Manitowoc Civil War gravestone restoration to be completed on Veterans Day, and more news in weekly dose

Brandon Reid, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
·10 min read

MANITOWOC - The mission to restore all Civil War gravestones in Section E2 of Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc will resume Nov. 11, immediately after the Veterans Day presentation at the Veterans Memorial at North 18th and Revere streets.

The restoration management team and volunteers will be at Evergreen Cemetery, 2221 Michigan Ave., at 10 a.m. to get an early start before the Veterans Day presentation ends around 11:15 a.m.

Section E2 burial records at Evergreen Cemetery list 74 Civil War veterans with gravestones. After the Oct. 1 restoration combined with the initial Civil War gravesite restoration in 2021, an all-volunteer team has restored more than 100 Civil War gravestones, including wives of fallen Civil War veterans.

The Nov. 11 Veterans Day restoration project will be the final restoration in Section E2 at Evergreen Cemetery and will include the following 19 Civil War veterans:

  • Charles F. (Carl) Werbke, Section E2-3-2-5. Born Nov. 11, 1827, and died June 29, 1917. No company or rank listed.

  • Francis F. Lennox, Section E2-25-6-6. Born June 5, 1841, and died Nov. 12, 1893. No company or rank listed.

  • Casper Mesmer, Section E2-35-1-2. Born Jan. 1, 1828, and died April 26, 1875. 16th Wisconsin Infantry, Company D. No rank listed.

  • Capt. Hans Mad. Scove, Section E2-37-4-4. Born Feb. 15, 1837, and died March 22, 1889. Served in Commodore Perry’s Flotilla, which took part in the capture of Vicksburg. No company listed. Rank of captain.

  • Dr. Franz Simon, Section E2-53-2-3. Born Oct. 28, 1823, and died Dec. 15, 1904. 27th Wisconsin field and staff doctor.

  • Frederick W. Borcherdt, Section E2-73-6-1. Born March 31, 1827, and died Sept. 4, 1913. 5th Wisconsin Infantry, Company A.

  • John E. Lenerville, Section E2-88-1-2. Born Jan. 1, 1845, and died April 10, 1870. 50th Wisconsin Infantry, Company F, Rank of SGT.

  • Mathias Wirth, Section E2 94-5-2. Born May 21, 1823, and died Jan. 22, 1901. No company or rank listed.

  • John Enrendreich, Section E2-60-4-1. Born May 19, 1823, and died Jan. 9, 1900. 3rd Wisconsin Infantry, Company F. No rank listed.

  • Carl Gustav Esslinger, Section E2-14-2-6. Born July 30, 1839, and died Oct. 9, 1873. No company or rank listed.

  • William Flynn, Section E2-73-4-2. Born Jan. 1, 1825, and died Aug. 27, 1870. 14th Wisconsin Infantry, Company F, rank of PVT.

  • Mead Holmes Jr., Section E2-12-1-6. Born Jan. 1, 1841, and died April 12, 1863. 21st Wisconsin Volunteer, Company K. Rank of SGT.

  • Karl Kappel, Section E2-35-2-2. Born Jan. 1, 1801, and died Sept. 14, 1877. 9th Wisconsin Infantry, Company B, field and staff, principal musician. Rank of PVT.

  • Henry Baetz, Section E2-38-1-5. Born July 27, 1830, and died Jan. 2, 1910. 26th Wisconsin Infantry. No rank listed.

  • Capt. Samuel D. Lenox (also spelled Lennox), Section E2-94-4-4. Born Jan. 1, 1835, and died Dec. 21, 1889. No company. Rank of captain.

  • Peter Morrison, Section E2-31-6-5. Born Jan. 1, 1838, and died Nov. 28, 1894. 1st Illinois Light Artillery Company, Battery C. Rank of PVT.

  • Robert Othersall, Section E2-43-5-3. Born Jan. 1, 1834, and died Aug. 15, 1903. 21st Wisconsin Infantry, Company K. Rank of corporal.

  • Dana Richardson, Section E2-45-3-2. Born June 15, 1826, and died Sept. 24, 1904. 52nd Wisconsin Infantry, Company D. No rank listed.

  • Henry C.L. Schmidt, Section E2-30-1-4. Born Jan. 1, 1840, and died Oct. 29, 1921. No company listed and no rank listed.

Those participating will be asked to complete a liability waiver that will be available onsite. Those younger than 18 must have a parent or guardian sign the waiver. Waivers can also be found online at www.manitowoc.org/evergreencemetery by clicking on “Volunteer Forms.” For more details, email SaveTheVeteransDan@outlook.com.

Welcome to your weekly dose.

Start your week here in weekly dose, a roundup of local community news. Here are more things happening in the Manitowoc County community:

► QPS holds Halloween job fair: QPS Employment Group in Manitowoc will hold a job fair from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Halloween Oct. 31.

The job fair will be at the QPS office, 824 Washington St., and will include a costume contest with a $50 gift card as a prize. Call 920-769-1002 for more information.

► Friends of Mariners Trail unveils calendar photo contest winners: Friends of Mariners Trail has announced the winners of its 2023 calendar photo contest.

The photo chosen for the calendar cover was “Colorful Tulip Garden Blooms in Springtime Along Mariners Trail,” submitted by Shana Shoblaska.

First-place photo was “Vibrant Flowers Attract Bumblebee for Pollination Along the Trail,” submitted by Shoblaska. That photo is featured for the month of August in the calendar.

Second-place photo was “Ice Art,” submitted by Kay Larson. That photo is featured for the month of January.

Third-place photo was “Winter Shadow of Ice to the Lighthouse,” submitted by Jenell Simons. That photo is featured for the month of March.

Honorable mentions went to “Fetch,” submitted by Deb Jones; “Framed Flowers,” submitted by Bill Chizek; “Balloon Glow,” submitted by Andre Berkhout; and “Pedaling to Meet the Sun,” submitted by Tootsie Marie Sommers.

Other photos chosen for the calendar include the following, by month:

  • February — “Ice Circles,” submitted by Aundrea Winkel;

  • April — “A row of Geese,” submitted by Chizek;

  • May — “Trio of White Pelicans along the Shoreline during Migration,” submitted by Shoblaska.;

  • June — “Sailor’s Sunset,” submitted by Gary Stryhn;

  • July — “Patriotic Flowerbed, submitted by Chizek;

  • September — “A Winter Visitor,” submitted by Linda Rappel;

  • October — “Looking at You,” submitted by Alex Murtaugh;

  • November — “November Tranquility,” submitted by Sommers; and

  • December — “Full Moon Rising,” submitted by Jones.

Cash awards are awarded for the cover and first place, $100 each; second place, $75; and third place, $50.

The contest is open to anyone who would like to submit a photo they took along Mariners Trail, the 6-mile paved pathway that traces the shoreline of Lake Michigan between Two Rivers and Manitowoc. Rules for the contest are on the Friends of Mariners Trail’s website, marinerstrail.net.

Calendars will be available for purchase in early November at several locations in Manitowoc and Two Rivers.

► Boys & Girls Club launches $20K matching gift challenge: Boys & Girls Club of Manitowoc County has received a $20,000 matching gift from two local families who wish to remain anonymous.

During a matching gift challenge that runs from now until Dec. 31, any gift to the club will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $20,000.

Here’s how people can give:

Anyone with questions can contact the club’s resource development coordinator, Callie Brice, at 920-470-8063 or cbrice@bgcmanitowoccounty.org.

The Manitowoc club, which operates under the umbrella of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, opened Feb. 7 inside a renovated space at 3651 Dewey St., next to the Manitowoc DMV office. The space features a game room, café, gym, art center, math and science lab, and two learning centers. The club provides meals or snacks to kids from low-income families and can serve as an affordable option for after-school childcare. So far in 2022, the club has served more than 4,000 meals. More information is at bgcmanitowoccounty.org or call the club at 920-470-8063.

► NAMI program to focus on coping with mental illness during the holidays: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Manitowoc County will hold a mental health education meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at Painting Pathways Clubhouse, 1226 Washington St., Manitowoc.

Guest speaker will be Molly LaFond, spiritual director for Third Chair, Spiritual Direction. Topic will be “Gratitude and coping with a mental illness during the holidays.”

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 920-320-7606.

► Roncalli stages ‘Les Misérables School Edition’: Students from Roncalli High School in Manitowoc are studying the history of France in a unique way with a production of “Les Misérables School Edition,” an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon that is performed by students only. The students will present the musical Nov. 10-13.

Shows will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 10-12 and 2 p.m. Nov. 13, all in the Zimmer Auditorium in the Fine Arts Center at Roncalli, 2000 Mirro Drive, Manitowoc. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for ages 60 and older, and $5 for students 18 and younger. The box office will open one hour prior to the performances.

► Manitowoc County 100+ Women Who Care to meet Nov. 14: Manitowoc County 100+ Women Who Care will hold its next meeting Nov. 14 at Sepia Chapel, 1820 Jefferson St., Two Rivers. Registration will run 5:30-6:30 p.m., meeting at 6:30 p.m. and presentation/afterglow 7:30-8:30 p.m. Food from Luigi’s Italian Restaurant will be featured.

The group calls on all women “to improve the future of our county by meeting the needs of our nonprofits one meeting at a time.”

Members attend a Manitowoc County 100+ Women Who Care meeting at Sepia Chapel in Two Rivers in 2021.
Members attend a Manitowoc County 100+ Women Who Care meeting at Sepia Chapel in Two Rivers in 2021.

Since its founding in May 2021, MC100+WWC has given more than $65,000 to the following nonprofits, all of which received more than $10,000: The Crossing of Manitowoc County, Grow It Forward, Core Treatment Services, Lakeshore Foster Family and Friends, CASA of East Central Wisconsin and Hope House of Manitowoc County. Visit 100womenmc.org/ for more information.

► Roncalli International Food Fair Nov. 5: Roncalli Catholic Schools invites the public to tempt their tastebuds and attend the International Food Fair Nov. 5. The event, for adults only, will take place at Roncalli High School, 2000 Mirro Drive in Manitowoc, beginning at 5 p.m.

The food, including many desserts, will be prepared by local restaurants and Roncalli Catholic Schools families. Specialty beers and wine will be available for purchase as well. New this year will be Americana and Hmong booths.

Outside, there will be food trucks from Holla and Brian’s Smokehouse. Holla will be serving Hawaiian fare while Brian’s Smokehouse will feature southern dishes.

There is no cost to attend the event. Punch cards will be available for sale at the International Food Fair to make food sampling easy. Cash, check, credit cards and Venmo will be accepted.

Save time by pre-registering for the event at https://roncallicatholicschoolsfoodfair22.com.

In addition to the fare being offered, the International Food Fair includes an oral auction with packages including experiences, sports memorabilia and more.

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Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Civil War gravestone restoration on Veterans Day, more news