Books

Rebuilding a Railroad in the 21st Century: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, documents the rebuilding of an 11-mile rail line in Sheboygan County, after being dormant for nearly 30 years.  This was more than just a fix-it-up job, but the replacement of the entire line from the ground up with new track built to modern standards to handle heavy loads.  It also required one trestle to be completely replaced and others reinforced.  Adding to the generous amount of photos, there are “before” and “after” photos taken at dozens of locations, and it won’t seem possible that these photos were taken at the same location. Also included is the history of this line from the pre-civil war era to current times.  Old rail dating back over 150 years was found and included is the story that these old rails tell.

By Mary Risseeuw

These letters, memoirs and travel journals span a hundred year period (1847-1959) and offer a fascinating view into the lives of the immigrants and their families.  Some provide remarkable detail about their journey to America and their struggles to establish a new life.  Others offer little beyond the basics: weather, health, crops, births and deaths. Most are grateful for the blessings of God and the fact that they are still ‘fresh and healthy’ (alive and well, in more modern terms!).  The criterion for selecting the contents of this book was to present an overview of different settlements in Wisconsin and to provide a glimpse into the differences and similarities between the various immigration waves.   There are vivid tales of crossing the Atlantic Ocean and personal glimpses into the Civil War, World War I and World War

By Elmer Koppelmann The village of Howards Grove began as two separate villages, Howards Grove and Millersville. Not until 1967 did the two unite into one incorporated village. The first European settlers to settle in the town of Herman (originally named Howard) were the "Lippers"- a group of 13 families and seven orphaned young people from Lippe-Detmold, Germany. The year was 1846, and the group's leader was Friedrich Reineking. They settled on the land that is now Lakeland College. This volume brings the history of the area back to life, and documents the families and businesses that, today, make up Howards Grove.

By Robert Spatt. The City of Sheboygan has many interesting and important "Firsts". This book documents many of those items. There is bound to be a chapter for every interest and although residents of Sheboygan will know many of these firsts, there are a lot of surprises. Some of the firsts are obscure such as the first bratwurst stand, the first department store, the first female principal of a school, the first baby born in Sheboygan; Others, such as the city founder, Farnsworth, and many of the sporting events, maybe remembered by many. The final chapter is entitled “Et Cetera.” Here are little known firsts that don’t fit into any category – Peter Dinkel and his canaries, Clemens Reiss the first to cross the city’s new Eighth Street Bridge in 1923, the street sprinkler who sprayed water on the dusty dirt streets and other obscure first facts. A book to pick up and read a chapter at a time then casually sprinkle conversations with a “did you know that….”

By the Howards Grove Area Historical Research Committee The settlement of Haven, located in the Town of Mosel on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Sheboygan County, was formerly known as Seven Mile Creek, not Seven Creeks, as has been recorded in a newspaper account of the area’s history. It got its name from a small creek which flowed into Lake Michigan about seven miles north of Sheboygan. The first post office in Haven was established on July 16, 1897. The first postmaster in Haven was Frederick W. Franzmeier. In 1897 Frederick and Herman Franzmeier built a rooming house, tavern and store next to the railroad tracks. In 1903 the post office was established in that building.

by Peter Fetterer

The railroads of Sheboygan County have left behind a legacy of stories … some tragic, some humorous, and some almost unbelievable.  The stories bear testimony to the men and women who worked on the early rail lines that served the county … the engineers, firemen, brakemen and conductors who ran the trains … the shop men and track gangs who kept them running … the station agents, freight handlers and railroad officials supporting the operations, and the passengers and hobos who rode the rails.

The railroaders working these lines for nearly 150 years and the passengers riding their trains have been an integral part of our history. These are some of their stories … tales from the rails of Sheboygan County.