Vintage Helvetia Town Hall relocated in 2002
Built in 1919, the Helvetia Town Hall stood abandoned in its original location on County Trunk GG northeast of Iola.
In 1994, the township opened its newly built hall just down the road.
The Iola Historical Society obtained ownership of the original building in 1995, restored it and had it moved to the Iola Historical Society grounds on Depot Street in 2002.
The society recently dedicated Historic Iola Marker No. 17.
Current town board chairman Calvin Preuss and former chairman Leonard Oppor did the honors of unveiling the marker at a small gathering Dec. 9.
After the unveiling, attendees went inside the original town hall to view the building and exhibits. The town hall displays many historic relics from the area, including the original voting booths and the Round Oak furnace that heated the hall during winters.
The marker is one of three Historic Iola markers dedicated in 2020 and three more are slated for installation in 2021: Clifford Marshall Thompson – World’s Tallest Lawyer, Actor; Waupaca County’s One-Room Schoolhouses; and the double-sided marker for Iola’s Main Street Bridge and “Old Car” Kenny Buttolph.
A list of Historic Iola markers is available at www.iolahistoricalsociety.org.
The program started in 2010, with No 1 located at the Iola Winter Sports Club’s chalet on County Trunk MM north of Iola. There are three Historic Iola markers on the IHS grounds, which can be viewed year-round.
IHS has several events slated for 2021, including its popular Memorial Day pork dinner (free for veterans); Strawberry Fest (June 27); and Taste of Norway and Lost Arts Fair (Oct. 2).
The seven buildings on its Depot Street campus are open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays from June through August.