Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Historical Society marker for Dr. Nicholas Senn had a short life. The idea of the marker was first conceived in 1958, a marker was installed two years later, and eight years after that the marker was stolen, never to be recovered and never to be replaced. A life of only ten years. The memory of the marker occasionally surfaced when the Nicholas Senn building became a community issue, but that memory has been further buried with the demolition of the building in 2012. Now, this Wisconsin Official Historic Marker, which was similar to the many state markers you find around Wisconsin, may only be remembered when seekers of historical markers ask, “What happened to No. 96 of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Official List of Wisconsin’s State Historic Markers?”
Speaking to the State Medical Society of Wisconsin at their annual meeting on May 5, 1958, incoming president Dr. J.W. Fons proposed a suitable marker at the Nicholas Senn building “so that all who pass by might know the works of one of our great colleagues.” The Society adopted his proposal, and almost exactly two years later on May 4, 1960, Dr. Ulrich Senn (the nephew of Dr. Nicholas Senn) unveiled a Wisconsin state historic marker at the corner of W. Juneau Avenue and N. 3rd Street in Milwaukee.[1] The marker was mounted on the Senn building on the wall facing Juneau Avenue and commemorated Nicholas Senn at the site of his office and laboratory.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
A Drive for Historical Markers
(Or How I Got Hooked on Collecting Markers)
Kosciusko, Noble, and Whitley Counties, Indiana
Somehow, after clicking one link to another in the World Wide Web, I discovered the Historical Marker Database (HMdb). The database is a website collection of historical and other markers and monuments that have been visited by self-directed volunteers who document the markers and monuments and post them on the website to share with everyone. With my interests in the past and geography, I have always been interested by and drawn to roadside markers and soon became mesmerized by the cornucopia of information readily available in the HMdb. With the bicentennial of the War of 1812 upon us and the resources of the HMdb at my fingertips, I thought the time was right. The time to put together a tour of Native American sites in the counties south of Elkhart via historical markers.
My historical marker itinerary would take me to the upper Eel River in Kosciusko, Noble, and Whitley counties and launch me as a contributor to the HMdb. Using the information in the HMdb on the markers in these counties, I plotted a driving route to take me to each marker in a most efficient manner. My driving route started in Goshen and took me south on US 33, County Road 33, and State Road 13 and to my first historical marker of the day.
First Day, Stop #1
My first marker was in Syracuse in Kosciusko County and is titled Indian Hill. The marker is approximately 100 feet north of the bank of Syracuse Lake in a single family residential neighborhood. Although located in the street right-of-way or a public utility easement, the marker is incorporated into a flower bed in the front yard and next to the driveway of a lakeside home. Across the road from the marker is the “hill”, a small knoll with a single family house on the top of the hill. You can understand why this hill was a burial place for the local Indians. It was located away from the Indian villages along Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake, but was easily accessible from the villages by canoe.
Somehow, after clicking one link to another in the World Wide Web, I discovered the Historical Marker Database (HMdb). The database is a website collection of historical and other markers and monuments that have been visited by self-directed volunteers who document the markers and monuments and post them on the website to share with everyone. With my interests in the past and geography, I have always been interested by and drawn to roadside markers and soon became mesmerized by the cornucopia of information readily available in the HMdb. With the bicentennial of the War of 1812 upon us and the resources of the HMdb at my fingertips, I thought the time was right. The time to put together a tour of Native American sites in the counties south of Elkhart via historical markers.
My historical marker itinerary would take me to the upper Eel River in Kosciusko, Noble, and Whitley counties and launch me as a contributor to the HMdb. Using the information in the HMdb on the markers in these counties, I plotted a driving route to take me to each marker in a most efficient manner. My driving route started in Goshen and took me south on US 33, County Road 33, and State Road 13 and to my first historical marker of the day.
First Day, Stop #1
My first marker was in Syracuse in Kosciusko County and is titled Indian Hill. The marker is approximately 100 feet north of the bank of Syracuse Lake in a single family residential neighborhood. Although located in the street right-of-way or a public utility easement, the marker is incorporated into a flower bed in the front yard and next to the driveway of a lakeside home. Across the road from the marker is the “hill”, a small knoll with a single family house on the top of the hill. You can understand why this hill was a burial place for the local Indians. It was located away from the Indian villages along Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake, but was easily accessible from the villages by canoe.
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| Indian Hill Marker |
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| Papakeechie's Reserve Marker |
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Markers to Add to the HMdb
Updated April 22, 2018 - Added state markers in Kerr County, Texas
The map below shows the location of over 5,400 historical and other markers that have not yet been entered into the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) (www.hmdb.org). These are markers that I intended to collect in the past but life changes have taken me to another part of the country, that I intend to collect on future travels, or that I stumbled across in my research and I thought were interesting and did not want to forget about them.
I want to share these markers with others in case you may want to collect them on your travels and add them to the Historical Marker Database. Happy Collecting! (See my comments below the map for accuracy on the marker locations.)
This map is interactive. If you would like to view a larger version, click on the frame icon in the upper right corner of the map.
Notes on the Marker Accuracy
Because State historical marker databases often have inaccurate (or just wrong) location information, I have confirmed for most markers the marker title and its location using Google street view and other Internet sources such as findagrave.com and waymarking.com. However, even if confirmed, the information for that marker may still be several years old and does not guarantee that you will find the marker. For markers that I have not confirmed their location, I am using the best available information that I found, usually from the marker databases of state agencies.
This map is not inclusive of all markers in a particular locale that are not in the HMdb, but may lead you to other markers. If you see another marker in the area, it may not be in the HMdb.
When the map was created and I entered marker locations, I verified that the marker was not already entered in the HMdb. I will continue to update the map to remove any markers when they are collected and entered in the HMdb.
The map below shows the location of over 5,400 historical and other markers that have not yet been entered into the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) (www.hmdb.org). These are markers that I intended to collect in the past but life changes have taken me to another part of the country, that I intend to collect on future travels, or that I stumbled across in my research and I thought were interesting and did not want to forget about them.
I want to share these markers with others in case you may want to collect them on your travels and add them to the Historical Marker Database. Happy Collecting! (See my comments below the map for accuracy on the marker locations.)
This map is interactive. If you would like to view a larger version, click on the frame icon in the upper right corner of the map.
Notes on the Marker Accuracy
Because State historical marker databases often have inaccurate (or just wrong) location information, I have confirmed for most markers the marker title and its location using Google street view and other Internet sources such as findagrave.com and waymarking.com. However, even if confirmed, the information for that marker may still be several years old and does not guarantee that you will find the marker. For markers that I have not confirmed their location, I am using the best available information that I found, usually from the marker databases of state agencies.
This map is not inclusive of all markers in a particular locale that are not in the HMdb, but may lead you to other markers. If you see another marker in the area, it may not be in the HMdb.
When the map was created and I entered marker locations, I verified that the marker was not already entered in the HMdb. I will continue to update the map to remove any markers when they are collected and entered in the HMdb.
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