On June 19, 1894, The Manitowoc County Chronicle reported Andrew Allen, head lighthouse keeper at Twin River Point, had informed the Two Rivers newspaper that a steel tower was to be erected that season, replacing the old brick structure which, according to the U.S. Lighthouse Board, continued ‘to crack and crumble.’ By the end of October 1894, work on the tower was fast nearing completion.

Interestingly, the replacement tower was the discontinued Chicago River Light Station, built in 1859 and part of the U.S. Lighthouse Board exhibit at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

After the fair, the skeletal iron tower was dismantled and shipped to Twin River Point, where it was reassembled. During reconstruction, metalwork was added at the base to increase the tower’s height and enclose the spiral staircase.

On August 31, 1913, the three vessels, towed by the tug Duncan City, left Chicago en route to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San Francisco in 1915 to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal. The long voyage would require the vessels to go through the Great Lakes, the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean, down along the Florida coast to the West Indies and through the Panama Canal to California, stopping at many cities and ports along the way.

In October 1876, Jasper Hanson received a letter from his son, who sailed aboard the schooner. The letter read: “Dear Sir: I have just found time to write you a letter. We arrived here in safety. You remember you did not think we would; you said the ship was too small; but we had a terribly rough passage, as it blew a fierce gale all the time we were on the ocean. We saw only two days of fine weather out of twenty-seven days. When we leave here I think we will go to Spain or Italy for nuts and wine, taking coal out, occupying about four or five months for making the trip, so I will not be home for some time yet.” Three months later, the schooner arrived at Wilmington, North Carolina.

Under Steinbrecher’s ownership, the hotel became a spotlight destination for travels from across the county seeking rest and relaxation in the property’s accommodations.  Beautifully painted murals greeted guests in the front lobby. Over 200 guests could be found on a daily basis enjoying the elegant dining room and spacious property.  The two upper floors hosted 42 guest rooms.  The site also became a popular place for religious retreats.

"Enclosed you will find a piece of our “Dear Old Flag” which has dropped from the staff. There is but little of our colors left, the rebels have torn it to pieces with canister shell and bullets and the winds that claimed their share of the fragments. The pieces as they fell were eagerly sought after by the boys. We have had one color Sgt. Shot under it and many of the color guards have been killed and wounded in different battles, and I want you to treasure it carefully and prize it highly."

The origin of the flag relies heavily on the women of Manitowoc County in 1861. With news of the start of the Civil War, women banded together and decided to create a flag for their boys to carry through their journey in the war. The flag, they hoped, would bring thoughts of home and positivity to the soldiers.

The Mary A. Gagnon, a fishing and towing tug, was built for the Gagnon brothers (Joseph, Jonas and Peter) in 1874. The boat was named in honor of their mother Marie Ann (Boisvert) Gagnon.

The wood-hulled tug had a keel length of 48.3 ft.; beam, 12 ft.; and depth of hold, 5.8 ft. The first lake tugboat out of Two Rivers was launched on July 21, 1874, less that nine weeks following its commission. After launching, the 18.5-ton tug was towed to Manitowoc to receive her engine, rudder and other gear at the Richards Iron Works.

The Waverly was constructed on the site of the old Two Rivers House, acquired by Mr. Bartelme from Michael Gebhardt in 1887. Needing more room and modern facilities, Bartelme moved the two-story frame building to a vacant lot owned by Capt. Pilon near the Walnut (now 17th) Street bridge.

The new two-story hotel, 40 × 80 ft., was constructed of solid cream brick, with two-foot-thick walls, set on a rock-faced limestone foundation, quarried at Sturgeon Bay.

German immigrants brought the song-festival, or Saengerfest, tradition to Wisconsin and Manitowoc County during the nineteenth century. National, state and regional Saengerfests drew hundreds of singers from local Saengerbunds for public concerts attended by thousands of people.

Local committees made preparations to welcome the guests and give them a proper reception. Streets were decorated with garlands of evergreens, flags and arches with electric lamps that were illuminated at night to beautify the city.

After ten years of working in a shipyard, Mr. Hanson made the leap to start his own shipbuilding business in 1866. After two years, Mr. Hanson's initial business partner A.D. Jones retired, leading him to partner with another Danish immigrant, Hans Scove. Mr. Scove came to Manitowoc in 1860 and quickly learned the shipbuilding process. Scove had an early impact on the shipbuilding industry, as he assisted in building the fleet that took part in the capture of Vicksburg during the Civil War in 1863. After a few years of living in Manitowoc and mastering the shipbuilding process, Mr. Scove partnered with Jasper Hanson to establish Hanson & Scove Shipbuilders.

Henry Baetz was another prominent Manitowoc resident of German descent. Born July 27, 1830 in Stockhausen, Hesse-Darmstadt (modern day Germany), Henry received a common school education and served two years in military service before emigrating to America in 1852.

He came to Wisconsin and first settled at Two Rivers, where his brother Andrew opened a blacksmith and wagon shop. Henry subsequently moved to Manitowoc in 1856, where he was a real estate and insurance agent. In 1859, he became a naturalized citizen and married Emma Lindemann of Prussia.

Frederick ran away to Canada and managed to join the Royal Flying Corps. He arrived in England and was assigned to the 79th Squadron. Flying his Sopwith Dolphin, Frederick would be shot down, become a double ace with 12 confirmed kills, and earn 2 distinguished flying crosses. This quote from his first action sums up his experience pretty well “I sighted on the leader carefully and fired, what a mistake! These 3 planes suddenly looked like the whole German flying corps. They were on all sides of me at the same time! I wound up the watch and kicked the compass for want of something better to do while they gave me lessons on flying and shooting.”

According to The Manitowoc Pilot, the Turners’ Festival “was a successful affair and passed off pleasantly to all concerned . . . The Delegates, about 250 in number were all hearty and strong looking young men, and show plainly the good effect of simple and rational exercise.”

The Turner Society, or Turnverein, was founded by German teacher and patriot Friedrich Ludwig Jahn in Berlin in 1811 to promote physical improvement (“sound minds in sound bodies”) and social reform. Turner is the German word for gymnast; Verein means club or union. The Turner motto was Frisch, Frei, Stark, Treu (Alert, Free, Strong, Faithful).

The first floor with a 16-foot ceiling consisted of a public lobby (south side), spacious workroom (north side) and money order and registry room (west side). The lobby was illuminated with ornamental bronze electric fixtures. A postmaster’s office and stairway to the basement were located on the east side. The basement had a “swing room” for clerks and carriers and rooms for the postoffice inspector, civil service, internal revenue collector, janitor, a coal-fired boiler for steam heat and public toilets.

In 1877, the Total Abstinence Society voted to build a hall. A site was donated, located just east of the school, by James Peppard. The hall, measuring 30 by 50 feet, was known as Temperance Hall. The hall was home to many meetings, family gatherings, and an annual St. Patrick Day celebration – when there was a dispensation from the abstinence pledge. The hall was in operation until a larger dance hall was built in Osman.

Edwin Bedell left Manitowoc on Thursday, August 19, 1897, on the steamship “J.W. Moore” for Buffalo. He was traveling with 100 others as part of an encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R). As they arrived in Buffalo, Edwin went on an excursion to Niagara Falls on August 21 and by the time he and his acquaintance returned, it was late. Edwin was making his way to his sleeping quarters, missed his footing and fell through the hatchway, and was instantly killed. His body reached Manitowoc the following week and was received by the local G.A.R. post.

As World War 2 took hold in Europe, Guila and her mother settled in Nazi-controlled Paris. The young star continued to perform throughout Axis territories during the war. She claimed later in life to have performed a concert at which Adolf Hitler himself was present.

His passion for history and efforts to preserve the stories of our early German settlers led him to lead a small group of citizens to form the Manitowoc County Historical Society in 1906.  Emil Baensch’s efforts have lived on beyond his years and demonstrate that one individual with vision and commitment can inspire a community for generations. 

Newton, located in the southern half of Manitowoc County, was named after Sergeant John Newton, a revolutionary war hero who rescued ten American prisoners who were to be hanged by the British. In May 1780, Newton was taken prisoner after the surrender of Charleston and died soon afterwards of smallpox on board a British prison ship.  The story was popularized by Mason Locke Weems, better known as Parson Weems (an American book agent and author who wrote the first biography of George Washington immediately after his death) in his school books in the early 19th century.