Fortunately, St. John Lutheran Church was not affected by a disastrous fire which destroyed nine buildings in the thriving port of East Two Creeks on October 5, 1918. The fire destroyed a blacksmith shop, general store, dance hall and tavern, hotel and other nearby structures.

Pfister soon held 22 land entries in section 11, 13, and 24 of the township – mostly along Lake Michigan. His holdings represented a total of 1,429.9 acres of land. With a lot of hemlock bark nearby, the business quickly developed, and employees traveled to the bustling village.

Reed came to Manitowoc in 1850, one of the first lawyers in Manitowoc County. In 1851, he was chosen the first president of the village of Manitowoc. He was elected County Judge in 1853 and represented Manitowoc in the State Senate from 1864-1870.

On Sunday evening, October 7, 1883, news reached Manitowoc that a destructive fire had raged that afternoon in Mishicott, and that the western end of the downtown on both sides of Water Street (now E. Main) had been wiped out. The fire started in the smokehouse of Louis Levenhagen, who was rendering lard at his butcher shop.

Where were you on the night of March 25, 1962? If you were in the city of Manitowoc on that cold spring morning you most likely remember what Fire Chief James Danielson called “the biggest and most spectacular fire ever in Manitowoc.”

It was just around midnight when a fireman looked out a window of the old Franklin Street Station and saw flames coming from Elevator B, formally owned by the Northern Grain Company, which was located four blocks away.

In the “History of Manitowoc County”, written in 1905 by Ralph Plumb, he described, “fire companies made up of volunteer bands of male residents were organized, and, although at first there was little apparatus, nevertheless the needs of the day were met.”

It wouldn’t be until the late 1850s when the village of Manitowoc focused on purchasing a fire engine. Previously it was thought that fire engines were costly and volunteer bucket brigades were doing a fine job. Charles Esslinger became village president and said, “Perhaps we should order two. One for the north side and one for the south side.”