PCHA partnership with the Old Settlers of Rock Elm Township, which was formed in 1886

by Julie Huebel

It is no coincidence that the same community that has kept an ice cream social tradition going for over 126 years has also kept another piece of history alive. The Rock Elm Old Settler’s group was formed February 15, 1886. Lavern Flanders documented some of the history of the group in his book on the early history of Rock Elm Township. The group was first called “The Pioneer Settlers of Rock Elm Township”, changing their name in 1906. To originally qualify for this designation, a person had to be settled in Rock Elm Township by 1869. Today, if you descend from one of these families or have lived in the township for 25 years or more, you shall be considered an old pioneer.

Only on two occasions since 1886 has this group not met for their yearly meeting. The first time they cancelled the meeting was in 1918, during the Spanish flu epidemic and then again in 1934 when the Methodist Church in Rock Elm burned down. The group is hoping they will be able to meet this year. They hold their annual meeting and lunch the first Thursday of November at noon at the Methodist church, all are welcome to attend.

On April 11 of this year, the Old Settlers of Rock Elm group officially became a Special Interest Group of the Pierce County Historical Association. The group’s officers, Fred Koehler and Joyce Kendall decided to move forward with the decision and then the PCHA board passed the motion unanimously. After this action, Joyce Kendall’s position of Secretary/Treasurer was handed to the new officer, Julie Huebel, per the November 2019 vote.

This move allows the Rock Elm Old Settler’s group to utilize the tax ID of the Pierce County HistoricalAssociation. The Rock Elm group will maintain their officers and their own bank account. The PCHA treasurer will handle filing of taxes and any necessary insurance needs.

With this new relationship, any renewing and new members of the PCHA are able to select the Rock Elm Old Settler’s group as their Chapter/Special Interest Group from the membership form. By doing this, half of their yearly dues go into a fund for the specific use of the Rock Elm group to use as the officers of that group deems appropriate. The other half goes to the general PCHA fund, covering newsletter printing costs and general expenses of the organization. You can sign up as a member on our website www.PierceCountyHistorical.org or request a membership form via phone (715-594-3118) or email ([email protected]) or via mail (PCHA, PO Box 148, Ellsworth, WI 54011).

The Pierce County Historical Association board deeply values the long history of the Rock Elm Old Settler’s group. They are proud to play even a small role in the future of this group. If you are a descendant of an early pioneer of Rock Elm, we would love to hear from you! Follow us on Facebook for local history content!