APPLETON (WTAQ-WLUK) – On May 2nd, 1857 Appleton first became a city, and Mayor Tim Hanna tells WLUK it’s had a lot of other firsts in the decades since.
“First kindergarten in the state. First house in the world to be lit by hydro electric power. The first commercial telephone exchange” Going back to the beginning, historians say you might not have the city without Lawrence University. The college was built on the river bluffs and was established in 1847.
Gwen Sargeant is with the Appleton Historical Society.
“Lawrence was first. So Appleton and Lawrence are kind of inextricably connected”
Many of Appleton’s streets sprang up around Lawrence, most notably College Avenue.
Sargeant says the Fox River is also an important starting point for the city. The water brought trade, manufacturing and innovation.
“I really like the history of the river itself. So the way the canals and dams were built”
Sargeant herself is a lifelong Appletonian. She is also the third generation owner of the Appleton Bicycle Shop.
“My grandpa started it back in 1939 and we’ve been doing bicycles since then, pedaling along!”
Another life-long resident is Mayor Tim Hanna.
“I love this city and I love my job”
Hanna has been mayor for 21 years.
“There’s a feeling here of, of taking care of each other and of taking care of the place we live”
Hanna tells WLUK the city isn’t perfect. It’s had struggles with issues like inclusion and the economy.
He says Appleton, however, is moving toward the future with an eye on embracing diversity and the arts to help grow its economy.
“That’s why it’s so important for us to support those types of things and to promote them and celebrate them”
The Appleton Historical Society recently bought a building to set up exhibits of the city’s history.
