WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1989-1990


shrunk to 1,360. The principal industry was the Union Felt Company. Thus
by 1910 the transition from lumbering to an economy based on manufactur-
ing and market and service functions had occurred.
Omro High School, Webster Manual Training School, and High School An-
nex*, 515 South Webster Street
   This National Register site which recently served as a middle school is
worth viewing for several reasons. Built in 1893, the handsome Romanesque
Revival structure is Omro's oldest remaining public school and still impres-
sive. Small wonder Omro residents were very proud of it in 1893. Upon its
completion, high school enrollment is said to have doubled. The Webster
Manual Training School opened its doors in 1906, built with money left by
Hiram Webster, and it became a pioneer in manual training in Wisconsin.
Omro's most successful lumberman, Webster believed strongly in educating
youth in manual and domestic arts. The lannon stone annex was built in
1934 to relieve the school's overcrowded gymnasium facilities.
12. Berlin, Hwy. Wis. 116
  The need to construct a road from Fond du Lac to Stevens Point with a
Fox River crossing at the most feasible place led to the founding of Berlin.
Following 2 previous surveys of possible crossing and landing points, an
1846
search party chose the site of present-day Berlin. In June of 1847, 3 of
the
party purchased land there, and the fourth, Nathan Strong, preempted a
tract, built a shanty and lived among the Menominees and Winnebagos at
that location. A ferry began running in 1848, the year the Menominees ceded
their tribal lands lying northwest of the Fox River. Soon afterward a float
bridge was built and replaced in 1856 by a more substantial one. Berlin de-
veloped as a transfer point under the stimulus of the bridge and the road
to
Stevens Point, a linkage completed in 1849. The railroad connection with
Milwaukee via Ripon, opened in 1858, again made Berlin a transfer point,
from rail to stage and wagon road. The river contributed to Berlin's early
growth, bringing passengers on steamboats from Oshkosh, and carrying
heavy freight.
  Berlin, from the very early years, served as a supplier of goods and services
for the developing rich farmlands on the prairie stretching south to Ripon
and in the originally timber-covered areas to the north. With a population
of
only 250 in 1850, it grew to almost 2,800 by the Panic of 1857, and after
a
brief period of decline in the late 1850s, continued growing to an estimated
5,530 in 1988. It has remained a center for trade and commerce for an exten-
sive part of Green Lake and Waushara Counties.
  Berlin's growth encompassed a variety of nationalities. The initial New
York-New England settlers were joined by Germans, Irish, Poles, and Welsh,
creating a town with varied religious and educational institutions and distinc-
tive neighborhood patterns. One significant part of the business sector was
devoted to handling farm produce from the surrounding lands; another was
a
wholesale center for a wide trade area; yet another centered on retail trade
drawn from miles around the town. Berlin had a variety of service-oriented
businesses and some small factories. It became a rather self-sufficient com-
munity with diversified employment.


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