Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Evansville
    Evansville
    Evansville
    Ebook132 pages29 minutes

    Evansville

    By Ruth Ann Montgomery and John Ehle

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Evansville, settled in 1839, developed as an important agricultural trade center. Log cabins, farms, and small industries were built, and the population grew from less than 10 families in the beginning to nearly 5,000 people in 2009. Then and Now: Evansville is a unique look at how the community has changed from the 1900s to today. Ruth Ann Montgomery, author of Images of America: Evansville for Arcadia Publishing, is Evansville s historian. John Ehle, an Evansville resident for many years, has conducted interviews with local veterans and those who lived through the Great Depression.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJul 19, 2010
    ISBN9781439625811
    Evansville
    Author

    Ruth Ann Montgomery

    Photographs in Evansville come from the collections of the author, the Eager Free Public Library, the Rock County Historical Society, and longtime residents of Evansville. Ruth Ann Montgomery is a historian with an avid interest in preserving Evansville's past. She has given talks, written articles, and digitized historic photographs and materials from the community.

    Related to Evansville

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Conway, North Dakota

      Nov 27, 2018

      Conway, North Dakota
      3 min read

    • Article

      Coal Mining and Toll Scrip

      Sep 5, 2023

      Coal Mining and Toll Scrip
      5 min read

    • Article

      Huntingburg—An Old Friend

      Dec 30, 2019

      Huntingburg—An Old Friend
      5 min read

    • Article

      Small Town Colorado Notes

      Oct 4, 2022

      Small Town Colorado Notes
      4 min read

    • Article

      Tracking Omaha’s Past

      Mar 24, 2020

      Tracking Omaha’s Past
      3 min read

    • Article

      Final Piece Of Wisbech & Upwell Tramway Memorial Trail Unveiled

      Nov 19, 2024

      THE sixth memento in a project to commemorate the legendary Wisbech & Upwell Tramway was unveiled on November 9. The Mayor of Wisbech, Coun Sidney Imafidon, unveiled the final memento at the point where the tramway crossed Elm Road en route to the po

      1 min read

    • Article

      Oldest Operating National Bank

      Jan 2, 2024

      Oldest Operating National Bank
      4 min read

    • Article

      Clayburn Village Museum

      Dec 4, 2019

      Clayburn Village Museum
      3 min read

    • Article

      City Guide: Whanganui

      Jul 5, 2024

      City Guide: Whanganui
      9 min read

    • Article

      Frame Homes

      May 23, 2023

      Frame Homes
      1 min read

    • Article

      Union Bay Historical Society

      Sep 3, 2019

      Union Bay Historical Society
      3 min read

    • Article

      Chair City

      Oct 17, 2023

      Chair City
      3 min read

    • Article

      Gene Autry in Oklahoma

      Mar 5, 2024

      Gene Autry in Oklahoma
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Evansville

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Evansville - Ruth Ann Montgomery

      again.

      INTRODUCTION

      The landscape of Evansville, Wisconsin, is constantly changing. This small city in northwestern Rock County is a community that has been in transition since 1839. The arrival of the first permanent citizens brought change to the groves of trees, a small stream of water (Allen’s Creek), and rich prairie land.

      The trees were used to build the first log cabins along Main Street, Madison Street, and Mill Street. The log homes were soon replaced by frame structures.

      Allen’s Creek was dammed, and a millrace was dug to power a sawmill and a gristmill. The artificial lake, formed by damming the creek, was named Lake Leota.

      In 1900, the dam was removed and the lake was reverted to a stream. In 1923, the City of Evansville purchased the land that had once been Lake Leota, built a new concrete dam, and the lake was restored. It was the center of controversy over the years, as Lake Leota was costly to maintain.

      In the 1850s, Jacob West, a brick maker, excavated a narrow strip of clay from beneath the topsoil, shaped it into rectangular blocks, and baked it in a kiln. The new bricks were sold for building houses, churches, and schools.

      In the early 1850s, frame and brick commercial enterprises were built along the north and south sides of the first block of East Main Street. Then the commercial district expanded one block west to the first block of West Main Street.

      Blacksmith shops, wagon shops, the gristmill, and carpenter shops were built side by side with general stores, hotels, and livery stables.

      Residences were built above and next to shops and within a block or two of the business district that expanded east and west and north and south from the corner of Main and Madison Streets. Most homes had their own barns, and some property owners had sufficient land for gardens and fields for crops.

      When the Beloit and Madison Railroad proposed a line through Evansville in 1855, more substantial buildings, including a three-story hotel and several commercial buildings, were erected to make the village look prosperous and forward-looking.

      In 1855, Evansville’s streets were platted. The village was divided into 24 blocks and 11 streets, East and West Main, Church, Liberty, Mill, Madison, Railroad, First, Second, Third, and Fourth Streets.

      The railroad did not arrive until 1863, and when it did Evansville merchants and area farmers quickly took advantage of the transportation to commercial and agriculture markets in Chicago. Evansville became a major stock and grain shipping area.

      The farmers in the Evansville area began to prosper, and in turn the businesses and services offered by the merchants and manufacturers in the village also prospered.

      Businesses and social organizations supplied agricultural equipment, clothing, newspapers, postal service, food, medical services, religious institutions, schools, fraternal organizations, and entertainment.

      Evansville residents did not hesitate to raze or move a building if it was in the way of a newer project. House and building movers were in great demand in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Small, older homes were replaced by larger homes built along the residential streets.

      The commercial buildings along East and West Main Street were remodeled, razed, and replaced with

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1