The Clark County Historical Society held their summer meeting at the Woodland Hotel in Owen on Saturday, June 7. Before lunch and a general meeting, the Board of Directors met.
At the beginning of the General Meeting, author Jay Parker, spoke about his projects to document the history of Granton. He said that he lives in Minneapolis now, but he has written a number of books about Granton, some with more pictures than text. He has put together information on every business that ever existed in Granton.
Under the Officer Reports, it was noted that the treasurer has resigned. An interim treasurer is needed until the fall of 2026. The bank accounts are currently in Neillsville but could be moved to accommodate whoever is willing to take the job. Dave Jankoski commended Chris Patten for the years spent as treasurer. The fall meeting will be November 1 in Thorp. Elections will be held for vice-president and secretary at that meeting. The dues for each organization have been raised to $35 per year.
Local representatives gave reports on what their historical societies are doing. Neillsville reported on the Jail Museum. The building has deteriorated. It was put on the Historic Register in 1978 and was the central museum for Clark County. It eventually became separate from the Clark County Historical Society. Historic items are now housed in a storefront in Neillsville. They still have items to move. The other historical societies were asked to make an appointment for a representative of their organization to come look at what remains. They will be allowed to take any items tied to their area. There are only a couple of months left to get items out of the building. They are also working on a project to research and digitize plat maps. They are participating in the state’s traveling exhibits as part of their efforts for more outreach. The museum has been there for 60 years and many in Neillsville have never been in it. They are currently doing a quilt exhibit.
The Woodland Hotel thanked everyone for letting them host the meeting. They allowed those in attendance to look at what has been done to the building so far. It was noted that the main floor still needs work. The goal is to eventually have a full-service restaurant on the main floor. They are also planning to add a ramp to the rear of the building. They will be doing something special for the Living History Tour planned as part of Owen’s Centennial.
Loyal is working with their high school social studies classes. They visit the historical society, then write essays. They also open the Grambsch Candy Kitchen twice a year and are doing brat frys and a chili supper to raise funds.
Spencer celebrated their sesquicentennial last year. They built a replica of a flag man. They also meet with the Marathon County Historical Society group. They are working on plans for the 250th birthday of the United States next year. They hope to create future historians by going into the fourth grade. They did a Cemetery Walk in May and plan for Music in the Park on Wednesdays in August.
Stanley reported that they have installed a new furnace and updated their air conditioning. They built a new exit from the top floor. They have joined with Colby and Spencer to do geocaching. They would like to do a coin stamping machine like Colby Library did when the library addition is done. They are open Saturdays and Sundays through October 4, with over 50 volunteers staffing the museum. They have a wooden wheelchair to give away to another historical society. They do two newsletters a year and find that brings in funds to support the museum.
Colby was recently hit by a tornado that destroyed their brat fry trailer. It will cost $10,000 to replace it. They have a new exhibit with a leaflet that was dropped on New Guinea in 1944 encouraging the Japanese to surrender. They are currently painting their caboose, which is the final work to be done on that exhibit. They are also participating in the traveling displays from the Wisconsin Historical Society and are doing one with a toboggan going down a hill. They are looking at doing a Pie Eating Contest for the 250th birthday of the U.S. They might also show kids how to make ice cream. They have over 1,000 books in their schoolhouse that are now organized. The Colby Elementary School visits every year.
Owen-Withee reported that they are the youngest historical society having only existed for about three years. Their museum is housed in the former city hall, built in 1935 with bricks from the John S. Owen sawmill kiln when it was taken down. They reported on their staffing challenges. They are also trying to reach out to the Mennonite community and to younger people. They would like to be open regular hours, but can only be open as staff is available. They gave attendees a first look at the top of the Centennial quilt, which will eventually be housed at the museum.
Alora Rueth spoke a bit about starting a Clark County Genealogical Society. They can currently be found on Facebook at Clark County Genealogical Society Launch Group.