Pages From The Past – November 2010

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Pages from the Past
Posted: Living Sussex Sun, November 3, 2010
By Fred Keller, Sussex Village Historian


100 years ago – Nov. 3, 1910

The recent construction of a crushing plant at the Wisconsin Stone Company is now the highest elevation in Lannon at 64-feet high.

50 years ago – Nov. 3, 1960

Fish frys can be purchased for 85 cents.

25 years ago – Nov. 3, 1985

The Lisbon Merschdorf family on Tamarack Road recently took a five generation photo.

Hamilton beat Waukesha North 61-29 in football. Hamilton led 48-0 at the half and the first team never played again.

Six inches of rain fell in October of 1985 according to the wastewater treatment plant weather station.

10 years ago – Nov. 3, 2000

Lannon the runner-up to the Land O’Lakes Grand Championship this year had Ron Kozloski with a league-leading .542 hitting average while John Damato of Sussex hit .527.

Kellyn Johnson, a freshman from Hamilton won the Great Metro Conference Cross Country run.

Five years ago – Nov. 3, 2005

Steven Schwengel of Sussex caught a 55.5-inch musky in Canada.

Dan Vrakas was a 2-to-1 winner of the Waukesha County Executive race beating Jim Dwyer.


100 years ago – Nov. 10, 1910

Waukesha County, by a huge margin, went Republican in the recent election. The state also went Republican but not by as much as the county.

In Lannon 50 votes were cast for the Socialist party and even though residents did not vote for the new Socialist mayor of Milwaukee, they celebrated his election with a parade.

50 years ago – Nov. 10, 1960

The Sussex School Board has grown to 50 members this year. This includes members recruited from Willow Springs, Lannon, St. James and St. John’s Lutheran schools. The board president is Mrs. Harold Schroede, vice president is Mrs. Vilas Kraut and the secretary/treasurer is Mrs. Norman Jones.

25 years ago – Nov. 10, 1985

Sally Droese is the walking Main Street U.S. mail delivery person.

The second annual Lolita Schneiders Chili Cookoff attracted about 100 people to feast on the 11 different chilies offered. State Rep. Schneiders used the cook off at the McLaughlin Barn to benefit Mexican earthquake victims; more than $200 was collected.

10 years ago – Nov. 10, 2000

The very first memorial bench has been placed in Sussex by outgoing Sussex Village President Pat Bartlett for her mother, Betty Thelen.

Paul Gutmann from Hamilton was the Greater Metro Conference cross country champ and is going to the WIAA state track meet.

In the Brandon Oaks subdivision, the Sussex and Lisbon fire departments burned down the former Wegner farm buildings.

Five years ago – Nov. 10, 2005

The planned 11,000-square-foot new firehouse for Lisbon has hit a snag – high bids and a designation of wetlands for the site of Highway K and Lisbon Road.

The Joecks Memorial Field in Lannon has a new electronic scoring board. Ward Martinsen and the Lannon 75th Anniversary committee donated to the overall $6,300 cost of the board.


100 years ago – Nov. 17, 1910

The Lake Shore Quarry in North Lannon (Menomonee Park today) is filling a vast order for large stones for the Milwaukee Jones Island break water. William P. Lannon, sone of the namesake of Lannon, Wis., is the well driller.

50 years ago – Nov. 17, 1960

In the presidential election, Lannon voted in favor of John F. Kennedy while Sussex favored Richard Nixon. The Lannon Kennedy vote was 227-164 while the Sussex vote was Nixon 250 and Kennedy 221.

The movie “Psycho” is into its distribution and it either scares or revolts viewers because of its realistic scenes.

25 years ago – Nov. 17, 1985

Lee Jabs and Fred Kuhn had a surprise mid-high school year resignation of the Hamilton High School faculty. Jabs had been at Hamilton for 19 years and a longtime wrestling coach.

Ron Quint is the big wheel at the Friday Mammoth Spring Canning Co. Recently, the canning company donated $1,200 to village community groups.

10 years ago – Nov. 17, 2000

Sussex-Hamilton played in the semi finals of the WIAA state tournament with their 10-2 record after beating Wisconsin Lutheran 29-15. They will face 11-1 Monroe.

In the presidential election George Bush was the big winner in Sussex, Lisbon and Lannon over Al Gore. The Sussex vote was 3,105 for Bush, 1,496 for Gore. The Lisbon vote was 3,542 Bush and 1,663 for Gore. Lannon went 351 for Bush and 188 for Gore.

Five years ago – Nov. 17, 2005

Lannon buried a time capsule to close out its 75th anniversary celebration.

Hamilton’s football team did make the state playoffs, but lost its first round game to visiting Waunakee 35-0.


100 years ago – Nov. 24, 1910

The Cleary and White Construction Company has completed the concrete work at Whiskey Corners.

The Wisconsin Anti Tuberculosis Association is offering Christmas seals for sale to raise money to fight the disease.

50 years ago – Nov. 24, 1960

Bananas cost 11 cents per pound and white bread 10 cents a loaf.

Former Sussex Main Street School Principal Winston Brown was the featured speaker at the dedication of the new $359,000 Maple Avenue School in Sussex. Two-hundred and twenty six students now attend this 12-room school.

25 years ago – Nov. 24, 1985

Dave Pfeiffer is the coach of the Hamilton girls basketball team.

G&R Investments has taken out a permit to build a strip mall on Highway 74 as it goes east out of Sussex.

The Sussex Lioness Club has donated $250 to Sussex Fire Chief Charles Zimmerman to fund the purchase of defibrillators.

Grace Jones was feted at the Sussex Eastern Star meeting for 50 years in the Masonic movement.

10 years ago – Nov. 24, 2000

In the recent state finals for Division 2 high school football the Hamilton team beat Monroe in the semifinals 20-15 on a late game-sealing interception by Lance Weber.

Mike Gest is the replacement starting quarter back for Hamilton.

In the state finals, Ashwaubenon narrowly beat Hamilton 10-12.

Lisbon farmer Marjorie Schultz has died at age 77.

Five years ago – Nov. 24, 2005

Jeremy Duell was voted to the Great Metro first all star football team as “all purpose” and as a linebacker. He was also voted to the second team as running back. Meanwhile the Hamilton football team also had another first all-conference player in Wes Luczak. Scott Rolfs was second team as inside linebacker.

Lisbon will revise its plans for the new fire station to avoid encroaching on wetlands.