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The earliest
residents of Central Wisconsin were woodland
Indian nations settled on the banks of the
Wisconsin River. Artifacts of their culture
still surface in some areas.
Lake Petenwell, part
of the Wisconsin River, forms the western
boundary of the Town of Rome and richly
contributes to its history. Early logger floated
rafts of logs downstream to Barnum Bay sawyers.
Once cut down, the lumber was again floated on
the river to the 'Mighty' Mississippi and
beyond. Lake Petenwell
is Wisconsin's
second largest lake at 23,040 acres or
approximately 36 square miles. It was created in
1948 by the Wisconsin River Power Company with
the construction of a dam across the Wisconsin
River near Necedah. It has a maximum depth of 42
feet and is excellent for skiing, sailing or
fishing. Private lakefront property is very
limited as most of the virgin shoreline is
undeveloped forest. Wildlife abounds including
one of the larger populations of wintering bald
eagles in Wisconsin.
In 1965, successful
development of Deer Lodge Lake gave birth to
Lake Sherwood. Followed by Lakes Camelot and
Arrowhead in the early 1970's, the area is now
known as The Lakes.
More History
.....
1854-1982
About the year 1854, the Town of Rome was formed
in Adams County. The first record of an election
stated that W.W. Burhite was elected as
supervisor chairman. Josef Smith and Morris
Burroughs were elected as supervisors. Loran
Finch was elected as clerk and J.R. Hammond as
treasurer. Mr. Burroughs also served as Justice
of the Peace. Bela Burhite and Frank Higbe
served as constables.
The average vote
tally in the early days of Rome was 45 to 65.
Elections were held in one of the school houses,
town meetings were held in someone's home.
In 1858 as more
people moved west into the Town of Rome, school
districts were formed in the more settled areas.
Parents began to realize the importance of an
education for their children.
The first school in
the Town of Rome was built about 1859 and called
the Chester School. In 1887 a new and larger
school was built to accommodate all the
children. Some years later a cement block school
was built. Teachers wages in the mid 1880's were
$8.00 a month for a three month school term.
Wages later went as high as $35.00 per month for
a longer school term.
In 1866 only four
pupils attended the Horten School, with a new
larger Horten School constructed between 1876
and 1879. This was also the same time the Barnum
School was constructed. Around 1870 lumber from
the Barnum mill became available and a new
school was built. Vandreesen School was built of
logs in 1898 with Larry Myhill serving as the
first teacher.
Spring Branch School
was constructed in 1891. In April 1926 a fire
swept through this part of Rome. The Spring
Branch teacher Rhonda Soterman and her students
were credited with saving the school from the
fire. Many homes were threatened in the area but
there was no loss of life.
The Douglas school
district was formed in the early 1900's. There
was also a Marth school but it burned to the
ground a few years after it was constructed.
Mr. Calvin Chester
become the first town superintendent of schools
in 1858 and by the year 1901 there were 253
school age children in the Town of Rome.
There are no schools
today in the Town of Rome. All students attend
Humke Elementary School, Alexander Middle School
and Nekoosa High School in Nekoosa, WI.
Between 1913 and
1916 a partial survey by the Wisconsin
Archeological Society revealed Adams County was
rich in effigy burial and ceremonial mounds.
Many of these were built by prehistoric Indians
dating back to 4500B.C. The mounds were shaped
like lizards, birds and animals. Only important
members of the tribe were given the honor of
such a burial. There was one rare buffalo mound
located in the Town of Rome, sad to say it is
now located at the bottom of Lake Petenwell. The
dimensions of this mound were 70 feet by 22 feet
and about 2½ feet high. There were a total of 26
mounds in the Town of Rome.
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