Times have changed, but not the people of Fredonia

While a lot has changed in the Village  of Fredonia during its 150 years, one thing hasn’t, village native Lou Helen Kirschling said.

“While there may have been many changes to Fredonia, the one thing that has not changed is the people,” Kirschling wrote in the 150th anniversary book. “They are still hardworking, friendly, welcoming and joyful.”

Trustee Tiffany Bartz, chairwoman of the anniversary planning committee, said the celebration on Saturday, June 29, went “great.”

The parade included close to 30 organizations, she said, drawing from the village and surrounding communities.

At the celebration, Bartz said, the village received a congressional commendation read by Congressman Glenn Grothman and a citation presented by State Sen. Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac.

Bartz worked with Trustee Natalie Eippert to take photos of Fredonia buildings and roads to compare to historical photos dating to 1906 provided by the Luxembourg American Cultural Society in Belgium for the 150th commemorative book.

Among those were a photo of the village when it still had a dirt road in 1906 and of the Pierron and Mayer General Store in 1910 that is now Brouillette Neck & Back Clinic and Stoney Creek Massage.

Kirschling, whose family owned the former Fredonia Avenue staple Schmit Auto & Supply, said one of her favorite memories is having picnics at the church.

She also remembered Fredonia’s Fireman’s Picnics when firefighters had water fights and soapbox derbies in the 1950s on the hill west of Fredonia Avenue.

Her cousin’s father was president of the Fredonia Canning Factory and built a soapbox car to look like a can, she said.

Back then, she said, Kenro dishes manufactured in Fredonia were very popular because they were made of break-resistant melamine instead of china.

The land that is now Fredonia was originally inhabited by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, according to the book. The first land claims in the area happened in 1836.

In 1872, the area formerly known as Stoney Creek was donated by Peter Martin and Peter Paulus to the Milwaukee and Northern Railway Corp. for railroad tracks and a depot.

That depot was named Fredonia station. Fredonia means “free gifts” and “land where things are freely done.”

By the early 1900s, Fredonia had grown to include a post office, several stores, churches and a steam sawmill.

In 1922, the Village of Fredonia was incorporated.

Fredonia’s fire department formed in 1923 when the village borrowed $3,500 to purchase its first truck, a Laverne fire vehicle that is still housed at the station.

Since then, the department has grown to about 40 members.

In 1975, with the help of resident and business fundraising, as well as a federal grant for development of small-town ambulance systems, an ambulance was purchased to service the northern Ozaukee County area.

The villages and towns of Fredonia and Belgium hired the fire department’s first full-time paramedic last year.

It’s easy for Al Krier to think of the things that have changed since he moved to Fredonia more than five decades ago.

Just a few of the businesses that once defined Fredonia but are no more are Gilson Brothers Co., Monahan’s Grocery and the Kenro Co., he said.

Working at what was then the State Bank of Fredonia and later became a Port Washington State Bank branch, Krier said, he met many of the area’s businessmen.

At that time, they had an organization known as the Fredonia Advancement Association.

“At the time, they were thinking, ‘We have all these businessmen but we want community members,’” Krier said, which inspired them to join the national Lions organization.

Joining the organization, Krier followed the Lions as they moved their meetings from Hochstein Hall to Tesker’s 111 Club, where the Dollar General now is.

Between his participation in the Lions Club and his long tenure as town clerk, Krier said, he’s had the opportunity to meet lots of people and witness a lot of change.

But what hasn’t changed, he said, is Fredonia’s “everybody helps everybody” ethos.

“Everything from the Lions to the American Legion and the churches, they’re  all active,” Krier said. “Even if the people or the names of the organizations change, there’s still that caring attitude.”