Richland Center, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Richland Center is a city in Richland County, Wisconsin
, United States
, which also serves as the county seat
. The population was 5,184 at the 2010 census.
, a native of Andover, Vermont
. Hazeltine was drawn to the site because of its abundant water power, fertile prairies, and its proximity to the geographical center of Richland County. Haseltine offered to donate land to the county if Richland Center was voted the county seat. In 1852 the Wisconsin Legislature formally declared Richland Center as the seat of justice for Richland County. The present Richland County courthouse was built at Richland Center in 1889.
In 1876, a narrow gauge railroad branch opened to connect Richland Center with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Lone Rock, Wisconsin
, providing an outlet for the town's commerce. The line was originally constructed with maple rails, but it was rebuilt as a standard gauge iron railway in 1880. On October 8, 1882, the town's railway depot was destroyed when an early morning fire ignited two kegs of gunpowder stored inside, causing an explosion that tore the roof from the building and scorched several nearby rail cars. Another passenger depot built in 1909 still stands in Richland Center, and it today serves as a visitor center for the community.
Richland Center became an important location for the women's suffrage
movement in Wisconsin after Laura Briggs James, Julia Bowen, and other residents founded the Richland Center Woman's Club in early 1882. The club quickly became the largest suffrage group in the state and was influential in organizing the movement throughout Wisconsin. Susan B. Anthony
visited Richland Center in 1886. Later, Laura James' daughter Ada James
became influential in the movement, helping to found the Political Equality League in 1909 and advocating for women's rights, pacifism, birth control, and prohibition.
Frank Lloyd Wright
was born at Richland Center in 1867. The A. D. German Warehouse
, completed in 1921, is the only building designed by Wright in the city and is an early example of his Mayan Revival
style.
The GTE
Corporation, which had been the largest independent telephone company in the United States until its merger with Bell Atlantic to form Verizon Communications
in 2000, originated when John F. O'Connell, Sigurd L Odegard and John A. Pratt acquired the Richland Center Telephone Company in 1918.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.79%) is water.
of 2000, there were 5,114 people, 2,296 households, and 1,285 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,164.6 people per square mile (449.8/km²). There were 2,470 housing units at an average density of 562.5 per square mile (217.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.22% White, 0.16% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.35% from other races
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 2,296 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples
living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,129, and the median income for a family was $38,625. Males had a median income of $28,207 versus $19,908 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,520. About 9.8% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
.http://www.richland.uwc.edu/
The city is served by the Richland School District
.http://www.richland.k12.wi.us/
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which also serves as the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
. The population was 5,184 at the 2010 census.
History
Richland Center was founded in 1851 by Ira Sherwin HazeltineIra Sherwin Hazeltine
Ira Sherwin Hazeltine was a Greenback Representative representing Missouri's 6th congressional district from March 4, 1881-March 3, 1883....
, a native of Andover, Vermont
Andover, Vermont
Andover is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 496 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.8 square miles , of which 28.8 square miles are land and 0.03% is water.-Demographics:As of...
. Hazeltine was drawn to the site because of its abundant water power, fertile prairies, and its proximity to the geographical center of Richland County. Haseltine offered to donate land to the county if Richland Center was voted the county seat. In 1852 the Wisconsin Legislature formally declared Richland Center as the seat of justice for Richland County. The present Richland County courthouse was built at Richland Center in 1889.
In 1876, a narrow gauge railroad branch opened to connect Richland Center with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Lone Rock, Wisconsin
Lone Rock, Wisconsin
Lone Rock is a village in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 929 at the 2000 census. The village is named after a sandstone outcrop.- History :...
, providing an outlet for the town's commerce. The line was originally constructed with maple rails, but it was rebuilt as a standard gauge iron railway in 1880. On October 8, 1882, the town's railway depot was destroyed when an early morning fire ignited two kegs of gunpowder stored inside, causing an explosion that tore the roof from the building and scorched several nearby rail cars. Another passenger depot built in 1909 still stands in Richland Center, and it today serves as a visitor center for the community.
Richland Center became an important location for the women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement in Wisconsin after Laura Briggs James, Julia Bowen, and other residents founded the Richland Center Woman's Club in early 1882. The club quickly became the largest suffrage group in the state and was influential in organizing the movement throughout Wisconsin. Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
visited Richland Center in 1886. Later, Laura James' daughter Ada James
Ada James
Ada Lois James was a suffragist, social worker, and reformer. Born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, she graduated from high school in 1894, taught school for several years, and soon became active in the woman's suffrage movement in which both her parents were playing prominent roles.In 1911 she...
became influential in the movement, helping to found the Political Equality League in 1909 and advocating for women's rights, pacifism, birth control, and prohibition.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
was born at Richland Center in 1867. The A. D. German Warehouse
A. D. German Warehouse
The A. D. German Warehouse is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Mayan Revival warehouse that was constructed in Richland Center, Wisconsin in 1921. Wright was born in Richland Center in 1867.-References:...
, completed in 1921, is the only building designed by Wright in the city and is an early example of his Mayan Revival
Mayan Revival
The Mayan Revival is a modern architectural movement, primarily of the 1920s and 30s, that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.- Origins :...
style.
The GTE
GTE
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System....
Corporation, which had been the largest independent telephone company in the United States until its merger with Bell Atlantic to form Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
in 2000, originated when John F. O'Connell, Sigurd L Odegard and John A. Pratt acquired the Richland Center Telephone Company in 1918.
Geography
Richland Center is located at 43°20′16"N 90°23′5"W (43.337836, -90.384605).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.79%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,114 people, 2,296 households, and 1,285 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,164.6 people per square mile (449.8/km²). There were 2,470 housing units at an average density of 562.5 per square mile (217.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.22% White, 0.16% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.35% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 2,296 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,129, and the median income for a family was $38,625. Males had a median income of $28,207 versus $19,908 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,520. About 9.8% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The city is home to the University of Wisconsin–Richland campus, which is a freshman-sophomore campus in the University of Wisconsin SystemUniversity of Wisconsin System
The University of Wisconsin System is a university system of public universities in the state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher education systems in the country, enrolling more than 182,000 students each year and employing more than 32,000 faculty and staff statewide...
.http://www.richland.uwc.edu/
The city is served by the Richland School District
Richland School District (Wisconsin)
-Elementary Schools:* Jefferson ElementaryKindergarten To 4th Grade* Doudna ElementaryKindergarten to 5th Grade* Lincoln School4K & Kindergarten-Alternative Schools :Comprehensive Learning Center at Lincoln-Board of Education:...
.http://www.richland.k12.wi.us/
Notable people
- Svetlana AlliluyevaSvetlana AlliluyevaSvetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva , later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only daughter of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva, Stalin's second wife...
, only daughter of Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee... - Lynda BarryLynda BarryLynda Barry is an American cartoonist and author. One of the most successful non-mainstream American cartoonists, Barry is perhaps best known for her weekly comic strip Ernie Pook's Comeek. Barry's cartoons often view family life from the perspective of pre-teen girls from the wrong side of the...
, cartoonist - Ann Walsh BradleyAnn Walsh BradleyAnn Walsh Bradley is a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 1995.Justice Bradley was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. She earned her bachelor's degree from Webster University in St. Louis...
, Wisconsin State Supreme Court justice - Raymond Leo BurkeRaymond Leo BurkeRaymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
, Roman Catholic Archbishop and Cardinal - Joe GardenJoe GardenJoe Garden is an American comedy writer. He is currently a features editor at The Onion, where he created the characters Jim Anchower and Jackie Harvey....
, book author and Onion writer - Ada JamesAda JamesAda Lois James was a suffragist, social worker, and reformer. Born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, she graduated from high school in 1894, taught school for several years, and soon became active in the woman's suffrage movement in which both her parents were playing prominent roles.In 1911 she...
, Prominent Suffragette - Joshua L. JohnsJoshua L. JohnsJoshua Leroy Johns was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.Born in the town of Eagle, Johns attended the public schools.He engaged in banking in Richland Center, Wisconsin from 1902 to 1905....
, U.S. Representative - Gilbert L. LawsGilbert L. LawsGilbert Lafayette Laws was a Nebraska Republican politician.-Biography:Born 1838 near Olney, Illinois, he moved to Iowa County, Wisconsin in 1845 with his parents. He attended Haskell University and Milton College and afterwards taught school. During the American Civil War he enlisted in the 5th...
, U.S. Representative - Jess MillerJess Miller (Wisconsin politician)Jess Miller was a Wisconsin politician.Born in Eagle, Wisconsin, in Richland County, Wisconsin, Miller was a realtor and auctioneer. He held a number of local political offices; in 1938, Miller was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate serving until 1965.-Notes:...
, Wisconsin State Senator - Vernon Wallace ThomsonVernon Wallace ThomsonVernon Wallace Thomson was the 34th Governor of Wisconsin from 1957 to 1959. Vernon Thomson was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He attended what is now Carroll University, in 1925, but graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 1927, where he was a member of the Chi Phi...
, Governor of Wisconsin - Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, Architect