Outagamie County, WI - "New London 1871" ************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************* Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives Subject: newspaper article "New London 1871" Submitted by: county coordinator EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com Date Submitted: 15 March 2000 Source: New London Press newspaper article from Bicentennial issue, undated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - New London 1871 Rev. Clement Duerr came from Holy Guardian Angels' Church of Buchanan to serve the Catholics of New London. During his brief stay, he was one of the first priests to serve the Clintonville area, when services were held in private homes. On March 6, the second special election was held in New London on the Green Bay & Lake Pepin Railway proposition. 142 voted yes and 114 voted no. During May, 1871, Joseph Vilas, presumably Manitowoc, representing the Appleton and New London Railroad, went east to purchase a locomotive. He bought an old Norris engine that had been condemned by the B. & O. railroad. Because the cylinders were small and the drivers were large, the locomotive could make good time only with a light load. It was aboard a ship that sailed to Manitowoc. It took a month to unload the locomotive and put it in running order. When it was ready to roll, there was already a half mile of track laid in Manitowoc. This was the "Ben Jones", whose first engineer was Oliver Brown and the first fireman was O.D. Harris. The new school north of the river was occupied in spring of 1871. The first teachers were Miss Stimson, and either Mrs. Day or B.A. Weatherby. On July 29, the citizens of Appleton gave a 51 vote majority for the proposition of granting aid to the Appleton and New London railroad. During early August, the track laying on the Appleton and New London railroad progressed at the rate of half a mile per day. About August 31, the Green Bay & Lake Pepin Railroad began distributing ties along the line in preparation for laying the rails. During the fall of 1871, for days, around New London there were dense, gray clouds stretching from horizon to horizon. Large fires were raging through Brown, Door, Manitowoc, Oconto, and Outagamie Counties, reducing thousands to a state of destitution. On Sunday morning, October 1, the Kennon & Hall Hub and Spoke Factory was destroyed by fire. The factory was located on the western end of the block now occupied by the Borden's plant and at the other end was the Dedolph and Lipke's Stave Factory, which extended eastward into the area now owned by the Curtis Company. According to the New London Times, "At one time it was thought impossible to keep the fire from Dedolph & Lipke's stave factory, but human muscle and perseverance triumphed over the common enemy, driving it back inch by inch and foot by foot, until all danger was averted". The owners suffered a $12,000 loss - no insurance. This was a lot of money during the 1870's. A barn on Cook Street was destroyed by fire, no insurance, loss amounting to $500. Barns, at that time, were quite common in New London, but this one was owned by Henry R. Page, the village president. On the same night that The New London Times was destroyed by fire, citizens of the 2nd Ward met at Stimson's Hall, passed the following resolution: "Resolved, that the Board of Trustees be requested to raise means for the purchase of one hand fire engine for the use of the village." The Village Board responded by approving an appropriation of $2,000 for the purchase of one good fire engine, with hose-car equipped with hose. At Green Bay, the track laying of the Green Bay & Lake Pepin R.R. was commenced on Nov. 3, 1871, when the first spikes were driven during traditional fanfare. On Nov. 2, iron girders for the railroad bridge across the Wolf River at Shioc arrived at New London, where these were loaded and hauled by teams to Shioc. On the morning of Thursday, Nov. 23, New London was aroused by the cry of fire. A building owned by Dedolph & Lipke's Stave Factory burned to the a ground in matter of minutes. Thirty to 40 men were employed here. The first fire call by the volunteer Fire Company number 1 was made at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28, 1871 at the residence of N.S. Martin, where the Franklin House now stands. William Blake, New London's first Fire Chief, was in charge. Messrs. Young and Blackwood's stages arrive in Appleton and New London everyday before noon. The first train whistle heard in New London was on the morning of Dec. 14. At this time the track had been laid to a point within 7 miles of New London. Laying of track towards New London was going on day and night to meet the Dec. 19 deadline to qualify for $50,000 aid from the Village of New London, be in good position to receive $35,000 from Mukwa Township, and proceed westward to meet deadlines in other communities for additional aid money. "The Story of The Green Bay Route", by Ray and Ellen Spect, states that the railroad reached New London at 1 a.m. on Dec. 19. According to the New London Times, the railroad was finished to the Embarrass River on the foremoon of the same morning. It was not only an important morning in the history of New London, but a bitterly cold one with the temperature down to 24 degrees below. On Monday, Dec. 25, the first passenger train arrived in New London with about 70 prominent citizens of Green Bay and Fort Howard to attend the New London railroad celebration. The reception committee was waiting with sleighs to take the visitors to the New London House, and then escorted them across the street to Stimson's Hall for a big dinner.