Bio: News, Homemakers (1953)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 
 

Surnames: Short, Harvey, Clark, Kuechenmeister, Svetlik, Peterson 
 

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) April 23, 1953 
 

News, Homemakers (1953)  
 

Editor’s note: Readers of The Press commonly see Neillsville through the eyes of the editor.  When the Homemakers came to town, it seemed to the editor that it would be interesting to see Neillsville through the eyes of a Homemaker.  Hence Mrs. Ralph Short, a Homemaker and experienced correspondent for the Town of Washburn, was asked to write her impressions from the trip.  The result follows (in part): 
 

By Mrs. Ralph Short - Press Correspondent and Homemaker -  
 

Between 300 and 350 Homemakers of Clark County visited Neillsville last Thursday as part of a project to "Know our County Better."  This project was set up at the annual planning meeting, held at Greenwood in September, 1952.  The county seat was selected as the first place to be visited.  Many of the Homemakers had never seen the inside of the courthouse or the jail.  For the purpose of the first tour these public places were combined with the Condensery of the American Stores Dairy Co. and the Indian School. 
 

At the court house we heard Wells F. Harvey, editor of The Clark County Press, tell about the origin of the name of Clark County.  He said the name came from George Rogers Clark, the Revolutionary hero who was responsible more than any other one person for securing to the United States the large area north of the Ohio, east of the Mississippi and west of the Alleghenies. 
 

County History:  
 

Mrs. Art Kuechenmeister, county Homemakers secretary and treasurer, explained about the first courthouse which was built about 1859.  When the present one was to be built the old one was moved across the street from the Svetlik Motor Co., and now is apartments. The present one was built in 1875.  (Since 1953, there is now a new courthouse.  Dmk) 
 

The first jail was built in 1866.  The second was built in 1882 and still stands.  Attorney John M. Peterson has his office there.  The present modern jail building was built in 1897.  The sheriff’s residence is also part of the building and is a great assistance in getting out to serious accidents and emergencies in a matter of minutes, as all police (Oops, the rest of the article is missing on my copy pages).