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Knowlton, Village of

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Author:
Mary Forer

Location:
T. 26 N. - R. 7 E., Sec. 28, Town of Knowlton

Founded:
c1846

Background:

The Village of Knowlton was one of the earliest pinery settlements in Marathon County. In 1853, a German family, Thomas Stark, his wife and three sons, settled on land in the present Village of Knowlton. The son's names were Anthony, Wendell and Alois. They were carpenters and engaged in making shingles and hewed square timbers which they rafted and floated down to points below Knowlton.

The Knowlton House, built in 1849 and located 18 miles south of Wausau on the old Stevens Point Road, was a popular roadhouse/tavern and part of Knowlton's background. Settlers, traveling between Wausau and Stevens Point, often sought refuge there. The settlement was confined to the immediate surroundings of the roadhouse and the Stark's saw mill, located a short distance below the roadhouse.

Knowlton also was a steamboat stop from the 1860s - 1880s.

See Business and Industry

Post Office Established:
February 22, 1856

First Postmaster:
Jacob H. Brands

About The Post Office:

The Knowlton Post Office was discontinued and re-established several times as follows: discontinued August 18, 1857, re-established August 10, 1861 with George A. Lawrence as Postmaster; discontinued September 18, 1865, re-established December 14, 1865 with Leonard Guenther as Postmaster; discontinued January 21, 1867, re-established October 22, 1868 with Alexander Irwin as Postmaster. It was finally discontinued August 31, 1955 with mail service from Mosinee. It was located in Section 28, Township 26, Range 7 East in the Knowlton Township.

Railroad:

The year 1872 found the railroad coming through Knowlton.  At first the line was only a spur for lumbering.  Then the Wisconsin Valley Railroad was formed and a depot built in 1874. The depot was situated close to where the cannery once was.

Churches:

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church - The first mass in the Knowlton area was celebrated in 1858 by a missionary priest who also served Wausau and Marathon City. In 1875, the first church building was erected on one acre of land donated by Leonard Guenther, owner of the Knowlton House in the Village of Knowlton. In the early years,  it served as a mission church, and celebrated mass about once a month. The congregation was incorporated in 1918. In 1948, this old frame church burned to the ground, and a new Catholic church was built .

The Methodist congregation was organized in 1900. Early services were held in the schoolhouse. The chapel was built and dedicated in 1905. Eventually the church closed, and the building was sold and moved to a different site.

Schools:

An old frame schoolhouse on Old Hwy. 51 was torn down and, in 1917, replaced by a red brick structure on the same site. In the late 1950s, Knowlton School became part of the Mosinee School District and served elementary grade students.

Business:

The Knowlton House, built in 1849, was located 18 miles south of Wausau on the old Stevens Point Road. It was situated on the "island"  where the Catholic church is now.  This inn probably served fur traders, lumbermen, and travelers between Wausau and Stevens Point.  First known as the Twin-Island  tavern and later the Half-Way House, J. X. Brands sold the building to Leonhard Gunther (spelled also "Guenther") in 1854.  Married to Rosalie Starks in 1854,  a pioneer lumber family in the region, Guenther and his bride moved to the Knowlton House, where he lived until his death in 1876.  Before his death, Guenther added a store in 1874. In addition to running his business, Guenther was a member of the Marathon County Board and worked diligently to bring the Wisconsin Valley Railroad to Wausau in 1874, despite the realization that it might contribute to a loss of business for the Knowlton House.  The Knowlton House was destroyed in the 1940s prior to the flooding of Lake DuBay.

In 1855, another tavern was built and still stands across from the cheese factory.

Industry:

A few years after arriving in the area, Thomas Stark and sons built a steam mill which burned in 1870. They rebuilt the mill and operated it until 1899 when the timber was exhausted. Each of the brothers also owned farms in the area.

A grist mill was established around 1897 but only lasted until 1912.  The mill lay idle until 1914 when a pickle factory moved into the building and operated until 1943.

 Between 1897 and 1928 lumbering was one of Knowlton's main industries.  The last trainload of logs went out in 1928.

In 1910, the cheese factory was established.

Stories:

Knowlton was apparently named for Knowlton, New Jersey, birthplace of J. X. Brands, owner of Knowlton House before Leonhard Guenther.