Saukville History

The following is taken from "Historiesof Washington and Ozaukee Counties", Western Publishing, 1881. It is copiedexactly from the book except that I have capitalized surnames.

The town of Saukville was set off, and made an independentorganization April 4, 1848. Prior to that time, it formed a part of old Port Washington.It now comprises Town 11 in Range 21. Settlements were made as early as 1845, andimprovements began in 1846. The first traces of civilization on the present siteof the village appeared in the latter year. The Indians had made several attemptsat clearings at various points along the Milwaukee River, where they had in a smallway cultivated the maize. They lingered in and around the vicinity of Saukville fora number of years. After the whites began to take up lands they finally withdrewfrom the scene, leaving the pioneers in full possession of their hunting-grounds.

During their sojourn they furnished the settlers with fish and game common to theforests, but as inroads were made into the dense timber, they gradually receded,migrating to the north and west until the last had disappeared. Among the first tosettle in this section were George C. DANIELS, Lott BLANCHARD, Joseph FISCHBEIN,William FOSTER, E. WADSWORTH, William PAYNE, Lemuel SEZER, Stephen McINTOSH, JonathanTIBBETTS and Joseph FOWLER. In 1848, William PAYNE and Jabez H. FOSTER built a damacross the Milwaukee River, three-quarters of a mile north of the village, wherethey obtain a fall of fifteen feet. The first building erected was a saw-mill. Ayear later, they built a frame grist-mill. PAYNE & FOSTER had entered some 1,200acres of land which was designated "The Mill Property." They continuedto do a profitable business until 18551, when their grist-mill was destroyed by fire,after which disaster a dispute arose between them as to the sharing of the property.A lawsuit ensued which resulted in the court deciding that the property should bedivided into equal shares, each one taking half. PAYNE then sold out his interestincluding water-power to William H. KITTRIDGE for $17,500. The site upon which thesebuildings were erected was given the name Mechanicsville, but subsequently becamea part of the village of Saukville. In 1849, a turning-shop was added to the saw-mill,where the manufacture of bedsteads and chairs was carried on until 1858, at whichtime the business was abandoned. Alexander M. ALLEN, Joseph FOWLER and John BARNUM,were the last to engage in the enterprise. W.H. KITTRIDGE had conveyed the propertyto his mother, Cinderella KITTRIDGE, who sold it to Maxon HIRSCH and Charles H. MILLERin 1863. A year later, they sold to Adam NAUTH, who rebuilt the saw-mill and dam.NAUTH retained possession until December 31, 1870, when he sold out to THIEN &GUETTLER, who rebuilt the grist-mill, a four-story stone building. They also repairedthe dam, and made other necessary improvements. The business had but fairly got underheadway when the grist-mill was again destroyed by fire. The property was sold in1879 to August KOENIG by a foreclosure of mortgage During the same year KOENIG wasjoined by Charles SCHLEGEL, when they rebuilt the mill. They now run five set ofstones, and have a capacity of 100 barrels of flour per day. Relics of the old saw-millare still standing. The dam was considerably damaged by the spring flood of 1881,when the Milwaukee River rose to the highest point ever known, overflowing the countryfor several miles on each side of its banks. The village of Saukville was inundatedtwo to four feet, and a great many families were forced to abandon their houses andfind shelter with their neighbors who were more fortunately located on the highergrounds. In 1860, Ernst SCHMIDT built a dam and erected a saw-mill in the town ofSaukville, four miles north of the village in Section 3, Range 21, on the MilwaukeeRiver, where he continued to do a profitable business until the year 1875, when V.VOELKER became a partner and added a frame grist-mill to the saw-mill. The flouring-millis now run by VOELKER & JONAS. The saw-mill was swept away by the flood of 1881,as was also the dam. The later was immediately rebuilt. This place is designated"VOELKER's Mills." George KENDALL kept a store and saloon at the millsfor quite a number of year.

The organization and first election of the town of Saukville took place April 4,1848, at the house of Lott BLANCHARD, when the following town officers were elected:Lemuel S. SIZER, Moderator; Elisha WADSWORTH and Charles O. SENDERBURG, Judges ofElection; William FOSTER and Joseph FISCHBEIN, Clerks of Election. There were 43votes cast, with the following result: For Town Supervisors and Commissioners ofHighways, William PAYNE, Lemuel S. SIZER and James HURLEY; School Commissioners,Lott BLANCHARD, Jonathan TIBBETTS and Joseph FOWLER; Justices of the Peace, WilliamPAYNE and Joseph FISCHBEIN; Constables, William FORSYTHE; Assessors, Stephen McINTOSH,Michael HARRINGTON and Anton BOESEWETTER; Town Clerk and Treasurer, Joseph FISCHBEIN.

VILLAGE OF SAUKVILLE

This picturesque little hamlet is situated on thewest bank of the Milwaukee River, twenty-eight miles north of the State metropolis,and is touched by the Milwaukee & Wisconsin Central Railroad, two express trainspassing each way daily. The business portion of the town is laid out in the shapeof a triangle, and contains four stores, three hotels, two wagon and blacksmith shops,and a number of dwelling-houses. There are two churches, a Catholic and a GermanLutheran, and two schoolhouses, one public and one private. The first house in thevillage was built by George C. DANIELS, in 1846. In 1848, a foot bridge was builtacross the river at this point at a cost of $500, the county furnishing one-halfof this sum. In 1873, the town voted to build a new bridge. The contract was givento William RETTLERG, of Cedarburg, for $3,735. The bridge is a substantial wood structure,and is well protected by breakwaters. The first storekeeper was Joseph FISCHBEIN,who was also made the first Postmaster, in 1847. In 1848, William PAYNE erected abuilding for a hotel, of which William RICHARDS took possession, christening it the"Pulaski Hotel." This pioneer inn is still standing in a well-preservedstate, but is now used as a private residence. The Eagle Hotel, the principal onenow in the village, was opened to the public by Anthony AHLHAUSER, in 1861. Mr. AHLHAUSERcame to Saukville in 1856, and started a mercantile business, which he afterwardexchanged for that of "mine host."

There are eight public schoolhouses in the town of Saukville, four stone and fourframe structures. These buildings are in grounds of three-quarters of an acre each,and are furnished throughout with all modern school apparatus. The first officerselected were, in 1848, for School District No. 1, Director, Stephen McINTOSH; Clerk,Henry HEDGES; Treasurer, John FITZPATRICK. A little frame schoolhouse was built thesame year, and Miss E. TUCKER was employed by Mr. McINTOSH to take charge of theschool, it being the first taught in the town of Saukville. The highest number ofchildren enrolled during this term was twenty-one. Mr. S. WHITCHURCH succeeded MissTUCKER as teacher, taking charge of the school the following year. The school taxfor 1848 was $76.71. The cash value of school property in the town for the same yearwas $475.55. Number of children attending private schools, 132; whole number of childrenin town 1,095. Cash value of school property, public and private, in 1881, $9,727.75.Total receipts for school purposes for the year ending August 31, 1880, for DistrictNo. 1, $3,273.58; expenditures $2,491.73; amount on hand $781.85.

The town officers for 1881 were: Supervisors, Anthony AHLHAUSER, William BROMBACH,Edward LUTZEN; Clerk, Charles STOPPER; Assessor, M. LOUTERBACH; Treasurer, PeterHAAN; Poundmaster, B. JOHNSON; Justices of the Peace, Charles SCHLEGEL, A. AHLHAUSER,J. W. LULPRING; Constables, B. JOHNSON, Claude AUGUSTINE, Joachim HORN.

"Slave to no sect, who takesno private road,
But looks through nature up to nature's God."

Such was the religion of the pioneers of Saukville;they knew no creeds, but were governed by the grand universal law of nature. Theywere linked together by one common interest, and sought to establish the principlesof morality on a broad foundation. The forests served them as a place of worshipduring the summer months, and in the winter they would repair to the public schoolhouseto offer up their humble devotions. As the country began to fill with people fromforeign lands, sectarian lines were drawn and organizations formed under the prescribedrules and formulas of their respective dogmas.

The Methodists were the first to organize, and held their services in the publicschoolhouse for a period of twelve years, when the church was disbanded. There arefive church edifices in the town, of which the two principal are in the village.The German Evangelical Lutheran Church, in the village of Saukville, was organizedJune 16, 1876. This congregation is visited by Rev. FRANK of Port Washington.

Catholic Church.--This denomination held its first services in the house ofJohn FITZPATRICK, Father BRADLEY officiating. The church was regularly organizedFebruary 20, 1856. Alois STOPPER, John SENG and Paul SUENNEN, Trustees. The businesswas transacted at the house of Alois STOPPER. A little stone meeting-house was erectedin 1858. There were present, at the laying of the corner-stone, Bishop Martin HENNI,of Milwaukee; Father X. SAILER and Father DOUGHTERTY. The church has been presidedover by the following priests: First, after Father BRADLEY, Father X. SAILER, from1858 to 1860; from 1860 to 1865, the priests to visit the church were J.B. WICKMANN,Father FUSSEDER, Father FABIAN, Father STOHR and Father George STRICKNER. The residentpriests were Father J. VOISSEM, Joseph M. ALBERS and the present Father, John FRIEDEL.In 1875, a new church edifice, 55 x 125 feet, was erected. The building is a handsomestone structure, and is the largest in the county. The half-acre lot, on which itstands, was donated to the church by Alois STOPPER. The center altar, an elegantpiece of architecture, was donated by the members of the church. The two side altarswere a gift from Father J.M. ALHERS. The young men of St. Joseph's Society presentedthe church with a pulpit. The windows are of stained glass, and were contributedby individual members. The names of the donators are engraved upon the panes. A parsonageand schoolhouse were erected in 1865. The school is in charge of three Sisters fromNotre Dame, of Milwaukee, and has an average attendance of 100 scholars. Seven acresof land were purchased by the church, upon which to erect these buildings. The churchand school buildings, including the land, cost $21,000. The church, in 1850, numberedten families; at the present, 120 families.