Wittenberg is a village in Shawano County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, United States. The population was 1,015 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Wittenberg.

History

In 1886, the Wittenberg Indian School was established by the Norwegian Evangelical Church of America after a purchase of land in Winnebago traditional territory. This was a residential school for Native American children who the government removed from their families as part of an effort to assimilate Native Americans into

white American White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person having ...

culture. It was also known as the Bethany Indian Mission. Initial attempts to recruit students for the school were met with resistance, particularly from Winnebago "medicine men" who the

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

believed were concerned about their intention to convert the children to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. The school initially only taught a few children but eventually expanded to include over a hundred students who came from the Winnebago, Oneida, Stockbridge, Brothertown,

Menominee The Menominee ( ; 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 recognized tribe of Na ...

, Mohawk and Chippewa. The school was sold to the government in 1900 and operated until 1917, when it was closed because of the First World War. After the closure of the federal school, the mission continued educating Native children, eventually educating up to 140 students with only four members of staff, as well as baptizing hundreds of local Native people. The high student to staff ratio was typical of overcrowded Indian schools, as documented by the Merriam Report. A post office called Wittenberg has been in operation since 1880. The village was named after

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

in Germany.

Geography

Wittenberg is located at (44.823795, -89.167328). 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 village has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

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 1,081 people, 427 households, and 231 families living in the village. 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 495 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.3%

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 ...

, 3.8% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 5.1% from other races, and 1.7% 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 of any race were 7.1% of the population. There were 427 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% 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, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.9% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the village was 42.2 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 21% were from 45 to 64; and 25.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,177 people, 436 households, and 272 families living in the village. The

was 718.2 people per square mile (277.1/km²). There were 471 housing units at an average density of 287.4 per square mile (110.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.52%

, 0.17%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 2.21% Native American, 0.08% Asian, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.25% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 436 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.02. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $29,926, and the median income for a family was $40,074. Males had a median income of $28,571 versus $21,202 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 village was $17,695. About 9.2% of families and 12.9% 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 14.4% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

* Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats

Notable people

* John Englund, Wisconsin State Senator and newspaper editor, lived in Wittenberg. * Helmer Swenholt, United States Army officer, was born in Wittenberg. * Jonas Swenholt, Wisconsin State Representative and businessman, lived in Wittenberg.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1905,' Biographical Sketch of Joan Swenholt, pg. 1117

References

External links

Wittenberg official website

Wittenberg Chamber of Commerce

Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District
* ''Wausau Daily Record-Herald''
"Wittenberg pioneer recalls early days when railroad came"
* Fire insurance maps
1894190119091919
{{authority control Villages in Shawano County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin