Outagamie County, WI - "Pearl St. Bridge Falls into River - New London 1860"
       
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Subject: newspaper article "Pearl St. Bridge Falls into River - New London 1860"
Submitted by: county coordinator 
EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com
Date Submitted: 15 March 2000
       
Source: New London Press newspaper article from Bicentennial issue, undated.

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Pearl St. Bridge Falls into River - New London 1860
Thomas Broom came to New London in 1860, became a prominent stock buyer and kept one of the first and best markets in New
London.
     The Plank Road, with three-inch planks in certain areas, connecting New London and Stevens Point was completed at least
through Northport.
     The winter of 1859-60 was the mildest one known for some years.  However, onMonday, Jan. 14, the temperature was 32 degrees below zero.  The winter wheat was suffering from the open winter and drought, too
little snow to protect the roots from alternate frost and thawing weather.  A heavy rain storm came on April 4, when a great deal of
spring wheat had already been sown.
     The operation of the bridge across South Pearl St. was leased by the New London Bridge Co. to T.F. Cooley for duration
of a period from March 3, 1860 to Jan. 31, 1861.
     On Monday morning, June 4, 1860, the north draw of the South Pearl St. bridge fell in the river.  Cooley had difficulty on
the previous Saturday in lowering the draw.  Evidently the box slipped down and the key fell out of the chain that held thebox up.  Passage for pedestrians was restored in five hours and the first team hadn't crossed until the following Thursday.  Cooley
was fired and he in turn sued the Bridge Company, and the court awarded him $45 for damages and $21.57 for court cost.
     On Sunday, June 17, St. John's (Missouri Synod) dedicated a newly constructed church near the southeast corner of the
intersection of South Pearl and East Warren Streets.
     The hay crop was excellent, a bumper crop of wheat that was never known before, and the potato crop was never so
encouraging.  This was the summer when Henry Ketchum bought the first threshing machine and the first wheat on the localmarket.  During the fall there was a long spell of smoky Indian Summer The Federal Census of 1860 reported that New London
located in Waupaca County had a population of 467, which wasa part of Mukwa Township's grand total of 960.  One of the 467 was
a negro "Isaac Worthington", 60, a native of Africa, a servant of Capt.  Enos F. Drummond.
      The voters of the New London Area  favored Stephan Douglas over Abraham Lincoln by 301 to 285 margin. But the returns from
Mukwa Township were a 134 to 76 majority for Lincoln and there is reason to believe that the New London voters who traveled to
Mukwa to vote  were sympathetic to Lincoln as they have been throughout the years toward the anti-slavery sentiment.