Sarah Nigbor

As we have cleaned out my grandparents’ home getting it ready to sell, we’ve come across some historical treasures: my great-grandmother’s wedding dress, an auction poster from Lundgren Bros. farm in 1906, plat books, old family photos, etc. One item was especially intriguing: the accounting ledger from the Corner View Schoolhouse, where my great-grandfather Herman Lundgren served as the clerk.

Entries in the book dated back to the late 1800s, showing teachers’ pay, school expenses and other bills. We also found receipts for materials purchased at local stores, such as pencils, toilet paper, brooms…they were fascinating to read.

We decided the best place for the book was with the Pierce County Historical Association. The beautiful penmanship in the book is still perfectly legible, having been hidden in a dark basement for the past 50 years and who knows where else before that. I had the pleasure of dropping the book off at the Elmwood History Center last Thursday, along with pictorial Pierce County plat books from 1959 and 1968. They were excited to get them and I ended up staying for almost an hour visiting with volunteer Julie Huebel and others.

We are so lucky to have the PCHA in our county, with active chapters/gatherings in Prescott, Rock Elm, Prescott, Spring Valley, Plum City and the Mississippi River Bluffs. The amount of knowledge these volunteers have is astounding. They work so hard to preserve the history of Pierce County.

If you aren’t already a member, please consider becoming one. The cost is minimal ($20 per year) and well worth it. The newsletter, which turns 40 this year, is released quarterly and is filled with fascinating information. Even if you’re not a member, you’re welcome to participate in any of their gatherings throughout the county. I will list a few upcoming ones at the end of this column.

In the most recent PCHA newsletter, Pat Mory wrote about Herbert, one of Pierce County’s many ghost towns. Herbert was located in Sections 12 and 13 in Hartland township and Sections 7 and 18 in Salem township. Andrew Herbert, a cobbler, built a cabin in the area around 1879 and became known as an expert shoemaker. The settlement was originally called Thurston Corners.

Herbert and his wife established a small store and post office in 1881. He served as postmaster for 25 years until the post office closed in 1905 when free rural mail delivery began. He and his wife Margaret rode horses to Esdaile several times a week to get mail for Herbert residents.

The community also contained at one time the Haessly general store, a large community hall used for dances, meetings and oyster suppers, a school, sawmill, and blacksmith shop. PCHA is asking anyone with photos of Herbert businesses or families to reach out to them.

Also in the newsletter, Jayne Hoffman of River Falls shared an installment of “Pierce County’s Dark Side” about William Kiesow, a convicted horse and chicken thief who kept resurfacing in Pierce County court records in the 1870s and 1880s. He was also suspected in the brutal death of a man whose skull was crushed while digging a well 6 miles east of River Falls but was found not guilty by a jury. Kiesow even escaped from a neighboring county jail at one point.

Lastly, the newsletter shares a December 1998 Pierce County Herald article about the fire that destroyed Hilltop Bowl west of Ellsworth on Highway 10 (where River Country Cooperative is located now). The bar and grill was home to a bowling alley and hosted many events throughout the years, including an anniversary party I remember attending when I was little for my great-aunt Marie Fetzer and her husband Wes. PCHA is also seeking photos and information about Hilltop Bowl events and history.

These types of fascinating stories are published in each newsletter.

Upcoming events hosted by PCHA include:

• Noon to 4 p.m. May 3, an open house at the Bay City location (W6321 Main St.)
• 1:30-3 p.m. May 7, Coffee & Conversation at Elmwood History Center (110 S. Main St., Elmwood)
• 10-11:30 a.m. May 13, Plum City History Club at Plum City Public Library (611 Main St.)
• 4 p.m. May 21, Learner Series: Printing your own book workshop, Elmwood History Center

To learn more or become a member, visit piercecountyhistorical.org