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HISTORY OF THE STETTIN MUTUAL
INSURANCE COMPANY DATES
-                                                   BACK TO 1876 RECORDS WERE
KEPT IN GERMAN
A       ~   P~fiiii                              Nearly a Century ago this area was being settled
90                                                   by sturdy pioneers, land was easy to obtain for
/clearing and cultivation so as to make a living for
those who lived upon it. There were many diffi-
Sculties and all too many hardships. One of the
most difficult tasks was the construction of the
necessary buildings for human habitation and for
cattle of the early pioneers. Usually the only tools
of the pioneer were his axe and his saw. Conse-
quently untold hours of toiling went into the con-
7struction of a home and other farm buildings. The
im.\i                                            fruit of this hard labor would often be wiped out in
'                    -a matter of an hour by fire out of control. The
N                                                      burden of rebuilding was staggering. The thought
of sharing each others burdens was early present,
consequently, a number of neighbors joined to-
gether in a mutual pledge to rebuild any home or
Fhe first four policies issued by Stettin Mutual Insurance  building destroyed by fire. So on April 1, 1876 a
Co. in 1876.                              number of farmers in the town of Stettin which
then also included the present town of Rib Falls,
organized the "STETTIN GEGENSEITINGER
GESSELSCHAFT," an insurance company.
STETTIN'S LARGEST INDUSTRY
The Hartwig Manufacturing Corp. is a Town
of Stettin industry which started out with one
man on the payroll when it was incorporated on
Jan. 11, 1954, and now has a payroll of 28 men.
The business was first located in a small wooden
building near 615 Grand Ave., Wausau, and
among the first products of the firm were television
towers. Shortly after incorporation, a tract of land
was purchased in the Town of Stettin and a 50 by
60 foot Butler building was erected. Plans were
made for continued expansion and in November,
1957, a 60-foot addition was made to provide for
additional machinery which was installed soon
afterward.
The corporation expanded its production into
precision machinery and structural steel fabrica-
tion. Plans were made for continuing the ex-
pansion at the present location on S. 24th Avenue,
but because of the proposed Highway 51 bypass,                                   .   ..   ..-
these plans had to be changed.
Then, the corporation secured an architect and
plans were drawn for the modern plant now under                             >     -  i,
construction in the area south of the Lone Pine
School. This plant, which may also be expanded
in the future, measures 80 by 200 feet, with 90            A new home for Hartwig Manufacturing Corp., Stettin's
per cent of the wall area glassed.                                        largest industry.

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