MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
St. Bernadette’s Catholic School
PROGRAM SUMMARY
“Haunted Appleton”
CALL TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT TOM SUTTER
TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 121
OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:
Tom Sutter, Gwen Sargeant, James Richter, Laura Leimer, Mark Moderson, Linda Muldoon, John Marx, Brian Schneider, James Krueger, and Diana Sandberg.
REVIEW OF UPCOMING MEETINGS AND PROGRAMS:
Upcoming Special Events
December 3 9-12:30 History Fair at the Indoor Farmer’s Market, City Center
APPLETON HISTORICAL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION:
♦︎ AHS Officers:
A.President - Thomas Sutter
B.Vice President - Gwen Sargeant
C.Secretary – James Richter
D.Treasurer – Laura Leimer
♦︎ AHS Board of Directors:
A. Terms through November 2017:
1.Mark Moderson
2.John Marx
3.Laura Leimer
4.Diana Sandberg
B. Terms through November 2018:
1.Tom Sutter
2.Christine Williams
3.James Richter
C. Terms through November 2019:
1.Linda Muldoon
2.Jim Krueger
3.Gwen Sargeant
4.Brian Schneider
Fund Raising Committee:
A. James Richter, Chairman
B. Gwen Sargeant, Vice Chairman
C. Laura Leimer, Treasurer
D. Linda Muldoon
E. Brian Schneider
F. David Buss
G. Jack Voight
Fund Raising SubCommittee-Promotions:
A. Mark Moderson, Chairman
B. Jim Krueger, Vice Chairman
C. Karen Moderson
Building and Grounds Committee:
A. John Marx, Chairman
B. Gwen Sargeant, Vice Chairman
C. Laura Leimer, Treasurer
D. James Krueger
E. Brian Schneider
Additional Committee Chairs are as follows:
A. Mark and Karen Moderson, Principal Organizers
B. Brian Schneider, Technical Resources
C. David Buss and Diana Sandberg, Research Specialists D. Gwen Sargeant, Public Relations and Web Page
E. Christine Williams, Monthly Programs
F. Gwen Sargeant, Publications
PRESIDENT SUTTER ANNOUNCEMENTS:
A.Introduced Officers and Board Members.
B.Thanks to the Post Crescent for it’s announcement of tonight’s meeting and all of
it’s support.
C. We express our deepest appreciation to St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church for the use of their School Building located on Lourdes Drive on Appleton’s south side.
D. Thanks to Gwen Sargeant and Brian Schneider for last month’s program “The Appleton Picture Show”.
E. Gave an update on our purchase of the Gill Law Office Building at 128 N. Durkee Street. Fund raising is in full swing. We have approximately $18,000.00 raised to date.
F. Sutter and Sargeant gave a report on remaining monthly programs and special events for the year, including our History Fair on December 3rd at the City Center. Also happy to report that all monthly programs and annual special events have been booked for 2017.
G. The door prize was won by Jim Krueger’s Grandson.
H. Sales of our book Images of America-Appleton continue to go well. Books are available at the registration table for $22.00 a copy.
I. We also still have available Vulcan Electric Site Souvenir Booklets for $10.00.
AHS 13th ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING:
President Sutter called the Annual Business Meeting to order. Elections for Board of Directors for a 3 year term through 2019 were conducted. Gwen Sargeant, Linda Muldoon, Jim Krueger and Brian Schneider were reelected to serve this term.
AHS 13th History Fair Final Preparations Underway:
Jim Richter, Co-Chairman, of the AHS History Fair reported that planning continues for our 13th History Fair, which will be held on December 3, 2016. He and Co-Chair Mark Moderson are arranging a wide variety of historical exhibits. The focus of this event will be on “Appleton’s Unique Historic Businesses”. We will have 16 to 18 tables with exhibits including displays on the Jimos Hat Store, Pettibone Peabody Department Store, Appleton’s Furriers, and Courtney Woolen Mill.
He urged the audience all to attend.
AHS Fund Raising Committee Report:
Jim Richter, Fund Raising Committtee Chairman, gave an update on Fund Raising efforts underway:
♦︎ A list of prospective donors, both businesses and individuals has been established. Members of the Board have been given assignments to make initial contacts of all on the list by December 1st.
♦︎ Public appearances have been made to promote AHS and funds needed. Sargeant and Richter appeared before Community Foundation management. Sutter and Richter did a presentation to the Fox Cities Kiwanis Club.
PROGRAM: “Haunted Appleton”
PRESENTER: ChadLewis
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: (715) 271-1831
Speaker’s Background:
Chad Lewis is a paranormal researcher and author of Unexplained Research. Chad holds a Master's of Science degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Chad has trekked across the world in search of the paranormal. From tracking vampires in Transylvania and chasing the Chupacabras in Puerto Rico, to searching for the elusive monster in Loch Ness, and pursuing ghosts in Ireland's castles, Chad brings over 18 years of research
experience to his presentations.
Chad has been featured in hundreds of radio interviews, TV appearances, and newspaper articles. Chad is also the co-author of the Road Guide to Haunted Locations book series.
The Program: Haunted Locations
This presentation takes you, the audience, on a ghostly journey to some of the most haunted places in the state. It covers the entire state from phantom creatures prowling the woods to graveyard apparitions located in your own backyard, no place is without its own haunting. Complete with photos, case history, eyewitness accounts, ghost lore, and directions, this unique presentation encourages you to visit these places for your own ghost story.
Over 20 years of traveling, using specialized equipment we have researched many sites, finding these in the Appleton and Wisconsin area:
1. Charles Fort a paranormal researcher visited the Fox Valley in the 1800’s.
2. In 1900 there was a report of “it raining horned toads”. These toads are
normally only found in the semi-tropical southwest.
3. The UFO Capitols of the World have been claimed to be Dundee and Elmwood.
4. On July 30, 2003, a UFO was sited in Appleton.
5. In Eagle River, Wisconsin, on 4/18/61 a farmer reported seeing a flying saucer in his backyard. Sightings were also noted elsewhere in the state that day. This has been given the name of “The Simonton Encounter”. Wenzel Kabat was arrested, but not convicted, for the Simonton murders that occurred at that time.
6. The Michael McCarty Farm experienced multiple unexplained events and encounters for a four year period from 1903 through 1906. Multiple accidents and deaths occurred in the family and it’s neighborhood.
7.On August 21, 1880, Wisconsin had dozens of sea monster reports.
8.In the late 1800’s a sea monster 80 feet long was sited in Lake Winnebago
by the Oshkosh Asylum. Sometime later a sea lion, who escaped from a Circus, was found in Lake Winnebago.
9. Area cemeteries have all been suspect of paranormal activity. Lots of grave stories:
A. RIVERSIDE CEMETERY, APPLETON – Grave of Kate Blood, who killed her husband. To this day people see an unusual light by the headstone and also occasional sightings of her husband by the headstone. Also blood has been found oozing out of Kate Blood’s headstone. Later investigations found that Kate Blood was not guilty because her husband outlived her.
B. DARTFORD CEMETERY, GREEN LAKE – Chad claims this as his favorite cemetery. Lots of reports on sightings of disembodied children. Many reports of a ghostly image of an Indian over the grave of Chief Kneeknocker.
C. FEARS OF BEING BURIED ALIVE –
1.Was anybody every buried alive?
2.So many people were afraid of this, that they have installed inside releases in coffins.
3. Another solution on some was a cemetery bell at a grave with a cord going into the coffin.
D. GRAVE ROBBERS/BODY SNATCHING –
1.There were a number of people who made a good living robbing graves.
2.Ed Gein of Plainfield was found to have killed a number of mostly women
and robbed graves. Body parts were found in his home.
3.Townspeople torched his home.
4.Initially found unfit for trial, after confinement in a mental health facility, in 1968 Gein was found guilty but legally insane[2] of the murder of Worden and was confined in psychiatric institutions. He died at Mendota Mental Health Institute of cancer-induced liver and respiratory failure on July 26, 1984. He is buried in the Plainfield Cemetery, in a now-unmarked grave. (Thanks to Wikimedia)
5. Many people think he is still haunting his gravesite.
10. Other sites of paranormal activity:
A. APPLETON CURLING CLUB – reports of a former member, who passed away, repeatedly haunts the place
B. CHICKEN ALLEY, NEAR TOWN OF SEYMOUR –
1. Items disappear, strange lights appear at times, sightings of a vanishing snowmobile, and also phantom chickens running down the road.
2. The “dare of chicken alley”- urges people to stand at the intersection of Chicken Alley Road and French Road. You can expect to hear the voice of an angry man who says “Get out of the road!”.
C. Ghostly images of a young girl in a lake.
D.Hearthstone Historic Home, Appleton – numerous ghost sightings.
E.Zuehlke Building – a ghostly image of original founder sighted after the
building was reconstructed twice.
F. Hilbert Road, Hilbert – Young woman died on a road, her father’s ghost has been seen haunting that same road. The man apparently only has one side of his face. He asks “have you seen my daughter?”
G.Highway 12, Baraboo – Vanishing Hitch Hiker.
H.Anonymous Appleton Area House – several ghostly people seen walking
in the house. Could be yours?!?! Some think it’s Calendar Road in Rosendale though.
I. There actually over 600 reports of ghosts being sighted in Wisconsin.
Interesting questions and comments from the audience:
1.Atlas Mill reportedly has a friendly ghost.
2.A nephew of one of our guests bought a home with ghosts. Brought a minister in to handle and he reportedly exorcised them.
CONCLUSION: Chad hopes he has enlightened all of us and make you start thinking about what you might see. For more information go to www.unexplainedresearch.com.
PRESIDENT SUTTER END OF THE YEAR MESSAGE:
Tom Sutter, our President, thanked all those attending for their support of the Appleton Historical Society. He closed with a special message. “Asks that we reflect on special remarks from the funeral Eulogy of deceased AHS Board Member Karen Probst- ‘From the past will come the future. What it holds is a mystery.’ But nothing in history or life is inevitable and it takes the good efforts of all of us to work towards a better world for us all. May the blessings of the holidays and the New Year be with all of you.”
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Respectfully, James L. Richter
AHS Secretary, 11/28/16