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Each week a small segment of Vernon County history is published in the county papers.
For the week of 9/15/2024
by Kristen Parrott, curator
You never know what you’ll find when cleaning out! While tidying an exhibit recently, some interesting little notebooks were moved and, in the process, examined closely. Today we’ll look at one of them, a book of farm property assessment forms that was used from November 1908 to January 1910.
The right-hand column says, “Amount to Insure”, so probably the book was used by an insurance agent. At the top of each page is the date, name of property owner, and where the person lived, recorded by town name and by section, township, and range numbers.
The bulk of the form lists types of property that could be insured. This includes buildings, starting with Dwelling and Addition, with space to record the size of each. A little farther down the page is Summer Kitchen, which was sometimes an addition and other times a separate building. Then the form gets into agriculture-specific buildings: stable, barn, barn #2, granary, tool shed, tobacco shed #1 and #2, and chicken house.
Home goods are also listed, including Wearing Apparel, Provisions, Musical Instruments (because this was the era of the home piano!), Library, and Household. These were the items of value, worth being insured, in the early 1900’s. A cream separator gets its own line, so it must have been an investment. The remaining items on the form also relate to farm life, including hay/straw/fodder, grain in granaries, livestock, and farming utensils.
Sixty of these forms are filled out in the book. They cover some properties in the Towns of Jefferson, Franklin, Sterling, Kickapoo, Viroqua, and Liberty, but the book is by no means comprehensive. Many of the property owner names are Norwegian. Lots of Oles.
Here’s one example: Ole T. Fortney of the Town of Franklin, Section 32, whose property was assessed in May of 1909. He owned a dwelling that was 16x22, with an addition of 22x22. Looks like he also had a second dwelling, 16x34. His farm buildings included a barn, a granary, and four tobacco sheds. In addition to buildings, he was assessed for household, wearing apparel, provisions, hay/straw/fodder, grain, livestock, and farming utensils.
A few women are found in the book. Mrs. Olga Tryggestad of Town of Sterling had her property recorded in March of 1909. It appears that she was no longer in the farming business, because the only buildings listed are a dwelling and an addition, and the only items are household, wearing apparel, provisions, and musical instruments.
Property owners who didn’t have buildings might have been renters. Ole L. Olson of the Town of Jefferson was assessed in December of 1908. His property included household, wearing apparel, and provisions, and also hay/straw/fodder, grain, and livestock, but no buildings, so maybe he was renting a farm and farmhouse.
It’s a fascinating look into the past. You are welcome to come see this book or anything in the archives during our regular September hours of Monday through Friday, 11AM to 4PM, and Saturday, 10AM to 2PM.
Remember that we have a great program coming up on Tuesday, October 1. At 7PM at the Vernon County Museum and History Center, Wisconsin author and UW Eau Claire English professor B.J. Hollars will talk about his new book, Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary that Launched a President and Changed the Course of History. When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, his first battleground state was Wisconsin — a state that would prove more arduous, more exhausting, and more crucial to winning the presidency than any other.
JFK campaigned in Viroqua in September of 1959, and in Hillsboro in March of 1960. Come to hear this timely and insightful program, and to share your own stories of the Kennedy campaign. The event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored in memory of Chuck Dahl.
For the week of 9/8/2024
by Kristen Parrott, curator
It’s Fair week! Hope to see you at our booth at the Vernon County Fair in Viroqua, held this year from September 11 to 15. The Vernon County Historical Society’s booth is inside the Vernon Memorial Healthcare Expo Center. The highlight of our booth is the ever-popular Vernon County history quiz. Spin the arrow and answer a question, like “how many townships make up Vernon County?” or “who built many of the round barns found in Vernon County?”. Volunteers will offer help if needed, and there’s a sweet treat for a reward!
Our display this year includes three related history panels. The first panel contains a map of Vernon County on which are marked 19th-century Ho Chunk village and camp sites. The second panel features 19th-century accounts of the forced removals of the Ho Chunk from Vernon County. And the third outlines which ethnic groups settled in the county after the removals, and where. It’s a sad history. Some of the settlers participated in the removals, while others may not have realized that the previous residents of this area had been forced out.
Also at our booth is a slideshow of historic images of water in Vernon County, including photos of flooding, fishing, and water mills. This slideshow has been a part of our “Drops of Water” exhibit here at the museum for several years. “Drops of Water” will soon be coming down, making way for new exhibits, including one commemorating the U.S. 250th, which will be officially observed in 2026.
You can purchase Vernon County Historical Society sweepstakes tickets at our Fair booth, and also at the Vernon County Museum and History Center. Five cash prizes are offered, from a first prize of $300 to a fifth prize of $50. Suggested donation for tickets is $5 each, or five tickets for $20. The sweepstakes drawing will be held on Wednesday, December 18.
There are also brochures to pick up from our Fair booth, and newsletters, and flyers for upcoming events. The Vernon County Fair is always a great time!
One of our upcoming events is a program focused on U.S. presidential campaign stops in Wisconsin, very timely considering the current campaigns and the recent stop in Westby by our current U.S. President. On Tuesday, October 1, at 7PM, Wisconsin author B.J. Hollars will present a free public program about his new book, Wisconsin for Kennedy: The Primary that Launched a President and Changed the Course of History. This event will be held in the conference room at the history center. More details next week!
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