Category Archives: Local history

The End of an Era

Closing of an Era What next for River City? By Alison Bruener South Wood County Historical Museum With Dave Engel, Wisconsin Rapids City Historian Note- At the time of original posting we incorrectly stated that in 2014, Verso was based … Continue reading

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Influenza in Grand Rapids, 1918

Angelica Engel, history correspondent In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I took a brief dip into the newspapers of yore to see what was happening in Wood County back in 1918, the year of the Spanish influenza pandemic. Here … Continue reading

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Museum Open to Public Sunday, May 26th

by Alison Bruener, Museum Assistant Every off-season, staff touch up permanent displays and assemble a changing exhibit to be featured in the Marshall Buehler Gallery. Exhibits we have had in the past include Don Krohn’s photography, the Civil War, papermaking, … Continue reading

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The Huffmans: Owners of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

by Alison Bruener, Museum Assistant Today with fewer and fewer newspapers circulating, I’m amazed how many local people over the years owned and published the numerous iterations of our local newspapers. In the days of the Wood County Reporter, the … Continue reading

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Examining the History of Our Local Newspaper

by Alison Bruener, Museum Assistant At the end of every season, we at the South Wood County Historical Museum ponder what are we going to do for next year’s Buehler Gallery exhibit. The 2018 exhibit featured the closing of East … Continue reading

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West Grand Avenue Buildings Razed – Photos

captured by Angelica Engel, Website Coordinator, on September 20, 2018 The building depicted in each of these photos is the old Church’s Drug Store. From September 18th’s Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune:  “The Church’s Drug Store building is another staple on … Continue reading

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Photos of Former Lincoln High School & East Junior High Building

Compiled by Kathy Engel, SWCHC Librarian The Wisconsin Rapids Public School District will discontinue the use of the East Junior High School building. Here are pictures from the past 115 years. The original Lincoln High School was built in 1903, … Continue reading

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Communal Neglect: More buildings bite the dust

Four photos by David Farmbrough show old houses in Wisconsin Rapids before they were razed.

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Greeting Cards from Christmas Past

written by Kathy Engel, SWCHC Librarian Over the years, many greeting cards have been donated to the South Wood County Historical Museum. Here are some examples I have compiled. Card #1: This Christmas card, from Claude and Ruth Aniol, dated … Continue reading

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Connected to One Another with History

written by Alison Bruener, Museum Assistant As I prepare to welcome 2018, I begin to wonder what items will find their way to 540 3rd St. S. in the coming year. It’s been a busy year for museum staff. We’ve … Continue reading

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