When people think back to historical fires of great proportions in the late 19th century, the Chicago fire of 1871 normally pops to the top of the list.  While that blaze certainly should rank near the top of the list, northeastern Wisconsin suffered an even larger conflagration at exactly that same time in October.  Chicago claimed the newspaper headlines due to its massive property loss, but the Wisconsin fire claimed a greater number of lives and burned over a far greater area.

"At the time of the Wisconsin incident, the popular theory was that the fire started on the west side of the Bay of Green Bay then embers were windborne all the way across the bay to ignite further burning on the east side of the bay," said New Holstein Historical Society's annual meeting guest speaker David Siegel of the Green Bay Metropolitian Fire Department.  "We know now, from historical investigation, that the Wisconsin fire was actually three fires which started seperately in the same general area."

Siegel said that conditions in 1871 were almost ideal for a large surface fire.  A prolonged dry period had rendered grasslands, some swampy areas, and forest area floors dry and susceptible to burning.  The forested areas were also filled with "slash", the remnants of timber harvesting.  Limbs, branches, sawdust, anything that was not usable as a building material and was thus left behind when a tree was taken down, to be used for lumber, comprised the on-ground waste called slash.

The western lobe of the Wisconsin fire area is probably best known as the Peshtigo Fire.  It burned northward on the west side of the bay.  Two other, smaller, lobes burned on the east side of the bay starting north of the community of Green Bay and heading as far north as the Door County/Kewaunee County line, then east toward Lake Michigan.  "Flames did not jump the bay," stated Siegel, "these fires all started on their own at seperate points then were wind driven on their paths of destruction."

The winds were actually the most crutial factor in the advancement of the fires.  Describing the winds on those October days as being much like the straightline winds we experience today, Siegel said that with fierce winds pushing the fires foward in combination with the abundance of dry combustible materials, including structures such as houses and places of business made of timber, in the fire path, the blazes quickly became "fire storms".  On the west side of the bay Peshtigo suffered great property loss as well as loss of lives.  On the east side, communities like New Franken and Williamsonville were obliterated by the sweeping inferno.

Siegel stated that loss of life was great in the Wisconsisn fire area because there was no place for people to go to get away from the fire.   Everything in the fire's path was combustible.   There were few places to hide.  Some folks sought refuge in a river and inside well sites, but many of those people also succumbed due to the massive heat that accompanied the fires.  Superheated air was pulled into people's lungs destroying soft internal tissue and causing death.  Some residents made their way to a river and found refuge from the flames, but after emerging from the water when the fire had passed, had no way of drying out or warming up.  Many contracted various maladies associated from the "chill" they sustained on what became a cold October day in the fire's aftermath.  Some of those maladies, like pneumonia, led to further deaths.

While the tale of the "Great Fire of 1871" is a somewhat grim one, Siegel stated that some good did come from it.  Survivors stayed in the area and rebuilt.  Non flammable components like rock and brick became preferred building materials, better clean up and disposal practices were incorporated into forestry management, and communities began to think about methods of fire supression should situations necessitate it.

And a hundred miles, or so, to the south, Chicago managed to pull itself together and survive also.

Following Siegel's address, a short NHHS annual meeting was held with the main point of business being the election of three members to the NHHS Board of Directors.  Incumbents Donna Schneider, Linda Schneidewind, and Grace Flora were all re-elected to three year terms.      

 

With that first snow on the ground, the New Holstein Historical Society is planning ahead for the Christmas season.  The theme for the 2022 edition of the annual Timm House Christmas is "Christmas Tea at the Timm House".  The theme is loosley based on the book, "A Cup of Christmas Tea".

As always, the first floor of the elegantly restored Timm Family abode will be decked out in seasonal finery.  Christmas music will be featured through the talents of local musicians who will take turns at the keyboard  ofthe the Timm family's original Steinway Box Grand piano.  Treats will also be served in the TH kitchen.

A special feature of this years "Christmas Tea at the Timm House" will be an opportunity to enjoy a cup of holiday tea in the home's living room.  On Thursday, December 8, two "teas" will take place, one at 2:00 pm and the second at 6:30 pm.  The events will include music, readings, and appropriate tea-type treats all served in the comfort and splentor of the Timm's Victorian surroundings.
Advance reservations are required, by Nov. 28, for both teas.  Forms are available in the NHHS newsletter.  Admission is $20 per person.  Reservations may also be made by forwarding the required fee and name(s) of persons attending to: New Holstein Historical Society, PO Box 144, New Holstein, WI  53061.

Along with the two special holiday teas, the Timm House Christmas will be open to the public starting on Friday night November 25 from 5 to 8 PM.  Further open hours will ocurr on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, November 26 & 27, from 11 AM to 3 PM, then on each Friday night, December 2, 9, & 16 and Saturday and Sunday afternoons of December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, & 18, with open hours being the same as those for the opening weekend.   Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children 6 to 12  on each of those dates.  Children under 6 years of age are admitted free of charge.  

"Hats off to History" is the name of the newest exhibit at the New Holstein Historical Society's Pioneer Corner Museum.  Approximately 45 women's and men's hats from the 20th Century are on display.  The majority of the women's hats are from two collections donated to the NHHS by former local residents Gertie Schwartz and Olive Langenfeld.  Others are from private collections and singular donations to the NHHS.

Hats have been around almost since the dawn of man. First worn as utilitarian items to ward off the sun's scorching rays, provide warmth at certain times, or as a shield against bothersome insects, early headgear was possibly a large leaf or a random piece of animal hide.

Eventually, folks got the idea that "if we have to wear something on our heads, it might as well look good" and hats became fashionable as well as utilitarian.  Various types of hats have served as identifiers of class, occupations, or affiliations.

Men's hats have remained largely unchanged in style over the past 100 years.  Colors have changed as have the ways the hats are worn, but basically a fedora from the 1920's is the same as a 2020's fedora.  Women's hats have experienced a considerable amount of change over the years.  Various social events, changing hairstyles, popular colors, and even a method of self defense have had an effect on the styles of hats worn by the ladies.

Stop and see some of the NHHS's hats at the PCM on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 PM.  Individual admissions  are available for the PCM or combo tickets may be purchased to tour both the PCM and Timm House.  

John and Honey Leibham were presented with the "Pioneer Award", the NHHS's highest honor award at the New Holstein Historical Society annual meeting on Saturday, November 13 at the Altona Supper Club. The couple was recognized for their many contributions, over the years, to the NHHS and specifically the organization of the Nicholas Vollstedt exhibit which was featured at the Pioneer Corner Museum in 2021.  Due to their efforts nearly 100 images of the local artist's work were located and made available for viewing, both in person and digitally, as part of the summer exhibit.

As part of the annual gathering, a short business meeting was held.  Three current members of the Society's Board of Directors,  Barb Weber, Mary Emily Anhalt, and Greg Hageman, were re-elected to three year terms.  In another action, the NHHS membership approved dropping the number of members on the Board of Directors from 12 to 10.  Prior to the vote, NHHS President Jerry Hallstrom explained that the NHHS had been operating with less than the 12 members for the past several years due to experiencing a lack of candidates to fill the open positions.

Program for the event was presented by NHHS Board of Directors member Greg Hageman speaking on the first sixty years of the NHHS.

Following the NHHS Annual meeting, a short regular BOD meeting for the month of November was held.  BOD members discussed plans for the upcoming Timm House Christmas event, and moved to proceed with the second floor HVAC project at the Pioneer Corner Museum.

Co-chairman of the Antiques Appraisal Day event, Dick Griem, announced that due to various reasons, the popular event would not be held in 2022 and will be discontinued as a NHHS fundraiser.

Officers for the year 2022 were set.  Jerry Hallstrom will continue to serve as president, Greg Hageman will assume vice-president duties, Dick Griem will serve as treasurer, and Kay Nett will be secretary.
 

The year 2020 will go down in history as a year of questions.  How is Covid-19 really transmitted?  Should everyone be wearing masks?  Who will become the next president?  One fact, however, is unquestionable:  The NHHS Timm House and Pioneer Corner Museum were closed for all of 2020.

The key to that last statement above is that the NHHS facilities were closed, not gone, not shuttered for good, just temporarily closed in the interest of helping to promote good health within the community.  And when the NHHS venues open in 2021, it will be to the celebration of the organization's 60th anniversary year!

In April of 1961 an intrepid group of New Holstein history enthusiasts gathered and made a decision to form, through affiliation with the Wisconsin State Historical Society, the New Holstein Historical Society.  A letter of application was drafted and sent to the WSHS and by October of 1961 a reply had been received recognizing the NHHS as a viable entity.  Initial NHHS officers were Orin Lindemuth, President; Albert Jochimsen, Vice president; Alice Cooley, Treasurer; and Sabina Paul, Secretary.  Board of Directors members were: Mrs. G.J. Hipke, Virginia Meyer, Ted Boockmeier, Jacob Schildhauer, and Rudolph Paulsen.

In November of 1962 the NHHS unveiled its first exhibition.  Lothar Iversen offered space in the Iversen building on Main Street for a display of historical objects gathered by the NHHS.  Eight years later, Iversen donated the entire building to the NHHS and the Pioneer Corner Museum was born.  Iversen's generous gift was followed by another generous gift, in 1974, from the Timm family.  The Timm House quickly became the most visible and well known facility of the NHHS.

Both buildings have undergone numerous changes since becoming part of the NHHS.  Hopefully in 2021 their doors will be open wide for the public to visit.  New exhibits are ready for viewing at Pioneer Corner for 2021 and the Timm House remains resplendent, both inside and out, as a result of constant upkeep following the major 2007 refurbishing.

If you haven't already visited the Timm House and Pioneer Corner Museum, or just haven't visited lately, please plan on visiting in 2021.  Let our smiling docents show you around and help the NHHS celebrate 60 years of preserving local and area history!

A presentation on the Great Fire of 1871 will be the keynote of the New Holstein Historical Society's 2022 Annual Meeting held on Nov. 12 at the Altona Supper Club.

While the Chicago Fire, which occurred at exactly the same time as Wisconsin's Great Fire, gets most of the publicity, Wisconsin's version was actually more devistating.  Peshtigo received a great firey wallop at the same time as Chicago was burning, and just north of Calumet County, another lobe of the pyro storm struck.  David Siegel of the Brussels Historical Society will tell the story of the fire's impact on the Belgian settlements in Brown, Door, and Kewaunee counties.  In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the 1871 Great Fire, the Belgian Heritage Center in Brussels commissioned a video to tell the story of the impact on the Belgian settlers of those three counties.  Siegel will present the video along with his own comments on the causes of the fire, the impact on the Belgian settlers, and the transformation of the Belgian communities that took place during the after fire rebuilding period.

Doors to the Altona will open at 11:00 am with dinner served at noon on the 12th.  Admission is $20 for NHHS members and $22 for non-members.  Reservations for the event for the event may be made by filling out and returning the reservation form included in the NHHS newsletter, "News & Views", or by sending a check and the names of the attendees to New Holstein Historical Society, PO Box 144, New Holstein, WI  53061.  Reservations are due by November 4.
 

Thanks for visiting the New Holstein Historical Society's website. Our website continues to change as information and features are added to the website in an attempt to present a useful, comprehensive and centralized source for New Holstein's history and the activities that celebrate that history.

Our Society, formed in 1961, owns two facilities. The Pioneer Corner Museum houses a variety of collections that highlight the history of New Holstein and its surrounding areas. There is always something new at the Pioneer since we add new displays, exhibits and vignettes each year. One visit is never enough!

The Timm House Historic Site represents a time period of from 1898 - 1905. The total restoration of the property (interior and exterior) was completed in 2007 at a cost of $1.25 million. The Society is sincerely grateful to The Jeffris Family Foundation for a $562,000 matching grant. Without this help the project would never have been completed and the home would have been lost.

Please explore our website and enjoy the articles and information that you will find.

Hours
The Timm House is open from 1 to 4 PM on Saturdays and Sundays from the first weekend of May through the last weekend of October.  It is also open for the Timm House Christmas in December.  Exact dates and times for the Timm House Christmas appear elsewhere on this website.

The Pioneer Corner Museum is open from 1 to 4 PM  on Saturdays and Sundays from the first weekend of May through the final weekend of October.

Please note that tours are available at other times by calling 920-898-5746.  Thanks for your support. We are always interested in hearing your recommendations, comments and suggestions, so please feel free to share them.