Historical Site in Manitowoc County

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Graphic courtesy of L. Kirby of the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter newspaper - used with permission
Information compiled by the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter - used with permission
Web page by  DDay Media and PR Services - used with permission
County listing at National Register of Historic Places web site

The State of Wisconsin offers several types of tax credits for historical projects.
 

1 - Rawley Point Light Station Point Beach State Forest - Two Rivers Listed in the state and national register on 7/19/1984. Named after one of the first settlers, Peter Rowley, and also called Twin Rivers Point. The lighthouse was displayed at the World's Fair in 1893 and erected on the grounds it now sits on in 1894. The lighthouse boasted one of the most powerful lamps on the Great Lakes because of the number of shipwrecks in the area. (Source: Rogers Street Fishing Village) Top of Page
2 - Green Bay Road Bridge Mill Street - Manitowoc Rapids Listed in the state and national register on 8/3/1998. Also known as the Mill Road Bridge, the former horse and buggy bridge spanning the Manitowoc River just west of Rapids Road is now a footbridge. The bridge got its name because of the mill operated by the Klingholz family, a very early family in the Rapids area. (source: Manitowoc County Historical Society) Top of Page
3 - Francis Hinton Steamer Lake Michigan Listed in the national register on 12/16/1996. The Francis Hinton steamer went down south of Two Rivers on November 16, 1909. The U.S. Life Saving Service went to rescue the crew but found an empty ship. all hands had already been rescued. (Source: Rogers Street Fishing Village) Top of Page
4 - Frenchside Fishing Village Comprised of the area around 21st, Jackson, East, 16th, Harbor and Rogers streets - Two Rivers Listed in the state and national register on 1/6/1987. This predominately French-Canadian fisherman settlement began its growth in the late 1842s. Many of the homes are still there, and many of the last names of the original settlers can still be found in the telephone book. The Rogers Street Fishing Village is located in this historical district. (Source: Rogers Street Fishing Village) Top of Page
5 - Eighth Street Historic District Roughly bounded by Buffalo, 8th, 7th, Hancock, 10th, 9th and Quay streets - Manitowoc Listed in the state and national register on 3/17/1988. Downtown Manitowoc has a variety of architectural styles. Many of the structures, which began popping up about 1840, can still be found in one form or another. Old photos show many familiar buildings, although the uses have almost all changed. (Source: Manitowoc County Historical Society) Top of Page
6 - Central Park Historic District Roughly bounded by 19th, Adams, 16th and Jefferson streets - Two Rivers Listed in the state and national register on 12/1/2000. The Central Park Historic District was placed on the national registry to encourage preservation and authentic restoration of the many historical buildings in downtown Two Rivers, including the Hamilton Community House. Most buildings in the district date fro 1890 to 1920. (Source: Two Rivers Historical Society) Top of Page
7 - Joseph Vilas, Jr. House 610-616 N. 8th Street - Manitowoc Listed in the state and national register on 4/29/1977. Originally served as stables to hold animals, but now serves as a good example of adaptive reuse, in that it retains its architectural elements, but now serves as the headquarters of the Masquers Theater group. Joseph Vilas, Jr., described as a real mover and shaker in early Manitowoc, began construction on the house in 1891. It was completed three years later at a cost of $50,000. (Source: Manitowoc County Historical Society) Top of Page
8 - Two Rivers Post Office 1516 18th Street - Two Rivers Listed in the national register on 10/24/2000. The Two Rivers Post Office seems to depict stability, dignity and respect for its long history here since 1848. It is a fine example of classical revival style, common for the time of its construction in 1933. It is still in operation today. (Sources: Two Rivers Historical Society) Top of Page
9 - St. Mary's Convent 300 S. 2nd Street - St. Nazianz Listed in the national resister on 4/5/2001. Work on St. Mary's Convent began shortly after the Rev. Ambrose Oshwald arrived with settlers from Germany in 1854. Comprised of several buildings, it was the home of the Salvatorians since the Oshwald people moved out in the mid to late 1860s until the big storm of May 12, 2001. Part of the convent, the Maria Haus, still functions as an inn with 19 rooms. (Source: St. Nazianz Historical Society) Top of Page
10 - St. Gregory's Church 212 Church Street - St. Nazianz Listed in the state and national register on 6/7/1982. Construction began in 1864 and was completed in 1868 on this fieldstone church. The adjoining cemetery and church are testament to the faith of the German Catholics who made this area home. (Source: St. Nazianz Historical Society) Top of Page
11 - Sexton's House 736 Revere Drive - Manitowoc Listed in the state and national register on 2/23/2001. One of the few remaining in Wisconsin of the homes provided for the caretakers of cemeteries. This Italianate architectural home was built in two sections. The first building was a small stone structure and additions were made to it, making some of the inside walls more than a foot thick. (Source: Manitowoc County Historical Society) Top of Page
12 - St. Luke's Church Complex 1800-1816 Jefferson Street - Two Rivers Listed in the state and national register on 2/9/2001. Dedicated in 1893, St. Luke's was a source of guidance and comfort, providing a call to worship and importance in the lives of thousands of devout families in the Two Rivers area. The impressive architecture found in the church parsonage, convent and schools makes it a rare collection. (Sources: Two Rivers Historical Society) The school house (foreground in picture), has been converted to a housing unit. Top of Page
13 - Rock Mill Off of U.S. Highway 41 - Cooperstown Listed in the state and national register on 6/21/1982. One of the first mills in the county, Rock Mill was established on the Devil's River. It is now part of a museum owned by Bob Lyman, proprietor of Devil's River Campground. Some  part of it are operable. Parts of the wheel and millstone have been restored. (Source: Manitowoc County Historical Society) Top of Page
14 - Manitowoc County Courthouse 8th & Washington Streets - Manitowoc Listed in the state and national register on 4/16/1981. Certain courthouse elements will be restored in time for its centennial in 2006. The goal is to have some of the exterior restored to its original grandeur. The courthouse was built on the location of the original courthouse, which was moved in its entirety and used for some time as the county jail. It once had a glass dome until inclement weather decided otherwise;  a metal dome replaced it. (Source: Manitowoc County Historical Society) Top of Page
15 - Loreto Shrine Chapel Off County Highway A - St. Nazianz Listed in the state and national register on 6/7/1982. Originally built as a little grotto by Father Oshwald, Salvatorians built a chapel there, which is now in disrepair due to the storm of May 2001. It may be repaired. (Source: St. Nazianz Historical Society) Top of Page
16 - Carl Gottlieb Heins House 227 Fremont Street - Kiel Listed in the state and national register on 5/6/1998. Born in Itzehoe, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Carl Gottlieb was one of the earliest pioneers in the area in 1859, and is credited with brining many people to Kiel, where he served as the first village president in 1892. Gottlieb ran the Heins General Merchandise Store (Schoenborn's Jewelry, Clocks & Gifts, 307 Fremont Street). Representative of the Dutch colonial subtype, the brick home is recognized by a front gable and full wood porch, and serves as an example of small town prosperity at the turn of the century. (Source: Ed Majkrzak, a Kiel historian) Top of Page
17 - Lutze House Barn 13634 South Union Road - Centerville Listed in the state and national register on 6/7/1984. The Lutze house barn, constructed about 1849, is one of only two known examples of the Saxon German house barn-style construction remaining in the United States. Also, the  house barn has undergone very little modification. In 1984, the barn was rated as national significant, and ranked a higher need for receiving the distinction than the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee. (Source: Centerville Settlements Inc.)  Top of Page
18 - USS Cobia Submarine 809 South 8th Street - Manitowoc (Manitowoc Maritime Museum) Listed on the state and national register and as a national historic landmark on 1/14/1986. Representative of the many submarines built in Manitowoc. Although it wasn't built in Manitowoc, the USS Cobia represents the significant role the Lakeshore played in WW II. (Source: Manitowoc County Historical Society)  Top of Page
19 - Island Village Site Town of Eaton
20 - Rouse Simmons, the Christmas Tree Ship shipwreck site 165 feet deep in Lake Michigan 12 miles Northeast of Two Rivers Listed on the national register on March 30, 2007. The Rouse Simmons annually ferried Christmas trees from Michigan's UP to Chicago. She sank on November 23,1912 off the coast of Two Rivers with all 16 hands and Captain Herman Schuenemann being lost to the waters of Lake Michigan. A favorite destination for scuba divers, the hold is still filled with the skeletons of more than 5,000 Christmas trees. It's wheel was discovered 87 years after she went down and is on exhibit at the Rogers Street Fishing Village after a three-year restoration by Jim Brotz (right).	Centennial Celebration of the Sinking of the famed Christmas Tree Ship - November 23 and 24, 2012.
21- Home shipwreck 160 feet deep in Lake Michigan East of Cleveland (location approximate) In 160 feet of water. Sunk in 1858 when she collided with the schooner William Fiske while carrying lumber and shingles to Milwaukee.
22- Gallinipper shipwreck 210 feet deep in Lake Michigan 9.5 miles east of Hika Bay Park (location approximate) Sunk in 1851 when capsized by a powerful storm.