Remembering the heyday of Lenaville/Branch

In 1834 Edward Lenaville left his home in Canada and headed for Green Bay.  He walked southeast from Green Bay, landing in Manitowoc Rapids by 1838.  There he worked at a sawmill until 1841 when he decided it was time to settle down on a farm.  He picked out a spot in what was to become Manitowoc County, purchased 100 acres of fertile farm land, 80 acres of which he cleared, and Lenaville was born.

Just like our founding fathers, Edward Lenaville had great hopes for his crossroads community.  While you won’t find Lenaville on a Manitowoc County map today, the village is still very much alive. 

In 1872 the first train went through the community and the railroad officers renamed the community Branch, for its location along the Branch River.   The town’s earlier businesses included a shingle mill, a logging camp, a pea vinery, a carding mill, two cheese factories, two blacksmith shops, two dance halls, and three taverns.  Branch was also home to a brewery, built by Slye and Pierce in 1858 and operated by Goffried Kunz.  In the 1880s a fire destroyed the brewery, one day after the owner’s insurance had expired.  Kunz never rebuilt.

In passing through Branch today, there are few buildings that remain from the village’s heyday.  One such building is the community’s General Store and Hotel, standing tall along Village Drive, just north of Highway 10.

The Shaffer and Meisnest General Store and Hotel opened its doors in 1905.  Frank Shaffer already operated a small store and tavern located on the east side of the river.  He also built a dance hall north of the tavern.  When Shaffer decided to expand his operations nearly 100 years ago, he asked his son-in-law, Frank Meisnest, to be his partner. 

In addition to a general store and eight room hotel, the building also housed a dressmaker shop, an office for the Manitowoc and western Telephone Company, tavern, and post office.  Leila Meisnest Spoentegen, Frank’s daughter, shared many memories of hotel in the book “Lenaville – Now Branch” written by Thelma Benishek, including the following story from 1910:

“Mother and Dad had been awake since 4 a.m. They had to be in the store, adjoining our living quarters by fire.  The farmers brought their milk to the neighboring cheese factory at that early hour, filled their empty cans with whey and then stopped at the store for any supplies they needed.” 

Earl, Leila’s two year old brother, was alone in their parents’ room and found some matches.  What exactly happened, Spoentgen didn’t know but by the time her brother reached their parents, the fire was spreading fast.  Frank Meisnest and many of the customers took buckets off the shelves and started carrying water to the fire.  The school teacher roomed above the store and began throwing his things out the window – exam papers included!  Meisnest soon got the fire under control but a few small flames remained.  The well was pumped dry so the farmers used their whey to dump on the remaining fire. 

While the village of Lenaville today certainly isn’t the bustling community its founders had aspired it to be, we can all take time to notice the history and the adventurous spirit that at one time made Branch one of the most populated towns in the county.