Jindra and Chaloupka FamiliesFrom Europe to Manitowoc County, WI
Jindra Family
Chaloupka Family
Family Stories
Places of Interest
written by Ellen M. Rohr, February 2, 2008, updated November 5, 2023
See also Fischerville School
Fischerville is a small community located west of the Village of Mishicot and south east of Larrabee. It straddles the township lines of Kossuth and Gibson, right near where Mishicot adjoins the two townships. The Chaloupka and Jindra families and many of their collateral lines were residents of Fischerville.
Lucy Cole, the daughter of Alice (Fischer) Gauthier helped supply some of the information provided in this document. The following includes excerpts from what was dictated to Lucy by Alice. Alice is the daughter of John Rudolph Fischer and Anna Mary Kunz, the founders of Fischerville.
In the late 1890's, Fischerville was an unnamed crossroads village consisting of a blacksmith shop and a cheese factory not much more. The unincorporated village was not given the name Fischerville until some years later.
John Rudolph Fischer was born in 1881 in the town of Gibson. He married Miss Anna Kunz in 1904. Anna (Kunz) Fischer, was born in 1884 at Antigo, daughter of Frank and Katie (Hronek) Kunz, Sr. As a child she moved to Gibson with her parents. You can see the F. Kunz property on the plat map above.
Alice's father, John FISCHER, grew up on the Fischer farm a short distance from the cheese factory. Things raised on the small Fischer farm were oats and alfalfa. They also had cows that they milked by hand. The old Fischer farmhouse originally was an old log cabin. Later siding was added and the house looked pretty nice. Alice thinks it may have been burned or torn down and a new house built there. Alice loved to go to the old farm as it was "home" to her. She said her Uncle Jim Fischer lived there after her grandparents left. Her Aunt Lilly was like a sister to her.
By the early 1900's, knowing he did not want to be a farmer, John began learning the cheesemaking trade in the factory of Charles Kornely. In November 1906, he enrolled in a course in dairying at the dairy school in Madison. He began his career making cheese at the cheese factory in Fischerville.
John Fischer didn't like cheese making so he built the "saloon/store" across the street from the cheese factory. He named it Fischer's Saloon. Alice remembers the big dance hall upstairs. He became a prominent business man and the crossroad burg was named Fischerville. Within seven years, he built a cheese factory, saloon and dance hall, blacksmith shop, and in December 1915 opened a store in one of the rooms of the dance hall. The article in the Manitowoc Pilot, December 23, 2015 reads as follows
Mr. John Fischer has fixed up one of his medium rooms and started a grocery store. In the past seven years Mr. Fischer has built a cheese factory saloon and dance hall, blacksmith shop and now a store, which is a very beneficial thing. Shows that Fischerville isn't slow.
The May 28, 2014 Manitowoc Pilot in the Notes from Fischerville section:
Our local cheese maker sustained a little loss last Monday night. A cyclone swept through here and blew down his large smoke house, with 20 pounds of fish in it. The loss is estimated at $15.
Our local blacksmith, Frank Schrimpf will be ready for business about the first of June and will take in all work that pertains to blacksmithing such as horse shoeing and repaires. John Fischer is having all the necessary tools installed this week.
In February 1915, a lath mill was started in Fischerville. The company had a thirty inch rip saw and an encentric self feed and adjustable carriage. They had a great lath saw that was able to rip three laths at a time and had a capacity of about 30,000 laths per day. The mill was supplied with a 15 H.P. Fairbanks engine. Four men were employed at the company. The mill was owned and operated by Sehloff, Fischer and company.
In April 1915, John sold his blacksmith shop to the local blackmith Nic Rosik. Mr. Rosik was doing an excellent business.
According to Alice, in 1916 the cheese factory was owned by Joseph Yana. Through the early 1920s it was known as the Fischerville Cooperative Cheese Company. In 1926 it was shown as being owned by William J. Frank.
In Feb. 1917, it was rumored that the John Fischer family would probably be moving to Manitowoc. John rented his saloon and store to Frank Skarceka, a Two Rivers man for a period of five years. Mr. Skarceka and family moved and took possession on the 15th of February. A newspaper article published in 1917, lists the renter's name as Frank Skoracky. He held his grand opening in April 1917 according to an article in the Two Rivers Chronicle.
William Chaloupka who lived just a bit south east of the Saloon and later purchased the farm land immediately east of the saloon, purchased a Ford touring car days before the event. It is likely he drove to the dance in style to show off the car perhaps even giving people rides. Days later he and other family members set off for a trip to Antigo.
The family moved to 932 N. 10th St., Manitowoc in March 1917. John was treasurer of the school board and resigned. Edward Chaloupka, brother to William Chaloupka, Sr. filled the vacancy. The residents of Fischerville were sorry to see John Fischer family leave. William G. Chaloupka, grandson to William Chaloupka, Sr. reported years ago that the foundation for the home south of the tavern could still be found in the small woods.
In April 1921, John sold to Henry Hagenow the east 1/2 southwest 1/4 southwest 1/4. section 35, town of Gibson. Consideration was $1. Henry ran the saloon for a number of years before a fire destroyed it on October 26, 1923. The newspaper article is below.
According to Elaine Chaloupka:
"After the fire, a smaller building was built on the property and used only as a house by Henry Hagenow. Then Henry sold the house to the Clayton brothers and they remodeled it back into a tavern. Then it was sold to a man named Waginer who remodeled the bar into the size it was prior to 1921. He made it out of shipping crates. Then it was sold to George and Bessie Komoroski. They ran it for a few years and sold it to Joe and Helen Vullings. They ran it for 10 to 15 years and sold it to us (Ellen-s parents) in 1964. Elaine and Bud Chaloupka ran it as Fischerville Bar until 1973. Elaine and Bud sold it to Carole and Alan Stadler. Alan passed away and Carole later retired. Before she passed away, she sold it.
The tavern is still in existance today. There is a small living quarters upstairs, and a small tavern establishment and kitchen downstairs. It was remodeled again in 2021. The cheese factory was later converted into a two family residence owned by the Zeman family. I remember Mrs. Mary Zeman had a large garden and we would see her in her garden all the time pulling weeds and harvesting the crops she grew. The blacksmith shop was torn down. The residence for the blacksmith shop still stands.
Fischerville Road (the road that runs in front of the tavern) is the longest, straightest road in Manitowoc County. It runs from the Town of Mishicot west to the county line. In later years, when Highway Signs were constructed Fischerville Road was shortened to Fisherville (the letter c removed) because the length of Fischerville with the C would not fit on the Road signs.
FISCHERVILLE WIPED OUT BY FIRE
Mystery as to origin of a $5,000 Blaze
Dance Hall, Saloon, and Home Burned This Morning
Source: The Manitowoc Herald News, Thursday, October 26, 1923
Incendiary is suspected in connection with a fire which early today wiped out Fischerville, the saloon, dance hall, store and residence of Henry Hagenow being completely destroyed. Volunteer fire fighters, summoned by telephone over the Mishicot line were unable to save anything from the flames but succeeded in protecting the residence and blacksmith shop of Joseph Doubeck, across the street from the Hagenow place when the fire threatened to spread to these buildings.
Loss Placed at $5,000
Loss from the fire which occurred at 3:30 this morning is estimated to be from $4000 to $5,000, with but a small amount of insurance carried by Mr. Hagenow. the buildings and furnishings were completely destroyed, only two chairs being saved from the Hagenow home. Neighbors who attempted to save the piano were driven from the building by flames and smoke after getting the instrument to the door and had to abandon it there.
All of the furnishings of the Doubeck home across the street were carried from the building to a place of safety but the house was saved, although damaged by smoke and the heat.
Starts Under Building
The fire at the Hagenow premises started under the floor of the building which is raised off the ground by piling support. The family was awakened by the smoke which filled the rooms and the terrific heat as the fire swept through the floor of the store near the sleeping rooms. By the time investigation was started the family was forced to flee from the burning structure to escape death and was able to save nothing but the clothing worn.
According to reports the family was awaken shortly after 2 o'clock this morning by a rap on the door and a request for admission to the saloon but the visitor was told that the family had retired and advised to leave, and apparently the advice was taken. The identity of the man who sought admission was not known but the circumstances surrounding the fire have given rise to a suspicion that he may know something of the manner in which the blaze started as it is peculiar that the fire should have originated under the building as seems the case.
Was Old Landmark
The building was an old landmark, although part of the structure was comparatively new, additions having been erected in recent years. Mr. Hagenow did not carry a large stock of goods in the store but the dance hall and saloon were in use with the living quarters.Seventy farmers from the neighboring country side responded to the alarm which was given by Mishicot phone line and worked for several hours in an effort to check the fire but it was unavailing.
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