Saving Owen High School

Transcribed by Crystal Wendt

News: Owen High School

Source: Scrap book one:  by Elsa Lange Hardrath & Dorthaleen Edwards Hardrath

Contributed by Halbert “Bud” Hardrath

KEEPING OWEN’S HIGH SCHOOL

In announcing Wisconsin’s 10 most endangered historic properties for the year 2000, the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation singled out saving older schools as a particularly complicated local historic preservation issue. This is well-understood by a group in Owen called the Friends of the Old School. These friends, most of them residents of this central Wisconsin City or natives moved elsewhere, have been taking care of Owen’s former high school since they bought the early 1920s brick building and its attached 1950s gymnasium in 1995.

The Friends bought the school because they feared it would be demolished. Half a dozen years earlier the former Owen Grade School, built in 1907, had been torn down by the city government. “People still miss it,” June Devine Roohr told Wisconsin Preservation News. All that remains of the 1907 building are two large carved limestone column caps, one in front of the high school, and the other behind, both left by the demolition contractor.

Gerald Fults, Esther Niedzwiecki and June Roohr and her husband Wayne and others couldn’t bear the same for the high school. Personal memories played for some; many from the original group had gone to school in the buildings. Established community design considerations were involved; the school is at the end of Central Street, Owen’s main street. History was involved; and two-and-one-half story building from 1921 was designed by St. Paul architects Thorps, Alban and Fisher. When the school, the gym and their six-acre site became available at a Clark County tax deed sale, the Friends organized, received non-profit group status, and bid for the buildings and land. “The place was a disaster, but we decided it needed to be bought and saved,” said June Roohr. The Friends’ bid won.

STARTING.

Major physical projects followed. A 10,000-gallon iron fuel tank with 1,500 gallons of fuel oil ?? it was removed from behind the older building. A board member found a blacktop company to remove the fuel. That same year, 1995, the old building got a new $15,000 roof paid for with a loan from Withee State Bank. Board members signed the otherwise unsecured note. “We entered into it with a great deal of enthusiasm,” said Roohr. The loan was repaid at $460 a month ahead of schedule in October 1998. Such attention finance is typical of the Friends; as a late May their bank account totaled $20,200. Water and electric service were restored to the 1953 gym. In 1996 the gym roof was tarred for $1,500. The previous owner, from Dorchester, had filled the school and gym with all sorts of debris and junk. Five dumpsters’ full were taken out. The Friends cleaned the parking lot. They started landscaping.

KEEPING IT GOING

How do you sustain interest? Where do you find the money you need? June Roohr listed these ways and talked about how they’ve worked in Owen.

*Newsletter. “Our newsletter keeps us connected,” she said.

*Contributions. Money gifts are especially important. To buy the school, six persons gave $1,000 each. Board members have given regularly. So have Owen school alumni who live in other places.

* Memorial plaque. Mounted in the gym lobby, the plaque has the names of contributors. An innovation here is the Friends’ gathering of individual and family histories for the plaque donors. One of these histories is shown at right. June has bound these and places them were gym visitors can read them.

*Membership. Paid members typically number from 180 to 200. Annual dues are $10 for single memberships, $15 for couples. Two-thirds of the members, who are usually in their mid-40s or older, no longer live in Owen. “We need more local and younger people,” said June.

* Volunteering. Volunteers are always needed. They do all the maintenance.

*Garden Tours. School Friends have sponsored three of these. Promotion has been expensive. But, said June, “They’re fun and people enjoy them.”

* Christmas home tours. Same situation as garden tours: promotion costs, enjoyable.

*Consignment auction.

* Rummage sales. A three-day sale, usually in August or September, can earn $1,000 to $1,200. Rummage is donated.

*Bake sales. A day’s sale can earn $200 to $300. Danish Kringles are popular; these come naturally to persons of Danish descent from Withee next door. Owen and Withee are mini-twin cities.

*Arts and craft show. These make money.

*Raffles. Each year 1949 graduate Anita Shulz, who lives in Manitowoc, makes a quilt and conducts a raffle during the all-school reunion. This earns between $200 and $250.

ATTITUDES & PRECONCEPTIONS

As advocates know, attitudes toward historic preservation vary. Some questions the Friends’ non-profit status. “We’ve heard, ‘You don’t pay taxes, so why should we collect your garbage or trim your trees?” Some people are squeamish about history. Others believe progress means relentless business expansion. One idea for the site has been to use it for some sort of factory. “Too many people do not see the economic advantages to historical preservation or historical tourism,” said June. Intricate personal relationships keep some away from school Friends. Some persons think “they” should do it. “(It’s) the small town ‘they’ thing,” said June. There is also inability to visualize how a school building can be something other than a school.  “The idea of adaptive reuse of a school is very foreign to people who have not seen examples of it.”

MEMORIAL PLAQUE FAMILY HISTORY

For Sam & Kathrine Anderson

Sam Anderson was born November 1, 1890, in Ringive, Denmark and came to American in 1909. Kathrine Jacobsen was born October 15,1901, in Jelling, Denmark and came to America and married Sam Anderson on January 24, 1915.

Sam learned the shoemaking trade in Demark and pursued that in Chippewa Falls. He also worked for the John S. Owen Lumber Company. Sam farmed from 1914 until his retirement. He did custom work, had a milk route in the Owen-Withee area and was a school bus driver …. Died 1977.

Kathrine was a homemaker, and although not well, as a hard worker and a good cook. She was brought up in a bakery in Denmark and gave freely of her baked goods to friends and the needy .. died 1947. 

Owen High School

SHSW photos.