Name/Title
Histories, Incidents and Descriptions of Early WaupunDescription
Incidents and Descriptions of Early Waupun. Told by George Newton (Jud) Wilcox, son of Seymour Wilcox (one of the first settlers in Waupun). Upper right corner written in pencil reads "Bertsch." Written by Horatio H. Hoard. Page 2.
Cont. (subj. Horicon Marsh, Prison). The first warden was John Brown, except John Taylor who was one of the three commissioners who located the prison here. Taylor was warden only one day, as he was appointed warden by mistake. Taylor was again warden after Brown. The father of Jerry Murphy, member of Congress, was appointed Gatekeeper. He was Gate-keeper for one day at this time. Tim Murphy, in commenting upson this sudden termination of his official career, claimed he was in the same position of the fellow that started a saloon on one gallon of whiskey. Not having any customers, he took a drink from time to time during the day. At night he had no whiskey and he remarked as he closed up, that today he started in business and today he failed. Heman and I drew the first furniture of the prison from Milwaukee, as well as the present bell. My father took the contract for building the first prison. B. Baldwin was the boss mechanic. The lumber for the first prison was cut in '51 across the riber on the Sawyer property. It was drawn by Ben Lyon and sawed by Waupun Mill Co., owned by Smith and Forest, managed by J. K. Smith. The wood cells were made out of six inch stuff laid flat with a two inch plank outside of it. The first prisoner came in 1851.
December 31, 1909 (subj: Buildings and food). We built the first house on the east side of Prison Street (now Madison St.) on the banks of the river. It was a log house and had no shingles. It was covered with shakes. THey are split strips about three feet long, six inches wide, and they were fastened by long poles placed lengthwise of the roof. We built a barn and its roof was built of hollow logs split and the first layer was laid split side up and the next was laid round side up. We ground our corn for food by taking a log and making a hole in it and putting the corn in the hole. We pounded it with an iron wedge and made what was called samp. The first year we planted corn and got a little corn.
Typed on onion paper.