Plaque Photo Gallery
The Shawano Has History project logo.
The spring 2024 Leadership Shawano County Team working on the Shawano Has History Project – Greg Smith, Rande Bakeberg, Lindsay Kralovetz, Bethany Retzlaff, Mike Mehlberg, Michael Oberle (historical society representative), Ben Hartwig, and Olivia Schultz.
The Franklin School plaque, the first plaque installed on March 27, 2024 in Franklin Park. This plaque is sponsored by Pure Essence Salon in Shawano, WI.
The Franklin School plaque, the first plaque installed on March 27, 2024 in Franklin Park. This plaque is sponsored by Pure Essence Salon in Shawano, WI.
The Upham & Russell plaque, first plaque installed on a commercial business building. This plaque is sponsored by Dr. Amy Stuber of Cornerstone Chiropractic in Shawano, WI.
The Upham & Russell plaque, first plaque installed on a commercial business building. This plaque is sponsored by Dr. Amy Stuber of Cornerstone Chiropractic in Shawano, WI.
The Upham & Russell plaque, first plaque installed on a commercial business building. This plaque is sponsored by Dr. Amy Stuber of Cornerstone Chiropractic in Shawano, WI.
The Farmers Brewery plaque. This plaque is sponsored by the Hartwig family of Shawano, WI.
The Farmers Brewery plaque. This plaque is sponsored by the Hartwig family of Shawano, WI.
The Farmers Brewery plaque. This plaque is sponsored by the Hartwig family of Shawano, WI.
The Nagle Building plaque was installed on May 22, 2024 and is sponsored by Aaron and Erik Gilling of the Stubborn Brothers Brewery.
The Nagle Building plaque was installed on May 22, 2024 and is sponsored by Aaron and Erik Gilling of the Stubborn Brothers Brewery.
The Andrews & Klosterman and Naber Drug Store building plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Dreier family.
The Andrews & Klosterman and Naber Drug Store building plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Dreier family.
The Holtz Saloon building plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Dreier family.
The Holtz Saloon building plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Dreier family.
The Wavrunek Harness Shop plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Heather and David Pahl of Martin Jewellers.
The Wavrunek Harness Shop plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Heather and David Pahl of Martin Jewellers.
The Citizens State Bank building plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Heather and David Pahl of Martin Jewellers.
The Citizens State Bank building plaque was installed on July 23, 2024 and is sponsored by the Heather and David Pahl of Martin Jewellers.
The Murdock House plaque was installed on July 23, 2024. In the photo; Randy Murdock, Tom Murdock, Nancy Murdock Curtis, Todd Murdock, Chelsea Gilling, Abigael Wallrich, and Jodie Murdock Thompson.
The Murdock House plaque, the 9th Shawano Has History plaque to be installed, is located at 103 S. Main Street in Shawano, the home of The Stock Market and Fully Stocked.
The Nachtwey Livery Stable plaque, the 10th Shawano Has History plaque, was installed on August 15, 2024. Thank you to Jean Darling owner of Total Fitness and sponsor of this plaque.
The Nachtwey Livery Stable plaque, the 10th Shawano Has History plaque, was installed on August 15, 2024. Thank you to Jean Darling owner of Total Fitness and sponsor of this plaque.
The Kuckuk & Pulcifer Building plaque, the 11th Shawano Has History plaque, was installed on September 26, 2024. Thank you to Kelli and Justin Penfold, owners of the K&P Building and sponsors of this plaque.
The Kuckuk & Pulcifer Building plaque, the 11th Shawano Has History plaque, was installed on September 26, 2024.
The Chicago & Northwestern Depot plaque, the 12th Shawano Has History plaque, was installed on October 19, 2024. In the photo are; Richard Karth (Shawano County Friends of the Mountain Bay Trail) and Matty Mathison (Shawano Pathways).
The Chicago & Northwestern Depot plaque, the 12th Shawano Has History plaque, was installed on October 19, 2024.
The Shawano Has History Project
The Shawano Has History Project began in April 2022 when Ben and Diane Hartwig visited the Shawano County Historical Society looking to bring plaques to historic buildings in Shawano. These plaques would tell the visitor about the history of the property, businesses, and owners.
After Ben Hartwig visited London and found plaques on their historic properties, he wondered if that could happen in Shawano. This was the impetus that would become the Shawano Has History Project, a partnership between the historical society, Leadership Shawano County teams, the Business Improvement District of Shawano, the City of Shawano, and Chamber of Commerce.
With many of its original buildings dating from the late 1800’s to mid 1900’s, Shawano’s business district was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. This foundation makes it straightforward for the project to choose relevant historic properties. After researching projects like this in other cities, the team decided to develop plaques that contain text describing the history of the property, a historic photograph, and a QR code that would lead the plaque visitor to a page on the Shawano County Historical Society’s website with further information. The cast bronze plaques are supplied by Franklin Plaques in Franklin, PA. If you travel in the USA, you might have seen plaques like these in other communities.
It took over two years to research the historic properties, develop the website, and information for the plaques. By January 2024, after several meetings with the Business Improvement District, we started taking donations for, and selling, plaques to businesses and property owners. The first plaque sold was to Cornerstone Chiropractic for the Upham & Russell Building plaque on the corner of Division and Main Streets. Others followed with an initial goal of installing twenty plaques in 2024. The project is fortunate to have people coming forward to sponsor plaques in the community. One of those, the Franklin School plaque in Franklin Park, is sponsored by Pure Essence Salon in Shawano.
We’ve researched forty properties that span the City of Shawano, which are listed on the Shawano County Historical Society’s website. Information for twenty plaques is also complete. To get the word out, we met with TV, radio, and newspaper media outlets. In the future we hope to partner with the history department at the high school to involve our students in this local history. We also hope to continue to add properties in the city and expand the project to Shawano County.