1971 Naming of Plain Jaunts with Jamie In Sauk County, about 40 miles of Madison, is a village with another intriguing name - Plain. Again turning to Robert E. Gard's and L. G. Sorden's "Romance of Wisconsin Place Names," we find Cramers Corners was the first name of this settlement because the Cramers owned the land. [The next paragraph is a quote from the "Romance of Wisconsin Place Names" book by by Robert E. Gard & L. G. Sorden in 1968.] "In 1852, when the logging began, there were only a few log houses, so it was generally referred to as Logtown. Then a stage route was established between Spring Green and Reedsburg, and a post office was applied for. The residents did not think Logtown was appropriate. A Catholic priest who stopped there suggested Plain because the land reminded him of Maria Von Plain in Austria. It has also been said that Plain was chosen because the residents were 'just plain people.'"  1971 Jaunts
with Jamie Plain People
Were Builders PLAIN,
WIS., is said to have been named for the “just plain people” who lived
in the tiny settlement when the name was adopted. . . .  1971 History of Plain Weekly Home News "PLAIN -- When this hamlet was first settled, its inhabitants called it Logtown. On July 30, 1860, the post office was established as Plain, in Section 5 of Franklin Township. Originally the mails arrived via Spring Green, but later arrived by stage also from Reedsburg via White Mound. . . . " 1976 Naming of Plain Kenneth I. Lange A County Called Sauk: A Human History of Sauk County, Wisconsin (Stevens Point, Wisconsin: Worzalla Publishing Company for the Sauk County Historical Society, 1976, 2nd Edition 1998) "Plain originally was known as Craemer's Corners, after some people who had a store here in the early years, then it was called Logtown because the first buildings were made of logs (or was it because farmers had their timber cut into logs at a sawmill once located here?). "Plain" is in reference to a Catholic shrine in Austria." 1976 Historical pageant in Plain An Episode in the History of Plain "In observance of Bicentennial summer, the River Valley Theater Association organized area committees to present an episode of the history of their area for an historical pageant which was to be presented in the late summer of 1976. . . A series of meetings followed and it was decided to write a brief account of the history of Plain. This involved our own town historian Hildegarde Thering, and journalist Almira Ruhland. Hildegarde supplied much of the resource information and Almira compiled the wonderful manuscript. . ." ". . .a Post Office had been established in 1861 with the name of Plain. The story persists that despite the early name of Cramertown our pioneer ancestors requested the name "Our Lady of the Plain" or Maria Plain (from a cathedral near Salzburg, Austria) but the Postal Department in Washington stipulated the name Plain for this tiny principality sheltered beneath historic Council Bluff (now St. Annes Shrine) where Indians met in council to plan their strategies." Page 5 "In 1861, a post office was established for the settlement under the name 'Plain'. In spite of this, the legend persists that our pioneer ancestors requested the name 'Maria Plain' in honor of the historic shrine near Salzburg, Austria - close to the Bavarian border of Germany - where these German settlers came from. Religious celebrations, based on Bavarian traditions, are a large part of the life in the village of Plain."  Before 1979 History of Plain by Herbert Liegel (1888-1979) ". . .this community now called Plain began with some settlers coming in and homesteading parcels of land or sections from the United States. . . These settlers were English. . . T. J. Morgan, a leading farmer at Plain was born in Breckenshire, Wales. . . in 1841 he came to this country. At that time our town was called Log Town. Then German settlers began coming more and more. . . Franklin in the early years was a precinct of Honey Creek. The first town meeting was held, the town organized and elected officers. . . The second meeting was held on April 1, 1857 and then became an annual meetings. . . .The first mail was distributed in town by John Cramer. People would take turns bringing it into town until a post office was established in Plain, in 1859 at White Mound. Then a Mr. Smith was appointed, Peter Mosley and Jacob Henry carried the mail. About 10 years later a post office was established in Plain. A. Peter Stutz was Post Master. . . The first store was opened at Log Town formerly called Cramers Corners, by Mr. Perry in 1869. . . Note: In the 5-page history, Mr. Liegel does not mention Maria Plain in Austria. 1979 Brechtl Family and Heritage 1850-1980 by Father Joseph A. Brechtl Why did the pioneers of Plain settle where they did? The reason generally given is quite valid, namely, that the area with its hilly terrain nestled in the Wisconsin River Valley, very much resembled the area from which they came, the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. It is interesting to know that many more followed, but finding the community of Plain was claimed and settled, returned northeastward to Leroy, Wisconsin. There they built a church identical in design to the church destroyed in the tornado in Plain. 1980s A color brochure from the 1980s called "The Plain Facts on Plain, Wisconsin" says that Plain was named in honor of a shrine near Salzburg, Austria which is dedicated to Maria Plain. Most of the early settlers came the Plain area from Bavaria.  1982 A History of Plain, Wisconsin Emigrants came from (1823) Schonau, Baden, (1843) Zwei-Brückern, Saar, (1848) Bishofsheim on Tauber, Baden, (1848) Cramers from Ohio, (1852) Siegen, Westphalia, Prussia, (1852) Canton Bern, Switzerland (from Canton, Ohio), (1854) Waldmünchen, (1854) Hocha, Bavaria & Untergrafenried, Waldmünchen, Bavaria & Hochabrun, Bavaria, (1855) Darnstadt Hesse near Frankfort on the Main, (1856) Edesheim, Landau, 1864 (Rheinpfalz & Yaegersbury, Bavaria, (1862) Gleissenberg, Bavaria, 1860 Wurtemberg, etc., (1863) Treffelstein, Bavaria, Eixendorf, Irlach, Limbach Bavaria, (1869) Schleitweiler Kries, Trier, (1866) Tiefenbach, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, (1863 & 1866) Ast, Munich, Straubing. Emigration slowed down in the 1860’s. (1870) Tiefenbach, (1872) Untergrafenried, (1870) Treffelstein Bavaria, Undergrafenried, Tauderstorf, … Egelsee at Steinlohe Bavaria, Neuhütte, Waldmünchen, Staunerhof by Stamsried Bavaria, (1872) Quebec, Canada…. Wurtsburg, Ebersberg Bavaria, Prosdorf, Untergrafenried, Schondra, Schaferei Bavaria, Dorschein, Germany, Herzagau, Bernried, Germany, (1880) Rhan, Bavaria, (1875) Ziegelhutte Bavaria, (1884) Waldmünchen Bavaria, (1887) Schömersdorf near Oberviechtach & Braunzeiet (Braunsried), (1885) Erloch ((Irlach), Spielberg, Waldnut Baden, Dofing, Weiding Oberpfalz, Ast, Obererthal Hammelburg Unterfranken, (1891) Breitenried Bavaria (Jos. Bemmerl and his wife from Baadorf, Austria), Neuberg, (1885 – Laubmeier) Obergrafenried Austria, (1883 – Ruhland) Haselbach, Austria, (1883) Zellendorf & Bernried, (1886 – Deitl) Obergrafenried, Austria, (1883) Haag, (1872 – Weidner) Grafenried, Austria, (1873) Laewendorf Bavaria, (1909) Waldmünchen, (1927) Gleissenberg, (1872) Waldmünchen, (1868) Wurgendorf, Prussia, (1849) Aberdeen, Scottland after living in Toronto, (1909) Engeldorf Bavaria, (1911) Benried Bavaria, (1922) Schömersdorf, (1923) Treffelstein, (1929) Spielburg Germany, (1870) Ast Bavaria. 2008 note about the towns in "Austria": The town Grafenried is now called Lucina and is in the Czech Republic (formerly called Bohemia), located across the German border (near Waldmünchen). The town Grafenried was destroyed after the war and has no houses now. The nearby town called Untergrafenried is in Germany near Waldmünchen. Before 1770, Grafenried was one town; later Grafenried divided into two towns: Untergrafenried and Obergrafenried. The east part of Grafenried, called Obergrafenried, went to Bohemia. The church records for Grafenried, Obergrafenried and Untergrafenried are in Ast (near Waldmünchen) in Kreis Cham, Germany. After 1770, Obergrafenried had it's own parish in Czech Republic; these church records are now in the archive in Klentsch/Klenci in Czech Republic. Baadorf/Paadorf (now called Hranicna in Czech Republic) is near the German border. Just across the border to the west is Breitenried, Bavaria. Page 160: On June 14, 1906, Rev. John G. Laurer took a trip to Europe to visit his home which he had not seen in 25 years. During his absence, Rev. Franz Sales Lang, professor at Vilshofen, Bayern, took over the parish until Aug. 26 (returning to Vilshofen). Laurer returned Oct. 10. He visited Waldmünchen and its surroundings. Page 153: End of 1858, Father Maximilian Gaertner didn’t go to Plain anymore, he returned to his monastery at Tyrol. Page 139: Even the name of Plain was associated with the name Maria Plain, a shrine near Salzburg.  1988 The "Maria Plain Meditation Garden" was dedicated at St. Luke's Catholic Church in Plain, Wisconsin in October 1988. Quote: "Maria Plain will be a lasting tribute, established during this Marian Year, to Mary." In 2002, the meditation garden was renovated and called "Maria Plain Courtyard." |
1990 History of Plain Many A Fine Harvest Note the error: Basilica Maria Plain is in Austria, not
Germany! Undated Placemat Placemat from the Old Log Town Inn and Supper Club, Plain, Wisconsin "History of Plain (1856) . . an important little village of Plain - known in the early days as Log Town. Plain has a beautiful setting. The name is very misleading for it is anything but plain. . . The predominant settlers came from Bavaria and were Catholic." "History of Maria Plain (1652). Maria Plain, in Austria, is the Shrine after which the village of Plain, Wisconsin is named. The original owner of the Plain miraculous picture was a baker by the name of Paul Regner, from Regen in lower Bavaria. . ." 1992 A Kraemer Chronicle by Claire
Geesaman (Copyright 1992 Edgewood College, 855 Woodrow St, Madison,
Wisconsin). Page 88 says a pamphlet
"published by Edward Kraemer" 1994 Trip to Basilica Maria Plain, Bergheim, Austria Sauk Prairie Star (Sauk City, Wisconsin), August 10, 1995, page 17 (story about Plain, Wisconsin, people visiting in Germany in 1994): "On Wednesday, Oct. 12 [1994]. . . .they went to Saltzburg, Austria. . . They then left the city and drove to a church in the country near-by called Maria of the Plains Church. This is the church that the town of Plain is named after. It is a very beautiful church and is also a place of pilgrimage." Home News (Spring Green, Wisconsin), August 9, 1995, page 8 (story about Plain, Wisconsin, people visiting in Germany in 1994): Wednesday, October 12 [1994] - . . .We traveled to Salzburg, Austria,
where we visited Mirabell Gardens where parts of the "Sound of Music
were filmed. . . We then left the city and drove to a church in the
countryside called Maria of the Plains church. This is the church that
the town of Plain is named after. It is a very beautiful church and is
also a place of pilgrimage. ." A
beautiful painting of "Maria Plain 17 Jh." (Maria Plain, 17th Century)
was created by Fr. Gary Wankerl in 1997. The painting is in St. Luke's Catholic Church in Plain, Wisconsin. It appears over the elevator doors, on the site where a stained-glass window was once located. The window was
removed to make room for a new elevator.
 1997 1997 Spring Green Area Traveler magazine The
tourist information for Plain says the town has remained small and that
nearly all of the residents have German ancestors, coming mostly from
Waldmünchen, Bavaria. The one-page story does not mention Maria Plain
in Austria. 1998 In April 1998, I visited the Basilica Maria Plain in Austria. There is a famous miraculous painting on the altar of the Maria Plain church which shows the Virgin Mary tending the baby Jesus. This painting was first hung in a bakery in Regen, Bavaria, in 1633. The bakery burned but the painting survived. The painting was moved to the castle in Regen. In 1652, Rudolph von Grimming (governor of Regen) found the picture inside the castle and took it to Plainberg (later named Maria Plain) near Salzburg, Austria. Before the basilica was built in 1671, a wooden chapel once stood there. Here is a photo of the famous painting at Maria Plain in the town Bergheim bei Salzburg in Austria:  Mary with the baby Jesus 2002 Peter's Way Tours of Jericho, New York On day 6, the tour begins with a morning Mass at the Shrine
of Maria Plain, then continues with afternoon guided tours of Salzburg. ca 2004-2006 While
visiting the library at Plain, Wisconsin, I saw a display about Maria
Plain in the display case. If I recall correctly, the display was from
items owned by Ed Kramer who visited Maria Plain in Austria. The display included a religious photo. ca 2004 Sauk County, Wisconsin, website: Plain Note: Maria Plain is in Austria. 2004 May 2004 Old Sauk Trails newsletter, page 5 "Founded
with the name of Cramer’s Corners after the first families who arrived
in 1848, and later known as Log Town, the village of Plain took its
current Note: I contacted the Sauk County Historical Society via email on June 3, 2004 and wrote: "I read a copy of your May 2004 Old Sauk Trails newsletter (online). There was a story on page 5 called "Images from the Past: Plain" by William Schuette of Loganville. I was wondering if you know how I might contact the author to ask about the naming of the village of Plain. Or if someone at the Sauk County Historical Society would know, I would appreciate some information. The village of "Maria" Plain (and the Maria Plain pilgrim church) is located outside Salzburg, Austria (not in Germany). Is there another "Maria Plain" in Germany to which the story refers? The story by Wm Schuette says that Plain took it's name "Plain" in 1912 when it was incorporated. I wonder if the 1912 records are available for public perusal and if so, where might I find them? Also, the emigrants to Plain, Wisconsin, were mostly from the Waldmünchen, Bavaria, area of Germany, with a few families coming from different states in Germany (and Switzerland). According to the book "A History of Plain" by Hildegard Thering, there are no emigrants listed as coming from the Maria Plain/Salzburg area of Austria. If you can help with any of my questions, please let me know." The reply I received said, "As to the story. I am forwarding your message on to the author Bill Schuette . . [he] may send you more information." Unfortunately, I received no reply. 2004
Maria Plain in Austria From a website seen in June 2004:
http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.m/m194904.htm The link goes to a page that describes Maria Plain in the Salzburg district. It is a pilgrimage place on the northern outskirts of Salzburg, in the town Bergheim. 2004
Maria Plain in Austria From websites in June 2004 (which no longer work in 2010):
http://www.wguides.com/city/119/157_215581.cfm http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2771314-maria_plain_salzburg-i The
webpages described Maria Plain which is located north of the city of
Salzburg. The pilgrimage route is described, which begins at Plainbrücke on Itzlinger Hauptstraße, continues along Plainbergweg and ends at Maria Plain.
2007
Maria Plain questioned Email sent to a Sauk County, Wisconsin website on March 4, 2007 using their online "contact us" form: Subject: Plain - Maria Plain RE: Plain pictures: which says, "Main Street in 1925. Incorporated in 1912, named
after the shrine of the Virgin at Maria Plain in Germany. This German
community was originally called Cramer's Corners, and in 1859 it was
known as Log Town for the water-powered sawmill located here. St.
Luke's Catholic parish was established in 1857, and Plain has remained
predominately Catholic since. Joseph T. Ruhland sawmill located on the
left."
Question: What source do you have that shows Plain is "named after the shrine of the Virgin at Maria Plain in Germany."? Note: I received no reply.
2008 ca
Photo of Maria Plain in St. Luke's Church A
photo of Maria Plain at Salzburg hangs in the basement of St. Luke's
Catholic Church in Plain, Wisconsin. Underneath the photo is a plaque
which says:
St. Peter's Basilica Maria Plain (Salzburg), Austria 1671  Note that St. Peter's Basilica is the "oldest monastery in the German-speaking countries" and is located in the city of Salzburg. In 1824, Maria Plain was delegated to the Abbey of St. Peter.
The history of the Basilica Maria Plain does not show that it was ever named
"St. Peter's Basilica." It has always been known as "Basilika Maria
Plain" (in German) or "Basilica Maria Plain" (in English). Basilica
Maria Plain is located in Bergheim, Austria - a small village outside Salzburg. |