The modern history of Owen, Wisconsin dates to the early 1890s. Michigan native John S. Owen, decided to construct a dam on Brick Creek, create a mill pond, and establish a sprawling sawmill on the west bank of a newly man-made pond. A geography that is presently (in 2026) home to Ireland based Kerry Ingredients. A village known first as “Owen’s Mill,” and then later simply, “Owen” grew in that area. Archie H. Mohr was one of Owen’s early permanent residents, having arrived at Owen’s Mill in 1898. He was a member of the Free & Accepted Masons and was a real estate agent. The sawmill town prospered and that led to incorporation of the City of Owen, effective April 30, 1925. Archie H. Mohr was the first mayor of the City of Owen. He died tragically in 1927 from an unexpected heart attack.
In 2025, the Owen Centennial Committee published a 152-page book of memories, stories, and photographs that showcased not only present-day Owen, but also the history of the community from the earliest founding days in the 1890s. The 2025 History of Owen book included a special 8-page addendum booklet called Clark County Mennonites, by Irvin N. Shirk.
A few items that caught my attention and to give you a flavor on some of the content:
Page 23. Anonymous Quotation. “Probably no list of names could mean as much to people.…as their own [personal] impressions of early personalities [in the area]. Many of them don’t fall into a single category…,but they were important people nonetheless.” Reread that quotation, it’s very insightful.
Page 67. The History of St. Katherine’s Episcopal Church. An informative, interesting and thorough story. Especially the community outreach work and ongoing programs of St. Katherine’s since 2000. I (Allan Hodnett) personally attended St. Katherine’s 2025 “Cookie Walk” event. What a memorable day. They made me feel so welcome. Thank you!!
Page 88. Owen Family Dental. Since 1988. Dr. Tom Gelhaus and most recently Dr. Dan Nicholson. I had the recent pleasure of meeting the Nicholson’s at their dental clinic. They graciously donated an old, salvaged door handle from their historic “Charette Building” to our O-W History Center.
Page 135. Owen Community Center. A hidden gem. Located on Owen’s 5th Street in the former Haselow Hardware Store building. It has been owned by the City of Owen since 2021. The facility is open to the public.
Page 137. Owen-Withee Lions. The local Lions Club is a service organization that was established in Withee in 1954. Owen joined with the group in 1996, about three years after the Owen Kiwanis was disbanded.
Page 143. Owen-Withee-Curtiss Fire Department. A well written thorough “history” of Owen–Withee area fire and rescue departments and their evolution from the early 1900’s to the present day.
Most of the stories in the book were not credited to the individual authors. Sources were not cited. The stories thus become generic tales and lose context and credibility of sourcing.
Clark County Mennonites. Mennonites first settled in Clark County in 1973. This eight-page booklet was prepared at the request of the City of Owen’s 2025 Centennial committee. It is packed with Owen-Withee area Mennonite history. Stories that explain the “Weaverland Conference” (so called “Black Bumpers,” and who drive cars) and the “Groffdale Conference” (those who don’t drive cars). The booklet includes a discussion about Mennonite/Amish community-based education that is dramatically different from the local non–Mennonite education system. Since the 1972 landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, “Wisconsin vs. Yoder,” Mennonite/Amish education has been provided via rural one or two room schools that are located throughout the region. They are largely vocational based and provide classroom education through eighth grade. Young adults then follow an apprentice type system to learn and become proficient in useful trades and skills. As of 2025, there were 27 Mennonite/Amish schools, and 13 churches in the area bounded by Cadott to Dorchester and Lublin to Greenwood.