Thornton Library Open House

On May 3, 2014  The Thornton Library hosted an Open House.  A big Thank You to all who attended and got to know many of the holdings that are available in the library.

Strascino Piano Company

Recently I had someone ask about the history of the Strascino Piano Company, so I had to do some digging.

The company was formed in 1895, but only lasted until 1908, when the company dissolved.

The owners and managers of the company had hoped a source of local labor could be drawn upon and trained to fill requirements. The thought perished in the very onset. The art of piano making, especially in the era of the Strascino venture, was a highly specialized field of endeavor.

Piano makers served a four to five year apprenticeship, followed by no less than two years as journeyman before being accepted into the guild.

There wasn’t a single operation at the Strascino plant that even faintly represented mass production. All leg spindles were hand turned, scrolls and trim were hand carved, even most of the holes required, were hand drilled.

The varnishing, or finishing as it was called was a process requiring tremendous skill. Each piano received from six to eight coats of a high grade, extremely thin resin varnish. After each application was thoroughly dry, it was hand rubbed.

The finisher sprinkled powdered pumice stone into the palm of his hand and added a few drops of boiled linseed oil. From here on, hours of long sweeps of a back and forth motion continued until the individual felt his work was almost completed. In the final operation pumice stone or talcum powder was used. The finished product had the appearance of a mirror. Today the entire practice is a lost art.

The amount of time that these true craftsmen used to create the pianos, as well as the invention of the Player Piano, was the beginning of the demise of the company.

There are several of these pianos on display at the Galloway House and Village.

Thornton Library

It's official!

The library on the grounds of the Fond du Lac Co. historical Society is now known as "The Thornton Library", named after longtime members and supporters. Ray and Mildred Thornton!

A Grand re-opening of the library will be held Saturday, May 3, 2014, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Osceola township

Several days ago I posted a listing of some township tax rolls that are available for research in the library.  Today I have one more township to add to the list.

Osceola Township

                Tax Rolls

                                1862, 1864, 1868 to 1873 (1874 missing)

                                1875 to 1887 (1888 missing)

                                1889 to 1901 (1892, 1895 missing)

                                1903 to 1915 (1902, 1909 missing)

Melrose Farm

The Galloway House and village was once a working farm called Melrose Farm.  Recently I found documentation in the files that included photos of the buildings on Melrose Farm in 1944.

Stock Barn

Dairy Barn

Granary and Hen House

Horse Barn

You can stop in the library on Tuesdays and Thursdays 11-4 to see the rest of the photos.

Township records

Some of the records available for research at the library, include old township Assessment books.  While they are not all inventoried, here is a sample list of several townships, and what Assessment and Tax books are available.  This list will be expanding as we inventory more of our holdings.

Oakfield Village

                Assessment Rolls

                                1908 to 1917 (1918, 1919 missing)

                                1920 to 1928 (1929 missing)

                                1930 to 1954

                                (1955 to 1979 missing)

                                1980, 1984, 1985

                Tax Rolls

                                1908 to 1915

                Personal Property Tax Assessment Roll

                                1912 to 1915

        1980, 1982, 1983, 1985

Lamartine Township

                       Assessment Rolls

                                1865, 1868

                                1873 to 1889 (1875, 1877, 1884, 1887, 1888 missing)

                                1890 to 1901 (1894, 1900 missing)

Springvale Township

Assessment Rolls

                                1848, 1850, 1853, 1855, 1859

                                1861 to 1865 (1866, 1867 missing)

                                1868 to 1888 (1889 missing)

                                1890 to 1946 (1935 missing)

                                1953

                                1959  to 1975 (1965, 1966 missing)

                Tax Rolls

                                1864, 1865, 1875, 1876, 1879

                                1890 to 1911 (1895, 1903, 1905, 1906 missing)

                                1915

New donation - FDL Theatre

Yesterday I received a new donation to the Fond du Lac Co. Historical Society Library, and when I took a good look, I was astonished at what I found.

The treasure of papers and theatre programs included the program for the Grand Opening of the Fond du Lac Theatre,  known back in 1925 as Fischer's Fond du Lac Theatre.

Inside this program, is a photo of the original building, just completed, and it is a photo that I have never seen before.

Here's a close-up of the photo on this page:

The entrance obviously was moved in later years, since it now appears in the middle of the block, but this shows what a wonderful building it truly was when built.