Property Record
EVEREST ST AND 1ST ST, SE CNR
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | BROKAW METHODIST CHURCH |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 25487 |
| Location (Address): | EVEREST ST AND 1ST ST, SE CNR |
|---|---|
| County: | Marathon |
| City: | Brokaw |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1903 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19782014 |
| Historic Use: | house of worship |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | N |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 1980 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | SQUARE TOWER IN CNR, MITERED ARCHED WINDOWS IN GABLES During the 1890s, two paper manufactures, Norman Brokaw of Kaukauna and W.L. Edmonds of Appleton, identified the stretch of the Wisconsin River near Wausau as an ideal location for the construction of a new paper mill due the proximity of the powerful upper Wisconsin River for energy and plentiful lumber. The two settled on a location on the east bank of the river adjacent to the Five Mile Dam north of Wausau in the Town of Texas. In 1899, Brokaw and Edmonds formed the Wausau Paper Mills Company with significant investment from the Wausau Group. Construction of the mill began in July of 1899 and was completed eight months later at the cost of $400,000 and began production within another month. The mill, the second along the Wisconsin River, was one of the largest in Wisconsin when completed. The existence of the new paper mill led to the construction and development of a company town, named Brokaw after one of the two founders of the mill, adjacent to it. The first houses were ready by the end of November of 1899, before the mill was completed. Soon there were forty single family homes and one boarding house with rooms for single men to rent. However, not all of the initial 175 employees of the Wausau Paper Mill Company lived in Brokaw; some commuted on the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway’s “scud” train daily from Wausau. The Village of Brokaw was incorporated in 1903, and work began that same year the Brokaw Methodist Church as well as a school, clubhouse, and general store in the village, all operated by the Wausau Paper Mills Company. Many of the workers and their families were Austrian, Polish, and Italian immigrants and spent much of their lives in the confines of the small village largely isolated. As the nearest fire pump at the time of the 1914 fire was in Wausau, this event encouraged the formation of a volunteer fire department in Brokaw and an increase in other basic services, which included the opening of a doctor’s office. The population of Brokaw rose to its highest point in 1930 with 500 inhabitants. Two saloons in Brokaw closed during this period because of prohibition. The following depression years of the 1930s were difficult as the Wausau Paper Mill remained open for only two full days a week while paying the same wages. The company made no improvements to the houses, some of which still lacked indoor plumbing. Families often made such improvements and additions themselves. In 1948, the Wausau Paper Mill Company sold the houses in Brokaw after failing to raise rents. The homes were sold to the oldest occupants of the houses for approximately $800 to $1,000. The company store was destroyed by fire that same year and was quickly replaced with a new one which also served as the paper mill offices and post office. A period of stagnation and isolation ended for Brokaw in the 1950s with higher wages and increased development. In 1951, a new library opened. Several new businesses were established in the 1950s. In 1958, the Wausau Paper Mill Company underwent a series of mill expansions costing $4.25 million over three years and adding 175 new jobs. Aerial photography after this period show a drastically changed paper mill facility. The machine rooms and finishing rooms were rebuilt and expanded, and a series of warehouse/storage buildings were completed along the western end of the mill. In 1967, a bridge was constructed over the Wisconsin River near the village. In 1969, the first bank was opened in Brokaw. However, by the 1980s, the company store and school had closed. The Brokaw Methodist Church has also dissolved by that time. After being utilized by the mill for paper storage, the church was demolished sometime that decade. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Adventures in Paperland. Brokaw, WI: Wausau Paper Mills Company, 1958. “Brokaw History,” Village of Brokaw website. <villageofbrokaw.com/brokaw_history.htm> Clark, James I. The Wisconsin Pulp and Paper Industry. Madison, Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1956, Pages 3-7. Howard, Phil. A History of the Wisconsin Paper Industry 1848-1948. Chicago: Howard Publishing Company, 1948, Pages 4-7. Hunter, Dard. Papermaking: the History and Technique of an Ancient Craft. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1947. Klueter, Howard R. and James J. Lorence. Woodlot and Ballot Box: Marathon County in Twentieth Century. Wausau, WI: Marathon County Historical Society, 1977. Kronenwetter, Michael. The Story of Wausau and Marathon County. Midland, MI: Pendell Publishing Company, 1984. Marchetti, Louis. A History of Marathon County, Wisconsin. Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1913. Papers of David Clark Everest, 1883-1955. On file at the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives. Papers of Joseph E. George, 1891-1949. On file at the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives. Rosholt, Malcolm. A Photo Album of Marathon County, 1850-1925. Rosholt, WI: Rosholt House Publishing, 1978. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Wausau – 1904, 1912, 1923, 1939, and 1954. Schleif, Thomas and Sally Young. A History of Paper Making in the Northern Wisconsin River Valley. Wausau, WI: Marathon County Historical Museum, 1984. Wyatt, Barbara (ed.). “Pulp and Paper Production.” Cultural Resource Management in Wisconsin: Volume 1. Madison, Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1986, Pages Industry 6-1 - 6-9. 60th Year: Artisans of Fine Paper. Brokaw, WI: Wausau Paper Mills Company, 1960. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |