Waupun Town (part 1 of 2)

Waupun Town

First Settlement - Meaning of the word Waupun - First Events - Growth of Waupun- Village and City Officers, 1857-1879 - A llEMiNiscENCE - CiiuucnES - Waupun a Quarter OF A Century Ago - Secret Societies - Waupun Pioneers - Manufactori es - Banks - Old Settlers' Club - Waupun Library Association - Wisconsin State Prison - Waupun a Dozen Years Ago - Waupun Fire Company, No. 1- Dodge County Mutual Insurance Company - A Contrast - Waupun Schools - The Post Office - Waupun Agricultural and Mechanical Association - Cemeteries - Public Halls - Hotels - Fun in Ye Olden Time.

In the early fall of 1838, Seymour Wilcox, then engaged on the Government works near Green Bay, came to what is now the city of Waupun to locate land for a home. He did so at the suggestion of John Bannister, who had surveyed in the vicinity, and who described the Rock River Valley as the most beautiful and fertile he had ever seen. He determined to make himself a home where he afterward settled and resided, about twenty rods east of what is now Markle & Harris' flouring-mill, on Rock River. Therefore, in February, 1839, with John N. Ackerman, Hiram Walker (and another man who remained but a few days), he arrived at the spot previously visited, driving from Green Bay a yoke of oxen laden with a few boards and some provisions. Four burr-oaks were found, to which the boards were nailed for shelter. In this small shanty they lived, or stayed, until a log house was nearly finished, when Mr. Wilcox returned to Green Bay for his family. Ackerman and Walker finished the house, which was occupied by Mr. Wilcox and his family for the first time on the 20t]i of March, 1839. Ackerman and Walker were single men, and boarded with Mr. Wilcox, helping him to break land and raise a few oats, some corn and potatoes and a little "garden truck," but no wheat. Pork and flour came from Green Bay, and, occasionally, $20 was paid for a barrel of the latter, which was so hard and sour that it would stand alone after the hoops and staves had been removed.

From this time up to 18-11, no other persons were added to the settlement. Living in that rude hut, the days came and went without registering any very strange event. They heard no startling news to disturb their serenity ; no rise or fall of stocks broke in upon their equanimity ; there was no crash in business, no downfall of dynasties, no new fashions to attract their attention. The gray of each morning was heralded by an old, pompous-looking rooster that had been imported, who blew his clarion trumpet at 4 in the morning, one blast following another with great rapidity. Around Mr. Wilcox's home were beautiful openings; beyond these were blooming prairies, extending he hardly knew where. These natural meadows were interlaced with silver rivulets that danced to their own music. Amid these openings - nature's mighty parks - roamed the noble deer ; and over those prairies, which were like so many gorgeous pearls in richest settings, the soft wind played.

The first day of that pioneer family can well be pictured. It was in the season of the year when frosty nights were succeeded by sunny days ; when the crows crept into the woods, as if they felt approaching May. The kittens ran round the cabin, and chased each other up the trees; and the dog wandered along the river-side, for reasons best known to himself The woodpecker tapped his drowsy music on the decayed trunks; the turkey peered from behind the roots of the upturned trees, where she had been waiting so long to hail the blessed warmth, and inquired, " What business have you here?" The squirrel pushed his nose out of the door of his castle, and, after looking cautiously upon the intruders, threw his tail over his back, and, with an angry chirrup, trotted to the nearest stump ; and then, as the sunbeams pierced through the tangled woods, the bluebird broke forth into a note of song, tuned the strings of her harp for the coming summer, and inquired when gentle May was coming, with her music and her flowers.

In after years, the daughters ot Mr. Wilcox would tell how they learned to get breakfast and wash dishes; how, one night, they heard a wolf howl in the woods; and how a dirty old Indian poked his head in at the door, and asked for fire-water. They would tell how they used to thrust their little bare feet into the faces of the violets, with a dainty sauciness; how they went down to the river, of a morning, to wash, and arranged their locks with a wooden comb ; how, when they milked the cows for the first time, the white current went fizz into their eyes, and shot over into a cluster of wild roses that were blushing at the performance.

There are threads of beauty that pervade every household, wherever it may be, and whatever may be its lot. There are always pleasant thoughts, kind words and happy remembrances flying to and fro. How must the hearts of this family have rejoiced when, as the long shadows of evening were stretching over the landscape, some traveler, in his Kentucky-jeans coat and stoga boots, alighted from his shaggy old horse, and asked entertainment for the night. They looked upon it as a sort of angel-visit ; each one strived to outstrip others in acts of hospitality; and though they could not offer him the luxuries of life, he soon felt tbat he was welcome to anything they had. The old fireplace, if it was winter, was soon piled -with logs up to the very throat, and shook its shadows around the room in defiance of the winds that roared without. If the traveler happened to have a paper a month old, their joy was at its height, and the younger members of the family ransacked its columns with the greatest delight.

This little band had, as it were, severed all connection between themselves and the past. True to their purpose, they went to work in their new home as if they were going to tear down the whole forest and pile it into boards. Amid wind and storm and suffering and privation, they helped to lay the foundation of Wisconsin's greatness. Morn's early dawn, and evening's gentle hush, bore witness to their industry; and the happiness now enjoyed by the citizens of the city of Waupun is, in a degree, the product of their labor. They were firm to their purpose as flints, and the sparks struck from them are transfigured into images of beauty and romance. Their memory will ever be necessary to the loveliness of the city.

The family of Mr. Wilcox was relieved from the monotony of such complete isolation, in 1841. In that year, the settlement received an accession in the persons of C. Carrington, Mr. Town and others, who heroically entered upon the hardships of a pioneer life, in a section of country where everything was new. But to work they went, girdling the trees, fencing the land, raising log houses, and making the old "openings" echo with the din of their industry. From morn till night, they toiled in their new homes, and sent the breaking-plow, drawn by yokes of sturdy oxen, through the native sod. Then came the green grass, the corn and the wheat, some bearing sixty-fold and some an hundred-fold. There were no arbitrary lines drawn amongst them; no memorable fictions in the way of their progress; society, habit and custom hung no dead-weight on their ambitious minds. It was thus the first settlement began, in what is now the city of Waupun.

Meaning Of The Word Waupun

The Indian word IFaw^MW (meaning ''the early day," or, perhaps, strictly speaking, " the early light or dawn"), which was intended to have been given to the town organized in 1842, in tlie western portion of Fond du Lac County, was, upon its first use by the early settlers, written incorrectly ; and its orthography was not fully settled until some years after, when " Waupun " came into general use. The town in Fond du Lac County being called " Waupun," the name was also given to the village, although the latter was located both in Fond du Lac and Dodge Counties ; and, of course, when the place grew into a city, and was incorporated, it was still called "Waupun," which name has the merit, at least, of being unlike any other in the United States. Although the place was first called Madrid, after the native place of Seymour Wilcox, yet, when the commission of the first Postmaster arrived, it was found that the name had been changed to VVaupun ; this was done by James Duane Doty, who was then a delegate in Congress ; so that to Doty belongs the honor of the name.

The first store in Waupun was opened by Thomas C. Snow, in John N. Ackerman's house, in Upper Town, in 1845. He kept a limited stock of dry goods, groceries, crockery and a few medicines.

The first Postmaster was Seymour Wilcox, commissioned in the winter of 1840 and 1841. The first sermon was by Rev. S. Smith, a Methodist, who then lived at Calumet, in the little schoolhouse erected near where the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway crosses Main street, in 1844. He had presided at informal prayer or class meetings, at the house of Seymour Wilcox, as early as 1840.

The first hotel was the log residence of Seymour Wilcox, who entertained travelers as soon as he moved into it, in 1839. The next hotel was J. N. Ackerman's, opened in 1845.

The first grist-mill was built by Forest & Smith in 1846, where Markle & Harris' stone mill now stands. The same firm built a saw-mill a few rods distant a year earlier.

The first school was opened in 1844, by Charles Cleveland, in a small frame building situiited near where the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway crosses Washington or Main streets.

The first marriage in Waupun was that of William G. McElroy to Miss Lucinda Collins, in 1841, at Seymour Wilcox's house, by Mason C. Darling, of Fond du Lac. An enthusiastic pioneer, writing in 1857, thus describes the wedding:

" The wedding day came ; the woods were a frozen poem written by invisible fingers. The earth was wrapt in its winding-sheet of snow, but in our little cabin the light flickered gi'otesquely from the fireplace on the unhewn rafters. There was no useless array among the bridal party, no satin dresses dotted with stars, no jewels spangled in the bosom of the bride, no bracelets encircled her arm, nor did any veil fall from the back of her head to hide the simple evergreen that shone iu her hair. There were no dandified, white-gloved, scented, feline-looking, empty-headed scions of codfish aristocracy present ; no fashionable birds with beautiful plumage and sickly looks : no pale pets of the parlor who had vegetated in unhealthy shades until their complexions had assumed a greenish color like a potato in a dark ceUar. The ceremony throughout was characterized by Quaker-like simplicity. The building was humble. The ceremony over, I can see the white cloth placed on the table, and on it a plate or two of biscuits almost as white. Then I see a big gobbler, fattened for the occasion, and almost smell the sage with which the stuffing was sprinkled. Then came a bowl of pickled cabbage, a dish of baked beans, a plate of boiled beets fantastically decorated with cloves, and after that the crowning dish of all - a glorious jelly-cake, well seasoned with ginger and molasses plentifully spread between the layers for jelly. * * * f j,g ^jg^y following the wedding the bridal party proposed a journey to Lake Emily, where the bride's parents resided, and which lay twelve miles distant through roadless woods and prairies. And what was their chariot? a magnificent sled. By what was it drawn ? a magnificent yoke of oxen. W^ith what was it enshrined? a magnificent bundle of clean straw, and on this the beautiful bride and her attendant sat as dignified as did Cleopatra when surrounded with all that wealth could purchase."

The second marriage ceremony, performed October 11, 1842. although not performed in Waupun, snatched from single blessedness one of its earliest settlers, John K. Ackerraan. Mr. Ackerman, with two small Indian ponies, went to Fond du Lac and secured the services of Alonzo Raymond, a Justice of the Peace, and the two proceeded by Indian trail to Oshkosh, where the bride, Miss Hannah A. Ford, was stopping. After the ceremony, the young couple mounted the ponies and made the journey to Waupun. The trail was exceedingly rough in many places, making it impossible for the riders to stick to their ponies unless they sat astride, which they occasionally did. Just imagine a modern belle making her bridal tour astride of a shaggy little Indian Dony!

The first birth was that of a son, Ira, to Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Wilcox, April 17, 1841. The second was that of J. N. Ackerman's daughter, Marian A., in October, 1843.

The first death was that of a boy named Town, which occurred at his father's house. At Mr. Town's "barn-raising" a pail of whisky was set out for the men, and the boy, unnoticed, drank so freely of it that he soon after died.

The first frame building was a barn built by John N. Ackerman in 1843. The next two were Mr. Ackerman's residence and a building erected by Seymour Wilcox, where the Exchange Hotel stands.

Growth Of Waupun

The first settlement in what is now the city of Waupun was made, as we have seen, in 1839, at which time Seymour Wilcox, perceiving that here was a water-power on (he west branch of Rock River - then a stream of considerable size - combined with other natural advantages, determined to locate at this point, and, in that year, removed with his fiimily from Green Bay and became the first settler and founder of what has since become a beautiful and flourishing young city. At the same time, Hiram Walker and John N. Ackerman, attracted by the reports brought to Green Bay by Mr. Wilcox, were induced to accompany him and settle at this place, where Mr. Ackerman still resides on the farm originally entered by him, having lived to see the silence of the prairie where he had chosen to build his home give place to a community of happy settlers, again changing to a thriving village, and, again touched by the wand of progress, transformed into a busy and a;ribitious little city, of which he had the honor of becoming the first Mayor.

In these early days, the location of but a few families in one locality was necessary to form a nucleus for others, and, in this case, but few years had passed before a small store was opened, a mill erected, and it became evident that a village must eventually grow up. To facilitate that result, Mr. Ackerman, in 1846, laid out into village lots, platted and recorded as the village of Waupun, about ten acres of land on the southeast corner of Section 31, in the town of Waupun, Fond du Lac County, since known as the "upper town." The year following, Mr. Wilcox, whose farm lay about three-quarters of a mile to the eastward, unwilling to see the prospective village grow up without sharing in its benefits, proceeded, with others, to lay out and plat into village lots about fifty acres of land, lying across the county line, partly in Dodge and partly in Fond du Lac County, and called their village East Waupun. Then commenced a lively but friendly contest between the rival villages, to determine which should be the future city. This rivalry continued until the location of the Wisconsin State Prison, adjoining East Waupun, in 1851, and the completion, to this point, of the Milwaukee & Horicon, now the Northern Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, in the year 1856. These events practically settled the question, and the "upper town" reluctantly submitted to the inevitable, and, in 1857, the rival villages were united, under the name of the village of Waupun, by a special charter, granted by the Legislature, and approved March 6, 1857. By this act, the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 4, the north half of Section 5, and the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 6, taken from the town of Chester, in Dodge County, and the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 31, the south half of Section 32, and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 33, taken from the town of Waupun, in Fond du Lac County, was incorporated. The village lying thus in two counties, special provisions were required and granted in the charter, among which, jurisdiction in both Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties was conferred upon Justices of the Peace, and the Village Marshal was given authority to serve process in both counties.

The growth of the place had been so rapid, that at the first charter election in April, 1857, three hundred and twenty-three votes were cast, indicating a population of over sixteen hundred.

In 1858, and again in 1865, the charter was amended to provide more fully for laying out and opening new streets. In 1871, the original charter, with its amendments, was revised and consoliilatcd by an act of the Legislature, approved March 21, 1871.

The steady growth of the place was such, that in 1878 it was considered advisable to incorporate as a city, with a charter entirely re-written, adapted to the peculiar geographical situation of the place. A city charter was accordingly granted March 5, 1878, including witliin the city limits additional territory, the residents of which, having observed the economy and good judgment displayed in the management of theaffairs of the village, desired the advantages to be derived ed from a city r»ther than a town government. This additional territory was taken partly from each county, llie southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 4, and the north half of the south half of Section 5, a total of 200 acres taken from the town of Chester, and the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 23, from the town of Waupun.

The growth of Waupun has been steady and constant from the beginning. Very few commercial failures have intervened, to retard its general prosperity. Its business men have, as a rule, been honorable and enterprising tradesmen. Its professional men and other citizens have generally been public spirited and liberal in everything tending to build up the place. The tone of its society and government was originally imparted, and has since been maintained, by the sound judgment and strict integrity of its earlier citizens, many of whom still remain prominent and influential in social and business affairs, among whom W. H. Taylor, who came in 1846, Dr. H. L. Butterficld, Eli Hooker, Edwin Ilillyer and B. B. Baldwin, in 1847, John Bryce, M. K. Dahl and R. L. Graham, in 1849, and M. J. Althouse, about 185-3, have done much in giving direction to the management of affairs, and making the city what it now is, while many other useful and valuable citizens, who were among the first to come, having performed their full share of the builders' work, have crossed the river to their homes upon the other shore.

The prudent and conservative policy pursued by its earlier citizens has produced its natural result. No municipal debt has ever been created, and while Waupun possesses superior railroad facilities - both the Ciiicago. Milwaukee & St. Paul and the Chicago & North-Western Railways competing for its trade - and has a thoroughly equipped fire department, and all necessary buildings for a city of its size, it is entirely free from debt, and by the terms of its charter must ever remain so. Its numerous churches, schools, fine business establishments, elegant private residences, and valuable public library of about 3,000 volumes, together with its general henlthfulness and the natural beauty of its situation, are constantly attracting new residents to aid in its further development. The name is in itself suggestive. The Indian word " Waubun" signifying "early light," changed to Waupun is eifiblematically represented by a device on the seal of the city, showing the sun just rising over a low range of hills, which may well be taken to represent the well-known "ledge" which lies a few miles to the eastward.

Village And City Officers, 1857-1879

18G0 - J. N. Ackerraan, President; R. W. Wells, Treasurer; A. A. Greenman, Marshal; Y{ . H. Taylor, Clerk ; D. E. Dingman, Street Commissioner.

1861 - A. H. RounseviUe, President; R. W. Wells, Treasurer; A. A. Greenman, Marshal; Eli Hooker, Clerk ; George V. Ackerman, Street Commissioner.

1878 - Under the city government - John N. Ackerman, Mayor ; R. W. Wells, Treasurer ; Simon Heath, Marshal ; S. J. Sumner, Clerk ; A. Colburn, Street Commissioner.

" It was in the summer of 1844 that I, for the first time, set my eyes on the broad prairies and pleasant openings of Waupun. Beautiful indeed was the panorama which greeted my sight. The landscape was then covered with a luxuriant growth of vegetation, the greater part of which was new and strange to me. Wild flowers of every shade and color that fancy could paint or imagination conceive were blooming on every hand, richly contrasted by the tall prairie grass, which in wild luxuriance was waving in the gentle breezes of that balmy summer afternoon. You may imagine, but can scarcely realize, with what rapture and delight I gazed on the lovely scene. Coming as I did from the bleak and rugged hills of the Empire State, it seemed to me more like a vision of fairy-land than it did a reality before me.

" The road on which I came from Watertown led past Oak Grove to Waupun. The scene as I came upon Rolling Praii'ie was beautiful indeed. Far away before me stretched the prairie, rolling in gentle undulations until the outlines were lost against the dark green forest. The prairie grass was broken into billows by the breeze and it looked like a sea of emerald.

" No habitation was iji sight ; but once or twice I caught a glimpse of a settler's cabin nestled far away on the borders of the prairie, or the blue smoke ascending heavenward marked the home of the pioneer. As I entered the openings on the Waupun road, no sound disturbed the scene, save now and then the whir of the prairie-hen as she arose into the air, or the shrill whistle of the plover, or the more harsh notes of the sand-hill crane might be heard in the distance. The first house I passed was on the farm now owned by Mr. Cole, then owned by a man by the name of Mickle. I called at the door for a drink of water and to inquire the distance to Waupun. He sat playing on his flute, reminding one of the Arkansas traveler. I was told it was five miles to Waupun.

" The next cabin I passed was occupied by a man known as Bach Davis, standing near where Mr. Bancroft's residence now is. As I came near where the prison now stands there was a cultivated field on either hand which extended down to where Main street now is. As I came down Prison street, I caught sight of a log house on the south bank of the river, which I found to be a hotel kept by Mr. Wilcox, where the hungry were fed, where the weary found rest and where strangers were taken in.

"Most of what is now the village of Waupun was not as yet broken by the plow of the husbandman. Mr. William McElroy was living in a small house, on the site where Mr. C. J. Bush now resides. Mr. Collins still lived a little farther west, and Col. Lyman Town lived near by. Esq. Ackerman and Esq. Hinkley were then both residing on the Walker place opposite and a little farther west from where Mr. Stanton's elevator now stands. These, together with old Elder Smith and a son-in-law by the name of Hooker, constituted the entire population of what is now the village of Waupun. There were but five families in the town of Waupun. A man by the name of White was living on the farm now owned by Mr. Atwood, near Willow Creek. Mr. L. P. Preston then resided where Mr. Gee's house now stands, opposite the old slaughter-house, while Mr. Hawley then owned the farm now owned by Mr. Merriam. Jedediah Amadon had built his cabin on the land now owned by Mr. Ichabod Franklin. A Mr. Gould had built a house on the Corrigan place. The next house on the Fond du Lac road was about three miles beyond the east branch of Rock River, or about eight miles from this place.

" In the town of Chester, Mr. N. J. Newton then owned the farm that now belongs to his heirs, and Mr. Lyman Barrows then lived on the Sumner farm, and there were a few more settlers in that town. With these few exceptions, Waupun and the most of Chester presented to the eye an unbroken scene of timber, prairie, openings and meadow lands, which could be bought for $1.25 per acre.

"The nearest physician was at Fox Lake on the west and Fond du Lac on the east. There was no lawyer to stir up strife and litigation between neighbors. We had but one minister, and he was good, for he taught the people to do as they should. The United States mail was then carried on horseback from Fond du Lac to Portage and back once a week, by Mr. Wilcox. His boy would go to Fond du Lac and get it on Tuesday and back home ; then take it to Portage Wednesday and back Thursday, then take it to Fond du Lac Friday ; and if we got a letter from friends in the East, it would take from ten to fifteen days, and would cost 25 cents, which was no small sum at that time. Esq. Hinkley was then Postmaster.

" Having given you a sketch of the early white settlement, let us turn for a few moments to the aborigines. It was no uncommon sight to see a band of Indians with their squaws, papooses and ponies traveling through the country, or to see their wigwams at their favorite camping grounds, or to hear the tinkle of the bells on their ponies on a still night. On a beautiful elevation on the west side of the east branch of Rock River, about sixty rods north from where Mr. Zoelloner's mill now stands, was the remains of an old French trading-post, known as Scalp Village. A fine spring of pure water issued from the bank and flowed into the river, but is now submerged by the mill-pond. A deep, worn path led from the village to the spring. The ground for some distance around the village was literally covered with bones of deer and other game that had been slain to provide food for the red man. Still further back from the river.

scattered here and there among the rolling burr-oak openings, were a number of Indian graves, each being protected by a miniature log house, or what more resembled the second floor of a pioneer cabin, covered with shakes as the pioneer covers his, the top being about three feet high. But tiie plow and the ax of the white man have swept them all away, and naught is left to mark the spot where the red man sleeps his last sleep. About half a mile west from this village, was the Indian planting-ground, or cornfields, on lands owned by Mr. Dean and Mr. Hillebert. And about three-quarters of a mile southwest, on the lands now owned by Mr. Oleson, was the Indian sugar-bush, or sugar-camp, and from the scars the trees bore, it had evidently been used as such for many a year. From this village an Indian trail ran up the river, crossing at the place where the Fond du Lac road crosses, thence to Fond du Lac. The trails were the Indian roads leading from one trading-post to another, or from one favorite camping-ground to another, and were often worn four or six inches deep. The second trail ran in a northwesterly direction, crossing the river on the rapids above the place known as the Sheldon deep hole, and thence through the grove and near the large oak (that one of our village lawyers in his early practice addressed with great force of eloquence as an imaginary Judge), thence through this village to Fox Lake. The fourth led in a northwesterly direction, near Mr. George Wells' residence, to Green Lake. Near this trail, on lands owned by Mr. Carpenter, on the south bank of what was then a small stream or brook, lay scattered here and there among the tall grass a number of human skeletons ; who they were, or by what means they came to their death, is not known. Probably they fell in battle."

St. Joseph's Romnn CathoUc Church. - The Catholics of Waupun were first attended, as a mission, by Rev. James Roch, from Fox Lake, 1850 to 1853. Then by Rev. R. Dumphy, from Fox Lake, to 1855. Next by Rev. J. Ilaly, from Fox Lake, to 1856. Afterward by Rev. Louis Daily, from Fond du Lac, to 1858 ; followed by Rev. J. Morris, who built the present church in 18G2, and attended it as a mission from Fox Lake, to 1863. Next attended as a mission by Rev. J. Smitli, from Fox Lake, to 1865. Then attended as a mission by Rev. W. Doherty. from Fox Lake, to 1867. Next came Rev. G. T. Willard, first resident Pastor. Father Willard remained uncil 1869 ; added twenty feet to the old church. Then came, as resident Pastor, Rev. M. Ilanna, who left November, 1870. The present Pastor, Rev. J. Smith, has resided here for the last nine years, and built the tower and steeple, making the church 80x30. Father Smith has presented the church with a bell weighing 1,350 pounds. It is now a very nice, convenient church, with a fine pastoral residence, has two lots nicely ornamented with trees and slirubbery, and all paid for. Rev. Joseph Smith, Pastor, is also Catholic Chaplain to the State Penitentiary for the last nine years. The Church numbers fifty-three families.

First Congregational Church. - In July, 1845, a Church of ten members was organized in Waupun, by Rev. Stephen Peet. Of this Church Joel Norton was chosen Deacon, and Barnabas Ilinkley, Clerk.

In September following its organization, the services of Rev. E. S. Peck were secured on alternate Sabbaths for one year. Services were held in the schoolhouse.

It would naturally be expected that those who differ only in their answer to the question whether one is more etfectually rendered " clean every whit," by the symbolical application of water to the whole surface of the body than to a part, while agreeing in their views of church government, and on all doctrinal points, as perfectly as do the Baptists and Congregationalists, would co-opcrato in efforts to advance a common cause ; and we accordingly find these two branches so drawn together that tiie bonds uniting Baptist and Congregationalist almost equal in strength those binding Baptist to Baptist. At times, Congregationalists have joined with Baptists in sustaining a Baptist preacher, and sometimes the reverse.

In 1850, the Congregational society took measures to secure the erection of a house of -worship. A house costing about $1,000 was accordingly built, to which an addition has since been made, not increasing the perfection of its architectural proportions, but increasing its capacity and affording a place of meeting which to those who meet seems homelike.

The pulpit has been occupied for periods of five years or more each by Revs. Mr. Ashman, Mr. Williams and Mr. Darling. The services also of Revs. Mr. Bradford (two years). Mr. Blake (one year), Mr. Benson (two years), and specially of Mr. Marble (two years), will not soon be forgotten.

Believing that " prevention is better than cure ;" that it is better to keep out of the ditch than to wash off its filth ; to start the young in a virtuous course of life, than to reclaim them from a vicious course when fallen, the Congregational Church has given prominence to its Sabbath school. And although other organizations may, perhaps justly, boast of surpassing it in efforts to relieve distress, it is not admitted that it has been surpassed in efforts to prevent distress. The successive Superintendents of the school have been C. C. Bayley, Josiah Drummond. L. B. Hills, Abijah Hubbard, Edwin Judd, Martin Short, Edwin Hillyer and John Bryce.

The number connected with the school at present is about one hundred and twenty-five, not differing very much from the number of members of the Church.

Methodist Episcopal Church. - As Methodism has always been progressive in its nature, and always among the first to plant the standard of Gospel liberty in new countries, there has been no exception to this rule in Waupun, but, to give its history, we must go back to the first settlement of the country, and trace its working, along down to the present time.

As early as the year 1844, a class was foi'med in what was then called the Upper Town, consisting of the family of the Rev. Silas Miller, Eunice Miller, Henry L. Hillyar, Malvina Hillyar, Ezekiel T. Miller and Weston G. Miller (now Dr. Miller), six persons in all. The Doctor says this band consisted of three officers and three pi'ivates ; his father was the local preacher, his brother the class-leader, and he the exhorter ; his mother, sister and sister's husband were the members.

During the same year, the Rev. Samuel Smith, an aged local preacher, and father of the Rev. Charles Smith, settled with his family in Waupun, and held religious services in private dwellings, whenever convenient. Father Smith and fiimily soon identified themselves with the little class, and became efficient laborers in the Lord's vineyard. At the same time, the class was made stro;iger by the addition of Dr. Brooks Bowman and wife. Others were added during the year, including S. J. Mattoon and Mr. and Mrs. S. A. L. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Sexniith, and Mrs. t'. F. Davis, the class now numbering twenty-two members. A building had been erected by the contributions of the people in the village and the country adjacent, for the purpose of a chapel and a schoolhouse, in which regular services were held, botli morning and evening, and the Lord poured out His Spirit upon the people abundantly. The eldest daughter of Dr. Bowman, as the fii'st trophy of grace, was converted. Other conversions followed, and in a short time the number increased to twenty ; among them were W. G. McElroy and wife, and several others who became leading and influential members of the Church in Waupun, many of whom have gone home to reap their reward in heaven ; but the Master has not left himself without others to take their places.

Thus the work went on for some years, growing in interest, as might have been expected under the able administration of such ministers as the Rev. J. S. Prescott, Rev. S. B. Tharp, Rev. William H. Thompson and Rev. William Shraff, until it became evident that schoolhouses and private dwellings would no longer accommodate the people.

During the winter of 1854, it was decided to build a church. A site was secured, the material was provided, and during the next summer, under the administration of the Rev. James Lawson, a building was erected and dedicated to the service of God. A revival soon followed, and the interest increased so that, in a short time, it was found necessary to add a number of feet to the length of the building ; in addition to the audience-room, it is furnished with two large classrooms.

In the year 1858, a parsonage was erected on the lot, within a few feet of the church, and is now furnished with a number of articles that are needed to make a minister and his family comfortable.

In 1877, the Annual Conference was held in this church, presided over by Bishop Peck. Its pulpit has always been supplied by some of the ablest talent in the Conference, such as the Rev. James Lawson, Rev. S. L. Brown, Rev. J. C. Robbins, Rev. Nelson Green, Rev. S. W. Ford, Rev. J. M. Walker, Rev. Wesley Lattin, Rev. D. W. Couch, Rev. E. S. Grumley, Rev. J. T. Woodhead, Rev. J. H. Jenne, Rev. E. D. Farnham and Rev. A. P. Mead, tlie present able and efficient Pastor, who is laboring earnestly for the glory of the Master and the salvation of souls. The Church is out of debt, and peace and harmony reigns within.

Episcopal Church. - Previous to the year 1867, there were no regular services of the Episcopal Church in Waupun, although the Rev. W. C. Armstrong, the Rector of Grace Church at Oakfield. paid several visits, and encouraged the few faithful members to keep together in faith and hope. In the year 1867, the Church was organized, under the name of Trinity Mission, and the Rev. C Thorp, Deacon, commenced regular services on September 1. The first lay officers appointed by the Bishop, were Sam. Chamberlin, Warden ; J. W. Seeley, Treasurer; G. E. Jennings, Clerk. The year 1871 saw the resignation of the Rev. C. Thorp, and the appointment of the Rev. Robert B. Wolseley, on the 23d of June. Up to this time, the services were held in the Disciples' Church, and in halls rented for that purpose; but the faithful ones rallied under the active administration of their new missionary, and, on September 11, 1871, the Bishop laid the corner-stone of Trinity Church. One year from that date, the Rev. R. B. Wolseley accepted a call to a parish in' Tennessee, when the congregation nominated and the Bishop of the Diocese appointed the Rev. William E. Wright, Rector of Trinity, Berlin, Missionary in charge. At the date of writing, the Rev. Mr. Wright is still at the post, ably assisted by the following lay officers: Sam. Chamberlin, Senior Warden; A. F. Morse, Junior Warden; R. W. Wells, Treasurer; D. A. Lowber, Clerk. The Church numbered about eleven communicants in 1867, and, while losing by death and removal very many, has now, in 1880, upward of eighty. One hundred and seventy-six souls have been baptized; ninety -seven received the Apostolic rite of Confirmation; twenty-five couples have been united in the holy bonds of matrimony, and forty persons have been committed to the earth by the Ministers of the Church since its inception.

The First Baptist Church of Waupiui. - This Church was organized September 16, 1845, with a membership of eleven persons. The first business meeting was held February 14, 1846, when Rev. J. Murphy was engaged as Pastor. In 1879, active measures were taken for obtaining the means to build a house of worship. A lot was secured on Main street, and $700 were subscribed. A. K. Starkweather and N. B. Cleveland were elected Deacons of the Church. On the 1st of May, 1879, Rev. W. Look was called to the pastorate, with a salary of .$'250. In the winter of 1851, as the result of revival efforts, thirty-five persons were added to the Church. In the spring of 1853, Rev. G. W. Freeman accepted a call to the pastorate. In May, of this year, the house was dedicated, it being the first church edifice erected in Waupun. Mr. Freeman's successor was Rev. John Williams, a man of sterling worth, who served the Church, as Pastor, for three years. In 1 862, Rev. W. W. Ames, the Chaplain at the State Prison, accepted the pastorate of the Church, in connection with his chaplaincy - remaining for two years. His successor was Rev. H. S. Fish, who remained two years. Rev. J. 0. M. Hewitt served the Church in a pastorate of four years. During this time long-needed improvements were made in the Church property, in which generous assistance was received from the citizens of the place. Rev. A. Whitman was the next Pastor, who also remained four years. Mrs. Whitman was an efficient helper to her husband in his psstoral labors, and a worker in every good cause. During Mr. Whitman's pastorate, the Church suffered an irreparable loss in the death of Deacon Starkweather, a man who possessed the esteem and confidence of the community in an unusual degree, adorning his Christian profession by a godly life and a wellordered conversation. Rev. G. W. Lincoln remained with the Church less than two years, and was immediately followed by Rev. Victor Kutchin, the present Pastor. Mr. Kutchin has the esteem and confidence of the Churcli and community. His pastorate has been marked in an unusual degree by peace and harmony. He has lately received the appointment of Chaplain of the State Prison; but he will still continue to serve the Church, as their Pastor. The present membership of the Church is one hundred. Value of church property, $5,000.

Disciple Church. - One of the first religious societies to obtain an organization in the growing village was the Christian or Disciple society, which was established in 1848. Its first Elder was Noah Wirt, whose untiring zeal and religious fervor was at first its chief support. It was not until 1863 that the society was sufficiently numerous or wealthy to attempt the building of a house of worship. In that year, a commodious and substantial church building was erected, the society, at that time, numbering about ninety members, which has since been reduced, by various causes, to a membership of about forty. The society is entirely free from debt.

Free- Will Baptist Church. - The Free- Will Baptists had a church organization in Waupun as early as 1852, and erected their present building alout the year 1^55, in " Upper Town," on the Fond du Lac County side. Its cost was about $5,000. In 1868, the structure was moved to its present site, corner of Prison and Madison streets, and a comfortable parsonage, near b}', purchased. The first Pastor was Rev. Charles Smith, and the last. Rev. A. G. Brand. At present, the society is without a permanent Pastor.

Waupun A Quarter Of A Century Ago

"Our village," says a writer of 1857, "like other Western settlements, is made up of all kinds of materials, and its society is exceedingly miscellaneous. We have the inquisitive Yankee, pushing forward his new inventions ; the industrious Pennsylvanian, amassing wealth by the aid of his iron sinews ; .the shrewd Irishman, digging out trenches and looking as cheer- -ful as the blue smoke that curls up from his woodland cabin ; the deliberate Englishman, boasting the superiority of his country and its laws ; the canny Scotchman, making his few acres blossom like the rose ; and the ruddy-looking German, singing his songs of ' Faderland ' and hoarding up every little 'shiner' that gets between his fingers. Each has brought along with him his early habits and associations ; his own views of business, laws and religion ; and, as a natural consequence, when brought together on public questions, they are apt to boil up like a mixture of salt and soda.

" There are, in Waupun, no church steeples with bells in, that tolled our great-grandfathers to the tomb ; no long lines of graves, in which are buried the virtues of those ancestors only known from tradition ; there is no gray-headed Pastor, rising up like a sacred statue in the memory ; no aged deacon, with his head resting on the side of the pew and enjoying a brief sleep as he listens to the sermon ; no old sexton, limping away to the burying-ground with his spade upon his shoulder for the purpose of making an unceremonious rattle among the dry bones. No ; Waupun has scarcely any past upon which the historian can dwell. Nature's mighty cathedral still stands, with its lofty dome of sun, moon and stars ; but its oaken pillars are overgrown with the moss of centuries. The great High Priests that worshiped at the altars and burnt incense to the Great Spirit - where ai-e they? The temple still stands, but the worshipers are gone. Here and there, we meet with melancholy fragments of some tribe that has wandered back from its place of exile ; but the mass are buried in yonder mounds, with their weapons of war, crumbling to dust, and their history has died with them.

" Waupun is the center of new associations. It borrows no propelling power from venerated antiquarianism, since the spot where it stands was but yesterday wrapt in solitary grandeur. Some Western settlements are filled up with bankrupts who have fled from Eastern creditors, anxious only to obtain peace of mind and bread enough to eat : they are decayed and tempesttossed vessels, stripped of spars and rigging. Waupun, however, may claim a large exemption from these. Its first settlers were iron-souled and true-hearted men. They came to the banks of the west branch of Rock River determined to cut their way through the wilderness and make unto themselves pleasant homes - and they succeeded. They had a mission, and they nobly performed it. They did their work roughly, yet they did it for all time. There is a sort of romance in their history that fascinates ; there is a kind of rustic simplicity connected with them that is truly poetic. Behind them were the homes they had left, the waterfalls that danced to their childish music, and the hills that echoed back their playful shouts. Before them was the wilderness, dark and gloomy, standing in all its solemnity.

" Look at the little village now," continues the writer, " and see what a contrast it presents. It is set off with beautiful dwellings, cultivated gardens and shaded streets. True to the progressive spirit of the age, its people have devoted tliemselves to the decoration of their homes. There are five dry-grods stores, fifteen grocery stores, three clothing stores, four hotels, three drug stores, five physicians, two lawyers, two hardware and tinning establishments, two gristmills, one planing-mill. one pump-factory, two printing houses, three wagon-shops, several lumber merchants, cabinet-makers, stonemasons and painters. There are two banks - the Waupun and Exchange - two schoolhouses and four churches. A few years ago, produce had to be drawn to Milwaukee, a distance of seventy-five miles, and disposed of for a trifle as compared with present prices. Now the Milwaukee & Horicon Railroad runs through the village. It is already completed to Berlin, a distance of forty-two miles, where it connects with the navigation of the Fox and Wolf Rivers. It is soon to extend to Stevens Point, on the Wisconsin. It was opened to Waupun on the 15th of February, 1856, to Brandon on the loth of October, and to Ripon November 16 of the same year.

" Up to the 1st of January, 1857, the passengers going east were over 13,000 ; going west, over 14,000. The freight east was over Il.OOO tons ; west, over 14,000 tons. There is in Waupun a depot building, a water- station and a turn-table. The wheat shipped from Waupun from February 18, 1856, to January 1, 1857, was 275,692 bushels."

Secret Societies

I. 0. of G. T. - The first Lodge of this Order in Waupun, was instituted September 25, 1858, and was named Waupun Lodge. The first meeting was held at the residence of William Euen, and was calkd to order by G. W. C. T. Dr. T. J. Patchen, of Fond du Lac. Mr. P. B. Moore, of Brandon Lodge, No. 81, was chosen Recording Secretary pro tem. The following charter members were then instructed in the work of the Order : William Euen, Mrs. C. M. Euen, Miss M. A. Baldwin, Mr. J. H. Barker, Mr. C. H. Whitney. Mr. G. G. B. McGraw. Mr. E. Y. Ridout, Mr. S. Grifiith, Rev. R. W. Bryant, William Ware and Eli Hooker.

The Lodge then proceeded to the election of the following officers for the quarter ending October 31, 1858: W. C. T., William Euen; W. V. T., Caroline M. Euen; W. K. S., Charles H. Whitney ; Assistant W. R. S., Susan Moore ; W. F. S., John H. Barker ; W. Treas., Melissa A. Baldwin ; W. Marshal, Byron McGraw ; Dept. Marshal, Edith Bunce ; W. I. G., Ezra T. Ridout : W. 0. G., Seth Griffith; W. Chap., Rev. R. W. Bryant; R. H. S., Mary A. Jarvis ; L. H. S. Ellen M. Grandy ; P. W. C. T.. B. B. Baldwin.

After the.eleetion of officers, the Lodge adjourned to meet Monday evening, September 27, at the Odd Fellows' Hall, Main street, just west from the railroad. November 1, the name of the Lodge was changed to Prison City, No. 96. February 1, 1859, some difficulty having occurred, a portion of the membership withdrew, and with the consent of the Lodge, formed a new one, Welcome Lodge, No. 112. During the following summer, both Lodges were very prosperous, working harmoniously together. The membership of the two societies was about three hundred. Prison City having a majority.

April 23, 1860, Prison City moved into a hall, owned by Plielps Moore, on Fond du Lac street, just north from Main. It continued to flourish until the breaking-out of the rebellion, April, 1861, when quite a number of the members enlisted in defense of their country. At first, all other interests seemed absorbed in the peril that threatened the nation, and the Lodge suff"ered in consequence. During the war, thirty, at least, of its members entered the army, and several enlisted from Welcome Lodge. Some o: these soldiers returned to take their places in the LoJge - some came home sick and maimed, while others were killed in battle or died in Southern prisons - but whatever tlieir fate, their memories are cherished as brave defenders of the " old flag."

April 23, 1862, Prison City again occupied Odd Fellows' Hall. Somewhere between April and November of this year. Welcome Lodge surrendered its charter. May 13, 1863, Prison City moved into a hall on Main street, in the Amadon Block, now owned by J. W. Seely. On the following Fourth of July, the members were assigned a place in the procession which celebrated the day, and marched to " Sumner's Grove," making quite a creditable display. At the conclusion of the exercises in the grove, the Good Templars held a picnic, in which many of their outside friends participated.

Sometime between September 1 and November 1, 1865, the Lodge moved into what was then known as Dodge's Hall, over the insurance office of Edwin Hillyer ; the lower part of the building was then occupied as a dry-goods store by L. B. Dodge - now occupied by Silber Brothers. The name of the hall was changed to Temperance Hall. It was occupied until March 12, 1878, when the Lodge rented a hall in Rank's Block, Main street. November 11, 1879, the Lodge negotiated with John S. Gee for the purchase of the old hall on Fond du Lac street, occupied by it from .April 23, 1860, till April 23, 1862, and where it remains at this date, January 9, 1880. The hall has been considerably renovated, and tastily fitted up, and it is expected that still further improvements will be made during the year. The Lodge now numbers about ninety, and is in good working order. Its officers, at present, are : Lodge Deputy, Rufus H. Oliver: W. C. T., William T. King ; W. V. T., Nellie A. Blodgett ; W. R. S. and Treas., M. Em. Rounseville ; Assistant Sec, Merton R. Wilber; W. F. S., Lawson J. Tompkins; W. Chap., Mary H. Heath ; VV. Marshal, Herbert F. Gillman ; Dept. Marshal, Alvira Cornell ; W. I. G., Stena Otten ; W. 0. G., Luman J. Pryor; R. H. S., Ada M. Thompson ; L. H. S., Florence Sheldon ; P. W. C. T., Lewis J. Althouse.

Prison City Lodge, like all kindred societies, has had its successes and its reverses. It would be neai'ly impossible to estimate the number who have been connected with it during its existence - suffice it to say, that comparatively few of the inhabitants of Waupun have not, at one time or another, been numbered among its membership. Its record will compare favorably with that of its sister societies ; the Grand Secretary considers it one of the best in Wisconsin. It is proud of its career, proud of its military history, and proud of the numbers it has educated and sent out to labor in the "harvest fields of temperance," and it proposes to exist and to work, as long as there is a call for its existence and a demand for its services.

In June, 1876, occurred one of the greatest temperance revivals ever known in Waupun or vicinity, during which 100 members were admitted to the Temple in the week beginning June 16. In the following July, the Lodge reached the height of its strength in point of numbers, containing at that time 275 members in good standing. The present officers are : J. S. Gee, W. C. T.; L. C. Owen, W. V. T.; R. H. Oliver, W. R.; W. T. King, W. F. R.; 0. F. Stoppenbach, P. W. C. T.

A. 0. U. W. - The Order of the Ancient Order of United Workmen is purely benevolent. It was brought into existence to promote mutual benefit to its members in sickness or trouble, as an insurance to their heirs after death. Each member is assessed $1 at the death of any member within the jurisdiction. The Lodge at Waupun was instituted February 3, 1879, and consisted of the following charter members, who were also the first officers : W. W. Houghton,

The present officers are: H. W. Frost and W. W. Houghton, P. M. W.; J. C. Wilms, xM. W.; R.L.Oliver, Recorder; C. Johnson, G. F.; John Fieldstad, Overseer ; Herman Hanisch, Guide ; Richard GofF, Financier; J. R. Viall, Receiver; August Pobuns, I. W.; W. C. Peterson, 0. W. The Lodge meets every Monday evening, at Odd Fellows' Hall. W. W. Houghton was Representative to the Grand Lodge for 1879, and H. W. Frost for 1880. The present Medical Examiner is Dr. J. N. O'Brien. The Lodge now has twenty-three members.

TeJulah Lodgi>, No. 3S, I. 0. 0. F. - -This Lodge was instituted at Waupun by Deputy Grand Master Lowther, December 25, 1848, with the following named persons as charter members: Isaac Valentine, L. B. Hills, George Howe, W. S. Post and J. Dickenson. It occupied rented rooms until 1852, when a joint-stock company was formed among the members, and an Odd Fellows' Hall was built, at a cost of about $600, which the Lodge continued to occupy for Lodge purposes until 1871, when the old hall was disposed of and a new one was erected as a permanent home for the Order in the city of Waupun. The property is valued at $5,000. The Lodge is and has been in a prosperous condition.

Waupun Lodge, No. 4-8, A. F. tf" A. M. - At some time during the last end of the year 1852, D. L. D. Fluntington, L. B. Dodge, Milo Sikes, Andrews Burnham, Sr., Jeremiah Look, George T. Wood, C. B. Carrington, Joseph Bardwell and Chaides Spoor conceived the idea of instituting a Masonic Lodge at Waupun, and for that purpose petitioned the Grand Master of the State for dispensation. On the 20th day of April, 1853, Hon. H. L. Palmer, then Grand Master, granted the petition, appointing D. L. D. Huntington to be the first Master, L. B. Dodge the first Senior Warden and Milo Sikes the first Junior Warden. August 12, 1853, the Lodge was organized under dispensation with the above named brethren as Master and Wardens. June 20, 1854, the Grand Lodge granted a charter for a Masonic Lodge, to be located at Waupun, to be known as Waupun Lodge, No. 48, appointing C. B. Carrington Master, .Joseph Bardwell Senior Warden, and L. B. Dodge Junior Warden. The charter so granted was signed by Henry W. Billings, Deputy Grand Master, attested by William R. Smith, Grand Secretary, under the seal of the Grand Lodge. The first election for all of the elective officers of the Lodge was held June 1, 1855, when C. B. Carrington was elected Master. Since which time the following named brethren have been elected and served as Masters : Cromwell Laithe, William E. Howard, Ira Hill, Robert Cosgrove, W. H. Taylor, C. W. Henning. M. C. Short, S. J. Sumner, G. W. Stanton, C. S. Gillman, John J. Roberts and F. S. Keech. The Lodge now has an active membership of ninety-two. She has been and now is free from debt.

Waupun Pioneers

" Many of the old pioneers and our former associates are gone from our circle, some to other fields of toil, and others, whose prospects were as bright for a long and happy life as any of us now living, have received their discharge ; their work is done ; they have been called from labor to rest ; and if, while mingling with the busy crowd, we sometimes remember them, let it be with kindness. We see many of the old veterans still with us, whose whitened locks and wrinkled brows tell us that their little bark has been tossed on the billows of life's ocean for many long years ; and that they were ever at their posts, fearless of the cold of winter or the heat of summer, needs no other proof. These are some of the men who left their Eastern homes to assume a life of toil and danger incident to settling in a new country, so that they might provide for themselves and their children homes of independence and freedom, and, though sometimes meeting with trials and disappointments, yet most nobly have they done their work, and why ? Because they were men of strong minds and determined wills to accomplish, as far as possible, whatever they undertook to do.

" They were not of that stripe of men who hang around the corners all day whittling drygoods boxes and never have courage enough to get away from the end of their mother's apron strings ; but men and women who pitched their nightly tents on the broad prairie or under the spreading oaks, night after night, until they found a resting-place in Waupun and the country around it, where they have labored to build up and improve the place of tlieir choice and make it what it is to-day, the pride of its people ; men who have stood by it in clouds and sunshine watching with interest its slow but sure growth, ever firm in the belief that there was before it a bright prospect of future usefulness and prosperity."

The Waupun Pump and Windmill Works. - Like many another institution, the Waupun Pump and Windmill Works had their origin in the day of small things. In 1852, when Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties were only thinly settled with new-comers, Milo J. Althouse, then a young man just starting to make his way in the world, with no resources but his own hands and his energetic will, made his first essay in the pump manufacture - a single pump planed, bored, fitted with handle, spout and bucket, and finished by his own hands, and by his own hands then set in a well. Returning from this completed job, he commenced another, to be finished and carried to the customer before a third was entered upon. By these slow steps was first put in motion a business which has since reached across the continent, finding its principal market in a dozen States. Endeavoring always to make his work excel, Mr. Althouse soon found his business and his reputation so growing as to warrant the opening of a shop and the purchase of improved tools. In 1859, he left the little shop, on a farm where he had worked alone, and opened a shop in the village of Waupun. From working by hand he advanced to horse-power for running the augers, and gradually augmented the force as the demand for his work increased. In 1861, Mr. Althouse introduced steam-power, and again enlarged his shop to meet the growing business. He still carefully maintained the quality of his work, and his stamp was a synonym for the best on all work in his line. Every stick of timber used was carefully inspected, and every piece of leather for packing was selected from the best part of first quality sides, all else being rejected and sold for scraps. The same careful selection of material has been continued throughout.

In those days, the wind sweeping overhead was undreamed of as a motive power, or at least not dreamed of in any practical way as a power applicable to the ordinary work of a farmer ; but. about 1860, the first windmills, with partially self-regulating devices, were introduced in the Northwest. Their progress was slow for years ; the devices themselves were imperfect. Those who now find such a machine a necessity were not then educated to the knowledge of the benefits to be derived from its use ; and the large stock and dairy interests of Wisconsin, which now more than ever before make this machine necessary, were then comparatively in infancy. But, ten years ago, Mr. Althouse foresaw the growing future of this power, and its intimate connection with the pump business, and made arrangements for manufacturing one of the best windmills then invented. In 1873, Messrs. George and Albert Raymond having their attention called to the matter, commenced experimenting with wind-engines, and, in February, 1874, in connection with Mr. Althouse, patented the Althouse & Raymond Windmill, which, with some later modifications, is now known through Wisconsin and the Northwest as the " Althouse Vaneless Windmill," and enjoys the reputation of being the most perfect self-regulating wind-engine yet invented. In the following spring, Hon. George F. Wheeler and L. D. Hinkley became associated with Mr. Althouse, under the firm name of Althouse, Wheeler & Co. Since that time, the business has been carried on by the firm, and their trade has extended from Mnssachusetts to California, and from Canada to Florida and Texas, within the Union, and still further on the west, has reached the Australian fields, and, in the Far East, the winds which ripple the old Euphrates propel the sails of their engines.

Nearly sixty thousand pumps, made in this establishment, are in use in the Northwest ; and nearly three thousand wind-engines bearing their stamp are pumping, churning and grinding.

The pumps made are mostly wooden pumps, of all sizes, from a cistern pump of two inches bore to a mammoth of six inches. The special feature of these pumps, introduced by Mr. Althouse, and distinguishing them from the old wooden pumps, is the making of a detachable hard-maple cylinder in which the bucket works. This simple improvement adds immensely to the durability and ease of working of the pump. Of course, thegi'eaterpart of the windmills made are of the smaller sizes, the most common size for farm use being the ten-foot wlieel. They manufacture pumping windmills of eight feet, ten feet, twelve feet, fourteen feet, si.xteen feet and twenty-five feet in diameter, and also make geared mills for driving machinery. These are mostly made in sizes of sixteen feet and. twenty-five feet. In prosperous times, the business of the establishment has been $10,000 per month, with a pay-roll of $3,000 per month, distributed among about fifty men. Like all other business, this has felt the depression of the last three years, in reduced production and sales, and continues its work on a somewhat narrowed scale, awaiting the " good time coming " which shall justify more active efforts.

This is one of the institutions which has contributed, in no small degree, to give Waupun a steady and solid prosperity when other places have stagnated after premature expansion.

31. K. DahYs Ploiv- Factory. - One of the oldest manufacturing establishments in Waupun is Dahl's Plow-Factory, on the Dodge County side of Washington street. Upper Town. The first building, now occupied by Mr. Dahl, was erected in 1S46 or 1847, by Bly &, Ely, and had been occupied as a plow-factory since about 1850. Mr. Dahl manufactures plows, land rollers, sulky plows, harrows, cultivators and other farming utensils, in which he has built up a large business.

F. F. Zimmerman'' s Wagon Factory. - In 1865, Mr. Zimmerman began the business of wagon making and repairing, on the Fond du Lac County side of Washington Street, in Upper Town, in a building formerly occupied in the country as a schoolhouse. He manufactures wagons, carriages and cutters, giving employment to from ten to sixteen men. He now has three large buildings, and carries on an extensive and constantly increasing business.

Morse if' Morris Carriage Factory. - In 1876, 0. A. Morse, Jr., erected, ou the corner of Franklin and Drummond streets, three commodious buildings for a carriage factory. In 1877, Mr. Morris purcliased an interest in the factory, which gives employment to nine men in the manufacture, exclusively, of carriages, phaetons, buggies and cutters.

Thomas Stoddarfs Organ Manufactory. - Thomas Stoddart brought his knowledge of organ-building from Scotland, and about 1860, after retiring from the post office and other active business, began the manufacture, in a shop near his residence on Prison street, of pipe and reed organs. He lias patent " coupbos " and resonance boxes, as well as a patent bellows or air pump, and makes all with his own hands the softest-toned instruments extant. He does not manufacture "for the trade." but for musical people only. He has built over fifty instruments, one of which is a "barrel organ," eight feet high. This is an organ which plays by machiner3^ Mr. Stoddart is one of the only three men in America, who can make a "music barrel," which will play the simplest or most difficult music. The one mentioned plays from Handel, John Sebastian Bach and other distinguished composers.

Tlie Waupun Stone Milh. - The first ffouring-mill built in the vicinity of Waupun, was erected in 1846, by Forest & Smith, at the foot of Mill street, on the Rock River, in the North Ward of Waupun. The lumber for it was sawed the year previous, by the same parties who had a saw-mill near by. In 1848, the mill burned, having caught fire from lumber spread over the engine to dry. In the fall of the same year, the present stone mill was begun and finished for business in the early spring of 1849. It is four stories in height, and equipped with both water and steam power, and is the oldest mill in the vicinity. It has three runs of stones, with a capacity -of one hundred barrels of flour per day. The mill is now owned by T. W. Markle and W. W. Harris, Mr. Markle having owned an interest in it since 1857.

Clisby's Steam Mill. - In 1876, Lorenzo Clisby erected a large steam flouring-mill, near the track of the C, M. k St. Paul Railway, on the Fond du Lac County side of Waupun. It is equipped in modern style, with all the latest improved machinery. It has five runs of stones, with a capacity of 125 barrels per day. It does both custom and job work.

The Waupun Bank. - The first bank of issue, or real banking institution of any sort in Waupun, was the Waupun Bank, wliicli opened for business in 1856, with L. B. Hills as Cashier. Owing to hard times, it suspended in September, 1857, and its business passed into the hands of its creditors. John N. Ackerraan was chosen President, and L. B. Hills, Cashier, and the bank resumed operations again in November of the same year. It continued in business until about January, 1859, when it suspended, never to be revived. On searching the safe after the second suspension a pack of cards and two dollars in counterfeit money were found. There were no losses to speak of occasioned by the failure of this bank.

The Corn Exchange Bank. - In 1857, William Ilobkirk was the means of securing a charter, and starting the Corn Exchange Bank, in a stone building on the south side of Main street, erected by him for that purpose. It was organized under the State law as a bank of issue. Andrew Proudfit was President, and William Hobkirk, Cashier. When State Banks were compelled to withdraw their circulation, by high taxes purposely imposed, the Corn Exchange continued on in the general banking business. On the 6th of August, 1875, the bank having been some time without any officer but a cashier, Mr. Hobkirk closed its doors and made a trip to South America. The heaviest loser was Mrs. Margaret Drummond, who had about $60,000 intrusted to the bank. Several years after the failure Mr. Hobkirk returned and settled a portion of the bank's indebtedness, but never opened it for business.

The Citizens' Bank. - After the failure of the Corn Exchange Bank, in 1875, the village of Waupun had no bank until early in 1876 when Almon Atwood, of the town of Waupun, started the Citizens' Bank in the old Corn Exchange building. Almon Atwood was President, and A. Robinson, Cashier. The enterprise not proving satisfiictory to its projector, business was discontinued, and the bank closed in February, 1877.

George Jess ^ Company's Bank. - In the summer of 1876, George Jess and David Metcalf began the erection of the handsome two-story brick and stone block on the corner of Main and Prison streets for a bank, and, in the fell, opened for business, under the name of George Jess & Company, with a paid-up capital of $50,000. The firm has a commodious and wellappointed office, and does a general banking business, such as buying and selling inland and foreign exchange, receiving demand deposits without interest, selling letters of credit and selling ocean steamship passages. It is a private bank, having no charter.

Waupun Library Association

In 1858, the following petition circulated in the village of Waupun : " We, the undersigned, agree to pay the sum of $3 yearly, until we withdraw from the society, for the purpose of establishing a Library Association in the village of Waupun, the same to be governed by laws adopted by its members. Books shall be received for the first year's subscription, if said books shall be approved by a committee to be chosen. Said subscriptions shall be paid as soon as the society is organized."

Village of Waupun, |" ' Whereas, an application has been made to me by five proprietors of the Waupun Library Association, requesting one of their number to be authorized to call a meeting of the proprietors thereof, for the purpose of making a permanent organization of said Association, as provided in Chapter 49 of the Revised Statutes of said .State. It is therefore ordered that Edwin Hillyer be and is hereby authorized to call said meeting, to be convened at Dodge's Hall, on the 16th of February, 1858, at 7 o'clock in the evening, and that he give due notice of said meeting. ^ draft a Constitution. They performed the task, and tlie Constitution was adopted the same night. The election for permanent officers resulted as follows :

President, H. L. Butterfield ; Treasurer, George W. Bly ; Collector, William Euen ; Clerk and Librarian, Edwin Hillyer. Directors - C. S. Kneeland, David Ferguson, A. H. Rounsville, George Wirt, Geo. Babcock, M. Leary and Charles Smith. Book Committee - L. B. Hills, Jesse Hooker, R. W. Wells. John Ware. George E. Jennings. The latter committee began at once to receive books from inembersand purchase others with the funds obtained for fees and dues. The library was opened in Edwin Hillyer's office : and when he moved to Thomas Stoddart's stone block, corner of Prison and Washington streets, the library was also moved there, where it has since remained. During several years, Mr. Hillyer served as Librarian and gave the use of a large room in his office free of charge. Latterly, a nominal rent has been paid, and the Librarian is now paid $30 per annum for his services. The librarv contains nearly three thousand volumes of choice books, which may be used by any person not a member of the Association by complying with the rules and by-laws, and paying ten cents per volume. On every Saturday evening the library-room is open, and has always been well patronized. Its financial condition is sound, and new books are constantly added. Since the first year the officers have been as follows :

1862, 1863 and 1864 - President, A. H. Rounsville ; Clerk, W. W. Houghton ; Librarian, E. Hillyer ; Treasurer, G. W. Bly ; Collector, George E. Jennings.

1867 and 1868 - President, Charles Jones : Vice President, W. H. Taylor ; Clerk and Librarian, E. Hillyer; Treasurer, A. H. Rounsville; Collector, G. E. Jennings.

On the 8th day of Februai-y, 1875, many citizens of Waupun and vicinity, who had long been residents of the State, met together for the purpose of organizing an Old Settlers' Club. A Club was formed and a committee appointed to draft rules for its government. A resolution was also adopted, that all citizens of Waupun and vicinity, who had been twenty-five years resident of the State, should be entitled to membership. The meeting adjourned to February 15, 1875, for the purpose of perfecting a permanent organization.

On the last mentioned day, rules for the government of the Club were presented and adopted. The Club permanently organized by the election of James McElroy, President; John

Bryce, Treasurer, and W. H. Taylor, Secretary. A resolution was adopted that the Old Settlers' Club hold their first meeting March 2, 1875 ; that a picnic dinner be furnished, and that members of the Club only participate.

Before the meeting, appointed for March 2, 1875, convened, the following named residents of Wisconsin became members, giving the date of their entrance into the State :

These only comprise those who settled in the State previous to the year 1850, yet all who came in that year, were admitted to participation, together with their families.

On the 2d of March, 1875, pursuant to notice and invitations, the old settlers met in Waupun. A large company was present. An old-fashioned dinner of pork, beans and brown bread was served in abundance. Men and women partook of it with a relish. Old times and old scenes were talked over. The evening was spent in social enjoyment. All were pleased with the first Old Settlers' Club meeting.

On the 25th of November, 1875, the Executive Committee of the Club appointed December 4, 1875, as the time for the election of officers. On the day last named, James McElroy was re-elected President ; John Bryce, Treasurer, and W. H. Taylor, Secretary. A resolution was then adopted, that the Club hold their annual meeting on December 21, 1875. Accordingly, on that day, the second annual meeting of the Club was held in Waupun. It was a success. The banquet was enjoyed by about 650 old settlers and their guests. The evening was spent in social intercourse, music and literary entertainments. This meeting, though held in 1875, was really the meeting for 1876.

Owing to the inclement season of 1877, and other reasons, no annual meeting was held. The Executive Committee having previously called a meeting, for the election of olBcers, on the

6th day of February, 1878, all of the past officers were re-elected. A resolution was adopted that the Club hold their annual meeting for 1878 on February 15, and that all who had been residents of Waupun or vicinity for twenty years, be entitled to membership. On the day last named, the Club held their third annual meeting. The gathering was large. Old men and women, with their families, met and exchanged congratulations. A banquet was served, and many partook of the repast. The afternoon and evening was spent, by those present, in pleasant intercourse. All were pleased and all voted the meeting a success.

At this time, it was determined that the Club should not hold its annual meetings in the winter ; that the next one should be held in the open air. Consequently, on the 1.5th of June, 1879, the fourth annual meeting of the Club was held in a grove one mile from the city, invitations to all old settlers having been extended. The novelty of an out-door meeting, the season of the year, and the pleasure of meeting old friends and faces, brought out a large assembly. A long table had been prepared and was spread, loaded with the good things of life, generously furnished by the old settlers. It was estimated that at least 1,200 partook of the ample bounty. Tills meetins: was a success, and will be remembered by all present with pleasure. The day was beautiful, and was enlivened by music and addresses.

Wisconsin State Prison

This institution was located in the village of Waupun during the year 1851, and opened for the reception of convicts in the spring of 1852. By a law enacted in 1851, Messrs. John Bullen, John Taylor and A. W. Worth were appointed Commissioners to determine the best point in the State for the location of a State Prison. They examined different points, and, on July 4, 1851, a majority of the Commissioners (Bullen and Taylor) decided to locate at Waupun, Mr. Worth dissenting in favor of Madison.

On July 21, 1851, a contract was made with J. K. Smith for the construction of a main, upright part of a temporary prison for $4,600, the dimensions of which were 26x80 feet, three stories high, of wood, above a stone basement. The Commissioners estimated the sum necessary to continue the erection of the prison and pay indebtedness at $25,000, and also recommended the purchase of an additional twenty acres of land, for the sum of .$800, which recommendation, however, does not appear to have been acted upon.

John Taylor, of Waupun, was, March 28, 1852, appointed Commissioner by the Legislature, but was removed by Gov. Farwell before taking possession of the office, and Henry Brown, of Fond du Lac, appointed in his place, who took charge of the prison April 2, 1852.

On July 12, 1853, the Legislature directed the Commissioner to let the contract for the mason work of the south wing of the prison, and, in December following, Andrew Proudfit contracted to complete the work by December, 1854, for the sum of $12,624; it was ready for the accommodation of prisoners in January following.

By an act of the Legislature, the management of the State Prison was placed in the hands of a Commissioner, who was elected by tlie people at the general election in November, 1853, to hold his office for two years, from January 1 next succeeding the election. He appointed one person to perform the duties of Deputy and Clerk, and also appointed all other officers. The prison building, at this time, only contained sixty-seven cells ; number in confinement, sixty-one.

The Commissioner, from January 1, 1854, to December 31, 1855, was A. W. Starks. of Baraboo. In accordance with a law passed by the Legislature the Commissioner, during the year 1855, let the convict labor as follows:

To Mensink & Boland, for the labor of convicts in shoe-shop, for one year, at 60 cents per day, and 25 cents for apprentices for the first six months.

E. McGarry, of Milwaukee, was the Commissioner from January 1, 1856, to December, 1857 ; John Lowth, Deputy. An appropriation of $10,000 liad been made by the Legislature for the construction of the main or center building, but there being no money in the treasury, the ury, the Commissioner had to negotiate for the purchase of material on credit and keep the convicts employed. He also recommended the building of a stronger wall around the prison yard, as the board fence had become much decayed and afforded poor protection against escapes.

Gov. Bashford, in his message, recommended the leasing of the labor of convicts, providing, that they should be fed, clothed and furnished with the, usual necessaries of life bv the conti-actors, who also should pay all expenses of guarding the prison, and allow the State a reasonable compensation for the services of the convicts.

On account of the convening of the Legislature each year early in January, it was impossible to complete the annual report for the preceding year before the meeting of that body. The time for making the annual report was therefore changed to October 1.

The Legislature also passed a law giving the Commissioner the authority to diminish the term of any convict, sentenced for a specific term, against whom no infraction of the rules had been reported, not more than five days in each month.

The foundation for nearly all the front wall was laid during the year 1861, also iron-work for front wall received, each panel weighing about 800 pounds. The prison report states that the prison continued to turn out shoes for the soldiers.

Hans C. Heg was re-nominated by the Republican State Convention, for the office of Commissioner, but afterward declined, and Alex. P. Hodges, of Oshkosh, nominated in his place, and elected ; he held the ofiice for the next two years, with Martin Mitchell as Deputy and Henry Cordier, Clerk. Seven hundred and eighty prisoners were received to September 30, 1862, of whom 116 remained in prison at that time.

The next Commissioner was Henry Cordier, of Waupun (formerly of Oshkosh), who held the office for three terms, from January, 1864 to December, 1869. John Wingender, Clerk; N. H. Palmer, Deputy.

The joint committee of the Legislature on State affiiirs, having recommended the construction of a sewer from the prison yard to Rock River, a distance of 2,800 feet, the Legislature appropriated the sum of $2,500 for that purpose, and work was commenced during the spring of 1864, and finished next year.

A number of convicts were let to the Green Bay Stave Company, for making barrels for a term of one year. The contract did not prove profitable, and was not renewed.

Number of prisoners confined September 30, 1865, was 90, being a decrease of 23 since the year previous; total received up to that time, 1,011.

Four thousand dollars were appropriated by the Legislature in 1866, for steam-power, and a contract was made with Kiner & Co., of Fond du Lac, for an engine of sufficient capacity to be used in the cabinet shop.

The prison buildings at this time consisted of main building (used as Commissioner's residence, office, officers' rooms, chapel and hospital), cell-room, female prison, workshops, washhouse, barn and stable and woodshed. The prison proper, or cellroom, is 200 feet long, 50 feet wide and 50 feet high ; built of dressed limestone ; ten windows on each side, each being

16x5 feet. In the middle part of this room is a stone block containing the cells, four tiers, 280 cells in all, which are 7 feet long, 4J feet wide and 8 feet high ; the north cellroom to be a fac-simile of the south cellroom.

The manufacture of chairs was, during the year 1868, inaugurated at the prison ; a considerable number of the prisoners were employed in quarrying and cutting stone. The prisoners' dress was changed from the striped dress heretofore worn, to one uniform color - light gray - the former being used dnly as a means of punishment, but has since been entirely abandoned.

On January 1, 1870, George F. Wheeler, of Fond du Lac, assumed the management of the prison, having been elected Commissioner; he appointed C. S. Kelsey. of Montello, Deputy; D. B. Parkhurst, of Berlin, Clerk; Dr. H. L. Butterfield, Prison Physician.

The workshops were, on the 2d day of May, 1870, destroyed by fire; also about 300,000 feet of lumber, considerable cord-wood and other property. The shops were immediately rebuilt, and ready about January 1, 1871. They are now 375 feet long, 51 feet wide, two stories high, with engine-house attached, two dry-houses and brick smoke-stack, 110 feet high.

During the next year, Mr. Kelsey resigned his position as Deputy Warden, and was succeeded by B, H. Bettis ; L. D. Hinkley was appointed Clerk, in place of D. B. Parkhurst, resigned. Mr. George F. Wheeler was re-elected Commissioner, and held the office until December, 1873.

The Legislature, during the session of 1873, passed a law, changing the management of the prison, which law went into effect in January, 1874. Three Directors were appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to hold their office for two, four and six years, and thereafter all appointments to be for six years. In place of the Commissioner, heretofore elected by the people at the general election, the Directors appointed a Warden, who has charge and custody of the prison, also appointed the Clerk, both to hold their office for a term of three years. The Warden appointed all other officers, subject to the approval of the Directors.

The Governor of the State appointed as the first Board of Directors, ex-Gov. Nelson Dewey, of Grant County, for six years ; W. E. Smith, of Milwaukee, for four years; Joel Rich, of Dodge County, for two years. They met at the prison February 12, 1874, and appointed George F. AVheeler, the former Commissioner, as Acting Warden, and L. D. Hinkley, Acting Clerk.

On April 1, 1874, H. N. Smith, of Sheboygan County, was appointed Warden, and Jacob Fuss, of Brown County, Clerk, for a term of three years from January 1, 1874. The Warden appointed S. D. Hubbard, Deputy; Dr. H. L. Butterfield, Prison Physician; Rev. E. Tasker, Chaplain; G. J. Heiderman, Superintendent of Shops.

During the first year of the new administration, arrangements were made with the C, M. & St. P. R. R. to run a side track into the prison yard, for which purpose four and one-half acres of land lying between the railroad track and the prison grounds had to be bought. The manufacture of wagons was also introduced, employing from twenty-five to thirty convicts.

S. D. Hubbard resigned his position as Deputy Warden September 30, 1874, and was succeeded by V. B. Knowles, who remained until April 30, 1875, when he resigned, and Joel Rich, one of the Directors, acted as Deputy until January 1, 1876, when his term of office as Director expired, and he was appointed Deputy.

The Lejrislatui'e havino; authorzed the leasing of the labor of convicts, the Warden advertised for proposals for the labor of from fifty to seventy-five men, but no bids were received.

On the morning of Februai-y 1, the engine-house was burned, also about 20,000 feet of lumber, and the engine. The house was immediately rebuilt, making it a one-story building, with fire-proof roof. The engine was also repaired, and two new tubular boilers put in in place of the old flue boilers worn out.

An experiment was made by employing a number of convicts in the manufacture of brooms, which, however, did not prove satisfactory, and was therefore abandoned.

The convict labor was leased to M. D. Wells & Co., of Chicago, for the manufacture of boots and shoes, for five years from January 1, 1878, at the rate of 40 cents per day, nine and three-fourths hours to be a day's work. All other manufacture on the part of the State was therefore discontinued after January 1, except that a few men were kept in the wagon-shop, where it was intended to work up the old material on hand.

H. M. Kutchin, of Fond du Lac, was, in .January, 1878, appointed one of the Directors in place of Wm. E. Smith, whose term had expired, and who had been elected Governor of the State.

Alexander White, of Fond du Lac, was, April 10, of the same year, appointed Deputy Warden in place of Joel Rich, resigned. The continued increase of the number of prisoners seemed to make it necessary to complete the north cellroom, which was done during the summer following at an expense of about ^8,000.

From the Directors' and Warden's report for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1879, the following statistics are gathered : Total number of prisoners received to that time, 2,730 ; total number confined, 309, of which 225 were employed under contract. Age of those confined, 21 under twenty years ; 47 from twenty to thirty ; 65 from thirty to forty ; 56 from forty to sixty ; 20 over sixty. The total number of life prisoners received were : Murder, 54 ; murder, first degree, 29 ; murder, second degree, 11 ; rape, 2 ; desertion, 1 - total, 97. Discharged on Governor's pardon, 31 ; on order of courts, 8 ; on order of Secretary of War, 1 ; removal to Insane Asylum, 3; died, 6 - total, 49 ; leaving in prison, September 30, 1879, 48. Longest time served, 17 years ; shortest, 2 years and 9 months.

The total amount of appropriations received from the State since the organization of the prison is $1,993,481.23, or an average of $41,240 a year to September 30, 1877. Owing to the large amount of manufactured goods, material and bills receivable on hand when the convict labor was contracted to Wells & Co., no appropriation was asked for and received, for the two years from October 1, 1877, to September 30, 1879, and none asked for the year ending September 30, 1880, the last annual report showing all bills paid, with cash on hand $11,090.

George W. Carter, of Fond du Lac, was, January 1, 1880, appointed Warden in place of H. N. Smith, whose term of office expired on that day. Jacob Fuss was re-appointed Clerk, Alexander White continued as Deputy Warden; Rev. Victor Kutchin, Chaplain; Drs. H. L. Butterfield and D. W. Moore, Prison Physicians ; Henry Brooks, Turnkey.

Waupun A Dozen Years Ago

" Waupun, a village containing something over 3,000 inhabitants," says a writer in 1868, "is situated on the Horicon Branch of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. The village lies in the counties of Fond du Lac and Dodge, Main street being the county line. The distance ro m Milwaukee is about sixty miles; from Green Bay, eighty-five miles; from La Crosse, one hundred and fifty miles, and from Madison fifty miles. There are direct railroad communications with all of these places. Chester, a small station on the C. & N-W. Railway, is situated about two and one-half miles east of the village. The ready commuuication thus afforded with Milwaukee, Chicago and Green Bay, renders this a better place of market than most inland towns. One great essential to the rapid growth of a place - a good water-power - is wanting here; and Waupun has been obliged to depend mainly upon the agricultural wealth of the surrounding country, and the enterprise and energy of the early settlers, for its advancement.

" The first white settlers in this locality came here between the years of 1839 and 1841. One of the first buildings, if not the first erected here, was a tavern put up by Mr. Seymour Wilcox. Soon after him, Nathan Newton, John N. Ackerman, Nathaniel Dodge and William

McElroy made settlements here. Since that time, Waupun has grown slowly but steadily, and the wilderness has been converted into rich and well-cultivated farms. In the 'early days' of the settlement, Seymour Wilcox owned nearly all of the land where Waupun now stands. Gen. Winfield Scott, the hero of many a well-fought battle with our country's foes, once stopped over nio'ht at Mr. Wilco.x's tavern. Before the railroad was laid through this place, most of the farmers carried their produce to Milwaukee with ox teams and heavy lumber wagons, the trip there and back taking about five days at shortest.

"I know of no more accurate criterions by which to judge a place than its churches, schools, press and saloons.' At the last village election the temperance ticket was chosen, and there is not now a whisky saloon in the place. Of the churches, schools and press, I propose to speak.

" There are six churches in the village. The Congregational Church, Rev. J. M. Williams, Pastor, has a large membership, and exerts an extensive i-eligious influence upon the community. The Methodist Church has been longest organized at this place, and probably has the largest membership. The Pastor, Rev. J. C. Robbins, has labored earnestly among his people, and with good success. The First Baptist Church, Rev. J. 0. M. Hewitt, Pastor, though hardly equal to the others in membership, is not inferior in other respects. The Free-Will Baptist Church, Rev. E. N. Wright, Pastor, prospers well financially and spiritually. There are also tlie Trinity Protestant Episcopal Mission, Rev. Charles Thorp, Deacon in charge, and the Catholic Church, Rev. G. L. \Villard.

" There are three ward schools, all well supported, and all under the direction of well qualified teachers. There has been considerable talk about establishing a central high school here, but no very energetic action has ever been taken about the matter.

" Two weekly newspapers are published here, both strongly Republican. The Waupun Times, John R. Decker, editor, is published every Tuesday, and has now nearly closed its eleventh year. The Prison City Leader has just entered its third year, and is a live local sheet, edited and published by Short & Oliver.

" Western States generally have shown much liberality in the construction of their public buildings, but perhaps none more than Wisconsin. Surely its penitentiary is one that may compare favorably with the best institutions of the kind in the Union, and has often been termed the ' model prison of the country.' The convicts are under excellent discipline, the result of the earnest labors of the present Commissioner, Mr. Henry Cordier, who has been three times eleeted to this oflice. The institution is now nearly self-supporting, and it is expected soon to be entirely so. A prison school, established a little more than a year ago, is now in successful operation.