Back of school at Wild Rose Historical Museum

Organ in the Parlor in the Wild Rose Historical Soiety

Bride in the Parlor from 1885 in the Wild Rose Historical Museum

Pitcher & Bowl in Bedroom at Wild Rose Historical Museum

Cradle in the bedroom at Wild Rose Historical Museum

Dresser In Bedroom in Elisha Stewart House at Wild Rose Historical Museum

You can see box of collars for men's shirts.  They changed the  collar every Sunday but wore the shirt longer if they didn't spill on the shirt

Jerry & Fanny Pierce & Mary & Oren Jenks at a home built by Cornelius Etheridge

Josh Taylor & Pam Anderson in 2014 in Pittsburgh

Josh Taylor is a genealogist who has been on the TV shows 

that trace you ancestors. I was in his class for a week at 

Pittsburgh.  Part of this session was searching in 

university archives.

Doors to the Carriage House at the Wild Rose Historical Museum

Melvin Anderson & Pam Anderson

I think dad was taking a break from pulling me on the sled.  The house in he backgound was Ingwald & Sara Sorenson's house on Maple Ave.

Pam & Mike Anderson with her playhouse

Rodney Murty, her grandfather made this playhouse for Pam.  It as great except from time to time bees made a hive under the cupboard.

Michael Anderson shoveling snow.

This is a rare picture of Michael shoveling snow.  Growing up it always seemed he was too sick to shovel when there was a big storm.

Matilda Reeves Etheridge & Cornelius Etheridge

Cornelius Etheridge was born Oct 23, 1832 in Woodmancote to Benjamin Ethridge & May Boulton.  He married Matilda on Oct 30, 1895 in Latah, Idaho. Cornelius died Feb 5, 1902 in Washington.

James "Jeff" Murty, Rodney Murty & Maggie Thomas Murty

Ben Etheridge & Emily Etheridge

Blanche Etheridge Murty, Gladys Etheridge Leininger, Glenn Etheridge

William Etheridge & wife Ann

William is a brother who stayed in England, Benjamin Etheridge & Mary Boulton are his parents.

Rev & Mrs Wills in Wild Rose

Rev. John Wills served Wild Rose with appointments in 1907, 1908 & 1909.

Andrew Foster Etheridge

Andrew Foster Etheridge was the son of John Etheridge and Christiana Courtier.

Annie Etheridge Jones

Annie Etheridge Jones was the daughter of John Etheridge and Christiana Courtier.  She married La Forest Atwood Jones who came to Wild Rose from Maine by the early 1870's..  She and her husband moved to Portage WI. They are buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery.  They had no children.

Josiah Etheridge, Anna Smart Hoaglin, Permelia Pease Etheridge, Ella Smart Knights

The picture was taken in the Knights house. Anna was a niece of Mrs. Knights and brought up by them after her mother died and her father remarried. Anna was the first librarian in Wild Rose. Mrs Knights died in the flu epidemic in 1919.

Original Plat of Wild Rose

Streets are Main St., Maple Ave, High Sr,. Jackson St, Dewey St, Front St., Carey Ave 

and Wisconsin St

Lucy Etheridge

Lucy was baptized Dec. 31, 1826 in Bishops Cleeve. Her parents were Benjamin Etheridge and Mary Boulton.

Mary Boulton Etheridge

Mary Boulton was born May 20, 1794 in Kemble, Wiltshire, England to Joseph Boulton and Sarah Hooper. She married Benjamin Etheridge Dec. 5, 1812 in Bishops Cleeve, Gloucestershire, England but they lived in a hamlet called Woodmancote. They had 11 children., four who came to America: Josiah, Benjamin, John and Cornelius. Benjamin lived in Janesville.  Cornelius was here in the early years but went west.  Josiah & John stayed in Wild Rose.

Alanson Etheridge's machine shop & garage

Clarence Corning with his bike was a mail carrier. Alanson Pease Etheridge is the owner. Milford Etheridge is one of Alanson;s son. The two on the right are not identified.

Eldred Etheridge on the right side.

It may be surprising to see some from Wild Rose in Arab clothing but the man on the right is Eldred Delwin Etheridge. He was born in Wild Rose on March 9, 1913. His parents were Milfred G. Etheridge and Alice E Jenks. The family moved to Clintonville after the birth of his brother, Elwyn who was born Jan. 30, 1916. Eldred was often called Alex.  In the class prophecy, he was to be a minister.  In real life he worked as a sales representative for FWD from Clintonville. Eldred traveled for the company and was stationed in Egypt for some time.  He married Sylvia Westphal on June 15, 1956 by Rev. William Elmer at Maadi Community Church in Cairo,Egypt.  He also was a sales representative for many years in Philadelphia. 

Jesse Etheridge, Merriam Jeffers, Sever Nelson, Andrew Nelson, Edgar Evans

In Dakota during harvest

Pam & Taffy

Taffy was a wonderful cat.  He was willing to be dressed in doll clothes an then put in a doll's bed and covered up.  He wore bonnets and booties as well as dresses.

Writing Desk of William Griffiths

This desk is from about 1830. The desk belonged to William Griffiths who brought it over about 1862 from Wales.  The desk is on display in the Wild Rose Historical Society Museum in Wild Rose WI.

Camp Hiwela on Round Lake near Wild Rose WI

Camp Hiwela was a Camp Fire Girls camp.

Colleen, Louise & Pam Early 1960's

Colleen Collligan Sommer, Louise Leuthold Williams and  

Pam Anderson at the Leuthold house on Grove Ave.  This is 

the house they had after they move to Oklahoma in 1956 and

 came back to Wild Rose in the summer. Ed Leuthold left the 

hardware store to teach in Muskogee,

Theodore Keppler's Harness Shop & Shoe Repair

The people are Theodore, Ruth, Archie and Henry in this picture of the harness shop. This building is part of the Wild Rose Historical Museum. The front is a gift shop, the middle is a general store and the back of the building is a weaving room with a loom, spinning wheels, a flax breaker, quilts, shawls, and coverlets. 

Keppler's in the Elisha Stewart House

The Elisha Stewart house is part of the Wild Rose Historical Society Museum.  The building was started in 1883 and occupied in 1884.  After Elisha moved to King and died 1900, Louis Glover lived in the house and ran the harness shop.  By 1910 Theodore Keppler's family lived there.  The picture shows Theodore (March 5, 1870- June 24, 1945) behind the tree with daughter, Ruth (June 5, 1907-September 9, 1991) in front of the tree.  Bertha Jockman Keppler (Nov. 27, 1875- Sept. 20, 1970) is in the chair. Archie( Aug. 17, 1904-Sept. 17, 1978) is in the front center. Henry (21 June 1896-Dec. 1968) is on his side on the right. If anyone knows the person near Bertha we would appreciate know who it is. The Keppler's had another daughter Evelyn in 1911. The Kepplers moved to Racine and were buried in Sheboygan County in Mosel. Theodore ran the harness shop. The harness shop was next door to the house and now the museum's gift shop, general store and weaving room. 

Wild Rose Mercantile with Outside Steps

This department store was much more than a store.  High graduations were held  here in the early days. The outside stairs lead to Dr Arthur J Stevens dentist office.  He used a foot pump to make the drill operate.  The stairs were scary especially in the winter with winds and icy steps. The opposite side of the building also had steps and Dr Ben Fisher had an office there  before he built his house and office. For a short time there was a bowling alley in the basement  but it wasn't successful. Wild Rose High School plays  were performed upstairs and so were graduations.

Salesman's Samples of Washing Machine and Stove

These samples are in the children's bedroom in the Elisha Stewart House.

Wild Rose State Bank part of the Wild Rose WI Museum

This Bank is part of the Wild Rose Historical Society in Wisconsin.  When the bank built a new building, it became to Wild Rose Post Office.  Notice that the streets were not  paved at this time. The trim on the bank was red. Today the bank has a pharmacy like T W Stevens ran.  We have a small ice cream parlor like Chet Jenks had.  We have a display of many patents. There is a lot of variety from fishing lures to potato planters.  We have flip boards with pictures. The 1905 robbery display where the robbers were successful in the post office in Clark's store but were unsuccessful in the bank. There is a display of the Wild Rose Skating Show. It was an outside show that ran from the later 1940's to 1953.  The mothers made customs and we have some on display.  We have a display of Dr Kjentvet's medical tools.

Details about Bank from Plainfield Sun

Jack Berens & Clyde Diggles in Bank

Jack Berens is on the left and Clyde Diggles on the right.  Frank Clark does not work for the bank.

Inside Wild Rose Bank which is part of the Mueum

This picture is behind the counter of the first Wild Rose State Bank.  It is before 1910.  You can see the vault on the left.  The middle door is part of the hall in Pioneer Hall.  The man on the left is Clyde Diggles son of Nathan & Ella Diggles. He was born May 19, 1887.  He married Mary L Walker and they had a son Franklin Diggles. Diggles was the Supervisor of the Building & Loan Association in the State Banking Department and served 24 years as a Commissioner of Savings and Loan until June of 1959.  John Vincent Berens was the son of Nicholas Berens and Mary Khiel. He was born April 4, 1880.  He married Suzanna Fisher, daughter of Wilson J and Charlotte Case Fisher.  She was also the sister of Dr Ben Fisher of Wild Rose. She was born April 7, 1883.   The Berens had three children Keith born in 1907, Khiel born in 1908 and Janice born in 1917.  Khiel died at three months and 13 days.  The family moved to Stevens Point and later to California.  John V Berens died June 9, 1953 and Suzanne died March 29, 1982.