Crops

Kenosha News September 1952
Record Tomato Crop At Somers
(Source:  Original news clipping courtesy of Ernest "Bunkie" Tabbert)

The freight station at Somers has been the scene of much activity the past two weeks as this year's record tomato crop, over 8,000 tons, was shipped to canneries.  The left photo shows a truckload of tomatoes being inspected by Joseph Peek, federal inspector for the state.With Peek are Bernard, left, and Frank Lichter, Somers, who harvested the tomatoes on their farm.

The right photo, Carl Iverson of Somers, receives a receipt for his truckload of tomatoes from Mrs. Lura Brunet, Somers, who acted as Weigh master.

Kenosha News September 1952
Record Tomato Crop At Somers
(Source: Original news clipping courtesy of Ernest "Bunkie" Tabbert)
C.D. Ruthe, Somers Station Agent, and Donald Tiedman, a canning company representative, are shown checking a loaded box car in the left photo.  Shown on the right photo are Frank Lichter on the left and Thomas Birchell on the right, both Somers farmers of long standing, reminisce about tomato crops of other years when local farmers were not as fortunate.  Lichter stated this was his best tomato harvest since 1935.

Tomato Yield In This Area Huge Success
"Tomato growers from this area are wearing smiles these days, in sharp contrast to their frowns the past two years.
Top-quality ripe tomatoes are pouring through the Somers freight station in record volume as harvesting of the best commercial crop in years nears completion.
Heavy yields, lack of disease, and a good price spell success at the market for tomato farmers here.  Disease all but destroyed the crop in 1950 and 1951.
Shipments through the Somers Station are expected to reach a total of well over 8,000 tons.  At $32 a ton, this means tomatoes will bring an income of about $264,000 to Kenosha and Racine County truck farmers.
The average yield has been about 11 tons an acre, it is reported.  Over 750 acres were planted this summer.
All told, the 1952 crop probably will surpass the 1949 harvest.  Blight, which wiped out the bulk of the tomatoes in the past two years, had little effect this year.  Warm, dry weather gave the disease no chance to thrive.  Ideal conditions for the spread of blight are muggy, cloudy days and cool nights.
State experts call this year's crop the finest in several years.  Fifteen thousand hampers, or half a million pounds of tomatoes, a day have been shipped from fields in the southeastern Wisconsin region.
Racine and Kenosha counties lead the state in production of commercial tomatoes.  The biggest portion of the crop grown here is produced for canning companies.  Part of the harvest is processed in Wisconsin, but a large segment goes to canneries in adjoining states.
(Source:  Kenosha News, September 1952)

"The oat crop which is now being threshed is the heaviest in years.  Some prices are yielding as high as sixty and non yet reported have hone less than forty bushels per acre.
(Source:  Racine Journal Aug. 18, 1905)

"Our entertaining farmer, M.A. Rasmussen had about forty boys from Kenosha every day last week helping him gather his onion sets of which he will have about 2,000 bushels."
(Source:  Racine Journal, Aug. 18, 1905)

"Although but little grain has been threshed, the yield so far is satisfactory, as high as 50 to 60 bushels per acre being reported."
(Source:  Racine Journal Aug. 18, 1905)

"Mmes. Frank Thomas, John Swartz, and Ben Robinson, all of the Berryville, were among those awarded ribbons for the best iris blooms at the Kenosha County Garden Club show, held at the Kenosha County Courthouse Tuesday evening."
(Source:  Racine Journal June 23, 1934)

Timely Twenty Card Clubs in Somers

The Timely Twenty Club
Back Row L to R: Lura Rider, Louise Thomas, Eva Robinson, Millie Lotz, Audrey Bose, Catherine Feest, Lucy Lichter, Mrs. Lippert (Millie and Julia's mother)
Front Row L to R: Julia Feest, Thora Smith, Kate Broesch, Sadie Thomas, Lou Rider, Laura Iorns
Somers Township
Photo taken at the home of Louise Rider on October 11, 1951
(Source:  Original photo courtesy of the Robert Thomas Family)
Click on photo for larger view.

Timely Twenty Club
Each month a posting in the "Neighborhood News", such as the one listed below, would report on the monthly meeting, host location, and winners.
"Mrs. John Lichter was hostess to the Timely Twenty Club on Thursday afternoon at three tables of 500, honors going to Mmes. William Cameron, Samuel Smith, and Roy Swartz.  Guests were Mrs. Arthur Lichter and friends, Mmes. Everett Yule and Frank Witscheber.  Lunch was served.  The Club day has been changed from the second Thursday to the third Thursday."  (Source:  Racine Journal, May 13, 1935)

The Timely Twenty Club was a social club represented by a group of neighborhood ladies for the purpose of playing the card game "500".  Each month a different lady would hostess the event at her home which also included a luncheon.  The Timely Twenty Club members shown in the photo above were primarily from the Wood Road/Berryville area of Somers Township. 

Other "500" clubs were active in Somers Township.  For example, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Barrows were host and hostess to the Royal Neighbor Five Hundred Card Club.  Four tables were played on Thursday evening as reported by the Racine Journal on July 5, 1934.  Also reported by the Racine Journal on March 31, 1933, "The Royal Neighbors Five Hundred Club and their husbands met with Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Jensen on Thusday evening in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their marriage.  Nine tables of 500 were played.  Mr. and Mrs. Jensen were presented a purse of gold.  A delicious lunch was served.
Schafaskopf was also played in Somers.  "Mrs. Millie Feest and sons, Joseph and Richard, Ed Lotz, Mr. and Mrs. Loe Lotz and family and Sylvester Feest and Children were supper guests on Sunday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Lippert.  The evening was spent playing Schafaskopf as reported by the Racine Journal on January 1, 1933.
Card playing was a social activity as early as reported in the Racine Journal on February 11, 1909, "Mr. and Mrs. John Feest gave a party at their home on Berryville Road.  Cards were played.  The ladies' prizes were won by Miss B.L. Moran, Mrs. Sadie Thomas and gentleman's by Mr. Joe Feest. Mr. John Feest, Mr. Corbett and P. Thomas".
"There will be a balloon dance at the Old Time Dance club on the Lake Shore Road in Berryville on Wednesday evening.  Cards and dancing.  Music furnished by the Southern Wisconsin Old Timers.  Every Wednesday night and Saturday night the dances are public." (Racine Journal October 2, 1932)

The card game "500" was primarily a social card game, created before 1900 and highly popular until about the 1920's when Bridge surpassed it.  The game can be played by two to six players but the most common form is four players in partnership.  The game is an extension of Euchre.  "500" focuses on trick taking.  The goal is for the team who wins the bid to take at least as many tricks as they bid.  A team wins the game by scoring at least 500 points.

1877 Map and Minnie Ozanne Somers History

Partial Plat Map of 1887 Somers Township

The purpose of this blog page is to identify (1887 Map) some of the earliest settlement in Somers - along the Green Bay Trail.  The Green Bay Trail can be identified on the map above as the center north-south road in the middle of the map.  The intersection showing the "M.E. Church" is Highway E or Somers Road.
A few historical building photographs are shown below and are considered some of the oldest evidence of our historic settlement.   Although the landscape and structures have changed, you can take a ride and see for yourself where our history began.  I hope you enjoy finding the names on the map!

Click on this link to read Somers history written by Mrs. E.G. (Minnie) Ozanne, one our pioneers,  published in "Souvenir, Kenosha County Court House: and bits of yesterday, foundations of today" by Otis L. Trenary. 1925.

"Among the early settlers of Somers (1835) were Benjamin Felch, Hugh Longwell, Griffin and William Allen, Charles Leet, and William Smith.  Jacob Montgomery and his two sons built a log cabin near the present site of E.G. Ozanne's residence, the first in the town and in the county.  In the southeast part of the town Cephus Weed began his farming and on Pike River, Thomas Parsons built a sawmill (near Berryville).  This early immigration followed the Indian Trail which later became the Green Bay Road.  The plank road running from Racine and connecting with the plank road west out of Kenosha followed part of the old Green Bay Trail and ran near Petrifying Springs in Somers.  A toll gate was placed near the present home of George Leet.

In 1836 a weekly stage began to run from Chicago to Milwaukee over this Green Bay Trail, and the first Post Office was established at Willis's.  This tavern was located in the southwest corner of what is now the intersection of the Prairie Avenue Road with the Green Bay Road, Maxwell's Corners.  In this year, too, the first school taught by Miss Brizee was held in the Hugh Longwell house.  In the spring of 1837 the Kelloggs' - Chauncey, Seth H., and Thaddeus - with their families built their shanties and held their first religious meetings.  The result of the first Sunday School is shown when in 1860 a festival was held with an attendance of 300 children.

The Methodist Episcopal Church completed in 1840 was not only the first in the town of Somers, but we believe, the first in the state.

A Government observatory was built in 1860 on the William Robinson farm to a height of 72 feet.  This is on the present John Salentine farm on the hill about one mile south of the Somers Cemetery and Town Hall.  It is the highest point between Chicago and Milwaukee on the Green Bay Trial.  A pile of stones shows today where the tower stood.

The first frame barn built in the town was built for Rev. James Ozanne, and a part still stands.  By act of the state legislature, the town was named "Pike", April 15, 1843.  In 1851 "Pike was changed to "Somers".

On May 1, 1843, the first town meeting was held in the house of Charles Leet.  Joseph P. Hurlbut was chosen moderator of this meeting and Oscar Hurlbut, Clerk.  Tax raised in 1843 - $372.39; 1924, $96,594.  A farm of 88 acres in Somers in 1836 was valued at $1,040, the amount of taxes on this farm was $10.79."

Charles Leet Home
Contributor:  C.E. Dewey
This home was built in 1842 and it is believed that this picture shows the house in its original state.  It was remodeled in the 1860's at the close of the Civil War.  This property had been in the Leet family for one hundred years at the time this slide was produced. (1940).
(Source:  Photo Courtesy of Minnie Ozanne Family)

The Longwell House, residence of Hugh Longwell.
Southern Wisconsin's first public school building, erected in Somers Township in 1836, was held in the Longwell home with a Miss Brizee as the teacher.  In 1846 the Pike River school district was formed.  A new school building was constructed and opened in 1849.  Mr. Hugh Longwell, the first settler of Somers made a claim in March 1835 and settled where he resided with his family until his death.
(Source:  Minnie Ozanne Family)

Hugh Longwell Biographical Sketch

Hugh Longwell was born in New York about 1798.  He married his wife Letta in New Jersey and the couple had six children.  Hugh Longwell's sister, Sarah Maria Longwell, was born in Somers Township in 1841 and married William Toase (a neighboring land owner in Section 2).  William's mother married a second time to George Haigh of Somers Township, a substantial farming family in Section 8.

Methodist Episcopal Church
Built by Austin Kellogg and his brothers around 1837 and was completed in 1840.  An addition was added at the front of the building some years later.  The church was torn down around 1910.  The timbers were hand-hewn out of solid oak.
(Source:  Photo Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Historical Images)