Last week business called us to the thriving village of Necedah, in Juneau county.  Necedah is located on the Little Yellow River, about 12 miles above where it empties into the Wisconsin, and about the same distance a little east of north of the village of New Lisbon.

As a commercial and manufacturing point, Necedah is the most important place in Juneau county.  From a somewhat hurried survey, we have been able to gather the following brief summary of the lumbering and manufacturing interests of the place.

The oldest as well as the heaviest firm, engaged in manufacturing lumber is that of T. Weston & Co., the individual members of which are Hon. T. Weston, Hon. John T. Kingston and Hon. E. S. Miner, the present able and efficient Senator from this Senatorial district.  These gentlemen are all widely and favorably known for ability, integrity and energetic business capacity.

The business of this firm reaches mamouth proportions annually.

Their annual manufacture of lumber reaches ten or twelve millions of feet, ten millions of shingles, and lath, taken with the shingles, enough to load all lumber rafted down the river.  The firm own one large steam saw-mill, one of the best water-mills in the State, a shingle-mill capable of cutting 70 to 75 thousand shingles per day, and a flouring mill.

Next to T. Weston & Co., Bradford McCoy & Co., are the largest manufacturers of lumber, shingles &c., in the place.  They own one double steam saw-mill, shingle and lath mill. --- They manufacture annually about eight millions feet of lumber, four to five millions of shingles and proportionate quantity of lath.

Burch & Co. manufacture about six millions feet of lumber.  They have a fine steam-mill.  We did not learn the amount of shingles and lath manufactured by this firm.

Shorey & Co. make about four millions feet of lumber.  We have no estimate of the amount of shingles and lath manufactured by them.

Fuller & Co. manufacture large quantites of Doors, Sash, Blinds &c.

In all it is estimated that forty-five millions feet of lumber, and proportionate amounts of shingles and lath, are manufactured each year on the Yellow River at Necedah and above that point.

The business of the firms located at Necedah requires the constant services of about four hundred men.  To carry on this business and to furnish the employes and their families and the region of country tributary to Necedah with supplies requires a very large amount of merchandize.  In addition to their other business, T. Weston & Co. have a large General Store, wherein is kept everything usually kept in the best class of that kind of Stores. To keep thier stock up requires the services of three teams, constantly, hauling goods from New LIsbon. We did not learn the amount of business done by the other firms in this line.

Fruit flourishes exceedingly well in and around Necedah.  Last year it is estimated that about two thousand bushels of all kinds of fruit were grown in the place.  Cherries, applies, pears and all the small fruits are abundant.

From this hasty sketch the reader will be able to form some opinion of the importatnt business interests of Necedah.  The great need of the place is railroad facilities. The proprietors of the mills say that if they could ship their lumber by rail to market, they should never put a raft of it into the river.  The business of the place would load from 25 to 30 cars daily. Such an amount of manufactured material ought to attract the attention of those ------ lines of railroad.

Source: Adams Co. Press, p. 3 13 May 1871
contributed by Joan Benner

Census - Necedah
High School Alumni
Newspaper Articles
Necedah - Feature of the Week

return to Juneau Co. home page