Members of the military hailing from Manitowoc have taken part in many historic conflicts, but one stands out as a particular demonstration of the endurance and dedication of a group of Manitowoc men. First organized in 1881 as the Rankin Guards, in honor of then-congressman Joseph Rankin, Company H of the Second Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard presents an interesting story of Manitowoc volunteers working in service of their country.

This year, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, based at Holy Family Convent on Silver Lake, celebrate 150 years of operation in the Manitowoc area. The community was established in 1869, and since its founding, its works of service have focused on education and health care in the surrounding community.

Their Motherhouse, Holy Family Convent on Silver Lake, was built in 1874. In 1881, a fire that started when the convent was struck by lightning left only portions of three walls intact. In a Herald Times Reporter article written in 1981, the fire is described based on eyewitness accounts. The fire reportedly “burned between the ceiling and the roof in the attic,” preventing neighbors’ notice of the fire until it broke through the roof. In the face of the destruction, the Manitowoc community rallied around the Sisters, and many people donated to help them rebuild.

On Sunday, July 22, 1906 people ventured to Manitowoc’s West Side ball park, located at the corner of 16th and Wollmer Streets, for a baseball game between a Plymouth team and Manitowoc’s Schreihardt Brewery. According to the Manitowoc Citizen newspaper on July 26 1906, about 100 spectators were on site for the game when it started to rain. Soon the rain turned into a thunderstorm.

What happened next was certainly unexpected. The Daily Herald wrote, “It was at 1:30 when the fatal stroke occurred and but for the fact that there were comparatively few on the grounds and less than a dozen in the grand stand or in close proximity to it, the death list would have been much larger.” A bolt of lightning struck the stand, killing five people and seriously injuring four others.

General stores were the center of economic activity in many small communities in the late 1890s and early 1900s, a place where seed and crops were bartered or sold and everything people were not able to make or raise at home or on the farm could be found. The general store was the place to purchase a bar of soap, nails and hardware, thread or broad cloth for making clothes for the family, hats and hat pins, candies, toys and other treasures. Storekeepers were leading citizens of their communities. They extended and denied credit for food, supplies, and other goods against farmers’ next crop. No rural community could hope to become a village without a general store.

After the death of his father, a twenty year old Osuld Torrison used his savings to pay passage for himself, his mother, and three siblings from Norway to America. This leadership, ambition and industrious spirit would serve him well in his new homeland. His first two years in Manitowoc County were spent working as a clerk in a Manitowoc Rapids general store. He then moved to the city of Manitowoc to hold the same position at the Baker and Beardsley Store. By 1853, he purchased the merchandise and opened the O. Torrison and Co. Store at Sixth and Commercial Streets (Commercial Street is now Maritime Drive), which would eventually grow into one of Wisconsin’s largest mercantile operations.

"In accordance with public anticipation, we this day issue the first number of the first newspaper ever published in this county. ... When we agreed to hazard the undertaking, we had never set foot on the soil of Manitowoc, or even seen an inhabitant of the county. We did so from reliable representations of its past history, present position, business advantages and prospective advancement." Those words were written by C.W. Fitch, the first editor and printer of the Weekly Herald, considered the first newspaper of the growing Manitowoc community.

The written story of Branch begins with Edward Lenaville, an entrepreneur who walked from Green Bay and came to Branch in the early 1830s. To earn money, he worked at Jacob Conroe’s sawmill in the newly formed Manitowoc Rapids community. He returned to the Branch area and bought 100 acres of land and worked to build the community and attract residents. With the assistance of Conroe’s mill, a bridge was constructed over the Branch River for “1,500 feet of lumber at $7 per thousand”. The community soon became known as Lenaville.

The head chief of most of the mixed bands in our area was Waumegesako, or the “Wampum”.   He was most commonly known as Chief Mexico.  According to records, he was born in 1789 and was “a man of fine physique, erect, over 6 feet in height, very dignified and courteous in his demeanor, possessing considerable strength of character, and more than ordinary intelligence.  In his dress he was plain and unassuming, indulging in none of the fineries and tinsel so common among Indians of both sexes.”

The cornerstone for the current Manitowoc County Courthouse was laid on Saturday, September 30, 1905. The cost of the new courthouse was not supposed to exceed $100,000 but the final price tag came to about $233,000.  After committee and construction issues of its own, the courthouse was formally opened with impressive ceremonies on November 12, 1907.  During the dedication of the new courthouse, Wittmann wrote “Anent the dedication of the new palatial residence of the county government, today, let us give a parting thought to the old structure which for half a century served the purpose and which, in that time, was the scene of many a stirring incident in matters political and the tragical sides of human life and strife.”

The production of cheese in Wisconsin has changed dramatically along with our growing population, advances in transportation and the growth of our economy. It is estimated that there were once 3,600 cheese factories in Wisconsin with the number reaching 106 in Manitowoc County in 1927. 

On Tuesday evening, December 22, 1942 hundred of children and adults filled the Town Hall meeting room at WOMT Radio, located on Washington Street in Manitowoc. The party, created for children whose families resided in the Custerdale defense housing, was sponsored by the Custerdale Citizens' Club. The entertainment included the crowning of Florence Teegarden as "queen of the festivities" and a visit from Santa Claus who distributed a present to each child. Part of the Christmas party program was broadcast over WOMT.

A letter, written and addressed to the Manitowoc City Council on  March 11, 1888, states the following: “…I hereby tender this $1,000 dollars to the City of Manitowoc for the benefit of the poor in the following condition:

1.      That the Board of Poor Commissioners or their successors shall be the trustees of said fund to be known as the “Christmas Fund”.

2.      That they shall loan such amount on first lien security.

3.      That the income of said fund shall be expended and distributed by them in presents of any kind or nature each Christmas among the city poor; or if found more preferable the selection and distribution of presents may be left to any aid society…”

The man who signed this letter was John Schuette.

The Windiate House became a popular place for many prominent businessmen. Officials of the Goodrich Line made it their headquarters and Thomas Windiate also owned his own stagecoach line. The hotel featured a dining room, bar, and a pool room. The dining room was a popular site for high scale parties throughout the 1860s and 1870s. In 1899, rates were $2 per day for “first class accommodations for the traveling public”.