Learning our county history, part 2

Without question, times have changed. Sheboygan County communities of yesterday have had to adjust to the development of new roadways, railroads, airports, consolidation of schools, business growth, population increases and more; or they have stopped their development or even completely disappeared into the landscape of history. One only has to search the past to understand how and why these changes have taken place.

Last week’s column listed but five of the many historical books and items published by the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, 518 Water St., Sheboygan Falls (telephone 467-4667). It is from these papers and books we can learn much about the past that will help us better understand how we came to the present.

In this column, we will continue that journey by identifying some of the resource books that are available and that, hopefully, some readers may find of interest.

Wars have sent our sons and daughters from their homes to countless places around the world. Sheboygan County residents have played an important role in this process from the War of Independence and Civil War, through two World Wars, to today’s conflicts in the Middle East. Here are a few examples that recount Sheboygan County residents’ participation.

“The Journal of a Spanish-American War Volunteer,” translated by Rev. Clarence Schmidt and produced by Elmer Koppelmann. This is a wartime diary of Sgt. Otto Burkart, a war correspondent for the National Democrat. Burkart, a resident of Sheboygan, was a member of Wisconsin Volunteers, Company C, under the command of C.U. Born.

“Sheboygan County and the Spanish-American War” by Elmer Koppelmann. In this book the author continues his research on the Spanish-American War, that took place between April and August of 1898. Koppelman focuses on the activities at home during that period. It includes newspaper articles, advertisements, letters to and from soldiers, and it lists activities in support of and opposition to the war.

“The Ultimate Sacrifice: Sheboygan County’s World War II Casualties,” is also written by Elmer Koppelmann. Completed in 2004, this 450-page book reports on the county’s sons and daughters who lost their lives for their country. Some 3,000 young men and women served during that great war; of them, 233 men and one woman who left their families to fight, ended up paying the highest price. Four others, Joseph Archbald, Elmer Prahl, Roland Thompson and Douglas Thomberg were listed as lost, but no background information of these four has been found.

On another topic, “Sheboygan County 4-H History Book,” published in 2007 by the 4-H alumni, covers 75 years of that important organization. When Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States Department of Agriculture in 1914, it also included Boys and Girls Club work. These soon became known as 4-H clubs.

Wisconsin early-on used the Cooperative Extension Service, known today as the University of Wisconsin Extension, to bring up-to-date information to the farm communities of the state. 4-H clubs played an important role in that process.

“Plows Among the Eskers,” by Bernard Michaels, 81 pages, is a story of the settlements of the northern Kettle Moraine in Sheboygan County, mainly focusing of the town of Mitchell. It fits nicely into another book done by Bernard Michaels, “A Bit of the Old Sod,” in which he details the immigration and settlements of the Irish in Sheboygan County. It gives an account of the Byron-Lima Settlement covering an area of 30 miles where 600 Irish families settled. This community border ran from Kennedy’s Corner in Lima to the frame church of Byron’s St. John.

Next week, more about the books of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.