HISTORY OF MANITOWOC COUNTY


north of Milwaukee and was conducted by Adolph Wittmann, who had been a
professional actor in Berlin, Germany, before his arrival here. The first
con-
cert took place at the United States Hotel, near the foot of Franklin street.
This building was later converted into a pea canning factory. The concert
was
under the direction of J. F. Zinns, grandfather of Hon. A. Schmidt, the present
judge of the municipal court. Flute and guitars furnished the instrumental
part
of the program, while the vocal parts were rendered by Mrs. Von Alter, her
daughter, Mrs. Richter (later Mrs. Bach) and Mrs. A. Wittmann.
Among the early "warblers" was one Gerhard Huessen, who afterward
gained
fame as a tenor singer in Chicago.
In i849 the first steps were taken for the incorporation of the village of
Manitowoc. The proposition met with opposition, however. A meeting was
called to be held at the First Ward schoolhouse, the little brown building
still
standing at the corner of Washington and Seventh streets, although somewhat
altered after a fire had destroyed the roof. The opposition was early on
hand and
packed the meeting with lumbermen, log drivers and sailors. No one was al-
lowed to enter who in any way favored the incorporation. One exception was
made, however, in the case of Charles Esslinger. His plea for incorporation
proved in vain and the proposition was voted down with an "overwhelming"
majority. A year later the "progressives" succeeded in carrying
their point. On
March 6, i85I, the legislature granted a charter and on May I3th of the same
year the first session of the newly elected village board was held at the
office
of G. C. 0. Malmros, a notary, corner Washington and Ninth streets. The
first officers were: G. M. Reed, president; Gustavus Richter, treasurer;
Ad.
Wittmann, marshal. The board of trustees was composed as follows: First
ward (south side), J. F. Zinns, Charles Hottelman and Richard Steele; second
ward (north side), Michael Fellows, James Bennett and Jarvis E. Platt. S.
A.
Wood was elected village clerk, at the munificent salary of $I25 per annum.
The
first ordinances passed forbade the slaughter of cattle within the city limits-an
ordinance which has been violated more or less until the present day.
The census of I855 showed that the village had 2,185 inhabitants. This sec-
tion was visited by Asiatic cholera in the early '5os and caused a large
number
of deaths, Judge Ezekiel Ricker and District Attorney J. L. Kyle being among
the victims.
A copy of the "Buschbauer," a German paper published here in I856,
lies
before us. The market report for November 28th read as follows: Wheat flour
per barrel, $6-$7; rye flour per barrel, $6-$6.50; corn meal, $2.20; rye
per bushel,
75 cents; eggs, 20 cents; butter, 25 cents; fresh pork, 25-28 cents; salt
pork, I2
cents; potatoes 36-42 cents; whiskey per gallon, 20-30 cents.
McDonald & Company, general merchants, advertised the following at a
re-
duction of 25 per cent; 9 lbs. best brown sugar, $i.oo; best cooking sugar
per
gallon, 75 cents; New Orleans sugar, 6 shillings; best coffee, i6 cents;
dollar
tea 6 shillings; best candles 1-3 cents; raisins, lb. 20 cents; No. i mackerel,
i
shilling.
Another item in this paper refers to the assessment of the village of Mani-
towoc and that of Two Rivers. The assessed valuation of the former is given
at
$70,ooo, while that of the latter at $i,ooo. The editor's comment on this
evident
rank disparity are rather caustic.
Vol. T-23


353