This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website
Theological Seminary - Wisconsin Synod
Wisconsin University
Northwestern University
Northwestern College
Luther Preparatory School
1845
Richards’ Estate
Watertown Cemetery
The
site of Northwestern is property that originally was owned by John
Richards (Octagon House builder) and that was also the location of Watertown’s
first cemetery.
1863
o
Traveling by St. Mark’s Pastor (and Synod
President) Johannes Bading to Germany and Russia to
gather funds for establishing of Northwestern College. The Theological
Seminary of the Wisconsin Synod was formally opened in the fall of 1863 in
Watertown. Instruction was initially given
by Professor Edward Moldehnke, Ph.D., in the school
building of St. Mark's congregation. On
September 14, 1865, the Synod's college, first known as "Wisconsin
University" and then as "Northwestern University" opened its
doors, and for five years the seminary was operated in conjunction with
it. In 1870, the students of the
theological department were transferred to Concordia Seminary at St. Louis,
Missouri in accordance with an arrangement made with the Missouri Synod to
conduct a seminary jointly
1864
Daniel Kusel Sr. helps establish Northwestern College
1866 -
1870
Adolf Hoenecke
(1835-1908) received his theological training at the University of Halle in
Germany. He served as pastor of
Wisconsin Synod congregations in Farmington, Watertown, and Milwaukee. His learning and confessionalism
made him the natural choice to head the Wisconsin Synod seminary, first from
1866 to 1870 in Watertown, and then again from 1878 to 1908, first in Milwaukee
and then in Wauwatosa.
1873
08 14 John Kaltenbrumm,
a teacher at Northwestern, appointed Principal of Union School No. 2 WD
1886
1886
1890
1894
07 04 Democratic
candidate for governor, talk regarding President A. F. Ernst WG
10 24 Cornerstone ceremony for new
addition to building WR
11 28 First matched football game between the Northwestern
University and Sacred Heart College WG
1904, 11 02
Members
of the Wisconsin synod met at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in this city, about
225 ministers and laymen being present.
The matter up for consideration at the meeting was the erection of a
$50,000 addition to Northwestern University in this city.
The
matter of looking after the construction of the building was left in the hands
of fifteen members, composing the board of trustees, three of whom reside in
Watertown, being, Rev. Julius Klingmann, Fred. W. Gamm and John Schlueter. Plans
are now being drawn, and it is expected that the contract will be let and work
on the building begun early next spring.
Daniel Kusel, Sr. instrumental
in founding of Northwestern
1905, 05 12
The
faculty of Northwestern University takes this opportunity of extending to the
people of Watertown and vicinity an invitation to participate in the ceremony
of the cornerstone laying of the new dormitory Sunday,
May 28. Mayor Wertheimer and the city
council will be present as well as visiting clergy and alumni. The ceremony will begin at
1905, 05 18
Owing
to delay in work, the ceremony of laying the cornerstone for the dormitory at Northwestern
University has been postponed until Tuesday afternoon, May 30, Memorial Day.
Arrangements are being perfected to make the occasion a memorable one. At least
one, possibly two excursion trains will be used to bring the hundreds of
Milwaukee visitors here. A choir of
several hundred voices from Milwaukee is also expected to take part.
1905, 05 23
The
cornerstone laying of the new N.W.U. dormitory will
take place next Tuesday afternoon. This
important event in the history of the University will be marked by interesting
and impressive ceremonies. The committee
on arrangements reports that thousands of visitors will come to Watertown on
this occasion. Excursion trains will arrive during the forenoon from Milwaukee
and from points on the Northwestern road.
The visitors will be escorted from the depots to the University by the
college band, military company, and reception committee. The ceremonies will begin at 2 o'clock. Prof. A. F. Ernst, president of N.W.U., will
deliver an address of welcome while the main address will be made by Rev.
Christian Dowidat of Oshkosh. The cornerstone will be laid by Rev. Ph. von
Rohr, president of the Wisconsin synod. Musical selections will be rendered by
the N. W. U. Band, a mass choir of 200 voices from Milwaukee and St. Mark's
mixed choir.
1905, 06 03
The
ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the new N.W.U. dormitory Tuesday
afternoon was witnessed by an immense crowd of visitors and home people. It was
an ideal day for this important event and nearly 2500 people were present. A
special train of twelve coaches brought many of the visitors from Milwaukee,
but other neighboring cities were also represented by good-sized delegations.
The visitors arrived at about 11 a.m. and were escorted to the N.W.U. by the
college band and the reception committee
A
collection for the building fund amounted to several hundred dollars. In this
connection it might also be stated that the institution has been exceedingly
fortunate in securing liberal subscriptions from people all over the state, and
the committee in charge anticipates no difficulty in securing all the funds
needed to pay the new dormitory, which will cost completed $50,000.
1905, 08 09
The
fall Semester of the Northwestern University will begin September 6. The
indications are that the student body will be very large the coming year, much
more than heretofore, as there will be greater accommodations for the students.
The work on the new dormitory is nearing completion, the masons are engaged in
plastering the same, which is no small job, as it is a very large building and
when occupied, will be a credit, not only to the University, but the city as
well, and a monument in brick testifying to the energy and industry of the
president and his assistants.
1905, 09 02
It is
expected that the registration at the Northwestern University for the First
semester beginning September 6, will be much larger than last year and may
possibly reach three hundred. The rooms in the third story of the new dormitory
at the Northwestern University have been plastered and the masons are now at
work on the walls of the rooms in the second story. The way the work is
progressing the masons will be through by September 5th. It is expected that the
building will be occupied at a much earlier date than was anticipated in the
early summer.
1905, 09 06
The
faculty, and the hundreds of N. W. U. students who arrived for the opening of
the new school year, were greatly shocked Monday evening by the unexpected and
sudden death of one of the younger students, Fred Braamstadt,
whose home is at north La Crosse. It appears that the young man had been
confined to a hospital for some weeks; he was convalescent, however, and
returned home, full of hopes and plans for his studies at the University. He
had been advised not to resume his studies at once, but finally obtained
permission to be here with his fellow students on the opening day. He arrived
on the 5:20. The journey to Watertown proved much however, for the unfortunate
- he was only seventeen - and at 10:30 p.m., five hours after his arrival, he
succumbed to heart failure. The deceased was popular and esteemed by is fellow students, and his death has cast a gloom over
all.
1905, 09 21
The enrollment
of the Northwestern University beginning of the present semester was the
largest in the history of the institution. Nearly 300 students are enrolled and
in attendance and the prospects for the University were never brighter than at
the present time, which is certainly gratifying to those who have worked hard
to build up the school and make it a successful educational center. The costs
to the students in the Northwestern is so moderate and the advantages so great,
there should be and undoubtedly will be, in time, twice as many students in
attendance, for the expenses of the entire four year course will hardly exceed
the cost of one year in many of the other institutions of learning in the state
and the instruction imparted is not more solid and important than in the
Northwestern, except in special lines.
The
faculty is composed of able men who are enthusiastically devoted to their work
and the students come under their personal supervision, which tends to give
them moral stamina and nobleness of character and prepare them for the higher
and better ideals of life.
1905, 10 17
Great
was the joy of the friends, students and professors of the Northwestern
University on Sunday, the 15th inst., for on that day they were permitted to
celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the old dormitory and at the same time
the dedication of the new dormitory which replaces the old one destroyed by
fire.
Early
in the morning a goodly number of visitors arrived from the neighboring
villages and cities and the surrounding country. They spent the morning hours
in going through the several buildings used for educational purposes. For the
accommodations of the visitors dinner, was served in the spacious dining
hall There are
now 250 students in the school, and for some those accommodations have been
much too small. In 1894 lightning struck the building, which burned down and
was supplanted by a modern structure. This temporarily may relieve the pressing
need for more room. In 1904 this synod decided to erect the building which was
dedicated Sunday.
1905, 11 02
There
was a unique and attractive advertising device Friday evening and Saturday in
one of the front windows of Gamm's drug store,
representing a fire, and was very realistic, over which there was a frying pan
in which there were several little figures representing football players being
roasted to a turn, who were supposed to portray members of the Marquette
College team who played the N. W. U. Team in this Saturday afternoon, the game
resulting in a victory for the home team by a score of 18 to a goose egg.
1905, 11
10
In
spite of a snow-covered field the Northwestern University appeared on the
checkerboard today and yesterday, running through hard practice for the
Lawrence game which will be played at Appleton Saturday for the state college
championship. All men are in good condition with the exception of Kumm and Pankow, but who will
most likely be in trim by Saturday. A scrimmage took place between the first
and second team today and Capt. Wendland paid special
attention to speed and pulling the man along carrying the ball.
1905, 11
16
On
Saturday, Nov. 11, the N. W. U. football team met an overwhelming defeat at the
hands of the Lawrence team at Appleton. After the first few minutes of play
Lawrence had everything its own way and their goal was never in danger. Several
inexcusable fumbles on the part of Northwestern helped to bring up the score.
Lawrence is surely the best small College teams we have ever met, their
interference being well nigh perfect. We have no excuses whatever to offer, we
were simply beaten because we met our superiors
1906, 01
24
Dr. Wenth takes the place in the faculty at Northwestern
University made vacant by the passing away of the late Prof. Otto D. Hoyer. The
Doctor is a native of Germany where he was educated having attended the
gymnasium. After completing his studies there, he served one year in the German
navy. Then he came to this country and studied English in an American college,
afterward attending the Lutheran Seminary at St. Louis for three years and was
then sent as a missionary to Canada where he labored for some time and then
returned to Germany and was honored with the degree of Ph. D. at the University
at Rostock. He then returned to this country and became pastor of the Lutheran
congregation at Halfway where he remained until called to take the
professorship at the University.
1906, 05
30
Under
direction of Dr. Ott, F. H. Ullerich
acted as chef at the big picnic dinner at the Northwestern University Wednesday.
He understands the business, never missed a cog, the multitude was fed and yet
there was plenty left. They don't do things in a small way up at the university
and the people of this city are beginning to appreciate the institution for
only words of praise are heard, relative to the faculty and students.
1906, 07
11
The
fire department was called out shortly before
To
some of the members of the fire department and interested citizens outside the
companies, it was another excellent illustration of the fact that the fire
engines should not be sold, as is being advocated by some. The hold that the
engines should be kept in possession of the city and in good repair in case of
calls to the outlying districts, where the service of the engines are
necessary, owing to the defective pressure or the absence of water mains. Such
a position is well taken and that both engines are absolutely necessary to give
all necessary fire protection.
1907
Northwestern
University is again alive and students have taken hold of their books after two
weeks of vacation. Recitations commenced Thursday morning at the usual time
o
Yesterday was a day of joy for the Northwestern University, that the
quarantine was raised after two weeks of almost isolation. It is true, students were permitted to walk
about on the college grounds, but in the course of time that became rather
monotonous, and as the hour and minutes when they again would be declared at
liberty could hardly be waited for.
After doing a hard day's work studying and then not take a little
outdoor exercise will probably not be noticed very much for one day but to be
cut off the world for two whole weeks, work hard mentally and take no more
exercise than a walk around the Northwestern university campus would soon be
enough for any young man. 02 06
1907 Class of,
Otto Emil Plath, father of Sylvia Plath
1908
03 26 Tennis
courts repaired WL
04 11 Senior class not obliged to complete the
entire year's work to graduate. WL
05 13 Military company drilling daily in
preparation for the sham battle WL
06 17 Seniors smoke the pipe of peace; end of seven years war
at Northwestern WL
06 26 1908 Commencement WL
08 14 Schlueter
and Mouffa appointed professors. WG
10 16 Fourth
artillery, US Army camped on campus
WG
10 23 Northwestern University football team
defeated Sacred Heart College WG
11 27 Banquet for football team
1909
University building, 1909
02 15 Lincoln Day Celebration, cadets and
band take part in WG
04 02 Annual banquet of university paper,
''Black and Red" WG
05 07 Marchout at Lake
Mills; band and military company WG
05 14 Interurban excursion to Watertown on Memorial
Day, Milwaukee Northwestern University Club WG
05 28 Memorial Day observance, University
Band, Cadets and Students WG
06 04 Students injured; explosion of powder
while loading shells for a sham battle WG
06 04 University Co. and band gave a fine drill and
a sham battle WG
07 02 Northwestern University to be renamed; purchase land for professors’
residences WG
08 20 Enrollment, number of alumni WG
09 24 President William H. Taft stops at depot and speaks;
students on hand WG
1910
02 11 New gymnasium,
campaign to raise $25,000 for WG
02 25 Students celebrated Washington’s birthday;
auspices of Lyceum and Philomathian societies WG
06 03 Decoration Day observance, band,
cadets and students, Oak Hill Cemetery WG
06 03 Cadets and band marched to Juneau WG
06 24 Dr. John Henry Ott, 25
years of professional activity in educational fields
07 15 Prof.
William Notz declines call WG
1911
02 23 Recall Student Days. Former students of Northwestern College,
Watertown, will hold their fifth annual reunion in the Republican House on Feb.
28. Invitations have been extended this
year not alone [only] to the “grads” but also to those who attended the
institution for a number of years only.
The college faculty will be represented and the Northwestern Club of
Chicago will also send a delegation.
WG
03 02 Dr. F. W. Nott is 70. Dr. F. W. Notz,
professor of Greek at Northwestern College, observed his 70th birthday
anniversary Saturday. Receiving his
degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Tuebingen
in 1863, he later accepted the chair of ancient languages with Pennsylvania
College, and a few years thereafter with Muehlenberg
College of the same state. He will have
completed fifty years of work in pedagogical fields at the close of this
year. Former students of Northwestern,
now residing in Milwaukee, gave him a special reception at their annual reunion
at the Republican House Milwaukee, on February 28. WG
05 04 The
Bee-Dee Co. team opened the season with a victory by defeating the strong North
Western College team on the college campus by the score of 6 to 3. George Richards did the twirling for the
Bee-Dees and pitched first class ball while Miller did good work behind the
bat. Berg, Masch
and Mahnke were the batteries for the college
boys. Unfortunately the stunt Creuz tried to perform and pick up the ball with his
teeth turned out to be a fizzle and allowed the N. W. C. team their runs,
who might have left the diamond with but one run to their credit had it not
been for this incident.
06 22 Last
Friday evening Prof. J. H. Ott very hospitably
entertained the senior class of the Northwestern College at a 6 o'clock
dinner. WG
1913 Rev.
Christians attended Northwestern, graduating in 1913.
Northwestern College Band
in 1913. Irvin Gamm is standing
fourth from the right in the second row from back.
Sprinter Statue
1915
06 26 Northwestern’s Fiftieth Anniversary Golden Jubilee, six
thousand at services
06 29 A meeting
of the board of trustees of Northwestern College will be held in Watertown on
Wednesday when the matter of selecting a successor to Prof. Martin Eichman will be considered.
At this meeting it is proposed to devise a scheme whereby the duties of
inspector will be lessened and it is with the probabilities that the former
onerous duties will be divided. WDT
Campus map, 1915
1919 Prof. E. E. Kowalke
appointed president of the college
1922 W H Graebner,
Northwestern College Board of Trustees, 26 years
1940s
Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, ambassador from the
Philippines, spoke at College during the darkest days of World War II WDT
1955
Watertown Daily Times, 08 10 1955
Northwestern
College will begin razing two buildings on its campus
Monday morning to make room for scheduled further expansion of the
college. The two buildings to be removed
are the old classroom building and the residence at 1300 Western Avenue, which
many persons identify as the "old Dr. John H. Ott
residence." The late Dr. Ott was for many years a member of the college faculty. The home has not been occupied for some
time. The two buildings will provide the
site for a new classroom and chapel building.
Plans for this project were announced some time ago, but no starting
date has been set. However, the site is
being cleared and it is hoped work on the new structure can be started perhaps
before the end of this year
1955
Watertown Daily Times, 11 28 1955
Northwestern
College, now in the midst of its biggest building project since the college was
founded, is making plans for the formal dedication of its three newest
buildings sometime next summer or early autumn. Excavation work on the latest
of the three new units was completed some time ago. It is the new
classroom-chapel building. Footing for the classroom hall has been poured and
form setting for the walls was started recently.
1955
Watertown Daily Times, 11 30 1955
The
new classroom-chapel building to be erected on the Campus of Northwestern
College will cost an estimated $360,000. Work on the new building has started
and it is to be completed in August of 1956 at which time dedicatory services
are being planned for the unit, together with that of two other new buildings
constructed on the campus, the refectory and the dormitory. In addition to the
permit for the classroom-chapel building, college authorities have been granted
a building permit for a new $16,000 residence for faculty use. Construction of
the new classroom-chapel building will bring the Northwestern College new
building outlay on its campus to well over one million dollars.
1956
Watertown Daily Times, 03 02 1956
The
cornerstone for the new chapel and classroom building now under construction at
Northwestern College will be laid at a ceremony to be held at the college gym next
Sunday afternoon, March 11, at
1956
Watertown Daily Times, 05 08 1956
When
the Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church meets in Watertown Aug. 21 to 23 for
a recessed convention session a final decision on the long and controversial
issue of breaking ties with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is due to be
taken, according to press dispatches from Milwaukee today. The sessions here
will be at Northwestern College Gymnasium and the program as now prepared will
include the dedication of new college buildings including the refectory,
dormitory, class building and chapel. The Wisconsin Synod has been marking time
since it passed its resolution at Saginaw
1959
02 18 Prof. E. E. Kowalke
resigned his office as president of the college effective next July 1. President since 1919 WDT
02 20 Prof. Carleton A. Toppe
expected to accept the call to become president of the college WDT
08 25 1959-60 term began; Prof. Carleton Toppe, new president
WDT
1961
Rev.
Paul Kuehl joins faculty; taught Greek in the college
department and Latin in the prep department.
1970
Athletic Director Lloyd Thompson hired WDT
1972
Franklin Frederick Zabell
accepted the call to teach music and direct choir, 1972-1995.
1981
03 30 Northwestern Professor Edgar Pieper has
announced his retirement after 21 years of coaching and classroom work. Pieper
was called to NWC in 1960 primarily to share the coaching load with Professor
Emeritus Leonard Umnus, who at that time had sole
responsibility for both the college and prep athletic programs. Since then,
Pieper's schedule has included coaching college baseball for 21 years, college
basketball for 10 years, college wrestling for 11 years, prep football for 15
years and serving as assistant college football coach since 1974. He has taught
mathematics on both the college and prep levels as well as geography at the
prep school. Pieper was born near Juneau
1984
08 25 120th year opening service; new faculty
announced WDT
10 28 Professors honored; Gerhard Franzmann, Paul Kuehl and Richard
Strobel WDT
12 04 Athletic Director Lloyd Thompson
retires WDT
1985
03 01 Basketball:
62-45 victory over University School
of Milwaukee WDT
1986 Carleton Toppe
Resigns
07 11 The sign attached
to the door in the administration office proclaims, “Northwestern College
President — Carleton Toppe.” Since 1959, the words between those quotation
marks have been linked together. But at
the conclusion of the 1986-87 school year, those words
will be severed. An era will end when Toppe resigns in 1986.
The American society has changed exponentially since 1959, and
Northwestern College has also changed.
But with Toppe at the helm, Northwestern’s changes have been implemented at a
“controlled pace.” Toppe
has been affiliated with Northwestern in one way or another since he enrolled
in its prep school in 1926. After four
years in the prep school, he attended the college, graduating in 1934. He attended the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
in Mequon from 1934-37, before beginning a pastoral career in 1939. He eventually accepted a call to join the
faculty at Northwestern in 1948. As a
teacher, he mainly instructed courses in Latin, Greek, English and religion,
before beginning his tenure as president of the college. WDT
10 29 Pastor Robert J. Voss will succeed Prof.
Carleton Toppe as the president of Northwestern
College. Voss, who currently serves as
the executive secretary of the Board for Worker Training, will assume duties at
Northwestern on July 1, 1987. Toppe has been president of the college since 1959. Voss graduated from Northwestern College in
1947. He graduated from the Wisconsin
Lutheran Seminary in Mequon in 1950. After
graduating from the seminary, Voss taught history and Latin at Northwestern for
one year before entering the parish ministry at Faith, Fond du Lac. He accepted a call to Siloah,
Milwaukee in 1955, and became president of Wisconsin Lutheran College in 1963. Wisconsin Lutheran College was merged with Dr.
Martin Luther College in 1970, when Voss was called to become executive
secretary of the Board for Worker Training. Voss completed his doctorate work at Marquette
University WDT
1993
10 22 Plans for the merger of Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod schools are moving ahead at a rapid pace. The synod
voted earlier this year to consolidate Northwestern College of Watertown and
Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, into one college at the New Ulm
campus and to consolidate Northwestern Prep School of Watertown and Dr. Martin
Luther Prep School of Prairie du Chien into one high
school at the Watertown campus. WDT
1994
10 22 Accreditation
continued for 10 years
WDT
1995 Luther Preparatory School
08 19 Students flocked to their first day of classes
at Luther Preparatory School this morning, marking a new era at the
campus. Rev. Mark Schroeder is president
of the school. Once the home of
Northwestern College and Preparatory School, Luther Prep now serves high
school-age students. The transition to the preparatory school was finalized
during a ceremony in the school's gymnasium which included the school's opening
service, dedication of the expanded facility, installation of the staff and
ordination of several staff members.
WDT
1999
03 06 Professor Ron Hahm,
Latin instructor, also for Watertown High School WDT
2007
08
09&17 Luther Prep
football facility is upgraded [WHS_005_553] A new press box,
concession and rest room facility is the centerpiece of an ongoing upgrade to
the athletic facilities at Luther Preparatory School. On September 17 Luther Prep dedicated the
football complex. WDT
2008
03 26 Professor/Rev. Cyril Spaude,
1930-2008. He served as professor of
Greek and Hebrew at Northwestern College from 1966 to 1995. Upon retirement from NWC served in WELS
ministries including St. Mark's WDT
10 01 Homecoming game played on a Friday night
and under the lights, for the first time WDT
2009
Daniel M. Deutschlander: The
Theology of the Cross: Reflections on
His Cross and Ours
02 20 Luther Prep String Ensemble
participated in St. Mark’s
dedication of new school, music center WDT
08 24 2009-10 school year registration; total of 353 students in the 9th through 12th grade
college preparatory high school WDT
10 31 Ron Hahm to be inducted into hall of fame; former
Northwestern Prep and Luther Prep head football coach
WDT
2010
04 10 Meinhardt
Raabe, famous munchkin, NWC grad, dead at 94
WDT
2011
07 22 WELS Biennial Convention held
on campus; 400 delegates attended WDT
Image Portfolio
Click upon to enlarge
1902,
from Picturesque Watertown booklet
1965, aerial view of campus
Weltburger, 07 26 1890, drawing
Cross
References
Schoenike home at 423 College Ave torn down during
expansion (WHS00003)
Max Gaebler, one of the first
three students to enter Northwestern College
Weltbuerger Printing Co. printed the Northwestern College monthly magazine, The Black
and Red, as well as the college high school paper.
