Thursday, September 7, 2017 • Vol. 133, No. 10 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1
Traveling back in time
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Oregon Observer The
Oregon School District
Oregon history comes alive in new photo book SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Courtesy Oregon Area Historical Society
The Oregon area from 1840-1950 is the subject of a recently published book, “Images of America: Oregon,” completed with the help of the Oregon Area Historical Society.
going to be amazed of the all the history they didn’t know about,” she said.
Labor of love The idea for the book was initiated by the publ i s h e r, w h o c o n t a c t e d OA H S i n 2 0 1 2 . A f t e r checking with others who had done books with the company, all reported a positive experience. Then, once society members were finished with a massive project sifting through items donated by historian Florice Paulson after her death in 2013, they decided to go ahead with the project. Swenson said during a recent trip to Georgia and South Carolina, she saw in gift shops many of those cities featured in the Arcadia series. “I just think it’s really great we got one for Oregon,” she said. It wasn’t before quite a
Turn to History/Page 12
By the numbers 1840-1950 Years covered in the book
213 Photos
126 Pages
Photo by Helu Wang
Kate Kling, 5, jumps off of a school bus and runs to Netherwood Knoll elemetary school on her first day of kindergarten.
Back to school
Kids from Netherwood Knoll and Prairie View elementary schools were back to school on Sept. 5, the first day of school. Some arrived with their parents and the others got off school buses by themselves. School staff welcomed them and gave high fives to each other on their way to school.
Brooklyn police chief resigns for college post Village president says Barger was a ‘great asset’ SCOTT GIRARD Unified Newspaper Group
The Village of Brooklyn is looking for a new police chief. James “Harry” Barger, who had been with the village since 2009, resigned from the position effective Monday, Sept. 4, in a letter dated Aug. 7. Barger left to take a position with the Madison College School of Human and Protective Services, according to his resignation letter. “Please accept my gratitude for allowing me to be your police chief and play such an integral role within your village since 2009,” Barger wrote in the letter. “I believe I have been able to accomplish a lot and
move the police department ahead but there is much to be done yet.” He began reducing his hours in the office as of Aug. 21 and said in an email Tuesday he was not available for comment before the Observer’s deadline. Village officer Wade Engelhart will be the Barger acting chief until a replacement plan is determined. Village President Clayton Schulz told the Observer officials are “in the process of exploring our options for a new chief.” “We’re working very Engelhart closely with Harry and officer Engelhart to figure out what we need,” Schulz said.
While it was “no surprise” to Schulz that Barger was ending his time in the village, he said the former chief will “definitely be missed.” “Harry is a great asset for a community,” Schulz said. “He brought a lot of experience to the table, being in law enforcement for so many years.” Barger retired from the Verona Police Department in 2007 as a lieutenant and was a volunteer assistant fire chief in Verona with a strong emphasis on training before he came to Brooklyn. The School of Human and Protective Services at Madison College offers both law enforcement and firefighter training. He won a “law and order” award from the Oregon/Brooklyn American Legion Post 160 in 2012. Contact Scott Girard at ungreporter@wcinet.com and follow him on Twitter @sgirard9.
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While the book itself only took a couple months to put together, the story is more than 170 years in the making. The history of Oregon is the subject of a newly published book – the latest in Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. A pictorial history of the area, it reveals a variety of slices of life from the 1840s through the 1950s. The project was guided by a quintet from the Oregon Area Historical Society – Melanie Woodworth, JoAnn Swenson, Gerald Neath, Ann Morris and Dixie Brown. They pooled their efforts to fit more than 200 photos and 13,000 words of text in its 126 pages. The group will celebrate both the release of the book and their 30th anniversary with a Sept. 17 gathering. The book will be available for sale ($25 or $30 by mail). A cemetery tour of Prairie Mound/St. Mary’s Cemetery will follow, with actors portraying famous Oregonians. Brown, the newest member of the group among the quintet, said she “learned a lot” putting the book together. “I think anybody who reads the book is just