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A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING TO THIS LOCALITY DURING THE PAST FORTY YEARS HAVE BEEN PUZZLED ABOUT WRIGHTSVILLE. WHERE WAS WRIGHTSVILLE? WHAT WAS WRIGHTSVILLE? WHEN WAS WRIGHTSVILLE? THESE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ASKED COUNTLESS TIMES. WRIGHTSVILLE THEN AND NOW 1871 - 1965 Compiled by Georginia Bouley, 1965 Contributed by Jane Bonny In the early part of the nineteenth century, a man by the name of Hall, interested in logging operation, traveled up the Black River looking for a large tract of white pine timber and suitable place for a sawmill. Coming to a branch of the river flowing from the northwest, he saw not only a large tract of virgin white pine, but a large stream that would furnish him power to run a sawmill. Here he built a camp and mill which grew to be a settlement and thus the stream got its name - Hall's Creek. THE MORMON ELEMENT AT WRIGHTSVILLE James Jessie Strang declared himself the successor of Mormon Leader Joseph Smith after Smith's death in 1844, thus beginning the Strangite Mormon group of which the Wright family were prominent members. The Strang followers established their church at Voree, Wisconsin, near Burlington where Strang had been a lawyer. In 1847 Prophet Strang moved his Kingdom to Beaver Island, on the northwestern end of Lake Michigan. There was much dissension in the church when Strang declared his polygamy intentions and eventually resulted in many of the Saints breaking away from the church. (Strang had one legal wife and four plural wives.) Among the plural wives were Sarah and Phoebe Wright, who were cousins, and whom Strang married in 1855, Sarah on July 15, and Phoebe on October 27. Sarah's father, Phineas, was on of the twelve apostles of the church but he did not approve of polygamy, and stated that he would rather see her buried than to be married in polygamy. Phoebe's father was Benjamin Wright, also an apostle in the church, and was in charge of the Law of the lord when the Saints fled from Beaver Island in 1856. Prophet Strang was shot by a mob of angry Gentiles in June, 1856 at Beaver Island and the Saints of the church were driven from the island. They fled back to Voree where they remained until Strang died of his wound in July. At the death of King James the Saints or followers of Strang, dispersed, with the Wright family, settling in the area of Hall's Creek and Wrightsville was named after these first settlers. The Wright Brothers established a saw mill on Hall's Creek and the other Saints engaged in farming. The Wright family broke away from the Strangite believers and a Church of Latter Day Saints was organized in Wrightsville by members of the sect. This group was law abiding and didn't practice polygamy after coming to Jackson County. They were respectable, influential members of the community and were always on friendly terms with their neighbors. Just a few years later the group scattered. Uncle Ben Wright settled on a tract of wild land several miles upstream from Hall's settlement, a mile east of Highway 12 near the James Reichenbach garage. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Wright and their five sons, Moses, George, Benjamin, William, Theodore and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Reichenbach were next to come to Wrightsville in the year 1862. Soon two families of Whitneys moved in, followed shortly by others, the families of George Knaggs, Lute Sterns, H. Colburn, C. E. Oliver and others. Later on the settlers were William Pfefferkorn, James Cromby, Horace Peabody, Alfred Davis, Henry Clark and C. Boyanton. It may be of interest to note that one of Wrightsville's early school teachers, Rhoda Whitney, was born at Beaver Island on December 18, 1852. She married Lemuel B. Stilwell and was a prominent resident of Merrillan. The Crystal Ball which Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, used for the rise and progress of his sect, was owned by Calvin E. Boynton, of Merrillan, in 1898. It is not known who fell heir to the Crystal after Boynton's death in 1915. Morris and George Wright, nephews of Uncle Ben Wright, built and operated the first two sawmills on Hall's Creek. These sawmills were operated in 1867 - 1868, when the nearest railroad was at Sparta. The railroad reached Black River Falls in December 1868 and the following year, 1869, to Merrillan. A depot was built at Wrightsville and soon, in addition to the sawmills were a grist mill, hotel, post office, blacksmith shop, stores and homes for the people. M. D. Merchant of Merrillan, was the first log setter at the Wright sawmill. Wrightsville tried hard to get the Green Bay railroad to cross the Omaha tracks there. When that company selected Merrillan for its junction, Wrightsville declined rapidly and soon became the ghost town of Jackson County. For many years the name of Wrightsville has applied to the area of several square miles largely to the west of the old town site. The name was given to the district school, but for nearly seventy-five years the old town has been but a memory. George A. Brown bought ten acres of land on Highway 12 near the center of the Wrightsville area and started a tourist camp and filling station. Later he built a small general store. In deference to the old traditions of the locality he named them "Wrightsville Tourist Camp" and "Wrightsville Store," and they were located about where the In-Between now stands. Driving to Merrillan you passed through the Wrightsville country for four miles and passed the school house, the store, the tourist camp, Updike Market and Reichenbach's garage, now known as Davis Garage, all widely separated. It is a country, rich with memories and traditions of the old lumbering days and always will be known as Wrightsville. The Wisconsin Leader carried an item in April 1900 which said that a new post office was established at Wrightsville with Mrs. Sarah Gearing as postmistress. One of the Wright brothers had been postmaster earlier. In 1868 the railroad was built and later on a hotel was built on the west side of the track. A man by the name of McSwain and family occupied it. This hotel was also used as the first post office. Henry Whitney built a general store building across the road from this hotel on the north side. About the year 1876, C. E. Boyinton and family rented the hotel and lived there a number of years, doing a big business as trains stopped and passengers bought their meals there. Later the building burned and Mr. Boyinton moved to Merillan. In the spring of 1871 Rhoda Whitney (Mrs. Charley Stillwell) taught the first term of school in a little house on the bank of Hall's Creek. That summer the school house was built on a lot purchased from the Will Wright farm, a family by the name of John Perry lived on this farm at that time. George Whitney taught the first term of school in this new schoolhouse and he was also one of the carpenters to build it. The first school board was John Perry, Clerk; Joseph Reichenbach, Treasurer; Mrs. George Wright, Director. Leander Marsh was County Superintendent at that time. The schoolhouse was moved to its present location in 1891 by Cyrus Nettleton for one hundred forty dollars. It took two months to move it. Eight sets of skids or runners were worn out in the process. They used cables and blocks, a contraption similar to a stump puller. George Wright and Joseph Reichenbach were appointed to oversee the laying of the new foundation. There has been few changes in the school house with the exception of a hardwood floor, new walls, ceiling and a kitchen in the entry. Proceedings of Special School Meeting held in Joint School District No. Four (4) towns of Alma and Albion, on Saturday evening Ninth (9) 1891 provides the following record: "The object of the meeting being to see about moving the Schoolhouse to the center of the district. The legal voters being present. George Wright chosen Chairman, W. W. Crombie offered to give half an acre of land on which to set the schoolhouse. This was overruled as being past the center. Bill Pefferkorn offered to give half an acre and set the schoolhouse south of Mr. J. W. Peabody's. Motion made by A. C. Davis and seconded by W. W. Crombie to move the building, carried. Motion made by A. C. Davis and seconded by Mr. Hammond to have a committee appointed to see what the building could be moved for. Carried. Mr. George Wright and Mr. Joe Reichenbach were appointed as a committee, carried. Motion and seconded to adjourn. Carried." Mrs. A. C. Davis District Clerk |