Oconto County Historical Society Awards
Annual Meeting of the Society
Recipient Information
November 7, 2002
George E. Hall award for documentation of Oconto County history
Diane Nichols for Oconto River Sackers. In researching the history of Oconto Falls, Diane found many newspaper articles about the Civil War including letters sent by a soldier. She found enough material that she felt a book could be published just on information about the group of soldiers from Oconto County who were known as the Oconto River Sackers.
President’s Award for preservation of Oconto County buildings
Jeffrey and Susan Potter for the building on Main Street that was most recently known as the Old Reporter office. It was originally built in 1885 and known as Chase’s Block. It was a general store with rooms upstairs for rent to loggers. Information about the building and the restoration can be found on their website, ocontorestoration.com. Right now there is only information about their building but they hope to include other buildings also.
Andy Mercier for the Oconto Falls Hotel. The building was built in 1895 and has been a hotel ever since. Ellis Mercier bought the building in 1975 and did some remodeling. Andy started helping with managing the hotel in 1985. He has slowly worked on remodeling the interior and exterior to maintain the building as a business. The hotel presently has 15 renting rooms.
Dr. Evelyn Hauser-Frederick of Gillett for restoring the 1904 Bank Building. She took the 1904 Bank Bldg on Main Street, restored the outside and updated the inside but kept such amenities as the metal embossed ceiling in what is now her Dental Clinic.
Kay Stewart Award for achievement in documentation of family history
Jim Loberger wrote a book, From the Great Depression to the New Millennium … and Beyond, about his experiences in the Navy, but included background about his family and upbringing in Oconto. Jim’s sister, Dorothy Luebke, is accepting his award.
Duane Ebert Award for recognition of historic preservation efforts.
Gillett Rehabilitation District for Gillett Main Street. A committee was established to preserve and get recognition for the history embodied in the Gillett Main Street district. They are currently working toward getting 21 buildings put on the National Register of Historic Places. The award is being accepted by Debbie Pecha (peck-a)
Perpetual Covenant Foundation for St. Peters Church. When the Catholic community determined that they could no longer maintain two buildings they decided to get rid of the two old churches and build a new one. The descendants of the Pecor family who gave the land for St. Peter’s Church established a foundation to preserve that structure and use it to serve the Oconto community. Kathy Olson, as a descendant and director of the Foundation is accepting the award.
Volunteer of the Year Award
Amelia Canilho served on the board for several years including being president. She recently resigned as President of the OCHS because she and her family moved to Sturgeon Bay. She worked tirelessly on behalf of the OCHS and provided outstanding leadership during her time as President.
Brenda Bradshaw and Girl Scout Troop 421 of Oconto have helped the OCHS in many ways. They have been guides during the Christmas open house, they have organized games for children during Copperfest, and built an informational display that is currently in the Annex. The young ladies of Troop 421 have shown great community spirit in providing assistance to the society. Their leader, Brenda Bradshaw, is accepting the award.
Kitty Werner has volunteered in many capacities over the last few years. She has taken over as our coordinator of guides and tours, and does clerical work from printing address labels to helping to organize files. She was also a member of the Oconto County Sesquicentennial Committee. Kitty has proven to be a handy person to have around.