Greenwood, Wisconsin's Peace Memorial

Transcribed by Stan & Janet Schwarze.

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Memorabilia

Memories

 

Albert & Ferne Neuenfeldt


Greenwood, Clark County It seems that in nearly any large event there is a hidden romantic story or two. The Greenwood Peace Memorial dedication 50 years ago was no exception.


Albert (Abbie) and Ferne Neuenfeldt, Greenwood, claim the day as the day that they met. That day has led to 48 years and counting of marriage.


Abbie, who Tribune-Record-Gleaner readers know as the former publisher of the Greenwood Gleaner and Greenwood editor emeritus, had spent many hours printing about 10,000 programs for the famous Oct. 3, 1937 dedication.


Unfortunately, there were a few more programs printed than there were people to purchase them.


Young Ferne Haunschild, who was in her first year in teaching third and fourth grade at Greenwood Elementary School, was one of the faculty who had been recruited to sell, sell, sell.


I didn't know anybody in the community, Ferne said. I stopped Abbie on the street and asked him if he d like to buy a program. He said no thanks , because he d just gotten done making a run of a few thousand of them.


That was the only contact the couple had for two days. That s when Abbie finally remembered the girl who d made some impression on the street and called her to ask her for a date.


He just knew who the new school teachers were in town, that s whey he called, she said.


The new school teacher and the local printer married in 1940 at Marshfield. Abbie continued with his work at the Greenwood Gleaner and Ferne continued her career at Greenwood Public Schools, where she teaches kindergarten.


The Neuenfeldts had a lot to remember when the monument was rededicated in 1982.

 

SOURCE: TRIBUNE-RECORD-GLEANER 09/30/1987

 

 

Jean Wessel Rolstad

 

I can tell you my memories as a four year old holding onto my grandfather's hand. He lived in a little house on that street...just down the hill. Is that Division Street now???


When our parents went shopping we were sometimes left with him while they bought the groceries and things. Anyway I remember him taking me to see the statue while it was still under the canvass or whatever scaffolding and covers were over it. I thought he was just the greatest because all the men who worked there seemed to know him and wow how special it was to see. I don't have a lot of memories at that age but this one apparently impressed me greatly.

When I see the statue I always have to do a double take at the date because I can still see it so clearly in my mind and I was born in 1933.

My grandfather died two years later, in 1939....so all the memories I have of him are really very young ones. I also remember his funeral. Guess he must have impressed me.

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