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History: Maine Twp., Marathon Co., Wis. (1913)

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----Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913, pg. 547 -  551.

----Township of Maine, Marathon Co., Wisconsin 1913 History

THE TOWN OF MAINE.

The town of Maine was one of the first settled towns in this county. The first Gennan settlement has been referred to as being made in 1856, with a slow influx of Gemian emigrants from year to year until the town was fairly well settled, and it is curious to learn that the north portion, township 30, was sooner thickly settled than the southern portion, in township 29, and latest of all was the land settled nearest to the city of Wausau.

The town was set off from the town of Wausau in 1866 when the county was governed by the three commissioners, August Kickbusch, Aug. W. Schmidt and John Week, and the first election was ordered to be held in the house of August Kell. It was given all the territory in townships 28. 29 and 30, in range 7 east, although a small portion lying east of the Wisconsin river was cut off from the main part of the town and had no means of communication with it, unless by the circuitous route to Wausau, or unless a crossing was made by boat, in the summer, or on the ice in the winter.

The present territory is limited to township 30, range 7 east, lying westof the Wisconsin river, and the greater portion of township 29, north of range 7, lying west of the river.

The town was given its name from U. E. Maine, who was probably the first settler ; he was a native American and at one time county surveyor. He had the largest farm when the town was organized. His wife was a woman of Chippewa descent, with whom he brought up a large family of very intelligent and industrious sons. He sold his farm in the latter part of the seventies to Matt. Gallon, who still owns and occupies the same. It was surmised at the time of the sale that the desire of U. E. Maine to keep his children from associating with Indians prompted him to sell his fami and move west. He had nearly eighty acres cleared and under good cultivation when he sold. There is a small saw mill owned by Hackbarth & Laatsch, not operating at present, but which will be running in a short time again. One brickyard opened by Frank Mathie in 1868 is still making excellent brick; it is owned and conducted over thirty years by William Garske. Its close proximity to the city of Wausau is a strong point in favor of this establishment. There are five cheese factories in this town, making annual distribution of scores of thousands of dollars among the farmers.

For the purpose of testing the lands of Marathon county on the productiveness of apple culture, the state rented ten acres for a long term of years and planted apple trees, with the best of success. It proved without doubt that apples can be raised with profit and that soil as well as climate are favorable to the culture. Encouraged by the result, B. F. Wilson, who owns a farm not over four miles from the city, has put a number of acres into an orchard and the young trees planted promise the best results. The farm with the experimental state orchard is now owned by Jacob Gensman of Wausau or his son.

The town of Maine is divided into seven school districts, each has a good modern schoolhouse.

There are five church congregations in this town. The German Methodist church is probably the first, certainly one of the first Protestant congregations organized in this county, the first minister gathering the flock together appearing here either at about the same time, or a very little earlier, than Reverend Stricter, who organized the Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Naugard, in the town of Berlin.

It was in the time from 1859 to i860 that a missionary minister, the Reverend Pfefiler, from Watertown, came in this territory and held religious sen-ice for the congregation at stated times. There was for some time no church building and service was held in a private house, but the members kept up their organization and adhered to each other. The next minister to visit it was Reverend Schaeffler, who held service in the house of one Pophal, and after him came Rev. William Meyer, under whose direction a log house was erected for a church at the site of the present church in the year 1861. Reverend Scheffler was succeeded by Rev. Nicholas Eiffler, and with the growth of the congregation in numbers and their better material condition a fine church edifice and parsonage was erected in the early eighties. It was dedicated by Rev. John Beinert. The first resident pastor was Rev. Conrad Eberhard, who was succeeded by Rev. Philip Hummel. The minister of this congregation also served two congregations, one in the town of Rib Falls and one in the town of Coming, at that time in town of Berlin in this county, now in Lincoln county, both of which congregations have neat church edifices. The present resident minister is Reverend Wagner.

German Evangelical Lutheran churches The oldest of the Evangelical Lutheran churches has its edifice at the postoffice, Taegersville, the organization of which dates back to the first organization of the Lutheran churches in Marathon county. It was united in the beginning with the congregation in Naugard, town of Berlin, and both had Rev. J. J. Hoffmann as their pastor, and afterwards Rev. William Hudt- I6ff, until the Naugard congregation separated. The first church was a log building put up over fifty years ago. A new church was built in 1899. Its name is the "Immanual's" church, and its trustees are Karl Klinger and Fred Hintz. The resident pastor is Rev. August J. Koepp.

Another German Evangelical Lutheran congregation has a fine church building on the Merrill road, in township 30, which was built over twenty-five years ago, with a large membership. The resident pastor is Rev. Joseph Fiehler and he serves another congregation as a mission in the town of Scott, in Lincoln county.

Another congregation of the same faith was organized about 1868 in the southern part of the town and held their sendee in a schoolhouse, where a minister from Wausau visited them, until a fine church was built in the year 1895. Its trustees are: H. Marquardt, F. Schuett and K. Ziebell. The religious services are now conducted by Rev. Aug. J. Koepp.

A fourth congregation was organized and erected its church in 1886- 1887, the most prominent members of the time of its organization being John Kufahl, Edw. Nass and John F. Strehlow. It has a resident minister in the person of Reverend Meyer. This town was set off from the town of Marathon November 12, 1867, and estabhshed as a separate town, the first election to be on town meeting day in the following year. The town was named after the capital of Austria (Vienna), the first settler in that territory having come to America from that city, where he had followed the occupation of a "ladies' tailor." When asked how he came to go so far from every settlement, he said he had bought his land in Pittsburg, from speculators, and was shown a plat representing the city of Marathon City, showing the steamboat landing, church, schoolhouse, market square, and was told that the country was well settled, and more settlers streaming into that territory; that Ijelieving in these statements, he did not wish to be too close to the city, because he wanted to keep cattle and expected to have more pasture room some distance away from Marathon City, and took up the land eight miles further west. When he came up there the bunch of settlers going to Marathon City, had not yet arrived ; he found neither road nor path to go there, and returned to Berlin and waited for some of the settlers, with whom he came to Mosinee again, and they then made a sort of road to Marathon City, and he had a sun-eyor show him his land eight miles further west. He did not go with the very first settlers who went up to Marathon City by canoe, but waited for the second arrivals. Being the first settler in that territory, the town was named after his home city, the other large cities having already been remembered by naming the towns of Berlin and Stettin. Charles IMarquardt. Fred Hamann, Fred Baumann and William Garbrecht came later in the same fall, and some miners from Pittsburg, who did not remain, and returned to Pittsburg, and refusing to pay taxes, preferred to lose their land rather than undergo the hardships of pioneer life.

The town of Wien, being township 28, range 4 east, is distinguished by a more gently swelling surface, no hills of any dimensions are in this township. Of the oldest settlers, only one, Fred Baumann, is still alive, and he emigrated to the Far West about twelve years ago, where he is in good circumstances, having invested in western lands to good advantage.

There is one creamery and two cheese factories in the town, which are doing a large business.

The town is divided in five school districts, each with a fine schoolhouse. This town was always distinguished for good schools, there being the town school system in vog^ie, by which the whole territory was taxed for school purposes, and the income divided among the school districts. There are two German Evangelical Lutheran churches in the town, both on the extreme west, which give the people of the town of Frankfort a chance to attend and become members of the congregation, the eastern portion attending divine service in the village of Edgar.

In the early years of the settlement Rev. J. J. Hoffmann, and after him Rev. William Hudtloff, visited the congregation monthly and held service in the schoolhouses, while the few Catholic pioneers attended service in Marathon City, they being near the east side of the township.

A regular congregation was organized in the year 1885 and a church built in the same year, and Pastor Busch was the first resident minister. He did not remain long, and was succeeded by Rev. P. K. Pitzler, who remained until 1890, when he was followed by Rev. P. Karl Schmlaz of Oconto county, who has been continually in charge to this day. Under his pastorage, the congregation progressed in every way, the membership is trebled, the church renovated and newly furnished, without any debts on the property. The congregation also owns a parochial schoolhouse.

There is a Ladies' Society, a Young Men's Society, a male and a mixed choir. The same pastor also founded the St. Peter's congregation in Fenwood as a mission from Wausau and another at Stratford. The original congregation in the town of Wien celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 19 10; it has a membership of 115 families in the town of Wien, 56 in the village of Stratford and 10 in Fenwood. The congregations are served by the same pastor, who has been the resident minister in the town of Wien for the last twenty-three years, and they live in the utmost harmony.

Another congregation organized and held their meetings in the schoolhouse and were visited by a minister from Colby, and in 1886 this congregation also built a church, small, though big enough for their wants, and in the year 1908, when it had grown to larger numbers, built a church edifice of large dimensions, solid brick and thoroughly well finished. It has a resident minister since the church was built. Reverend Schieman, and the two churches are near each other, and the best of hannony prevails between both congregations.

Like the other congregation, it has its Ladies' Aid Society, choirs and Young Men's Association. About seventy families belong to this congregation.