Algoma-Ahnapee House Histories: Cox & Nell

Here and there home owners are interested in the history of their residences. Construction methods of the periods, woods, craftsmanship and more tell stories of  homes. If homes were built or lived in by the prominent or famous, there is more of a story. If George Washington slept there, the house could star in a movie.

Nearly 10 years ago, Wes Cox, Sr. learned he was living in a funeral home. What happened next is mind-boggling. It culminated on April 26, 2014 with Wisconsin’s Historic Preservation Excellence Award being presented to Cox and Harold (Hans) Nell. Born in Northeast Wisconsin, Nell has always been interested in local architecture. As an employee of the City of Algoma, he had a view that very few do. Cox is a transplant from Missouri who relocated to the city about 10 or so years ago. His natural curiosity set the stage for what came next.

The Weisner and Massart families began their undertaking services in Casco before 1900. When the company opened a second location, it was in the old Wunderlich home on Algoma's Fremont Street, a classy area being known as "Residence Street" around 1900. Cox learned a great deal and eventually compiled a history of the Weisner-Massart Funeral Home which included the family histories and genealogies of those connected with it. He learned Charles Nelson, foster son of State Senator DeWayne Stebbins - after whom the Stebbins Hotel is named - lived next door and started in on that. Five McDonald families lived on Fremont at the same time, and Cox kept right on going. By then he had 3 substantial binders. Enter Nell. After men finished Residence Street, Cox said they'd do the whole city. Being as tenacious, focused and hard-working as they are, they did. But, there was a lot more.....

Cox and Nell chronicled each of Algoma’s more than 1,300 homes, going block by block while scouring the microfilmed newspapers from Ahnapee/Algoma, and those of Kewaunee which originated 14 years earlier. They used available records in Algoma’s City Hall, tax and land records available in Kewaunee Co. Court House, records available in the Area Research Center at UW-Green Bay and records on Ancestry. They combed through histories of the area, commemorative biographies, plat maps, Sanborn fire maps and birdseye views dating to 1883. Research didn’t stop with those 1,300 plus homes. The men went back to research the homes that no longer exist in the City of Algoma and then compiled the history of each home in the Town of Ahnapee. Their index is cross-referenced by surname and address.

The Algoma compilation alone fills 19 binders in Algoma Public Library, where the donated collection of almost 8,000 pages is being scanned for safe-keeping, and key-worded for instant access.

Cox and Nell's house histories are an on-going project that is constantly being updated. A project of this kind and magnitude is unprecedented. It is a remarkable addition to Algoma Library’s local history and genealogy collection and a source of community pride. Use of their copyright has been assigned to Algoma Library, to which the entire compilation has been donated.

Historical preservation of the community, its people and its architecture is impressive. But there are other factors. Most of the information would have never surfaced without the research methods employed. It is not only the location and construction of the homes: local history and genealogy are huge parts of these homes. The work provides a social commentary that would possibly have never come to light. Cox is a civil engineer who was able to use that education in looking at trends over 150 years and explaining them. Nell, as a popular city resident, was given access and information that few others would. The two men point to the abilities of the other and say it would have never happened without the partnership. If there were questions or disagreements about a particular property, it was not added to the collection until all the evidence pointed to certainty.

Hans Nell and Wes Cox, Sr. have made a significant, and on-going, contribution to the City of Algoma, and to Wisconsin as a whole. While their preservation is in print form, rather than hands and bricks and mortar, they were certainly most worthy of Wisconsin’s Historic Preservation Excellence Award and serve as role models for others.