by Steve Tesmer | Apr 21, 2012 | Historic People
Date in History: 20th century In the 1920s, Fort Atkinson teenager Walter Pelzer often sat in a downtown storefront rapidly and skillfully sculpting animals from the clay that he had dug from the banks of the Rock River. Large crowds gathered to marvel and watch the...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 21, 2012 | Historic People
Date in History: 1867 to present One of the oldest charitable organizations in the county, the Oakland Ladies Society was formed in 1867. The society began as the Oakland Missionary Society of the Freewill Baptist Church in Oakland Center. In 1913 when the church...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 21, 2012 | Historic People
Date in History: 1869 – 1950 Perseverance in the face of tragedy and a willingness to take on new adventures characterized the life of Theodore Notbohm, a native born son of Wisconsin with the spirit of a pioneer. Theodore Notbohm was born in Rome, WI in March...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 21, 2012 | Historic People
Date in History: 1845 – 1933 William Noel was born in a log cabin in the Koshkonong area on September 24th, 1845. After the Civil War broke out in 1861, an eager 16-year-old Noel ran away from home to join the Union troops. His dad tracked him down, however, and...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 21, 2012 | Historic People
Date in History: 1903 Monday May 12th, 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fort Atkinson poet Lorine Niedecker. Perhaps best described as a poet of place, Niedecker’s work is closely linked to her environment and experiences on Blackhawk Island where she...
by Steve Tesmer | Apr 21, 2012 | Historic People
Date in History: 1904 – 2001 Chester was born in Columbus, WI in 1904 to Emil and Margaret Mittag. The family moved to Fort Atkinson in 1910 when his dad opened a tailor and dry cleaning business out of a barn at their new home at 604 North Main Street. By 1912,...
