We, as Americans have much to be proud of. As citizens of a democracy, we enjoy freedom from oppression, the privilege to elect our leaders, and a quality of life that most of the world could only dream of.

The Second World War was a time of great national unity and patriotism. For a short time of this era, the eyes of the nation fell upon the small city of Manitowoc, along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Take a walk through Pioneer’s Rest cemetery in Two Rivers and you’ll find a monument that shows the good a community can do when people come together after a tragedy. In the fall of 1887 the people of Two Rivers took up a collection to pay for a wonderful memorial to honor the victims of the steamer Vernon.

In the early history of Manitowoc County, Branch, originally named Lenaville, boasted many businesses and amusement places. Some of the earliest businesses included a shingle mill and logging camp, grist mill, brewery, two sawmills, and two blacksmith shops in the early 1850s.

The name change from Lenaville to Branch occurred in 1872 with the first train passing through. Railroad construction had previously been put on hold during the Civil War. The station was built in 1872. Seven passenger trains and a freight train passed through Branch daily.

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.”

Members of the military hailing from Manitowoc have taken part in many historic conflicts, but one stands out as a particular demonstration of the endurance and dedication of a group of Manitowoc men. First organized in 1881 as the Rankin Guards, in honor of then-congressman Joseph Rankin, Company H of the Second Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard presents an interesting story of Manitowoc volunteers working in service of their country.

This year, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, based at Holy Family Convent on Silver Lake, celebrate 150 years of operation in the Manitowoc area. The community was established in 1869, and since its founding, its works of service have focused on education and health care in the surrounding community.

Their Motherhouse, Holy Family Convent on Silver Lake, was built in 1874. In 1881, a fire that started when the convent was struck by lightning left only portions of three walls intact. In a Herald Times Reporter article written in 1981, the fire is described based on eyewitness accounts. The fire reportedly “burned between the ceiling and the roof in the attic,” preventing neighbors’ notice of the fire until it broke through the roof. In the face of the destruction, the Manitowoc community rallied around the Sisters, and many people donated to help them rebuild.

On Sunday, July 22, 1906 people ventured to Manitowoc’s West Side ball park, located at the corner of 16th and Wollmer Streets, for a baseball game between a Plymouth team and Manitowoc’s Schreihardt Brewery. According to the Manitowoc Citizen newspaper on July 26 1906, about 100 spectators were on site for the game when it started to rain. Soon the rain turned into a thunderstorm.

What happened next was certainly unexpected. The Daily Herald wrote, “It was at 1:30 when the fatal stroke occurred and but for the fact that there were comparatively few on the grounds and less than a dozen in the grand stand or in close proximity to it, the death list would have been much larger.” A bolt of lightning struck the stand, killing five people and seriously injuring four others.

General stores were the center of economic activity in many small communities in the late 1890s and early 1900s, a place where seed and crops were bartered or sold and everything people were not able to make or raise at home or on the farm could be found. The general store was the place to purchase a bar of soap, nails and hardware, thread or broad cloth for making clothes for the family, hats and hat pins, candies, toys and other treasures. Storekeepers were leading citizens of their communities. They extended and denied credit for food, supplies, and other goods against farmers’ next crop. No rural community could hope to become a village without a general store.

After the death of his father, a twenty year old Osuld Torrison used his savings to pay passage for himself, his mother, and three siblings from Norway to America. This leadership, ambition and industrious spirit would serve him well in his new homeland. His first two years in Manitowoc County were spent working as a clerk in a Manitowoc Rapids general store. He then moved to the city of Manitowoc to hold the same position at the Baker and Beardsley Store. By 1853, he purchased the merchandise and opened the O. Torrison and Co. Store at Sixth and Commercial Streets (Commercial Street is now Maritime Drive), which would eventually grow into one of Wisconsin’s largest mercantile operations.

"In accordance with public anticipation, we this day issue the first number of the first newspaper ever published in this county. ... When we agreed to hazard the undertaking, we had never set foot on the soil of Manitowoc, or even seen an inhabitant of the county. We did so from reliable representations of its past history, present position, business advantages and prospective advancement." Those words were written by C.W. Fitch, the first editor and printer of the Weekly Herald, considered the first newspaper of the growing Manitowoc community.

The written story of Branch begins with Edward Lenaville, an entrepreneur who walked from Green Bay and came to Branch in the early 1830s. To earn money, he worked at Jacob Conroe’s sawmill in the newly formed Manitowoc Rapids community. He returned to the Branch area and bought 100 acres of land and worked to build the community and attract residents. With the assistance of Conroe’s mill, a bridge was constructed over the Branch River for “1,500 feet of lumber at $7 per thousand”. The community soon became known as Lenaville.

The head chief of most of the mixed bands in our area was Waumegesako, or the “Wampum”.   He was most commonly known as Chief Mexico.  According to records, he was born in 1789 and was “a man of fine physique, erect, over 6 feet in height, very dignified and courteous in his demeanor, possessing considerable strength of character, and more than ordinary intelligence.  In his dress he was plain and unassuming, indulging in none of the fineries and tinsel so common among Indians of both sexes.”

The cornerstone for the current Manitowoc County Courthouse was laid on Saturday, September 30, 1905. The cost of the new courthouse was not supposed to exceed $100,000 but the final price tag came to about $233,000.  After committee and construction issues of its own, the courthouse was formally opened with impressive ceremonies on November 12, 1907.  During the dedication of the new courthouse, Wittmann wrote “Anent the dedication of the new palatial residence of the county government, today, let us give a parting thought to the old structure which for half a century served the purpose and which, in that time, was the scene of many a stirring incident in matters political and the tragical sides of human life and strife.”