Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article An Iron Kinship: Abraham Darby and William Aylward Sr.

Raw coke for iron ore smelting. Made by heating coal in the absence of air. Photo courtesy of Stahlkocher.

An Iron Kinship: Abraham Darby and William Aylward Sr.

In 1872, William Aylward Sr. combined air, coal, and iron ore to produce his first plowshares and other agricultural implements.[1] The founder of what would become the Neenah Foundry followed a process developed by an English man named Abraham Darby more than…

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September 29, 2021

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Neenah Foundry Manhole Cover

City of Madison Manhole Cover. Photo courtesy of Keith Kaziak, 2020.

Winnebago County / Region 4 - Center / Neenah Foundry Manhole Cover / Neenah / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / 1900-1920 / Object Histories / Transportation & Tourism

OBJECT HISTORY: Neenah Foundry Manhole Cover

Since opening in 1904, the Neenah Foundry has earned a worldwide reputation for producing manhole covers. Manhole covers are removable lids fitted for tunnels large enough for people to access underground sewer and storm water systems. Made from strong and long-lasting cast…

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September 29, 2021

Read more about the article Christopher Latham Sholes

Portrait of Christopher Latham Sholes posing at a typewriter, n.d., Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, ID 3218.

Milwaukee County / Sholes and Glidden Typewriter / Milwaukee / Region 8 - South East / Related Stories / 1800-1820 / 1820-1840 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1840-1860 / 1860-1880 / 1880-1900 / Education / Global Connections

Christopher Latham Sholes

Christopher Latham Sholes worked with his brothers at a Green Bay newspaper after having completed a printing internship in 1837, and in 1840 he moved to Kenosha to serve as the owner and publisher of the Southport Telegraph for a number of…

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September 22, 2021

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: Sholes & Glidden Typewriter

Sholes & Glidden typewriter developed by Christopher Latham Sholes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and marketed c. 1874. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, ID 1964.31.

Region 8 - South East / Milwaukee / Sholes and Glidden Typewriter / Milwaukee County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1860-1880 / Object Histories / Education / Global Connections

OBJECT HISTORY: Sholes & Glidden Typewriter

Christopher Latham Sholes (1819-1890) had a number of interests, one of which was spending time at Kleinsteuber’s Machine Shop in Milwaukee. While there, he met other tinkerers including Samuel Soule who was a printer by trade and Carlos Glidden who was a…

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September 22, 2021

Marathon City Brewing and the Wee Willy Basketball Team

The Marathon City Brewery sponsored local sports teams like the Wee Willy basketball team, originally known as the Catholic Youth Organization Team, which organized in 1936. Though the team temporarily disbanded during World War II, in the mid-1940s, young men from the…

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September 14, 2021

Marathon County / Region 2 - North East / Marathon Brewing Company "Superfine" Beer Bottle / Marathon / Related Stories / Food & Cooking / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900

The Marathon Brewery’s Chain of Calamities

In the early 1880s, Franz Sindermann, who was trained as a brewer in Germany, formed a brewery in Marathon, Wisconsin with his brother, August, along with a third partner, Charles Klein. The brewery got off to a good start, producing 300 barrels…

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September 14, 2021