Author: Dan Stephans

Baker Manufacturing: Making History in Evansville for 150 Years

The History in the Park program for 2024 featured a presentation by Dan Stephans on the history of Evansville’s Baker Manufacturing Company, which celebrated its 150th year in business over the past year. Stephans, formerly the Chief State Architect of Wisconsin and a long-time member of the Grove Society’s Board of Directors, brought artifacts and a slide show to complement his discussion of the Baker Company’s development and its contributions to Evansville history.

Since it was organized in 1873 by six local businesspeople, the company has produced a wide variety of products, from windmills and water pumps to steam and gasoline engines, mechanical toys, and scientific instruments. During the Second World War it produced hydrofoil boats, a machine tool for manufacturing aircraft propellers, and targeting equipment for anti-aircraft weapons. Baker was the first company to deliver electric power to Evansville homes and businesses.

The company has provided continuous employment for local workers in the century and a half since its founding. In 2024 it was the 60th largest
wholesaler in the United States. It is a leading supplier of equipment for
water wells, operates a widely-recognized quality iron foundry, and
produces gear pumps for heavy viscous fluids in the fast-food industry.
Stephans’ talk highlighted the company’s ability to adapt to economic
change and its responsiveness to the needs of the surrounding community.

Ice Age in Wisconsin: What was happening 15,000 years ago in the region that is now Evansville?

August 27, 2023, the presentation in Leonard Park (the Upper Park), provided the answer to this question.

George Christiansen III, noted Lecturer with the Department of Anthropology, Madison Area Technical College, provided a brief introduction to the Archaeology of Rock County, Wisconsin. The first people to live in the area that we call Rock County today found their way into the fertile river valleys and rolling hills almost 13,000 years ago. Since then, their story has been one of adaptation and survival in the face of changing natural and social environments. Understanding the basic history of the region leads us to realize that while there is a framework for their story, there are important pieces missing. Discovering that lost history will be a future challenge and must involve revisiting 150 years of previous archaeological research, reaching out to First Nations people and avocational citizen scientists and most important, long-term dedication by a community of stakeholders.