by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1888 to 1926 Fort Atkinson’s second public high school opened in December of 1888 after a fire completely consumed the first one in April of that same year. Built on the same site on South High Street as the first one, this more elegant building had a...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1839 The very first school in Fort Atkinson met in 1839 in a primitive cabin that belonged to the young pioneer William Barrie. The teacher was fourteen-year-old Jane Crane who lived with her older sister Sally Crane Jones, and Sally’s husband Milo...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1840s to 1950s The life of a rural school teacher was quite different than that of their city counterpart. Due to limited housing and transportation, teachers often lived with their students’ families. Their days began early with a walk to work and...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Through the years, many folk stories have centered on Rock Lake in Lake Mills. Some concern pyramids at the bottom of the lake and others sound similar to the story of the famous Loch Ness monster. In 1882, after being quiet for 15 years, the Rock Lake serpent...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1930’s In 1931, Fort Atkinson city engineer Elmore Klement made a survey of the Rock River as it traveled through the city with the idea of building a river wall to tidy up the messy shorelines. Happily his plan coincided with the depression-era...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 22, 2012 | Historic Events
Date in History: 1830 to present The Hoard museum has over 150 quilts in its collection dating from 1830. Designs range from patchwork to Victorian crazy quilts to original appliques. The museum’s first quilt was donated in 1946. This quilt is a basket design with...
