Swiss Historical Village to Celebrate Pioneer Monument Centennial

Two unique items have been put on display at the Swiss Historical Village to mark the centennial of the unveiling of the Pioneer Monument in New Glarus.
The monument, which is a focal point of 1st Street downtown, was dedicated on August 16, 1915, as part of the 70th anniversary celebration of the founding of New Glarus. The new display includes a rare poster announcing the celebration and a pennant souvenir of the event. The poster was donated to the Historical Village in 2014 by the late Karl Gmur and family. The pennant was donated in 2010 by the late Jack Kundert of Monroe and family. The items are in the museum's central Hall of History.
Among the dignitaries who took part in the 1915 dedication was then Governor Emanuel Philipp, whose parents were immigrants from Switzerland. About 150 people drove here from Madison in a 37-car caravan for the event, which attracted a huge crowd. Riding in the governor's car was Sol Levitan, the popular former New Glarus merchant who headed a Madison bank at the time. He later served as Wisconsin's state treasurer.
Money was solicited during the previous year to pay for what some refer to as the ^Old Settler's Monument.^" The fund drive was led by a three-member subscription committee