The Alexian Brothers' Novitiate is a manor house located in
Gresham,
Shawano County,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, United States. Originally built in 1939 as a residence, it would be converted into a novitiate for the
Alexian Brothers
The Alexians officially named as the Congregation of Alexian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Cellitarum seu Alexianorum) abbreviated C.F.A., is a Catholic lay religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men specifically devoted to caring ...
' order in 1950 after being donated to them. The building ceased to be used as a novitiate after 1968, following the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
and the reforms from it. It has since been largely vacated and partially demolished, leaving very little of it standing. The building is best known for being seized by the Menominee Warrior Society, in 1975, with demands that it be turned over to the nearby
Menominee Indian Reservation
The Menominee Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in northeastern Wisconsin held in trust by the United States for the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. It is the largest Indian reservation east of the Mississippi River. In the Menomin ...
. Though successful, it ultimately was returned to Gresham, where it would fall into disrepair and be largely forgotten.
Early history
The Novitiate was originally a home for
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
widow, Jennie Peters and her disabled child in 1939. Mrs. Peters was wife to Frank M. Peters, an inventor and former executive of the
National Biscuit Company
Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International.
Nabisco's ...
. The home was a
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
style mansion with a two-story stone
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
, large windows, thirty-five rooms, servants' quarters, and a second story balcony overlooking Freeborn Falls on the
Red River. Her daughter would not live to see the home completed. The structure had been built with the intention that it eventually be donated to the Brothers, as Frank Peters had formed a strong connection to them in his youth in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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.
In 1948, Mrs. Peters returned to New York and the building was turned over to the Brothers, with the final acquisition occurring in 1950 and in 1951 would begin admitting
novices
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
. The area encompassed approximately 232 acres. This building was expanded in 1954 to include new dormitories, a
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
, chapel, and other facilities. More land was also purchased in 1955, to provide a farm to feed the novices. Further updates to the property were made so that the novitiate would become self-sufficient.
Following the reforms of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
, the Brothers ultimately decided to move their operations to Chicago, putting the novitiate building up for sale in 1969, with the last brothers moving out in 1972, with only a caretaker staying behind. Attempts to sell the property stalled for several years, until 1974, when the property was offered to a group of Native Americans from Green Bay for an unknown "nominal cost" with the intent of converting it into an alcohol rehabilitation center. However, the seizure of the Novitiate in 1975 ended this potential deal.
Seizure of the Novitiate
On January 1, 1975, an armed group from the
Menominee Tribe
The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally reco ...
, called the Menominee Warrior Society, seized the property and took the caretaker and his family hostage. The independent group was inspired by similar takeovers done by the
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police ...
(AIM) at
Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...
and
Wounded Knee. They demanded that the Novitiate and property be turned over to the Menominee Reservation, claiming that federal law allowed them to retake the land once it was no longer used for religious purposes.
Tensions ran high as shots were occasionally exchanged and negotiations largely stalled. Three days into the standoff, the warriors attempted to negotiate a ceasefire, as they had secretly run out of ammo. However, no deal was reached. Local law enforcement cut off power to the novitiate, which resulted in pipes freezing, causing extensive damage to the property. The
National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
moved into the area and sealed it off behind several checkpoints. Negotiations went nowhere in January, as the Brothers refused to hand over the deed except for a reasonable price and the Menominee Warrior Society demanded it be turned over free, as they felt it already belonged to them. Complicating this further, some people in Menominee, Gresham and the nearby city of
Shawano sympathized with the Society and others didn't wish for the National Guard to be there. Vigilante activity was common, as groups of armed locals would access the property on snowmobiles to fire on the novitiate. The surrounding woods and riverside allowed for both vigilantes and members of the warriors society to bypass the guard units, making security a difficult task .
Although they were not involved with the planning of the takeover, several AIM leaders travelled to the Gresham to offer support and help with negotiations.
The presence of AIM also brought the actor and Native American rights advocate,
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
, to the scene to support the Warriors Society. The arrival of outside supporters upset many of the locals who feared the seizure would launch a larger movement in the region.
On February 2, 1975, the standoff ended with a deal between the Brothers and the Society. Fearing that the incident would end like similar situations at
Kent State
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...
and
Attica Prison
Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum security campus New York State prison in the Town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It was constructed in the 1930s in response ...
, the Brothers instead chose to sell the property to the Menominee Reservation for one dollar. The standoff ended and the 39 members of the Menominee Warrior Society were arrested. The month-long standoff resulted in no fatalities or major injuries.
Recent history
Since the standoff, the Novitiate has struggled to find a purpose in the area. The Menominee Reservation was unable to maintain the building and surrendered their claim to the property within a few months. In October 1975, a fire severely damaged the building. In November, the Brothers turned the area over to Crossroads Academy, based out of Milwaukee. The land was divided up, with 56 acres given to the
Town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, to be turned into a park. The additions made by the Alexian Brothers were demolished in 2004, leaving only the original mansion. The old mansion remains a popular sight for kayakers along the
Red River. The rapids the mansion overlooks have become known to many as Monastery Falls, in reference to the novitiate. The property has changed hands many times, though no substantive improvements have occurred.
Documentary and Book
In 2001, former Alexian Brother novice J. Patrick Rick created a short documentary film called ''The Novitiate'' about the property and 1975 takeover, followed by a book called ''The Abbey & Me'' in 2011.
References
{{coord, 44, 50, 44, N, 88, 44, 07, W, type:landmark_region:US-WI_source:GNIS, display=title
Houses in Shawano County, Wisconsin
Menominee tribe