Seymour is a city in
Outagamie County, Wisconsin
Outagamie County ( ) is a county in the Fox Cities region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, in the northeast of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton.
Outagamie County is part of the Appleton ...
, United States. The population was 3,546 at the 2020 census. The city is located within the
Town of Seymour and the
Town of Osborn.
History
Seymour was founded in 1868 and named after Governor
Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as the eighteenth Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and again from 1863 to 1864. He was the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Pa ...
of New York.
[ ]
William and John Ausbourne were the first settlers in Seymour.
They had traveled from western
Outagamie County
Outagamie County ( ) is a county in the Fox Cities region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, in the northeast of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton.
Outagamie County is part of the Appleton ...
on the
Wolf River during the summer of 1857, making their way to the mouth of the
Shioc River
The Shioc River is a river in north east Wisconsin that flows through the village of Shiocton and into the Wolf River. The source is near the census-designated place of Navarino, in the town of Navarino Navarino or Navarin may refer to:
Battl ...
and moving to a spot where the
Black Creek flows into the Shioc. After finding no more roads to follow, the Ausbournes settled in the present location of Seymour, which was occupied by Native Americans at the time. There they built a log house, the only residence in Seymour for two years. Their closest neighbors lived in
Osborn.
Over the years more settlers came to Seymour. Henry Becker and Herman Husmann came in 1859,
and Willis and Dan Mungers arrived later that year.
They built a house on what is now Main Street and their daughter Sally lived in a frame house on what is now South Main Street. Erastus C. Buttles came during the spring and established a farm in the western part of the county. Leaonard and Avery Carter arrived in Seymour in 1876, along with Charles Eichler, the first German settler in the area.
As more settlements were established in the area, the population grew. On March 1, 1877 Seymour became a recognized town, along with the towns of
Osborn and
Freedom
Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws".
In one definition, something is "free" i ...
.
During the early 1880s, construction of the
Green Bay and Lake Pepin Railroad was completed. In 1883 a station was built in Seymour, and soon Seymour was recognized as the smallest incorporated city in the nation.
When the settlers had built their houses, they turned to education, electing a school superintendent and an establishing a school tax. The schoolhouse was a simple one-room building with no floor and a shake roof.
Between 1887 and 1889 George E. Mendell published the first newspaper, ''The Aurora'', which lasted only three years. On July 8, 1886 the ''Seymour Press'' made its first appearance, and was published by the Van Vuren family for over 80 years. It was then sold to the Shellman Publishing Company of Oconto Falls, and is still published today.
"Hamburger"
Charlie Nagreen served the world's first
hamburger
A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
at the Seymour Fair of 1885 when he decided to flatten a
meatball
A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are m ...
and place it between slices of bread to increase portability.
The Seymour Community Historical Society was officially incorporated on October 11, 1975. A dedicated group of local historians led by Tom Duffey, Rita Gosse, and Bill Collar established the society with the assistance of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Since its inception, SCHS members have been active in collecting and preserving records and physical objects relating to the city of Seymour and the surrounding area.
On July 21, 2012 the new Seymour Community Museum opened. The new facility was built for $1.2 million, which was entirely funded by private donors.
Geography
Seymour is located at (44.508499, -88.3284).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land.
Demographics
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $44,135, and the median income for a family was $50,746. Males had a median income of $36,789 versus $24,375 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $19,073. About 4.2% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 3,451 people, 1,458 households, and 915 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 1,565 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.3%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 2.6%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian, 0.7% from
other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino people of any race were 2.0% of the population.
There were 1,458 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.
The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Airports near Seymour
Major airports near Seymour include
Austin Straubel International Airport (public) in
Ashwaubenon, and
Appleton International Airport
Appleton International Airport , formerly Outagamie County Regional Airport, is an airport located in Greenville, Wisconsin, Greenville, Wisconsin, United States, west of Appleton, Wisconsin, Appleton. It is included in the Federal Aviation Ad ...
(public) in
Greenville.
Education

Seymour has one middle school, one high school and one elementary school, all part of the Seymour Community School District. The district was established in 1963 with the consolidation of a number of rural schools. It encompasses of land adjacent to the Fox River Valley Cities of Green Bay and Appleton, and covers all or part of 12 municipalities in northern Outagamie and southern Shawano counties. Five schools comprise the district: Rock Ledge Primary Center, Rock Ledge Intermediate Center, Seymour Middle School,
Seymour High School and the Black Creek Elementary/Middle School.
The school's facilities includes a athletic center that seats over 1,800. The district has an aquatic center with an eight-lane competition pool, a zero depth activity pool and a diving well.
Media
Newspapers
Newspapers that serve Seymour include the ''Advertiser Community News~Times Press''; based in Seymour, the ''
Green Bay Press-Gazette
The ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' is a newspaper whose primary coverage is northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay.
History
The newspaper was founded as the ''Green Bay Gazette'' in 1866 as a weekly paper, becoming a daily newspaper in 1 ...
'', based in
Green Bay; and ''
The Post~Crescent'', based in
Appleton.
Radio stations
WFZZ
WFZZ (104.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is an alternative rock-formatted radio station city of license, licensed to Seymour, Wisconsin and serving the Fox Cities and Northeast Wisconsin. Owned and operated by Woodward Communications, WFZZ's studios are ...
(104.3 The Fuse) is the only radio station located within the city limits.
Television appearances
On June 30, 2011, ''
Only in America'' with
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally as Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, actor, and former radio personality. He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a ...
, from the
History Channel
History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
, filmed a segment at the "Home of the Hamburger" for an episode to be aired in 2012.
In 2012, the British children travel comedy series ''
All Over The Place'' featured the
CBBC
CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
presenters
Ed Petire and
Michelle Ackerley visiting the "Home of the Hamburger" fest for the Main Event segment.
Attractions
Hamburger Hall of Fame
Seymour's Hamburger Hall of Fame is an elaborate structure that celebrates hamburger history. There is also an annual one-day Burger Fest.
In 1989 the world's largest hamburger (5,520 pounds) was served at the festival. Because there have been no challenges to the record, the annual big burger now averages around 190 pounds. The annual festival, which occurs in the first week of August, includes a 5K run Bun Run, the world's longest hamburger parade down Main Street, a hamburger-eating contest, Balloon Rally, and a ketchup slide. The festival has a different theme each year. A statue of
Charlie Nagreen is located on Depot Street.
Image:Giant Burger 2018-2.jpg, Giant burger 2018
Image:Giant Burger 2018-3.jpg, Giant burger 2018
Image:Ketchup Slide 2018.jpg, Ketchup slide 2018
Outagamie County Fairgrounds
Seymour is home to the annual Outagamie County Fair. It features 4-H crafts, livestock, carnival rides and games, and nightly concerts.
Seymour Community Museum
The Seymour Community Museum collects and preserves records and physical objects relating to the city and the surrounding area. The museum is located on Depot Street in downtown Seymour.
Outagamie Speedway
Outagamie Speedway, located at the Outagamie County Fairgrounds in Seymour, is a clay racetrack, with modern grandstands and facilities. It hosts races in several divisions, including
IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern Sport Mods, Street Stocks, and 4 cylinders. Races are held every Friday night during the summer.
At the end of the season each division crowns a champion based on a points system, much like
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
does.
Newton-Blackmour State Trail
The
Newton Blackmour State Trail extends 24 miles from Seymour to New London. The trail is used for snowmobiles, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing in winter; and hiking, biking, and horseback riding in summer. The name "Newton-Blackmour" is made up from the four incorporated communities on the trail.
Notable people
*
Marvin E. Babbitt, Wisconsin politician
*
Sandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series ''The O.C.'', portrayed by Peter Gallagher.
Sandy, son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father lef ...
, professional basketball player
*
Laura Cornelius Kellogg, Oneida leader, author, orator and activist
*
Ty Majeski
Tyler Brad Majeski (born August 18, 1994) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 98 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing, as well as in late model racing. He ha ...
, racing driver
*
Carlisle Runge, lawyer and diplomat
*
Calahan Skogman, American actor and former collegiate basketball and football player
Images
Image:SeymourWisconsin2.jpg, Northbound on Highway 55
The following highways are numbered 55:
International
* European route E55
* Arab Mashreq International Road Network, Arab Mashreq route M55
Argentina
* Provincial Route 55 (San Luis), San Luis Provincial Route 55
Australia
* Carnarvon Highw ...
Image:SeymourWisconsinCityHall.jpg, City hall
Image:SeymourCommunityMuseum.jpg, Seymour Community Museum
Image:Muehl_public_library.jpg, Muehl Public Library
Further reading
* ''Seymour centennial, 1868-1968 : the centennial review, historical-photo album''. 1968.
* The Commission. ''City of Seymour community development plan''. 1995.
* Seymour (Wis.). Common Council. ''City of Seymour open space and recreation plan''. 1995.
* Koenigs, Lynn E. ''My corner of the county''. 2010.
References
External links
Official website* Sanborn fire insurance maps
189419001910
{{authority control
1868 establishments in Wisconsin
Populated places established in 1868
Cities in Wisconsin
Cities in Outagamie County, Wisconsin
es:Seymour (CDP)