Oneida County Clerk Tracy Hartman can tell dozens of different stories about the courthouse where she works.
Her favorite one is when the county board gave approval to build the current courthouse, back when board meetings went on for days.
“The county board adjourned for the evening. They were going to reconvene the next morning. The chair, while out that evening, convinced all of the county board members that live in the Rhinelander area to show up and start the meeting on time. They re-voted and got the new courthouse approved while some of the naysayers had not yet arrived for the meeting,” said Hartman. She admits that the story might be a little embellished, but there’s enough documentation to support the heart of it.
Hartman shared that story and others earlier this year for the Leadership Oneida County group while they were on a tour of the courthouse.
She would love to be able to share that history with more people.
“We get a fair number, especially in the summer, of families, bigger groups coming in. They tend to pop in our office and say, ‘Does anybody have time to give us a tour?’ Especially in an election year where there’s four elections, there’s not a lot of extra time to give tours as much as I enjoy doing it,” said Hartman.
That inspired a team from the Leadership Oneida County group to create a self-guided walking tour.
Tommy Wartman, Rachel Boehlen, and WXPR’s own Erin Gottsacker worked with Hartman, local historian Kerry Bloedorn, and many others in the community to create plaques.
Each plaque has a blurb with a QR code people can scan to pull up the audio. In each one you hear Bloedorn talk about a different aspect of the courthouse history or architecture.
Wartman and Boehlen say the experience creating the tour and participating in Leadership Oneida County gave them a new appreciation for the place they call home.
“It’s about the project and about helping do something for the community but meeting the people and involving ourselves in this was my favorite part,” said Wartman.
“I’d have to reiterate that. Being able to meet the people that were in the program, meet some really great quality people and being able to see the ins and outs of some of these organizations you don’t typically get to see,” Boehlen added. “It’s fun. You learn a lot and you meet a bunch of great people.”
Both recommend the Leadership Oneida County Program.
“If someone is looking to learn about Oneida County, what they can possibly contribute and just to learn about it, I’m from the Twin Cities, I’ve met more people in this community through this program. I’ve learned more about this county than frankly the place that I’m from and that’s within a year,” said Wartman. “I feel really fortunate. If you’re considering it, you should definitely try out leadership Oneida County. It’s really cool.”
Leadership Oneida County typically runs September through May.
You can learn more about the program on the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce website.
There are five wall plaques scattered throughout the courthouse for the walking audio tour.
The plaques were made locally and includes pieces of broken green glass from the famous dome.
You can take the tour during the courthouse’s open hours.
