RUINS OF NOVITIATE AT GRESHAM WI

In my blogs I try to be upbeat by highlighting the better parts of our journeys. This one is not upbeat, but interesting and socially important. The events here happened around the time of the Kent State, Jackson and Attica violence. This one should be remembered as an uprising in which which multiple deaths were avoided. I blog about this as we spent a week in a Coast to Coast park close to Gresham and because a good friend was the mediator. The Novitiate is very close to the Menominee Indian reservation.

The historical information below is based on data in web sites found in a google search “Gresham Novitiate”.

The mansion was built in 1938 on a 232 acre parcel through which Wisconsin's Red River flows. It is in a lightly populated  part of the state, 50 miles from Green Bay. The mansion was built and occupied by Mrs. Peters until 1950, when she gave the mansion to the Alexian Brothers order for use as a place to train novices to the order.  She and her late husband had the mansion designed to be appropriate for such a use, so the ultimate gift was in mind from the beginning. The Alexians added more buildings and used it as a novitiate from 1951 to 1968, when the program was moved to Chicago where the order has its headquarters. During those years the Novitiate was self-supporting, similar to some monasteries. The Alexians put the property on the market in 1969. A group of Indian organizations near Green Bay was negotiating for its purchase to use as an alcoholic rehabilitation center late in 1974.

But on January 1, 1975, a group of dissident Menominees seized the property and held the caretaker family hostage, demanding that the Alexians turn the property over to their “Menominee Warrior” group. They chanted “Deed or Death”. The Wisconsin National Guard was called out to provide security. Local vigilantes opposed to the invaders and had their own agenda for ending the takeover.

After 34 days the invaders agreed to leave (they left in handcuffs). The settlement agreement provided that the Alexians would deed the land to the Menominee Tribe upon the condition that it would make appropriate use of the property. The Tribe never came up with a plan, so the title reverted to the Alexians. A local told me that during the occupation the dissidents trashed the interior of the mansion by using millwork and wooden trim as firewood to build fires in  the middle of floors instead of in fire places and otherwise defaced the interior. During the occupation Marlin Brando showed up in his role as a supporter of Indian causes, perhaps taking a page out of Jessie Jackson’s book.

Four of the leaders of the dissidents were convicted of crimes and each was sentenced to about 8 years in jail.

In October 1975 a fire gutted the interior of the mansion. The Alexians  sold the property in November 1975. The other buildings were demolished, leaving  just the mansion  standing today as a white elephant on the real estate market.

 

The picturesque Red River runs near the mansion.

 

Front elevation of the building in July 2012

 

Rear elevation

 

Note the weeds growing on the roof and the vacant interior.

 

 

 

This is the side of the building closest to the river – perhaps a solarium.

 

This shows the stone construction of the exterior walls and the extent of gutting.