The Township of Centerville was established in 1850. The township had a village called Centerville, which was named for its location halfway between Manitowoc and Sheboygan. In 1856, the village of Centerville was renamed Hika. Two miles west of Hika, a settlement named St. Wendel was established. In 1880, the area between Hika and St. Wendel was named Cleveland. In 1958, Cleveland, Hika, and St. Wendel were incorporated into the village of Cleveland, in the Township of Centerville.
According to an ancient proverb:
“Every time an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.”
The Greater Centerville Historians is an oral history group of the Town of Centerville, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin that was organized in the year 2000 to capture the oral history of the area. The inspiration for this organization came from an old African proverb, “Every time an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.” With this thought in mind, the organization wanted to capture and save the precious human “libraries” and the many stories about the past.
MISSION The Greater Centerville Historians collect and preserve first person oral history from the Town of Centerville and surrounding areas through video recording, which includes historic information from past and present businesses, schools, churches, and civic groups.
The pictorial and oral memories are preserved via DVD and are available to the public. The DVD’s are archived at the campus library of Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland, Wisconsin.
ORGANIZED BY The Greater Centerville Historians was formed by local residents: Kathy Sixel, organizer of the group; Jerry O’Neil, videographer; Charlie Bauer, historian-researcher; and Richard Weigand, historian. Kathy Sixel, the contact person, is also in charge of setting up the meetings, selecting the topics to be discussed, and notifying the participants with a postcard.
MEETINGS The Greater Centerville Historians meet every second Monday of the month, except December in the Wells Fargo Room of the Lakeshore Technical College at 6:30 pm.
MEMBERSHIP The Greater Centerville Historians organization does not have a direct membership or dues. The meetings are open to the public.
SUPPORTED BY The Greater Centerville Historians organization is supported through grants and fundraising events.