In the year of 1853, Judge Gilbert L. Park of Stevens Point, in speaking with Adam Uline, chairman of the town board of Lanark, suggested that our town be named Amherst in honor of General Amherst of revolutionary fame. Since Mr. Uline was a native of Amherst, Nova Scotia, he readily fell in with the idea, and the town was formally named Amherst by the above named gentlemen. These are the facts so far as the records give them to us.
John F. Hillstrom, who came here in 1851, is our oldest resident, while John and A. P. Een follow closely behind, arriving in August, 1852.
The present village of Amherst is not the same as it was sixty-seven or sixty-eight years ago.
Perhaps this question will arise in your mind: Why was this valley chosen as a site for our village? No one thought much of the country’s possibilities. One of the early settlers was Wm. V. Fleming, who was born in Trenton, N. J., August 22d, 1819. He was married to Caroline Wylie, who was also born in the east. Together they made the journey to Illinois, but Mr. Fleming, who was a shingle weaver by trade, was not satisfied with the Prairie State, and in 1845, he left his wife and child in Illinois and started out on foot for Portage county. He made a brief stop at Stevens Point, which at that time contained but one log cabin which was occupied by Mr. Stevens. Mr. Fleming had no definite plans laid for his future and his finances were exhausted. He however decided to leave matters to chance. Picking up a stick and letting it fall, he went in the direction the stick pointed, and accordingly continued his journey and located in the woods of Eau Pleine Township, which is now the town of Dewey. There he lived and made shingles for two years and in the following fall was joined by his wife and child, and Mrs. Fleming was the only white woman between Wausau and Stevens Point. Mr. Fleming moved his family to Amherst Township in 1855, where he had previously made a squatter’s claim on a large tract of land south of this present village. This tract he sub-divided with his sisters and brothers, who came from the east and settled on productive farms around the present site of Amherst. They were: his brother, Benj. Fleming, and the sisters were Mrs. A. Rierson, Mrs. Wm. Rice, Mrs. Reuben Thompson, Mrs. Wm. Wilson and Mrs. Robert Wilson and families. Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Fleming, also came west with them.
These good people, who assisted so nobly in subduing the wilderness and developing this fertile section into a land of plenty and prosperity have all passed into the Great Beyond, but all have lived a career that entitles them to a place of honor amongst the early settlers of our town.
Mr. Fleming and his relatives were satisfied with this new location, so remained: Others saw their satisfaction and followed them.
The immigrants to this village were from other states and other counties from our own state. The Germans came from New York and Pennsylvania and from Watertown, Jefferson county, and the Norwegians from Dodge and Waukesha counties. Their aim in coming here was to secure cheaper land. These people did not come here by train, automobile, steamship or aeroplane. They came by a “slow but sure” means of travel; generally by oxen, sometimes with horses, and often by foot.
In moving here Godfrey C. Gasmann traveled the road from twenty miles this side of Milwaukee to this town, eleven times, on foot.
The first homes built in Amherst were those of Peter Grover and Wm. Fleming. Mr. Grover built his home in 1854. It is the H. Indestad home today. Mr. Fleming built a little earlier. His home was that now known as the Fleming Farm at Lower Amherst and was sold to Ed Hansen, who is the present owner.
The first store was owned by John Eudlich. It stood north of Marion Fleming’s buildings. He sold to Cornwell Bros., and they sold to Nels Gasmann. Mr. Utgard now uses that building for his warehouse.
A. H. Bancroft and Peter Grover built the first gristmill in town in 1858. Previous to this Shannon and Seth Thompson built a gristmill at Fleming’s. It was a great eye-sore to the mill owners farther up the river, and Bancroft and Grover started a lawsuit, claiming that the Shannon mill dam backed water up against their mill and reduced their power. Shannon was defeated, and injunction was to he served on him on Saturday, but before Saturday arrived, all the machinery had disappeared and was safely landed in Waupaca County.
A store and residence combined was built where our new bank now stands in ‘58 by Mr. Gordon from Waupaca. Mahanna’s now use that building for their home. Abe Gordon had intended to build at Lower Amherst but he was unable to procure the location he desired and when Robert Wilson, who owned much of the land up here, offered him as many lots as he wished to build on, he at once accep-ted the offer and built on the present site of the village.
Between 1858 and 1860 Nels Gasmann moved his store and other buildings, including a granary up town. The granary was very useful as the “merchants” bought grain and stored it here for a time. Later it was hauled to Gill’s Landing or Berlin by team. Mr. Gasmann’s home was that in which the Utgards now reside, just west of the post office. Teaming to Gill’s Landing and Berlin for the merchants was a part of the regular business of those who owned or could procure a good team, hauling down produce that the merchants had purchased from the surrounding country, and bringing back goods that had come that far by boat. This extensive teaming came to an end when the old Wisconsin Central Railroad run its first train through here on November 20th, 1872. The Green Bay road was put through the next year.
John Peikert and brother built a blacksmith shop where the C. J. Iverson store building stands. They also built a house back of C. P. Somer’s store. That house has been moved and remodeled and now is the property of Wm. Betlach on North Main street. Lee Guyant’s residence and a blacksmith shop that stood where the hotel now stands, were built by John Robb in the early sixties.
The Czeskleba families moved to town, purchased the Peikert Shop and moved it to the north side of Mill street. It was then used for a cooper shop where barrels were made.
On the site where the cooper shop first stood, Mr. Morgan of Plover built a store building. Frank Hjertberg now uses that building for his restaurant. A lean-to was built on the north side of it, which was used as a wheat room.
Mr. Moyers, Mrs. P. N. Peterson’s father, built the first hotel here. He lived about one mile up the river on the east side, on the farm now owned by A. J. Everson. The little lake close by (Lake Myers) derived its name from Mr. Moyers’ first ownership of the farm. During the winter they put the building onto skids and oxen drew it across the river, down into town. It stood where P. N. Peterson’s warehouse and office now stands. For the accommodation of teamsters and stage horses, Mr. Moyers built two barns. One is used as a warehouse at the Junction, and the other Mr. Peterson uses for a barn.
The mail did not reach people then as often as it now does. When a neighbor happened to go to Waupaca (not every day) he would bring the mail home for the neighbors. The main newspapers were the Saturday Blade and Milwaukee Weekly Sentinel. Later, Robert Wilson went to Waupaca three times a week after the mail. The first post office was on the Louis Larson farm, which was then owned by Wm. Loing. The office was later moved into town with Mr. Gordon as first postmaster; then Nels Gasmann, followed by Guernsey, Starks and then Enoch Webster.
The first regular mail carriers were the Folger Brothers, then the Pipe Brothers, Jack and Tom. They carried man until the stage coach started.
The four horse stage brought passengers and mail. It came from the east in the evening and from the west in the morning. The Moyer’s Hotel was their stopping place. During the summer months the coach would be followed by many men who had gone down the river on lumber fleets. Some went as far as New Orleans, but others only to the Mississippi river.
Across the road from the Fleming schoolhouse, stood a small log building. It was the first school house in Amherst. Then the Fleming school of today was built. The school district was divided. The Amherst district built a rude building on Oliver Heath’s farm, with Elisa Lowing as the first teacher. It was during the second term that the building burned down. About ‘60 or ‘61 the Red School House was built. It stood just north of our high school.
The Red School House became so crowded that the children had to sit three in a seat. About this time people were considering a new two-story structure. It took a long time to decide. Some thought it a too extravagant proposition, but It was finally built. Mr. J. Hosmer Felch was the first teacher.
The first physician here was Dr. A. H. Guernsey, who came here as a young man from Berlin, Wis. He entered the Civil War and returned here to practice. He passed away at his home in Glendale, Cal., April 22, 1922.
The M. B. church was the first church here. It was built by all the people in the community. Some helped with labor and some gave material. Very few gave money. Mr. Warren, the preacher, sold his cow to help build it. Godfrey C. Gasmann hewed and gave the sleepers that the floor lies on. Robt. Wilson donated the land.
There wasn’t a wall under it for a number of years. During the hottest part of the day sheep would lie under it. As the roads and woods were every man’s pasture.
These people had their good times with their hard work. The Een home near Lime Lake was a popular place to gather for a good time. The orchestra that played for the dances was of one piece - the fiddle - which was ably played by the late John Een. The Aldrich home was another place to gather for a good time.
The older people of today will remember when the mothers, after the days’ work was over, would take her family of little ones, father carrying the youngest, and spend the evening with a neighbor some miles distant. They thought nothing of the walk, and the interchange of homely ideas brought people close together. We realize, with a start, that today we have no time to neighbor. Life is passing, it is hurry, hurry, and what are we gaining?
During the winter of ‘56 the snow fell four feet deep and people had to use snowshoes. That winter the young people made frequent trips to Waupaca and Stevens Point on snowshoes. One of the girls from here was teaching school near Stevens Point. She was taken seriously ill with scarlet fever. Word was seat to her father and he, procuring scarlet fever medicine, went on snowshoes to her assistance. When he arrived with the medicine, little hopes were given for her recovery, but the medicine did its work and she recovered.
Most of those early settlers lie on the hill west of us. Very few remain here. To an old timer a visit to this spot brings back old memories, both pleasant and sad. If these people gone before us could return, they would look with astonishment on the world today. If we carry on our lives as nobly and as in as plucky a manner as they did, we may become as noble men and women as they were.