The old Outagamie County Courthouse on November 27, 2014
Outagamie County was created in 1851 from land that had been part of the original Brown County. The county was named after the Outagamie tribe of Native Americans, although the name of the tribe was actually Meskwaki. Obviously something was lost in translation along the way, having passed from the Algonquian language through French and into English. Sometimes this tribe is also referred to as the Fox tribe, which is most likely how the Fox River got its name. The Meskwaki tribe is related to the Sauk tribe, but they are distinct peoples.
The city of Appleton is the seat of Outagamie County, which I always find a little amusing because parts of Appleton extend in Calumet County and Winnebago County. The first European settlers came to what is now Appleton because of the fur trade. Hippolyte Grignon built the White Heron in 1835 to house his family and serve as an inn and trading post – this was the first structure built by Europeans in the area. Appleton was settled in 1847 and became a village in 1853 and was incorporated as a city in 1857. The early history of Appleton is tied very closely to was is know known as Lawrence University. The Lawrence Institute (named for its founder Amos Lawrence) was opened in 1847. Lawrence’s father-in-law Samuel Appleton gave a large gift to found the institute’s library and his name was given to the new community.
The paper industry was a major factor in the economic success of Appleton, as well as the other communities along the Fox River. But Appleton is known for many other things as well: the first hydro-electric power plant, the first house powered by hydro-electric power and the first enclosed shopping mall: Valley Fair Shopping Center was built on the south side of Appleton in 1954. Most of it was demolished and redeveloped in 2007.
The old courthouse is located at 410 S. Walnut Street and was built in 1941. It looks very similar to the Winnebago County courthouse. The newer Justice Center (302 S. Walnut Street) was built several years ago and now the old courthouse houses some of the county administrative offices. In fact on my original visit in March 2013 the front lawn of the old courthouse had several construction trailers. I visited the courthouse complex on Thanksgiving Day in 2014 (Thursday November 27) on my way home from Thanksgiving dinner with my parents.
My first visit to the old courthouse was when I was in 9th grade. It was a field trip for my “American Government” class from Einstein Junior High School.
I grew up in Appleton so obviously I have a lot of memories of Appleton and the surrounding areas in Winnebago, Calumet and Outagamie counties. My parents and I moved to Appleton when I was just a few months old because my dad had accepted a job with the Appleton Public Schools. My parents built the house that they still live in on the northeast side of town just before I started kindergarten. I graduated from Appleton West High School and left Appleton to go to UW – Madison. Of course I still visit several times a year to see my parents and one of my sisters.