Issue 8 - Fall 2021
Grange Hall’s 1966 facelift into a chainsaw shop
MATCHING FUNDS CAMPAIGN TO HELP THE ELCHO HISTORICAL SOCIETY RESTORATION OF GRANGE HALL
In our efforts to continue the restoration of Grange Hall we are excited to announce that the staff at the CoVantage Credit Union Elcho branch has selected the Elcho Historical Society, Inc. as a recipient of this years' Giving Tuesday campaign. From November 30th through December 14th, the CoVantage Cares Foundation Inc., will be accepting monetary donations at all CoVantage locations and through their online site.
What makes the Giving Tuesday campaign especially appealing is that the funds raised during this two week event will be matched by the CoVantage Cares Foundation dollar for dollar on the first $10,000 raised for our organization. For any amount over the $10,000 threshold the Foundation will match an additional percentage shared proportionally among all organizations that raise more than $10,000 each.
Donations can be mailed, hand delivered to any CoVantage branch or made online through a special Giving Tuesday module found in MyCovantage. The Foundation will not release donor names to the Society after the campaign is over. To be eligible for matching funds all checks must be made payable to the CoVantage Cares Foundation with the Elcho Historical Society Inc. listed somewhere else on the check. Donations can also be mailed to the Elcho Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 412, Elcho, WI 54428. Please make sure that all donations are mailed in time to meet the December 14th deadline.
We hope all members can participate in this matching funds program so we can continue the momentum of the restoration of the Grange Hall in 2022.
Hi-Point, UP in Flames in Minutes
By Jeanne Weaver
The fire was in August, 2004, the day was a normal sunny day. As the day went on, wind picked up and the clouds were getting darker. It looked like rain.
Hi-Point November 1996
I decided to take a quick ride to Summit Lake. While there, someone mentioned that the Hi-Point was on fire and that I should hurry home. My mom lived across the road from the Hi-Point. Someone had already called 911 from Highway 45. Elcho Fire trucks came as quickly as possible. However, there was not much they could do. The place was an inferno.
I got my camera and started taking pictures. The best thing that happened was it started to rain. What a blessing. The trees were on fire and things could have gotten really bad really fast. The wind was blowing to the east and kept the fire away from mom's home. It was incredibly hot and the Hi-Point burned until there was nothing left.
Hi-point was quite a place. Anyone who lived in the area could tell you about the parties, dancing, weddings and the dinners. There was roller skating and pool games and beer drinking. It was a great place to hold meetings. I lived across the street and I know.
Overhead View of the Hi-Point
The following was reprinted from the local paper: And today thousands of you have digital cameras. And on Wednesday afternoon Jean Weaver of Summit Lake discovered that the old Hi-Point just down the street was burning and snapped a few flicks from her mother's front yard. She offered them to us, and wow what a front-page picture it made in Thursday's paper.
The old roadhouse burned like kindling wood, which is exactly what it was. And when the Journal camera arrived on the scene a half-hour after the initial report, it was pretty well gone. Which makes people like Jean, armed with digitals, great extensions of our newspaper staff.
And we certainly say thank You.
Letter From The President
By: Bear Wheeler
This past year has been a success for the Elcho Historical Society! We have made progress on the facelift of the building, our membership numbers grew, our fundraisers have been fruitful, and donations have been generous. We are looking forward to an even better year ahead. I want to thank Bryan Spransy for heading up the painting project and for doing the lawn for me all season. Thanks to Greg Mejak and Marv Baerenwald for helping Bryan hit the painting project head on. Well done and looks great! Our quilt raffle was a success! Thank you, Kate Kelly, for making the beautiful quilt and everyone who did the hard work of selling tickets. Our drawing was held Thursday, October 14, and Jeff Pommerening was the winner. Congratulations Jeff! I appreciate everyone who helps make this society roll, our goal is to educate the public about our rich history and we are looking forward to what this next year brings!
Greg Mejak and Bryan Spransy Painting Back Wall of Grange Hall.
Preserving a Treasured Landmark
A historic building was gifted to the Elcho Historical Society in 2019 to house a museum dedicated to reflecting Elcho's rich past and engage future generations with rotating and interactive displays. Grange Hall has a long and distinctive past. It was built 1911 as an insurance building for the Modern Woodman of America. It also served as a temporary bank while the burnt down one was being built and the municipal building where town board meetings were held.
In 1912 an organization was formed in Langlade County called The Grange Movement (The Grange). The Grange formed in Elcho in 1916. It would assist farmers exchanging information on dealing with machinery livestock and their feed, seed and other property to enrich their lives. The Grange also helped farmers have an escape from their daily chores by giving them an outlet to be sociable with other farmers in the area. The Grange purchased the Woodman Hall in the early 1930’s and its role as a municipal building continued. Grange Hall would hold different types of meetings, both educational and social, and encouraged entertainment for the entire community. Many local seniors recall the dances, drama plays, and Friday night movies which started in the early days of World War Two. In 1963, the Elcho town hall was built and as the Grange Movement was slowing down the building was sold to John Jacobs.
John Jacobs who was born on April 7, 1928, was destined to become an important part of Elcho's history. John was known as the chainsaw guy in Langlade County and was well known in surrounding states. Jacobs Equipment was relocated to this historic building in 1966. John saw a great business opportunity with this large building and did the necessary repairs and renovations to house his thriving business. It served him for many years when, with the advent of large logging processors, slowed his chainsaw business down to the point where John moved to a smaller building that had water and septic, which was an issue at Grange Hall. Since the 1980's the building has been used for storage.
In 2017, the president of the Elcho Historical Society, Bear Wheeler, was gathering oral histories to preserve and chronicle for future generations, he stopped by John Jacobs chainsaw shop. At that time, John had suggested the idea of making Grange Hall a museum. This started a two year process of transferring the property to the Elcho Historical Society, Inc. Sadly, John passed on May 31, 2020, but his legacy will live on in the museum. We will forever be grateful for this generous gift.
The Elcho Historical Society is committed to renovating this building for future generations. There will be a section dedicated to the logging and chainsaw industry as well as the railroad, Modern Woodman of America, local Native Americans and military, veterans with interactive displays to engage future generations. It is truly our goal to honor our commitments to these topics which have meaningful historical significance to our area, our town and the surrounding communities and to the John Jacobs legacy.
There are only a few Grange Halls left in the state of Wisconsin that have been fully renovated. This is why it is so important for us to restore it to the grandeur of ages past and once again be the town center for gatherings. Since being entrusted with this building, volunteers have been painting the exterior while performing minor masonry work on the foundation and repairing the roof. We have and will continue to hold many fund raising events with the objective of preserving this historical landmark.
There is a three phased building preservation and restoration plan which addresses structural integrity first, then interior upgrades, and finally artifact display requirements. It is truly our goal to honor our commitments and be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us; however, we cannot do this alone and are actively reaching out to funding sources, community businesses and individuals willing to support us with their time, talents, and any financial contributions. If you can help in any way, please contact any of our officers or members of our Board of Directors. The Elcho Historical Society meets on the second Thursday of each month at the Elcho Town Hall at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. We currently have 165 members in 13 states. You can also find us on Facebook as Elcho Historical Society, Inc. or you can reach out to us at The Elcho Historical Society, PO Box 412, Elcho, WI 54428. To help fund this restoration see funding article in this newsletter.
Thank You
Items Donated
Wagner Shell, Elcho - Brat Barn Fundraiser items
Kwik Trip Corporate - Gift Cards for various Brat Barn items
Milly & Walt Rugland - State Bank of Elcho 50th Plate
Barb Weaver - Native American carved canoe & artifacts
WI Potato & Vegetable Growers Association - Brat Barn Items
Diane Venn -Brat Barn Fundraising items
In Memoriam Donations
Lloyd & Rosa Whiting in memory of Phil Migas
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Winone (Nonie) Arndt
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Ted Simon
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Charlie Flood
Mary A. Zelinski in memory of John Jacobs
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Mary Prochnow
Janice & David Huskey in memory of Peg Maney
Dwayne Johnson & Assoc. S.C. In memory of Bob Duenwachter
Jim & Mary Jane Berenz in memory of Bob Duenwachter
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Lee Dinsmore
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Kevin Schramke
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Skip Kashub
Patricia Scott in memory of Howard & Son Sgt. Brian Scott
Kaylynn Wabich-Jindra in memory of John & Annette Wabich
Linda & Naoyuki Ashida in memory of Phil Migas
Donald Winter in memory of Phil Migas
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Marge Fish Bussert
Building Renovation
Elcho Reunion Alumni Club
Anonymous - Elcho, WI
Shabby Shack - Pelican Lake, WI
Charles Jackson Trucking - Pickerel, WI
Monetary Donations
Jackie Ory - Rhinelander, WI
Linda Best - Madison, WI
Joe Migas - Elcho, WI
American Legion Post 377
Membership Renewals
Mary Jo & Thomas F. Moran - Elcho, WI
Bob Worman - Elcho, WI
Barbara Weaver Krause - Pelican Lake, WI
Sarilee Maney - Wauwatosa, WI
Gerald & Mary Wallin - Green Valley, AZ
Kathleen Kelly - Elcho, WI
Geargine & Larry Prickette - Clintonville, WI
Peter Rohde - Pewaukee, WI
Mary & Randy Kramer - Elcho, WI
Janet Baer - Rhinelander. WI
New Members
Terrie & Steve Whealon - Elcho, WI
Jacqueline Ory - Rhinelander, WI
Marcy Johnson - Kenosha, WI
Mary A. Fick Zelinski - Antigo, WI
Col. Jon & Jane Stillman - Stillwater MN, & Elcho WI
Henry & Barbara Katz - Manitowoc, WI
Jeff & Beth Werner - Appleton. WI
Fred Schuster -Weston, WI
Linda Ashida - Bloomingdale, IL
Naoyuki Ashida - Bloomingdale, IL
Sarah & Jeff Orr - Madison, WI
Tom & Lois Altenburg - Monona, WI
Allison Piech - Elcho, WI
Bonnie Palmer - Elcho, WI
John Liss - Elcho, WI
Gigi Packard - Elcho, WI
Steve Shepard - Elcho & Appleton, WI
Janet Schilling – Pelican Lake, WI
Lake County Realty Business Membership – Elcho, WI
Connie Brayton - Elcho, WI
In addition to the specific individuals listed above, we would also like to THANK all those that supported and worked on our Brat Barn and Music in the Park fundraising events. Also a big THANK Y0U goes out to those that helped scrape and paint Grange Hall, the future museum site. We could not have accomplished what we did this year without all your generous time and effort.
Recollections of Hi-Point
From Carole Schauer
Glen, Ellen, and their son Shelly Bergen ran the business. I remember from the 1960's. There was a lot to see and do at Hi-Point.
Shelly Bergen Glen’s Hi-Point
Hi-Point held many wedding receptions, dances and parties. In the earlier years, it was also used as a roller rink. When it was Glen's Hi-Point, you entered the building and off to the left was a small museum on a large sun porch. It included showcases with very interesting items. (I don't remember what but found myself looking almost every time I was there.) In the bar. one wall had many antique guns displayed. Also displayed were several aquariums with fish and snails. There were large cactus in the dancehall. Outside there was a fenced area with deer. Their postcards picture Shelly with a fox, raccoon, skunk and a bear cub. Hi-Point served good food and had a great business. Hi Point attracted people of all ages with the attractions they provided. It was truly a great place to go.
The following recollections I pulled off of Facebook and I have left off the names of the people who posted. The names of the people who these people remembered I left in their quote. Each dash is a different individual's memory.
Three Tiegs Kids at the Hi-Point Game Farm
I remember it as a very nice place. We often went to dinner there with my parents. My dad, Howard, once hosted a Halloween costume party there to benefit the American Heart Assoc.
Been there many times in the 60's and 70's. I remember the bowling game complete with sawdust in the bar.
Audrey Tiegs "bread" was out of this world good!
That was where we played softball. Girl's team, coached by Debbie Teske's grandpa. Diane Bremer played 3rd base, I played every other position one time or another. I rode my bike from Elcho for practice & for games. (We only played the Neva girls, they stomped us every time!)
I remember Hi-Point, went to many weddings there and ate there too, miss that place.
Had my first fish fry there as a kid back in the 60's. Loved the little museum, remember it had military items and some large cactus's.
I remember when they had the game farm and all the different animals. I remember many good times and meals there.
Nice salad bar and biggest collection of Northwoods tapestries I've ever seen.
Audrey Tiegs lived across the road and was a waitress there