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mailbox.gif (1065 bytes)Contact Information:

craig@riponmainst.com

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Ripon Main Street, Inc.
Craig Tebon, Executive Director
127 Jefferson Street
P.O. Box 365
Ripon, WI  54971

Phone #: (920) 748-7466

 

 

 

 


Ripon Main Street, Inc. Publishes

A Portrait of Ripon

Ripon, Wisconsin's newest history book A Portrait of Ripon features a vast collection of historic photos from Ripon's first 100 years. "Response to the book has been very positive," said Craig Tebon, Executive Director of Ripon Main Street, Inc. which published the book.

The hardbound book, with over 375 photographs and 22,000 words, took 11 months to write and produce. "A Portrait of Ripon" features 13 chapters that range from the founding of Ripon and its predecessor, Ceresco, to early industries, farms, schools, churches, the college, roads and railroads, social life, festivals and celebrations, storms and disasters, wartime, and the birth of the Republican Party.

Tebon said he's been thinking about a Ripon history book for a long time when he mentioned the idea to David Sakrison, a professional writer and editorial consultant who lives in Ripon. Sakrison along with Harry Heileman, another Ripon resident and accomplished amateur historian, co-authored the book. David's experience as a writer and book editor, and Harry's expertise as a historian made them a good choice for this project," Tebon said.

According to Sakrison, many of the photographs in the book have never been published before. "People are already calling us with stories to tell," he said. "They're finding traces of their own family histories in photos they didn't know existed. For example, one of the photos is of a pair of millstones from the old grist mill on Jefferson Street, where the library is now. We just learned from one Ripon woman that the man in the photo is her grandfather and the millstones are in her brother's garden. She was very excited when she saw the photograph."

"A lot of the photos came to us with little or no information," Sakrison added. "We hoping that people will add what they can to the stories that we've told in the book." With the help the Ripon Main Street, Inc., the authors will gather additional stories as part of a local history collection. "If you have information about a photograph or story in the book, write it down and bring it or send it to the Main Street office," Sakrison said.

Ripon Main Street continues to collect photographs for a future project. "We're always looking for photos and postcards of businesses and social life, cultural events, and everyday life in the Ripon area," said Tebon. Although thousands of photos were collected, there are thousands of other unique photos in family collections that could give a better representation of everyday life in our community. Many of the photos collected thus far are from the communities early beginning. Tebon mentioned that they are still hoping to find photos from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. Of particular interest are photos of the old drive-in movie theatre that was located on highway 23 and the former race car track on highway 44.

The book, which can be mailed anywhere in the United States for only $5.00, is available for $29.95 at numerous downtown retail stores or can be purchased directly from the Main Street office. Proceeds from the book will help fund historic preservation projects in Ripon's downtown. Ripon Main Street, Inc. financed the project with help from local banks and private donations.

If you would like to purchase a book, send a check for $29.95 plus $5.00 for shipping and handling ($34.95 total) to: Ripon Main Street, Inc., P.O. Box 365, Ripon, WI   54971. If you have photos to share for future project, please send them to the address listed above. Electronic images are also acceptable as long as they are TIFF files of 300 dpi or greater. Electronic files should not exceed 5 mg. When sending photographs to the US mail, please be sure to include your name, address, and phone number so they can be returned promptly.

 

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