Marytown, A Holyland Community: Built on Dreams, Persisting on Spirit, 1849-2003
by Kathryn Bartel

High on a hill in the northernmost corner of Fond du Lac County sits a church dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the cornerstone of the community of Marytown. From this vantage point the church has been the focus of changing times in that small community. Many were drawn to the area by its beauty and by the fertile soil brought by the glaciers. The displaced Woodland Indians of the East Coast, the earliest pioneers, were followed by New England Yankees and European immigrants. ¹ Each group left an imprint on the communities they founded and inhabited.

Marytown is characteristic of many small communities in the area. The influences of the European immigrants, in combination with state, national and global events, have shaped the community for over 150 years. Through the years, Marytown has come full circle. From its humble origins, as a small group of immigrants established a church in 1849, it evolved into a thriving community in the early 1900s, and more recently became a bedroom community for larger urban entities nearby.

Long before Marytown was founded or Wisconsin was declared a territory, the French explored the St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes in search of a Northwest Passage to Asia. Here, a viable fur trade emerged as it became evident that the natives were willing to trade furs to acquire metal tools or utensils from the French. Furs were a valuable commodity in Europe and one of the few goods that did not lose value during transport. Fur trade was profitable and paid the costs of running a colony.

France’s defeat in the French and Indian War resulted in the Treaty of Paris, which turned possession of the trading posts over to the British. Following the American Revolution, the British continued to inhabit Wisconsin. The eventual British retreat from Wisconsin was not immediate but happened in stages, and the British monopoly on the fur trade was a continuing influence. John Jay’s Treaty in 1794 required the dismantling of British military posts but allowed for the continuation of trading posts. ²

St. Mary’s Church, Marytown

In what would become Wisconsin, an American military presence was established to regulate the fur trade and Indian affairs. Starting in 1835, the U. S. Army 5th Regiment used Indian trails as the basis for laying out the Military Road in order to link forts from Prairie du Chien to Green Bay. This road, the precursor of much of current-day U.S. Highway 151, helped to open the frontier to settlers. ³ Early settlers traveled Military Road and then plodded into the backwoods to claim their property in the wilderness.

In 1836 Wisconsin was officially declared a territory, and the area near Marytown began to be settled. George White followed the Military Road and arrived at Calumet Harbor (renamed Pipe) in 1837. There, White established a hotel and bar and set about acquiring tracts of land, establishing himself as a land agent for landowners and the government. In 1840, White applied for the town of Calumet to be removed from Calumet County and added to Fond du Lac County. By 1842, the township of Calumet was established in Fond du Lac County, and George White was elected its first supervisor. ⁴

1838 and 1839 were prosperous years for Calumet Harbor, as it conducted more business than the whole city of Fond du Lac. In 1846 Henry Fuhrman built the stagecoach inn in Calumet Harbor that became a major stop on the Military Road. By 1847, Calumet Harbor had semi-weekly stage and mail service to Milwaukee and Green Bay, twice weekly to Sheboygan and Fond du Lac and weekly to Madison. A three-story hotel with a dance hall on the second floor, the inn continued to serve food and refreshments under the name of Club Harbor until the late 1970s. Today the building sits vacant and deteriorating. ⁵

Small settlements began to spring up in the outlying area. Approximately two miles east from Calumet Harbor, a group of six families founded a Catholic parish in 1841. A church was built in 1842, the first Catholic Church located between Milwaukee and Green Bay. Named for St. Johannes Geminde, the community was known as Hinesburg, (present day St. John the Baptist, Johnsburg). ⁶

Publications such as “Friendly Adviser for all Who Would Emigrate to America and Particularly to Wisconsin,” along with letters from families and friends, who had immigrated to America, were widely circulated in Europe and found an interested audience in Prussia. The climate, soil, and topography of Wisconsin were similar to German and Scandinavian homelands. Embittered by the restrictive power of the clergy and officials, many sought to leave the burden of heavy taxes and bureaucracy for political freedom. “Kein König da” (no king there) was a common sentiment. The rise of industrialization was resulting in the collapse of the agrarian system, and the population of Northern Europe had doubled from 1700 to1800, leading to a concern for the future. “All that seemed to grow in the economy were the tax rate and the bureaucracy.” ⁷

Many immigrants were artisan townsmen or small rural landowners who sold their shops or land and used the money to move to America. In 1848 the cost of an adult passage was $40, and the trip lasted 42 to 52 days. In 1830 there were fewer than 3000 German immigrants in Wisconsin. By 1854 the number had risen to 215,000, and by 1885 one third of the population of Wisconsin had a German background. ⁸

One such group of pioneers set down roots in a small community to the north of Calumet Harbor. These pioneers met for Sunday Mass in the home of Mathias Burg or traveled to the church in Johnsburg. In 1849 Archbishop Henni granted permission to the settlers to build a church. The church was dedicated to The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and section 27 of the town of Calumet was named Marytown in its honor.
The village of Marytown remained unincorporated and never had a governing body specific to the village. It stretches approximately a mile and a half in length across State Highway 149.

It is hard to define membership in the Marytown community. Membership often means being a member of the parish or of the community athletic association. People living within a ten-mile radius of the church are commonly considered members of the Marytown community. In the beginning, Marytown was almost exclusively a Catholic community. Although it still remains primarily Catholic, it has become more diverse in recent years. The church is the only source of records, and in the early years sacraments were the only recordings. In 1850, there were 11 deaths recorded, 11 marriages and 37 baptisms. These records, however, are deceiving as a reflection of the population of Marytown, since people from the outlying communities of Jericho, Charlesburg, St. Anna, and St. Joe traveled to Marytown for services prior to building their own churches. ⁹

Marytown’s first resident pastor was Father Fabian Bermadinger, an immigrant Capuchin Franciscan from the Viennese Province. Upon his arrival in Milwaukee in 1847, Fr. Bermadinger was sent by Bishop Henni to assist Fr. Casper Rehrl in his ministry in the Calumet region. When controversy arose in Johnsburg over where to build the new church, Bermadinger left in frustration and moved to Marytown. ¹⁰

Many pioneers of this uncharted frontier traveled through Marytown on the way to their settlements. In 1847, George White accompanied William Ostenfield to visit his mother in Schleswig-Holstein, a state in northern Germany belonging to the King of Denmark. White was searching to find buyers for land in Wisconsin. The ongoing conflict among the Danes, Prussians, and the ethnic Danes and Germans in Schleswig-Holstein had people looking to find a peaceful place to raise their families. Unable to speak much German, White depended on Ostenfield to relay the message of Wisconsin’s treasures. Ostenfield described the vast wooded area, the possibility for obtaining good farm land, and the beauty of Lake Winnebago. ¹¹ “While the Americans who resettled in the west from the east sought out the easier to cultivate prairie states, the Germans preferred to seek out wooded Wisconsin where they could feel more at home.” ¹²

On April 2, 1848, a group of seventy people began their sojourn to America, led by White and Ostenfield. After traveling by ship, steamboat, railroad, ox-drawn wagon and on foot, they arrived at White’s hotel in Calumet Harbor on May 25, 1848. From there they set out to find the land they had purchased, which became known as New Holstein. Their journey brought them to Marytown, a Rhenish-Prussian colony, and at that time the last settlement on the edge of the wilderness. Here they encountered Phillip Kraemer. He traveled on with them, serving as their guide, and was hired by some to build their houses. As pioneers traveled through Marytown, they often stopped to buy a cow or hire builders. The Marytown settlers were considered especially hospitable as they helped clear the land, cutting and trimming trees to build houses. ¹³

Many immigrants were also drawn by the writings of immigrants such as Dr. Carl De Haas. De Haas was a graduate of the University of Berlin and wrote and published his first drama in Germany about 1845. It is unknown why this learned man came to farm in the town of Calumet, but his communications back home were eventually published in a book titled North America Wisconsin: Hints for Emigrants in 1848. On August 2, 1847 De Haas, along with his brother and nephew, bought a 40-acre farm for $275. On October 11, 1850, this property was sold to Peter Stephany for $350. For a short time De Haas ran an inn in the village of Calumet, and then he bought property on a lake that is currently named Wolf Lake, where he established a brewery. This endeavor was also short-lived. He sold the brewery to his nephew and moved east and worked in the field of journalism. In 1871 he moved back to the area, settled in Fond du Lac, and successfully founded and published a German-language newspaper Nordwestlicher Courier. ¹⁴

North America Wisconsin Hints for Emigrants attracted the attention of and served as a guidebook for many who emigrated from Germany. De Haas told his readers that people in Milwaukee recommended Fond du Lac County and specifically Calumet Township as a place to settle. He also gave a beautiful description of the flourishing fields and prosperous farmers he encountered. Readers were informed of every aspect of the trip: the costs, the journey, what to take and what to leave behind and how to pack. The differences in climate were also noted, as De Haas kept records of daily temperatures. The report remarked on the health of men and women living in Wisconsin, mentioning their healthy glow. He also reported on the safety of the region, noting there were no police forces in Calumet, since “crimes are rare in the city and almost unknown in the country.” ¹⁵ In describing the Indians, he said that in the Brothertown settlement the Indians spoke fluent English and were similar to other inhabitants of the area. Conversely, the nomadic Indians stuck to their traditions, yet were timid around the Europeans. He considered none of the Indians to be a danger to immigrants. ¹⁶

As immigrants were drawn by such writings, the community of Marytown started to expand around the church. A post office was an early sign of progress in frontier communities. In 1854, the Marytown post office opened, and John Krause was assigned as its post master. This post office served the community until 1905. ¹⁷

Even prior to the post office, a school had joined the church to form a small complex of public buildings in the community. Until the arrival of the Sisters of St. Agnes in 1865, the school was staffed by lay teachers. In 1895 the Sisters of St. Francis assumed the teaching positions and continued to do so until the return of the Sisters of St. Agnes in 1910. Although 1895 coincided with the construction of St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, no documentation has been found to explain why the Sisters of St. Agnes were absent from Marytown during this period. By 1917 community growth resulted in the need to expand the school. A brick school and convent were constructed, finished in 1918, and this building still stands today. ¹⁸ The convent now serves as the rectory for the parish pastor.

Many communities were touched by fire during this period, and Marytown was no exception. In May 1879, a stove explosion caused the log church in Marytown to burn to the ground. This building was replaced by one constructed of stone. In May 1907, Marytown again fell victim to a fire that damaged the church and destroyed the rectory and several homes. Although the church was extensively damaged, the stone walls remained intact, and it was decided that the walls could be used in the rebuilding of the church. Services were held at the school until reconstruction was completed in 1908. ¹⁹

St. Mary’s Church’s impressive location and its architectural beauty have drawn many to view it, and it has often been photographed throughout the years. Unlike many Catholic churches renovated in the years since the Vatican II Council, St. Mary’s has retained its old world ambiance. The church contains ornate woodwork and the walls are adorned with hand-painted stencils and other art work.

As early settlers worked to build their community, they also labored to establish their farms and commerce. One such early settler was Nicholas Heus, who arrived in Marytown in the early 1800s. The Heus family home, built in 1848, currently houses the family of Ralph Heus, one of his descendants. Nicholas’ son Matthias and grandsons Germaine and Ernest left a mark on Marytown’s history, as they founded and managed Heus Manufacturing. Heus specialized in the manufacturing of agricultural machinery. In 1890 Matthias designed and built the Heus Elevated Carrier, a barn cleaning system that used a tub on a cable and pulley to transport manure from the barn. Prior to the invention of the carrier, farmers used a horse and stone boat to clean their barns.

Another innovation designed by Heus was the Snow Flyer. In the early years of the automobile, winter roads were often impassible, and the Snow Flyer was a solution to this problem. Attached to a Model A or Model T, it had a track that allowed the motor vehicle to glide over snow. In 1928 Admiral Richard Byrd invested in a Snow Flyer for his historic expedition to the South Pole. For many years, a large picture of Admiral Byrd and his Snow Flyer graced a wall of Heus Manufacturing. The manufacture of the Snow Flyer required a work force of about forty people. Eventually the design was sold to Arps Company, and the number of employees at Heus was reduced to about twelve.

Heus also designed and built corn huskers, grinders, and adaptable power take offs. The adaptable power take off (PTO) found a commercial as well as an agricultural market. Mounted to the front of a Model A Ford, the PTO was used to power welders and silo fillers. In the South, it became a popular tool for peanut growers to use in harvesting their crops. Through the years, the company changed and adapted its products to fill shifting niches in commercial and agricultural markets. After Ernest and Germaine Heus sold the business to Joe Hammer, he continued to design and manufacture products for local industry, while adding a line of sport fishing equipment. Ice augers and sturgeon spears were designed and produced by Heus Manufacturing. Upon his retirement in 1984, Joe sold the business to the Enneper family, its current owner. Today the company’s focus is on contract manufacturing for Fortune 500 companies.²⁰ Although the company is no longer owned by the Heus family, it still bears the name Heus Manufacturing, and a descendant of Heus’ is currently the company’s vice president. ²¹

For the early pioneer farmer in Marytown, as elsewhere in Wisconsin, wheat was the optimal crop to grow. It could be sown with minimal preparation of the soil and could be ignored until harvest time, allowing the frontier farmer to spend time clearing more land to expand the farm. Harvested wheat stored well and transported easily. The McCormick Company’s production of its wheat reaper allowed farmers to plant more wheat, as harvesting became easier. Development of rail transportation made shipping and milling even more accessible. The largest yield of wheat in Wisconsin’s history was realized in 1860. As domestic and foreign demand increased, prices peaked at $2.96 a bushel in 1867 and stayed above $1.00 a bushel until the close of the 1870s. During this era, Wisconsin became the second largest producer of wheat in the country. ²²

But the wheat-driven prosperity was fleeting. As farmers faced the realities of soil depletion, pests, and crop disease, their yields of wheat declined. It was evident that agriculture in Wisconsin was in need of a transformation. Thus wheat farming was gradually replaced by the dairy industry. Settlers on the frontier had considered the dairy cow initially as a source of milk and butter for their immediate needs. Milk cows did not enjoy the same respect afforded to “working” animals on a farm. Beyond the milk and butter provided, such cattle were often used as a meat supply during long arduous winters, for they were expendable. It was a long, slow process to turn farmers’ attention to the opportunities available to dairy farmers, but by 1899, wheat production had failed and 90.5% of Wisconsin farms kept dairy cattle, with 17.4% of these farmers completely dedicated to dairy. The transition had begun. ²³

Commercial butter production from farms soon became common. Easier to handle than liquid milk and less complex to process than cheese, farmers started to produce butter for sale. They used it to obtain credit against their accounts with storekeepers. The storekeepers, in turn, sold butter to buyers from the cities. Even poor quality butter was sold to be used as wagon lubricant, commonly known as “western grease.” However, cheese was the ideal product for dairy farmers to produce. It used whole milk, kept better than butter and therefore could be shipped greater distances. But cheese required an investment in equipment and storage space, a steady supply of milk, and training beyond that possessed by the average farmwife. ²⁴

A major influence on the transition to a dairy economy was the invention of the silo in 1877. Prior to the introduction of the silo, farmers were unable to store enough feed for their whole herd to survive the winter. Herds had to be thinned before winter, and milk production consequently declined seasonally. Another development, the commercial creamery, gave farmers an outlet for their product. ²⁵

Creameries started to spring up throughout Fond du Lac County. In 1914 Hubert Bartel, with his Madison Dairy School certificate in hand, purchased the Marytown Creamery, in company with Matt Moersch. By 1917, Bartel had become the sole proprietor, and in 1921 he constructed a new factory on the site. The factory was steam powered by a boiler stoked with wood (coal in later years), employing a pulley and belt system to run the equipment. The workers were mostly local residents, and some boarded with the family. The factory averaged six or seven full time employees, although sometimes the number rose to nine or ten.

Butter was one of the primary products of the creamery. During 1923, the creamery shipped 333,244 pounds of butter and handled 7,583,470 pounds of milk. The daily average was 33,500 pounds of milk, although a season record was set on June 12 1924, with 43,000 pounds. After returning from a day at school, Hubert Bartel’s oldest children, Dorothy and Walter were confronted each day by up to 3,000 pounds of butter to be wrapped and packaged. Wally remembered, “Some days we wrapped with tears running down our faces, but on days that salesmen came, we wrapped especially fast as they, impressed with our speed, would leave us a tip.” ²⁶

In the early years, farmers delivered their milk by wagon in large cans that held 130 to 150 pounds of milk. Some farmers supplied as much as six to seven cans a day. Over time, the Bartel business increased to the point where the creamery had 102 suppliers spread over an eight-mile radius. Bartels started to pick up milk in return for a fee. In 1924 they had a fleet of three trucks and two horse teams. The trucks made two deliveries a day, and the teams made one. At this time, Marytown had the largest one-man, whole milk creamery in Wisconsin. ²⁷

Many of the local farmers were reluctant to give up delivering their own milk to the creamery, for it was their life-line to the larger community. There they could communicate with neighbors and catch up on the latest news. More importantly, this was their network to obtain help to work the fields. It was a common practice for farmers to collaborate with their neighbors to harvest crops. The creamery passed the word about who was in need of a hand and also sent factory workers to help in these endeavors, knowing they would be paid in kind.

When winter came, the creamery took on the daunting task of retrieving ice from the lake. Six to eight of the local farmers or their farm hands would take turns working two and a half to three weeks with three of the creamery employees to fill the creamery’s 50-foot square icehouse. Removing a handle from a crosscut lumber saw, they broke through the ice and proceeded to cut three-foot squares. These squares averaged eighteen inches in thickness, but during a severe winter they might be as much as three feet thick. With the help of a pulley, horses pulled the blocks out of the lake. After traveling about six miles to the icehouse, the blocks were packed in sawdust to keep them insulated. In later years, a Model T Ford helped saw through the ice. The saw was attached to a wheel, and the engine supplied power to operate the saw.

Thus stored, ice lasted through the summer, and it was a vital component of butter production. Ice was used in the creamery to cool the milk and butter as well as during subsequent transport, when the butter was packed in ice and hauled eight miles to Puddlefort, the railroad station in Calvary.

The creamery prospered until World War II brought changes. One of the by-products of butter was casein. This was used in the manufacture of billiard balls and glucose, but more importantly it was an ingredient in the glue used to build airplanes. Because of its importance to the military, casein was rationed, and the government set a low price on it. Butter prices were in decline, and things looked grim for the creamery. To combat these financial trials, the creamery started to produce cheese. One of the main products was American cheese, which was processed in cheddar rounds and sold to Kraft Foods. Bartel’s creamery stayed in production until the mid 1960s. ²⁸ After seventy years of doing business, in 1991 the creamery buildings were razed.

During the first half of the twentieth century, Marytown became a thriving, self-sufficient community. Along with industry and many farms, the town boasted a number of professionals, tradesmen, and merchants. John Zierer was the local photographer, residing at the foot of the church hill. Much of his business centered on taking First Communion, graduation and wedding photographs for members of the community. Zierer rented out the front room of his residence as a doctors’ office. Two doctors living outside the community held office hours in Marytown, Dr. Fechter and Dr. O’Donnel. Dr. Mc Ginnery, a dentist, also set up a practice in Marytown.

A blacksmith shop was located in the southwestern corner of the town. In 1913 Anton Fassbender, who immigrated from Boos Mayen, Germany, and had been a cavalryman and a blacksmith in the German army, bought the blacksmith shop and eventually constructed new buildings on the site. Fassbender made a living shoeing horses, building hay wagons and stone boats, sharpening plow shears and doing repair work. In November 1945, Paul Wagner bought the business. As blacksmithing was disappearing as a profession, he converted the smithy into a welding shop. This business thrived for years until, in 1998, unable to find a buyer, Wagner closed the doors.

Henry “Bumpus” Guelig ran another village blacksmith shop at the north end of town. He opened his business in 1925, offering blacksmithing, general repairs, and racks and truck building. Guelig stayed in business until his death in 1946. The building in which his smithy was located no longer exists.

On the corner of Hwy 149 and Kiel Road, Paul Klapperich garaged his trucking business. Klapperich trucked milk to the creamery and cheese from the creamery to Plymouth and Black Creek, but his main business was the haulage of corn, other grains and a variety of odd items, including Christmas trees. Klapperich traveled north to pick up the trees, which he sold to the local community from his truck garage. Klapperich’s trucks were also used to transport local children on expeditions to Columbia Park. In 1987 Klapperich sold his trucks and went out of business. ²⁹

To the southwest of town, approximately two miles outside the village, was the local jeweler, Matt Schoenborn. His store was located in his home and, like many of the local merchants, he also farmed in addition to running a business. Schoenborn was a watch repairman and also sold jewelry. A large pocket watch hung from his window as an advertisement. Matt Schoenborn’s son, Oscar, followed in his father’s footsteps. The store was moved to Kiel in 1945.

At one time, Marytown supported three grocery or general merchandise stores. Patrons chose their purchases and had them wrapped in paper and tied with string. The storekeeper kept a running account of items purchased. Items stocked by the various stores, in addition to food, included an array of goods from fancy lace to boots. The Heus General Store was in business for nearly fifty years. In the early 1900s, residents of Marytown bought their groceries there, and they also sent and received their mail at the post office located in the store. By the 1940s, the store was sold and became Diederich’s Clover Farm Store.³⁰

Another grocer was located on the highway below the church. From 1929 until 1952, this establishment was owned by John Winger. Winger was also the church’s janitor and groundskeeper. With the help of his children, he shoveled snow at the church, school and rectory. Ringing the church bells at morning, noon, and 6 p.m. constituted another of his duties. His daughter Lucina recalls that in the winter, when it was dark before 6 p.m., she would take her dog to church for company. She held her dog in one arm and rang the bells with the other. Some of the other responsibilities of the family included digging graves, clipping grass around tombstone by hand, and drowning gophers that were found in the cemetery. The Winger Store was eventually renovated into a residence.³¹

There were also two hardware stores in Marytown. The Langenfeld Hardware Store was located on the north end of town, directly behind Diedrich’s Clover Farm Store. The store sold farm machinery as well as general hardware. It burned to the ground in the1930s while under the ownership of Joseph Petrie. The building that housed the Faber Store still exists today, but it has been converted into apartments. Faber ran a tinsmith business in conjunction with the hardware store. ³²

By 1950 Marytown also boasted three garages. Walber Auto Service, next to Wagner Welding, repaired cars, pumped gas, and even sold cars on commission. When this business did not prosper, the building was eventually sold to Wagner Welding and used for storage. A few buildings away, across from Klapperich Trucking, Ben Ebertz opened a filling station, and he also did minor repair work. ³³ Ebertz’s garage was torn down and is now a vacant lot. On the north end of town, Fritz Heus owned and operated the town’s third auto repair shop from 1924 until 1954. The garage was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1963 while under the ownership of Mike Klapperich. In March 1977, Larry Conwell bought the Marytown Garage and currently runs it in partnership with his son, Larry Jr. ³⁴ It is one of the few remaining successful businesses in the community.

Another establishment that is still in business is the local bank. The Farmers and Merchants Bank of Marytown was incorporated in 1917 and opened with $10,000 in capital stock. In 1984, the bank listed assets of over $11 million dollars. The original bank building was replaced by a new structure in 1966, and a major remodeling and expansion was completed in 1985. In a 1985 news article on the renovations, then president Larry Muldoon was quoted as saying that he expected the bank, “to be successful as an independent, locally owned facility” for a long time to come. ³⁵ Ironically, the following year, in 1986, the bank was sold to Marshall & Ilsley Corporation and became a branch of their New Holstein office. The bank subsequently became a branch of the National Exchange Bank when it was acquired by that company on November 14, 1994. ³⁶

The mill was the place where farmers brought their corn and other grain to be ground into feed. The original Schnell mill was located at the north end of Marytown. In 1890, the mill was moved downtown, adjacent to present-day state Highway 149. Schnell sold the mill to H. F. Burmeister, who in turn sold it in 1945 to August Sippel. Eventually, larger mills outside Marytown provided this service, using trucks that did the grinding right on the farm, and this “improvement” resulted in a decline in business for local mills. As its commercial business dwindled, Ralph Heus bought the mill in 1972 to provide the feed needed for his chicken farm.

In 1962 Heus Farms started an egg business, working out of the basement of the family home. As egg sales grew, Heus provided eggs for about thirty-five commercial customers. These accounts included stores, restaurants, and hospitals. Thirty thousand chickens supplied twenty-seven thousand eggs daily. When no longer productive, the chickens were sold to the Campbell’s Soup Company. In 1983, Heus Egg Farm built a new larger facility on Kiel Road, outside Marytown. At this point, Heus employed six people in addition to family members. Although the business was growing, to stay competitive in the egg industry, Heus needed to expand even more. Successful producers typically kept thirteen million chickens or even more. The realization of the implications of that enormous expansion caused Heus and his family members to re-evaluate their circumstances. They decided to terminate the business and sold the facility. In late 1995, it became the new home of Heus Manufacturing.

Another local agricultural industry was the Bartel and Winkel mink ranch. In addition to the creamery, in 1926 Hubert Bartel decided to go into the fur business. In combination with Adolph and Paul Langenfeld, he started a fox farm. Shortly afterward, the Langenfelds branched off into a separate business. In 1928, Bartel and John Winkel incorporated the business as Associated Fur Breeders. By the 1940s mink replaced the foxes. According to a 1965 article in the Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter, the Bartel and Winkel firm was, “one of the state’s largest and best quality producers of mink.” ³⁷ Eventually Bartel’s son Andy became the owner of the ranch.

For many years the fortunes of the ranch fluctuated with the fur market. In the 1980s production was at its highest level, with the ranch maintaining a population of approximately 34,000 mink, of which 26,000 a year were pelted. There were eight full-time and twenty-five seasonal employees. The majority of the workforce came from the community of Marytown. Often the seasonal and part-time employees were young people, and many of these individuals credit the ranch with helping to pay for their college educations. By 1989, the good business years came to an abrupt end. High prices in the 1980s had caused overproduction of furs, especially in Europe. This economic trend, combined with the decreasing popularity of fur in the fashion industry, badly damaged the industry. In 1990 the ranch downsized and cut production by about 50%. Finally, in 2002, the mink ranch closed.

Following Sunday services or after a trip to the feed mill, people typically gathered at the local taverns. Marytown had two taverns and two dance halls. Directly below the hill on which the church was located stood a tavern connected to Fuhrmann’s butcher shop. Another tavern was situated across the street from the mill. This establishment had an upstairs hall that was used for meetings and socials. After electric power arrived in Marytown, customers could pay their electricity bills at this tavern. At one point, a barbershop also operated there. Both taverns and the butcher shop have closed and now serve as apartment buildings.

One of Marytown’s halls was located at the north end of town. Like the rest of the taverns, it served Friday fish fries and Saturday chicken dinners, depending on who was the proprietor. In later years, the hall was used primarily for basketball games and practices, banquets and meetings. Fergie and Regis Mertes were the last proprietors, and in 1989 they went out of business. Today this building sits vacant and deteriorating.

On the opposite end of town was the other dance hall. Upstairs from the Gerhartz Dance Hall there were rooms for rent, and there was a livery stable below for the horses. Occasionally a horse trader came to town and held a horse auction on the hall grounds. The hall also housed Simon and Gerhartz, one of the town’s grocery stores, as well as Edgar Mueller’s barbershop. ³⁸ Currently this building is the home of The Marytown Tap, the only remaining tavern in the community.

The Marytown Tap is one of the few remaining businesses in town. The National Exchange Bank and Conwell’s Garage are the only others still in operation. Heus Manufacturing still thrives, but after relocating to Kiel Road, it is now located a short distance outside the village. Nevertheless, local residents still refer to it as belonging to Marytown.

During the time when the town prospered, wedding receptions were one of the main functions of the Marytown dance halls. A December 1916 article in the Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter titled “Marytown Girl Becomes Bride” details a reception for 500 people held at Henry Gerhartz’s hall. Both a dinner and supper were served to guests. ³⁹ Weddings were a momentous celebration in the tiny community. Besides wedding celebrations, the halls were used for entertainment such as church dinners, dances, local productions of plays, and the ever-popular game of basketball.

In 1909 the Marytown Colts basketball team was formed. According to the local newspaper, “they were doing fine work considering that some of them had never seen a basketball before.” ⁴⁰ The team went on to have a successful season, and basketball became a staple part of local entertainment. Into the 1980s basketball was still being played at Fergies. When Fergie went out of business, Marytown still sponsored teams but they used facilities outside the community for practice and games. By the late 1990s both the men’s and the youth basketball teams were no longer sponsored by Marytown. The men’s team was eliminated. Because of reduced numbers and the lack of a facility the youth teams combined with other local community teams.

Baseball is another sport that long retained its popularity in the Marytown community. Through the years, there have been three different sites for the community baseball field. One was behind the Marytown Tap, another was on the west side of Highway 149, near the corner of County Road HH, and the present-day location is in the center of town on the east side of the highway. The community athletic club sponsors baseball teams for kindergarteners through adults, and softball teams are supported for early grade school- through high-school-aged players. The athletic club runs the annual Marytown Picnic and took over Paul Klapperich’s Christmas tree sales after he retired. Along with the concession sales from games, these two major fundraisers support the club’s sponsorship of the teams.

The Marytown Veteran Club was organized in 1947. In the past it also sponsored sports activities for area youth. For many years its membership worked in collaboration with the Athletic Club to run the local annual picnic. In recent years, the organization has curtailed its activities because of a decline in membership and lack of younger members.

As time passed, the church continued to be a major influence on the community. In addition to meeting the spiritual needs of parishioners, it also met many social needs. The Holy Name Society for young and adult men and the Christian Mothers for women had both been established by 1920. The Holy Name both physically and financially assisted with maintenance of the parish. They sponsored both Catholic Youth Organization basketball teams and a dart ball team.

The Christian Mothers, rechristened the Altar and Rosary in the 1960s, was an important social outlet for many parish women. Meetings included entertainment or informative speakers together with a cake and coffee social that typically followed the business portion of meetings. As an increasing number of women began to work outside the home, the emphasis of the society turned to service. Upkeep of the altars and sanctuary has always been part of its mission, along with the responsibility for leading the rosary at weekend services, serving funeral dinners, quilting for missions, and fundraising through craft and bake sales. An annual breakfast and a Christmas party still provide opportunities for socializing, in addition to the fellowship that occurs while performing services.

As Marytown quietly grew and prospered as a self-contained farming, commercial and industrial community, outside influences slowly started to intervene, eroding the autonomy of the town. A dramatic example of the starkness of these influences can be seen in the case of Peter Gerhartz and Joe Muellenbach. Born in 1893 and raised on a farm outside of Marytown, Peter Gerhartz enlisted in the United States Army on July 23, 1918. A member of Company E, 314th infantry, he was sent to France and immediately went to the front lines. Gerhartz was killed in action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive on October 21, 1918. Having received no word regarding Peter’s whereabouts, on March 16, 1919, local businessman Adolph Langenfeld wrote to the Adjutant General of the Army on the family’s behalf. He received a reply from the headquarters of the 89th Division on April 17, 1919, confirming his worst fears. ⁴¹ Peter’s cousin, and best friend, Joe Muellenbach, survived the war, but he soon after contracted diptheria, probably on his journey home, and he also died. ⁴² These two young men share a monument in the Marytown cemetery that includes a picture of them dressed in their military uniforms.

This monument is emblematic of Marytown as a community. At the time of World War I, Marytown was still a young community, growing and hopeful. But powers beyond its control ended the community’s expansion and growth and led to its decline. Year by year, these changes eroded the town’s good fortune.

At the time of the parish’s centennial in 1949, the expectations of the future were still hopeful. On Sunday, July 3, a special mass was offered. Reverend Henry Langenfeld, a priest-son of the parish, celebrated the mass. The sermon was given by another priest-son, Reverend Nicholas Langenfeld. Among the guests for the celebration was Archbishop Moses E. Kiley of Milwaukee. On July 4, Marytown’s centennial parade attracted over 5,000 people to the small community, where they viewed a spectacle that included marching bands, floats, military veterans, and the centennial queen and her court. ⁴³ A centennial booklet was published that recorded the history of the parish. Its concluding paragraph stated:

To our forefathers who brought the faith to this land and so staunchly upheld it; to the pastors who have guided the parishioners through the years we owe our sincere gratefulness. It is through them we can look to the future with shining hope and a firm trust in God and our Lady. ⁴⁴

The future was a recurring theme of the sesquicentennial, as Father Langenfeld ended his sermon with these thoughts:

As we hold on to the faith of our fathers, then this hill of Marytown, this hill of the Virgin, will continue through the coming years to be the ‘hill of God.’ The fat hill, rich in blessings: the hill on which it has pleased God to dwell.

But the future that was upon them and the changes that it brought were less rosy then the community might have hoped. Marytown experienced changes similar to those of other small communities throughout the country. Following World War II, mechanized farming caused major changes on the family farm, for less man power was now required. Outside influences became more insistent as industrialization and an expanded highway system had an impact. The improved highways, coupled with the increased availability of automobiles, resulted in people becoming more mobile. This mobility allowed them to turn to industry for employment outside the local community. Many farm families included a husband or wife who was employed in manufacturing in order to supplement the farm income. Children from farms increasingly left the farms to work in the factories.

As manufacturing firms opened and grew in the surrounding towns of Chilton, New Holstein, Kiel, and Kohler, many workers from Marytown began traveling to work in these new businesses. This brought changes to the face of the Marytown community. Slowly, many local businesses or tradesmen went out of business. Some, like the harness maker or blacksmith, became obsolete, but many others succumbed to competition from the larger towns of New Holstein, Kiel, and Chilton and eventually from Fond du Lac and Appleton. It became common for people who worked outside the community to shop outside the community. Today, the National Exchange Bank, the Marytown Garage and the Marytown Tap are the only surviving businesses in what was once a prosperous town.

Accompanying the changes of many commercial establishments in the community, there have been changes in the parish. As fewer women decided to adopt religious vocations, there were direct repercussions for the parish school. By the 1960s, the Sisters were no longer able to provide enough teachers to staff the Marytown School. The shortage of nuns, combined with the inability of the local school to provide resources to keep its students educationally competitive, constituted a serious problem. Parishioners realized that changes needed to be made in order for Catholic education to survive. In 1969, in combination with Johnsburg, Mount Calvary, and St. Cloud parishes, Marytown became a member of the Consolidated Parochial Elementary School. The name was chosen when the school board, overwhelmed with other decisions, was unable to agree upon a name and the treasurer simply had checks printed using the name Consolidated Parochial Elementary School. The New Holstein Reporter used the initials C.P.E.S. in an article, and the school was christened.

The Consolidated Parochial Elementary School saw many changes over the years, including the introduction of lay teachers as the primary teaching force. At the end of the 1990-91 school year, the Marytown school building closed. A decline in the consolidated school’s enrollment resulted in a need for only three buildings, rather than one in each of the four parishes. As the northernmost school and the least centralized of the four parishes, it was decided that Marytown would close. Marytown parish continues to be a member of the C.P.E.S. school system, participating in its tradition of Catholic education. ⁴⁵

Education has always been important to Marytown, and a surprising number of its residents have gained college and university educations. By the beginning of the twenty–first century, many of the children of Marytown’s farmers and industrial workers had earned undergraduate and advanced degrees. There are graduates from a variety of law, medical, business, engineering, nursing, and education schools. But this increase in the level of education in the community has also resulted in a local brain drain, for graduates often pursue their careers elsewhere, leaving only a handful of the younger generation living in the community.

The Church also experienced change. Not only were women’s vocations in the Church diminishing, but also men’s. The shortage of priests forced parishes to combine and share the ministries of a pastor. This situation occurred in the year 2000 for the Marytown parish. At that time, the parish priest was requested to take on the additional responsibilities of the Johnsburg parish of St. John the Baptist. Like a step backward in time, these two neighboring parishes were once again under the guidance of a single priest.

On May 18, 2002, a native of Marytown had the distinction of becoming the only priest ordained in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. At the age of 62 Carl Diederichs fulfilled his calling. Diederichs’ parents owned the Clover Farm Store, where he grew up stocking shelves and waiting on customers. In 1955 he graduated from the Marytown grade school and immediately entered St. Lawrence Seminary. Along the way to his vocation, he had a change of heart, and for a time he followed a different path. In 1999 he decided to return to the seminary. After his ordination, Reverend Diederichs celebrated his first mass on June 30 in St. Mary’s Church. This was followed by a reception and brunch sponsored by the parish. His grade school classmates of 1955 presented him with a chalice, ciborium and paten at the occasion of his ordination. ⁴⁶

As change became evident in the church and community, it also surfaced on the family farms. Although Wisconsin continues to be the nation’s number one cheese producer, producing 30 per cent of America’s cheese, it is evident that local farms are changing. ⁴⁷ Dairy production remains the backbone of the farming industry, but the number of Wisconsin farms peaked in 1935 at 199,877, and the number steadily decreased to 78,000 in 1994. As the number of farms decreased, the average farm has increased in size. Farming is no longer viewed as a way of life, but rather as a business, and not all families are equipped to manage a farm as a business. Many lament the loss of value accorded to the family farm. According to a recent Bishop’s Statement on Rural Life: “Farmers noted that the focus of the community life is little league and high school sports--not churches, and 4-H groups or farm organizations as in the past.” The article also stated that retiring farmers lacked family members willing to take over the family farm. This was attributed to the trend toward smaller families and to the lack of family members with a desire to work a farm. ⁴⁸

Marytown as a rural community fits this pattern of decline of the family farm, for the number of family farming operations continues to dwindle there. In reality the family farm is a nostalgic notion, for during the past two generations, children from family farms in the area have increasingly chosen to leave the farm for other occupations. As efficiency in food production increased, smaller operations have had a harder time surviving. Of the family farms that remain near Marytown, many have become corporate entities. Changes in the agricultural industry, combined with the loss of local commerce and the brain drain of its youth, resulted in Marytown’s transformation from a thriving town to a bedroom community.

Although it has declined in numbers, the community remains large in spirit. On July 18, 1996 a tornado tore through the community, randomly touching down to strew devastation in its wake. The community, as well as many outsiders, gathered in force to help in the cleanup effort. No lives were lost, but houses and buildings were demolished, and the debris from damaged property was deposited throughout yards and outlying fields and woods.

In 1999, the community rallied to throw a festive celebration to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the founding of the parish. Every month of the summer, there was some form of celebration. Starting May 30, a picnic lunch was served on parish grounds. The festival included a cemetery walk through Marytown's history and a pictorial history displayed in the school. This celebration was concluded with a vespers service in the church. On June 27, the annual Marytown picnic included a parade, silent auction, pork chop dinner, and a pictorial history. In July, a parish dinner and dance were held, and a living rosary was performed in August. The celebrations concluded in September with a week of “parish mission” and the annual Harvest Fest. Money earned from these various events was put into a restoration fund for the historic church.

The four years since the sesquicentennial have been active ones for the church. The long overdue restoration project has been completed. The crumbling walls have been re-plastered and repainted. The original artwork and stencils have been restored but not altered. Pews and wood floors have been refinished, and the area in back of the church has been converted into a gathering room. Outside, improvements have also taken place. The parking lot has been repaved, and a ramp for wheel chair access has been installed.

One hundred fifty years of settlement, growth, prosperity, change and decline have constituted this small community’s history. Its future is uncertain as it awaits the impact of further changes in the Catholic Church, the economy, and other unknowns. But in 2003, the church continued to sit serenely atop its hill, surveying the landscape, as people rush past in pursuit of their daily lives.

1 - Robert Nesbit, Wisconsin a History, (Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1973), 3-5. return

2 - Nesbit, 17-74. return

3 - Betz, Maureen, and Ebert, John. Fond du Lac County: The Gathering Place, (Fond du Lac: Action Printing, 1999), 31-32. return

4 - Harney and Tucker, Illustrated Historical Atlas of Fond du Lac County 1874. return

5 - Ruth Shaw Worthing, The History of Fond du Lac County as Told by its Place-Names, (Oshkosh, 1976), 18-21. return

6 - Worthing, 52. return

7 - Nesbit, 156. return

8 - Nesbit, 155-156. return

9 - Copies of St. Mary’s Visitation Church records, located at the home of Judy Schmitz. return

10 - Donald Wiest, O.F.M. Cap. “Fabian Bermadinger O.F.M. Cap.,” unpublished essay in possession of Fr. Ron Jansch O.F.M. Cap. return

11 - “A bit of Germany in Wisconsin,” personal memoir of immigrant in New Holstein library. return

12 - Puchner, Rudolph. Memories of the First Years of the Settlement of New Holstein. (New Holstein: D. Cooley Co. 1994), 15-16. return

13 - Puchner, 24-25. return

14 - Dr. Carl De Haas, North America Wisconsin: Hints for Emigrants. (Germany: Elberfel and Iserlohn, 1848), Foreword. return

15 - Puchner, 39. return

16 - Puchner, 1-51. return

17 - Worthing, 62. return

18 - “Jubilee Centennial Book,” (Marytown: St. Mary of the Visitation Parish, 1949), 35. On file at Wisconsin State Historical Society. return

19 - “Jubilee,” 24. return

20 - Ralph Heus interview, September 2003, and Heus Manufacturing, Inc. <http://heusmfg.com/>. return

21 - “Manufacterer builds on past,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 28, 2003. return

22 - Nesbit, 281. return

23 - Nesbit, 287. return

24 - Nesbit, 285-286 return

25 - Norman Risjord, The Story of the Badger State. (Madison: Wisconsin Trails, 1995), 133. return

26 - Wally Bartel interview, October 2003. return

27 - “Clean Milk, Spotless Factory, High Standards Bring Fancy Price for Marytown Butter,” New Holstein Reporter, July 1924. return

28 - Wally Bartel interview, October 2003. return

29 - Lloyd Klapperich interview, October 2003. return

30 - “Heus General Store Serving Marytown Half Century, Sold,” New Holstein Reporter, March 23, 1980. return

31 - Personal letter from Lucina to Gordie Halbach. return

32 - Estelle Walber and Ralph Heus interviews, 2003. return

33 - Estelle Walber interview, October 2003. return

34 - Larry and Pat Conwell interview October 2003. return

35 - “Farmers and Merchants Bank holds open house,” New Holstein Reporter, February 14, 1985. return

36 - Bank records. return

37 - “Mink: No Business For Amateurs,” The Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter, 17, September 1965. return

38 - Estelle Walber and Ralph Heus interviews, 2003. return

39 - “Marytown Girl Becomes Bride,” The Fond du Lac Reporter, December 6, 1916. return

40 - “Marytown News,” The New Holstein Reporter, January 27, 1909. return

41 - Copy of personal letter from Eighty-ninth Division Headquarters in Germany to Adolph Langenfeld, 1919, (copy in author’s possession). return

42 - Story written by Delores Schmitz for sesquicentennial cemetery walk, based on family interviews. return

43 - “Marytown Parish Plans Celebration,” The Sheboygan Press, June 30, 1949. return

44 - “Jubilee.” return

45 - “25 Years of C.P.E.S. History,” Booklet produced for 25 year anniversary celebration. return

46 - “At 62, Marytown native joins Catholic priesthood,” The Fond du Lac Reporter, June 26, 2002. return

47 - Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, 7 November 2003.<http://retailer.wisdairy.com/default.asp> return

48 - Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Changing Role of Rural Life in Wisconsin: Implications for Family Farms and the Church. March 1997. <http://www.wisconsincatholic.org/statements/ruralstatemen.html> return

Copyright Clarence B. Davis 2005. Marian College Press, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 2005.
Electronic publication by Fond du Lac Public Library has been approved by Clarence B. Davis.

Return to the Local History Manuscripts main page