site. There were quite a few reasons for choosing to build Lincoln on Roeff’s Hill. The site was centrally located in the city and the previous high school was too small and run down to accommodate all the students.

In 1930, a young kindergarten teacher at the First Ward school (later Roosevelt School) was preparing her classroom. As she decorated her walls to make it cheery and educational for her incoming students, she took down an old, deteriorated portrait of a serious looking bearded gentleman. She stored the old portrait away in a closet until seasoned educators and older residents learned of her ‘rearranging.’ A educators and residents asked that she put the portrait back up on the wall quickly, as the portrait was of C.F. Viebahn.

The company, originally known as the Manitowoc Art Glass Works, was founded by brothers George and Joseph Tremmel, glass cutters from Oshkosh, and Frank Bouril of Kewaunee County in 1904. Offices were located in an old wooden store building at 804 York Street. Advertisements in The Manitowoc Pilot indicate the company offered ‘Glass of Every Description’ for residences, public buildings and churches.

Gottlieb and Friedericke Lutze with their children Edward, August and Clara arrived in America in 1849. Learning of other German Lutherans from the Province of Saxony that had settled in rural Manitowoc County, they purchased 80 acres for $105 in Section 19, T17N, R23E, Town of Centerville. They began clearing the land and during the next two years built a housebarn for both people and livestock under one roof.

On April 28, 1881, 22 men signed the charted and were mustered into the Grand Army of the Republic as Post Number 18. That night, James Anderson was elected the post's first commander. They took the name of Capt. Horace M. Walker as their post name.

Mr. Wentorf was both a local photographer and a collector of historical photographs. The images focus on local landmarks, industries, institutions, special events and people going about daily life in Two Rivers. Many of the photographs include group shots of organizations and civic groups.

Fortunately, St. John Lutheran Church was not affected by a disastrous fire which destroyed nine buildings in the thriving port of East Two Creeks on October 5, 1918. The fire destroyed a blacksmith shop, general store, dance hall and tavern, hotel and other nearby structures.

The printed word has been a part of our local history since 1850.  As Dr. Falge describes in his “History of Manitowoc County”, “of an active temperament, with natural ability coupled with a good education, wielding a trenchant pen, and above all, equipped with a ‘nose for news’, C. W. Fitch had all the hardy qualifications needed for a pioneer printer.”

On July 24, 1901, about 500 employees including pickers and field hands of the E. J. Vodra Canning Co. celebrated the close of the pea canning season at Picnic Hill. The workers marched from the plant to the picnic grounds in groups representing the different departments, led by a band.

Cooperatives have been a key part of rural areas for over a century. Historically and today, farmer-owned co-ops work together to help members market and process their crops and livestock, and acquire needed supplies and services.  For a group of 25 Reedsville farmers, this began as an early dream in 1918 and has since expanded and grown. The initial group of farmers joined together to market their livestock in and around the bustling village of Reedsville. They would take orders once a month and the livestock would then be shipped on railroad cards. These humble beginnings marked the start of the Reedsville Cooperative.

While many of the early settlers grew a small garden for vegetables and potatoes, Hiram was the first to farm intensively. In 1838, his crop of oats was taken to Green Bay, a distance of about 45 miles, to be ground into flour. Over time, McAllister’s farm on Plank Road, west of the Green Bay Road, at Four Corners (present-day intersection of Menasha Avenue and North Rapids Road) became the “finest developed in the county.” For this reason, he is considered the pioneer farmer of Manitowoc County.

A poster reads ““Aeroplane Picnic – Quarry, Wis. July 29, 1924. … Aerial stunts and airplane rides at $2.50 a person.”  The pilot behind the daredevil stunts and flying show was Melvin Thompson, often referred to as “Crazy Thompson”, using a pasture on the outskirts of Quarry for his landings and take-offs.

“When Dare-Devil Blondin, the “Human Fly”, walked the tightrope from the old Glover building over to the the Windiate House, he gave the town something to talk about.  Blondin, who with a little ballyhoo and expert barking, attracted quite a crowd to watch him perform.