Denmark

Denmark

In 1848, immigrants from Langeland, Denmark, seeking economic opportunity and plentiful farmland, settled in this vicinity. The Danes puchased land here and called their early settlement "Copenhagen," later changed to Denmark. In subsequent years, German, Irish and Czech immigrants joined the Danes, and Denmark grew to be a prosperous farming and trading community. After a railroad line reached Denmark in 1906, the area became an important center for Wisconsin cheese and dairy production.

Erected 1998

Kriwanek Brothers Company

This building is the original site of a general merchandise store built in 1906 which became the Kriwanek Brothers company. It was in this year than Anton Kriwanek and his sons, Frank and Charles, purchased 14 acres of land west of the railroad track and plotted [sic: platted] the area into lots, now known as the Kriwanek Addition to the Village of Denmark. Construction began immediately of a three story concrete block building which was used as a general store and living quarters. Later, an addition was built on to handle additional stock such as buggies and farm implements. In 1910, a grain elevator and creamery were added on, but the grain elevator burned down three years later. A new Cargill elevator was added and operated until 1920 when it was sold to the Denmark Co-operative. The creamery was discontinued when the Danish Pride Condensery was built. In 1915, two more Kriwanek Brothers, Edward and Louis, joined th company and they constructed the Ford Garage across the street which was the first automobile dealership franchise in Denmark. Edward and Charles managed the garge until 1938 when Charles left to start a garage in Chilton, and two years later Edward died. In 1949, Frank sold his interest to Louis and the Ford Garage and dealership were sold. Louis Kriwanek and his wife, Josephine, became sole owners of the general store which they managed until 1965 when the building was put up for sale and the inventory and fixtures were sold.

Frank Kriwanek organized the first telephone company in Denmark which was housed on the second floor of this building. This service was sold to General Telephone Company in Green Bay in the late 1930s, but the telephone office remained in this building until the 1960s.

Frank Wood, owner of Brown County Publishing Company, subsequently purchased the building which is currently used to produce newspapers and commercial papers. It is presently the home of the DENMARK PRESS.

Denmark Historical Society
and
Denmark Middle School Students Trail Project

HISTORICAL MARKER 2002

Denmark State Bank

On March 22, 1909, a group of experienced businessmen who resided in the vicinity of Green Bay and Denmark decided that the prosperous Village of Denmark would be a logical site for a Bank. The group obtained a state charter and opened the temporary offices of the Denmark State Bank with a capitaliztion of $25,000. The first directors chosen were: John Bartelme, H. F. Buckmann, H. A. Dumdey, J. F. Enz, Mitchell Joannes, John O. Jorgensen, Joseph F. Konop, F. W. Kriwanek and W. P. Wagner. Mitchell Joannes was elected president and H. F. Buckmann was elected vice-president. Operations were immediately begun for the erection of more permanent and spacious quarters. The first permanent building was completed and occupied in November, 1909. The second floor housed Bill Rasmussen's clock and clock repair business and the offices of Dr. Gee, DDS, Dr. Broberg, MD and D. H. Thatcher who offered real estate, loans and insurance.

During the winter of 1918, the Board of Directors decided that the present building was inadequate to provide for proper service to the evergrowing host of customers and decided to erect new banking quarters. A site was chosen just west of the present facility which was formerly the site of Ed Pelishek's tavern and dance hall, which had burned down in 1916 on the night of the village's first firemen's picnic. The new building was finished early in May, 1919, at a cost of $45,000, and was considered one of the finest financial institutions in the rural districts of the Midwest. The building was open to the public to be used for business meetings and for social gatherings. This facility served its customers and the community for many years until continued growth and changing technologies necessitated the need for a larger and more modern facility.

Construction of a new offices just east of the present facility began in the summer of 1973 and was completed in May, 1974. The old building was razed to provide parking for its employees and customers.

The Bank is truly a full service bank with products and services to meet the needs of consumers, farmers, and small businesses. Denmark State Bank is community owned with stock widely held by area residents, with additional offices at Bellevue, Maribel, Reedsville and Whitelaw, serving primarily Brown, Kewaunee, and Manitowoc Counties. The Bank is know for its high quality personal service to customers and its commitment to the communities in which it serves and is proud to be known as the place where customers send their friends.

Denmark Historical Society
and
Denmark Middle School Students Trail Project

HISTORICAL MARKER 2002

Badger State Bank

This building was the original site of the Badger State Bank. In 1926, a group of local businessmen determined that the growing Denmark community could benefit by having another banking option to handle their financial needs. They raised capital by selling stock at $120 per share. The group received their state charter, and the first meeting of stockholders was held on October 21, 1926. Progressive business owners in the village served as the first Board of Directors and their business offices served as their first meeting places. They were: Albert Dufeck, Ed Schuster, Albert Skornichka, Nic Knutson, Charles Skornichka, J. B. Broeckman and Harry Hansen. Albert Dufek was elected President and J. B. Broekman was elected Vice President. Plans for construction of the two story bank building began in early 1927 and the formal opening was held on June 4, 1927. Charles Skornichka agreed to serve as Secretary and Cashier for a term of one year. On March 1, 1928, he resigned and returned to his insurance and real estate office on the second floor. Anthony A. Mauer accepted the position of Cashier and was added to the Board of Directors. Other professional offices on the upper floor were Dr. Frank Hager, MD, Dr. W. J. Schleis, DDS, and Charles Denissen, Attorney.

In 1972, the Bank moved to its new location on Wisconsin Avenue which in the Village's early days was the site of the Wenzel Schleis saloon and later housed a bakery owned by Roger Levenhagen. The building was razed in 1973 to make room for the new Badger State Bank, which later was sold to the Valley Bancorporation and is presently owned by M & I Bank.

In 1974, this building was purchased by the Village of Denmark for a nominal fee of $1 and after remodeling expenditures of $28,306, it became the site of the Municipal Office. The first floor also housed the Denmark branch of the Brown County Library. Due to state building codes, the second floor had to be closed.

Denmark Historical Society
and
Denmark Middle School Students Trail Project

HISTORICAL MARKER 2002

Hansen's Shoe Store

This building is the original site of Hansen's Shoe Store owned by Peter A. Hansen who started the business in 1911. At the age of 20, he left his shoemaking profession in Denmark, Europe, to come to America. He had various other jobs in this area before returning to his trade here in Denmark in 1911 to build his home and store. The sign above the store reads, Denmark Shoe Store – Repairing a Specialty and older residents of the village recall seeing his walls lined with harnesses and riggings from buggies which he repaired by hand sewing. His back room was filled with equipment for reparing old shoes, and he also sold new shoes. He had a bright and lively sense of humor which helped him in his trade, thereby realizing his dream of coming to America, operating his own business and giving his children the rights and freedoms he had heard about as a child.

In 1959, he sold his business to his son, Hans Hansen, but he continued to work there repairing and selling shoes. He died Feburary 8, 1970, at the age of 97. In 1978, Hans sold the building to Kenneth Dequaine and it became and ice cream shop known as Silly Sutton's. In 1996 it was purchased by Vincent and Kathleen Lemmens, the present owners, who operate Katy's Gift and Floral, and have restored the building to its old world charm by retaining the decorative antique tin ceiling and hardwood cabinets and flooring.

Denmark Historical Society
and
Denmark Middle School Students Trail Project

HISTORICAL MARKER 2002

Dufek Manufacturing Company

In the early 1900s, the Dufek Brothers sold a threshing business to buy a cheesbox factory from the Albrecht Brothers near Stangelville. In 1910, Albert, Martin, Simon and Jim Dufeck decided to move to Denmark to take advantage of the railroad locating in this area. The first wood building on this site was destroyed by fire August 10, 1912. The main building was then rebuilt with 10″ concrete walls and 16″ concrete ceiling to support the sawmill on the second floor. Logs would be hoisted to the second story to be sawed into boards, loaded on carts and rolled down the tramway, stacked outside and air dried. The lumber was then brought back into the mill to make wooden shingles and cheese boxes, and returned to the second floor to be dried before shipment. The two-story frame building in front of the factory was a boarding house for the workers, who were mostly sons of farmers in the surrounding area. They would come into town for a job and stay during the week, and during the winter months would go Up North to log. The boarding house was run by Kate Dufek, only sister of the Dufek Brothers.

The second generation of ownership was Earl Dufek, Simon's son, and Albert Dufek, Albert's son. Earl died in 1972 and Albert became sole owner. Today, Albert's son, Paul, and his wife, Jeanette, own the mill and, after a century of business in the same concrete building, continue to manufacture cheeseboxes, pallets for local industries and their newest line of decorative wooden trays, crates, baskets and flower containers.

The site pictured above was taken from a pen and ink drawing done by Jim's daughter, Antoinette Dufek, in the 1930s.

Denmark Historical Society
and
Denmark Middle School Students Trail Project

HISTORICAL MARKER 2002