Unity Town

Unity Town

Unity, a thriving village with an assured future, is situated on the "Soo" Railroad, on the county line between Marathon and Clark Counties, and occupies the highest point of land between Medford and Stevens Point, the view of the surrounding sweep of rich farming country being most inspiring,

The village was started in 1873, when D. J. Spaulding came here and erected a large mill. The station was called Brighton. Soon, Mr. Spaulding opened a store, and the place became a busy lumbering center. John Sterling put up a store, and a postoffice was established, but owing to the fact that another postoffice in the state bore the name of Brighton, the name of Maple Grove was suggested. That name was rejected for the same reason, and the postoffice officials selected the name of Unity. Ed. Creed was appointed the first postmaster but did not serve, and John

Sterling was appointed. Mr. Sterling soon sold to 8S. A, Cook, who followed him as postmaster. In 1878, J. A. Pettet came and opened a store.

Life in Unity has many attractive features, and the village is supplied with all the advantages usual in places of this size. Electricity is furnished by the Abbotsford Electric Light Co. Fire protection is furnished by a volunteer fire department, equipped with a hook and ladder truck, and two chemical engines, mounted on wheels.

Early in 1902 a movement was started for the incorporation of the village, and a census taken April 4, by Erwin Schmitz and L. H. Cook showed a population of 405. A survey was made April 6 to 9, by R. H. Brown, The application for incorporation was made April 15, 1903, the petition being signed by J. H. Clark, F. A. Schmitz, G. Groelle; D. M. Jones, H. N. Brintnall, J. K. Horn, O. H. Groelle, J. Raymond, G. W. Feuerhelm, C. Healey, E. R. Mayville, Aug. Weid, E. J. Healey, FE. Creed, V. R. Misener, H. Oberbillig, L. H. Cook, Eli Milton, J. F. Fry, C. Balle, E. W. Schmitz, J. P. Johnson, O. C. Haman, A. Cook, Percy Thayer, Ben Fuller, D. H, Shepardson, J. A. Pettet, James Gornett, H. J. Sumner, William Creed, Julius Kock, Joe Greenwood, H. J. Kohlhepp, E. H. Hemp, Oscar Bergstrom, F. Busche, R. H. Brown, Geo. 8. Cook, D. K. Hall and Sam Hause. The petition was granted June 4, 1903, and the charter election was held June 27, following, at Pettet's Hall, the judges and inspectors being J. H. Clark, J. A. Pettet and O. C. Haman. Seventy-four votes were cast, of which fifty-two were in favor of and twenty-two against the proposition. This incorporation was nullified by the courts by reason of irregularities in the census.

April 28 and 29, 1904, a new survey was made by R. H. Brown. June 13, 1904, a new census was taken by L. H. Cook, showing 424 names. Application for incorporation was again made, the signers of the petition being J. H. Clark, L. H. Cook, F. L. MeMiller, Joseph Tennis, James Garnett, R. H. Brown, D. H. Shepardson, Geo. 8. Cook, H. J. Kohlhepp, Percy Thayer, E. Creed, D. M. Jones, W. E. Morgan, O. H. Groelle, C. Healey, J. A. Pettet, J. P. Johnson, William Creed, J. F. Koch, Ed. Binning, Alfred Cook and F. C. Hulce. A remonstrance prepared by fifty or more persons, headed by J. W. Salter, was presented, embodying the following objections: "That the survey of the territory shows that the land does not contain one square mile, but contains less than one square mile; that the territory is not compact in form; that territory within 100 rods of the center of said proposed village has been omitted in order that forty acres on Section 7 included in said village might be taken, and that the said forty acres on Section 7 is all of a mile or more from the center of population of the proposed village, is not suitable and not needed for any village purposes, but is suitable only for purposes of agriculture, and contains the farm buildings of an extensive stock farm owned by the said J. W. Salter, the said forty acres being taken for the village for the sole purpose of injuring the said J. W. Salter; and that the census purporting to

Beaten in the Circuit Court the remonstrants carried their case to the Supreme Court, but were again defeated. On May 26, 1906, an election was held at Pettet's Hall, the judges and inspectors being L. H. Cook, J. A. Pettet and J. H. Clark. Fifty-one votes were cast, the ayes numbering fifty and the noes only one.

The first officials of Unity Village were: President, Alfred Cook; trustees - J. H. Clark, two years; F. L. McMiller, two years; E. Creed, two years; D. K. Hall, one year; J. A. Pettet, one year; and C. Healey, one year; clerk, L. H. Mumbrue; treasurer, W. E. Morgan; assessor, R. H. Brown; village justice, J. P. Johnson; police justice, William R. Zell; constable, G. W. Feuerhelm; supervisor, William Creed.

The first school was started in Unity in 1875, in a building prepared for that purpose. Since that time educational facilities have been greatly increased and have kept pace with the requirements. The present schoolhouse, erected in 1909, is a brick building of two stories with basement, and containing ten rooms, steam-heated. The building cost $12,139.50. In addition to the eight grades of the common school, a regular high school course is provided. The state high school was organized in 1880 by J. W. Salter, who was the first principal. It occupied the old schoolhouse in the Creed lots.

The Unity Cheese Factory, located in the village of Unity, was first built by Crosby & Meyers of Chicago, who afterwards sold it to Julius Koch. The latter sold it to the farmers, who made it a co-operative concern, for several years manufacturing both butter and cheese. The factory was then sold to Otto Rohde, who, in 1915, sold it to L. P. Taplin. Mr. Taplin rebuilt the plant, putting in new cement floors and machinery, and making other improvements. <A residence on adjoining land was also bought at the same time as the factory. This factory has now about fifty patrons, with 400 cows, and for the year 1917 received 1,830,930 pounds of milk and butter fat, for which the farmers were paid $37,570.15. The amount of cheese sold was 180,275 pounds, for which Mr. Taplin received $40,655.44. The amount received for whey and cream was $1,673.34; for retail milk, $133.49; total receipts, $42,460.27. The patrons of the factory in general keep Holstein cows.

In 1909 the village of Unity was visited by fire which destroyed the old Forest House, Fred Westcott's saloon, Button Membrue's hardware store, Zell Bros.' store, and Aug. Weide's butcher shop and shoe shop. Another fire occurred in 1917, on Feb. 23, which destroyed Dr. Clark's drug store, the Clark County Telephone office, and the residences of Christian Vogt and Julius Luchterhand.