Kathleen Marsh will be the featured speaker in Lakes Country Public Library’s Speaker Series on July 15 at 5:30 p.m. in a presentation that includes rare photos and fascinating facts that might have been lost to history.
The Town of Townsend, originally known as Johnson Siding, was born in the late 19th century. A tiny, tenacious logging settlement, it was a rough and tumble remote outpost with a bad reputation. At its founding, no one could have imagined that one day Townsend would be home to million-dollar mansions and find itself in the top two assessed value municipalities in Oconto County.
It could not have happened without Chicago and Northwest Railway using it as a transportation hub. The railroad shipped millions of sawlogs to the mills in Oconto and provided passenger service for decades, selling the last ticket in 1950. The route later became a corridor to facilitate construction of state Highway 32.
Townsend’s unique history was recounted by Marsh in three volumes of “The Truth About Townsend” and “Townsend Time, a 2016 Centennial Tribute.” All are available at Lakes Country Public Library, 15235 State Highway 32, Lakewood. A limited supply of free copies of Volume II and III.
