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City of Appleton Notable Events

The City of Appleton has a long history of notable events. Check out some of the events that have taken place over the last few hundred years to present day.
Postcard historical Appleton High School building with a brick facade and American flag.

Postcard Image Courtesy of RoseMarie DeBruin

1634

Jean Nicolet and his party of explorers become the first Europeans to pass through what is now Appleton. Explorers, fur traders, and Native Americans used the north-flowing Fox River as the main waterway as heavy forests covered Wisconsin.

1790

Dominque Ducharme becomes the first person of European descent to live in the Appleton area when he built a home and trading post where the City of Kaukauna is today.

1822

Eleazar Williams led a group of New York Native Americans to their new lands along the Fox River near Green Bay.

1827

At a site on Little Lake Butte des Morts, Michigan Territorial Governor Lewis Cass negotiated a treaty with Native American leaders that gave the United States government control over almost all of the Fox River Valley.

1834

The United States government made the first survey of the Fox River Valley, beginning with the area south of the river.

1835

Hippolyte “Paul” Grignon built his home and trading post, White Heron, near Appleton’s Lutz Park. Grignon, along with his wife Lisette and their children Elinor and Simon, became the first settlers to live in what would one day be the City of Appleton.

Walter L. Newberry and Joshua Hathaway, Jr., land speculators from Chicago and Milwaukee, became the first to buy land that would one day be a part of Appleton.

1836

On September 3, 1836, Wisconsin Territorial Governor Henry Dodge, representing the United States government, purchased about four million acres of Northeastern Wisconsin from Native Americans. On February 15, 1837, the Treaty of Cedars became official, and the Native Americans began moving from their homeland to a new location beyond the Wolf River.

1843

The United States government began surveying the land north of the Fox River.

1844

Eleazar Williams made a loan agreement with Amos A. Lawrence, using his wife’s land on the Fox River for collateral. Williams later defaulted on the loan, and Lawrence took possession of the property.

1845

Paul Grignon bought the land on which he had lived for the past ten years, becoming the first to purchase land north of the Fox River that would one day be a part of Appleton.
Reverend Reeder Smith met with Amos A. Lawrence to discuss establishing a college on the Eleazar Williams property in Wisconsin.

1846

Bela Murch became the first farmer in Appleton.

1847

Reeder Smith purchased land on behalf of Amos A. Lawrence as a site for the “Lawrence Institute of Wisconsin” as it was called in the 1847 charter. The Wisconsin Territorial Legislature granted a charter to the Lawrence Institute on January 17, 1847.

1848

Wisconsin Methodist Church leaders raised the $10,000 necessary to match Amos A. Lawrence’s gift of $10,000 to endow the Lawrence Institute.
Wisconsin entered the union as the thirtieth state on May 29, 1848.

In August 1848, the John F. Johnston family moved into their half-finished cabin, to become the first family to settle in what became the Village of Appleton.

On August 4, 1848, Reverend Reeder Smith, Reverend William H. Sampson, Joel S. Wright, a surveyor, and Henry Blood, a Methodist volunteer, moved onto the Lawrence Institute land and began laying out the plots for the school and for a village.
On October 7, 1848, land was cleared for the first Lawrence Institute building.
The name “Appleton” was first used for the tiny village that was growing around the Lawrence Institute. The village was named to honor Sarah Appleton, the wife of Amos Lawrence, and Samuel Appleton, her father’s cousin, who donated money to the Lawrence Institute.
Elder Sampson, Reeder Smith, Hoil S. Wright, and Henry Blood laid out the Appleton Village plat.

1849

The first meeting of the Township of Grand Chute was held in the village of Appleton on April 3, 1849.
On July 3, 1849, construction began on the first Lawrence Institute building, which was located on Lawrence Street where the YMCA is today.
The three villages of Appleton, Lawesburg, and Martin (later called Grand Chute) were established.
The name of the Lawrence Institute was changed to Lawrence University and on November 12, 1849, the first classes began with 35 students.
William S. Warner set up the first dry-goods store.

1850

Between September 2 and September 10, 1850, the first United States census was taken in the area, showing a population of 619 people in the Grand Chute Township.

Daniel Huntley taught the first public school in Appleton.

1851

On February 17, 1851, Outagamie County was created by the State Legislature, with Grand Chute as the county seat. In April 1851, the first county elections were held. The first meeting of the Outagamie County Board was held in Appleton on April 18, 1851.

1852

The Appleton Water Power Company was incorporated to construct dams and reservoirs on the Fox River.
Elihu Spencer settled on land fronting Spencer Street.
The First Congregational Church (Old Brown Church) was built on Oneida Street.

1853

The cornerstone for Lawrence University’s Main Hall was laid.
The village of Appleton was incorporated, encompassing the former villages of Lawesburg, Appleton, and Grand Chute.
On April 14, 1853, the first meeting of the Appleton Village Board was held. John F. Johnston was elected village president.

Samuel Appleton died at his home in Boston on July 12, 1853.

Richmond Paper Mill was established; the first paper mill in the Fox River Valley. Products were made from straw, rags, and manila paper.
Four brothers, Sam Jr., John, James, and Henry D. Ryan founded the weekly newspaper The Appleton Crescent. It was the first newspaper in Outagamie County. The Appleton Crescent was named after the moon-shaped crescent or bend in the Fox River.

1854

The construction of a plank road from Appleton to Stevens Point is announced May 6, 1854. An extension is approved from Appleton to Green Bay.
The village of Appleton was divided into two fire districts, east and west of Appleton Street, and a fire warden was appointed for each district.

1856

The Fox River Locks and canals began operating. A boat from the Mississippi River met a boat from the Great Lakes for the first time at Appleton. When the steamboat, Aquila, passed through the Appleton locks on its first complete trip from Milwaukee to Green Bay in June 1856, a day of celebration was held.
Appleton’s liquor ordinance was repealed, legalizing the sale and possession of alcohol.

1857

Appleton was incorporated as a city on May 2, 1857. The city consisted of Lawesburg on the east, the Village of Appleton in the center, and Grand Chute on the west.
Amos A. Lawrence visited Appleton for the first time and inspected the school named for him.
The collegiate class of seven students (four men and three women) became the first graduates of Lawrence University.

1858

Genessee Flour Mill began operation.

1859

Appleton Motor was founded.

1861

The Chicago-Northwestern Railroad was extended to Appleton from Neenah and Menasha. The first passenger train arrived on March 5, 1861.

1863

The Lawrence Engine Company was formed with Appleton’s first fire engine.

1865

The Appleton City Gas Light Company was incorporated.

1866

The Appleton City Railway Company was incorporated to provide streetcar service to the city of Appleton. Horses provided power for streetcars.
A movement began to urge the public to plant shade trees in the city.
The Appleton Motor newspaper was sold and renamed the Appleton Post, which began printing on September 20, 1866.

1869

The United States Supreme Court ruled for Lawrence University and against the claims of Edward Meade, resolving a long dispute over ownership of Appleton’s downtown property.

1870

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an early leader of the women’s rights movement, visited Appleton.

1871

The First National Bank of Appleton was founded.

1872

Riverside Cemetery was established, with the remains of pioneers moved from Appleton’s first cemetery near Washington and Superior Streets.

The United States government bought the Fox Locks for $145,000. 

1874

Rabbi Weiss started the first Jewish congregation in Appleton.
Victoria Woodhall, a prominent figure in the women’s rights movement, delivered a lecture in Appleton entitled, “Tried as by Fire, or the True and False Society.”

1877

First gas for illumination and cooking use was brought into Appleton by George MacMillan.
The first telephone connection was established by banker Alfred Galpin, between his office and his home.
The Outagamie Medical Society was organized on May 12, 1877.

1878

Famous speaker Henry Ward Beecher spoke in Appleton on “Wastes and Burdens of Society.”
Atlas Mill began operation, producing ground wood pulp for a new paper process.

1880

The Appleton Telephone Company was organized with 23 patrons.

1881

All of Appleton was united into one school district.

1882

On September 30, 1882, Appleton Paper and Pulp Company, Vulcan Paper Company, and Hearthstone (home of H.J. Rogers), became the first buildings in the world lit by the Edison system generating electricity by waterpower.
The Appleton Gas Light Company received permission to string wires for electric lights in the city.

1883

Fox River Paper Corporation was established.

1885

The Appleton Edison Light Company was organized.

1886

On August 16, 1886, Appleton Electric Street Railway Company began operation with a track running for four miles, from the intersection of State and Prospect Streets in the west, to the Pacific Street entrance to Riverside Cemetery in the east. Judge J. E. Harriman was president of the Street Railway Company.
Amos A. Lawrence died of heart disease in Boston on August 22, 1886.
The Thompson and Houston Electric Light Company of Boston received the franchise to provide electric lights for the city.
A Board of Public Works was established, and plans were made for a sewer system in the City of Appleton.

1892

Reeder Smith died at his home in Appleton on January 24, 1892.

1893

John F. Johnston, considered Appleton’s first resident, died on August 18, 1893.

1898

Appleton was connected by streetcar to Neenah and Menasha.
Appleton participated in the Spanish American War with Company G of the 125 Wisconsin Infantry Company.

1899

St. Elizabeth Hospital was established.

1900

On March 28, 1900, Appleton’s new city hall and library building was dedicated. It was the first building constructed specifically for those purposes.

1904

Ryan High School was destroyed by a fire. It was rebuilt as Union High School, later known as the Morgan Building.

1905

Union High School was completed at the cost of $92,000. There were 29 pupils in the first graduating class.

1907

The first municipal court was established. Thomas Ryan was the first judge.

1908

Lawrence University changes its name to Lawrence College.

1910

A commission form of government was voted in.

1911

The Soldiers’ Square monument was dedicated.
On October 26, 1911, President William Howard Taft spoke at Lawrence University.

1912

An ice jam on the Fox River caused flooding at the electric power plant on January 10, 1912. The city was without electricity as 100 men worked to unblock the ice jam in a temperature of 22 degrees below zero.

1920

Appleton’s two newspapers, The Appleton Post and The Appleton Crescent, merged their operations and became The Appleton Post-Crescent.

1924

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Drive Bridge was completed.
Edna Ferber, the author who spent her teen years in Appleton, wrote her novel So Big, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925.

1925

Street addresses in the City of Appleton were changed to provide greater organization and consistency.

1926

Erich Weiss, better known as the magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, died October 31, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan. Houdini spent his childhood in Appleton where his father, Mayer Samuel Weiss, served as a rabbi.

1929

The Institute of Paper Chemistry was organized in Appleton.
A record low temperature of 32 degrees below zero was recorded in Appleton.

1930

The last electric streetcar ran on April 6, 1930.

1932

The Irving Zuelke Office Building opened in downtown Appleton. This 168-foot building was the tallest in Appleton until 1952, when AAL built their 183-foot downtown office building.

1936

On July 13, 1936, a temperature of 107 was reached, the highest temperature ever recorded in Appleton.

1938

Appleton West High School was built on Badger Avenue.

1949

Appleton’s Memorial Hospital was chartered by the state.

1953

Fox Valley Lutheran High School opened.

1955

On April 27, 1955, the Lawe Street Bridge opened over the Fox River.

1957

United States Senator Joseph McCarthy, a resident of Appleton who gained world-wide fame for his work against communism and who was condemned by the Senate for his methods, died in Washington D.C., and was buried in Appleton’s St. Mary’s Cemetery.

1958

The Appleton Foxes baseball team was established in affiliation with the Washington Senators.

1959

Xavier Catholic High School opened.
On December 19, 1959, College Avenue Bridge opened over the Fox River. It replaced John Street Bridge.

1960

The John Street Bridge was torn down on February 2, 1960.

1964

Appleton native Rocky Bleier graduated from Appleton’s Xavier High School and entered Notre Dame University on a football scholarship. Bleier, despite severe injuries suffered while serving in the Vietnam War, went on to a championship career in professional football.
Lawrence College merged with Downer College and became Lawrence University.

1967

On July 1, 1967, the Fox Valley Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education District was created.
Appleton East High School opened.
College Avenue, Appleton’s main street, was reconstructed. The rebuilt street opened on October 1, 1967.
Carrie E. Morgan, 30-year superintendent of Appleton public schools, died in her home on October 14, 1967. She was 100 years old.

1971

Passenger railroad service from Appleton ended on May 7, 1971.

1979

The new Lawe Street Bridge was dedicated on October 24, 1979.

1980

The new Oneida Skyline Bridge opened over the Fox River on October 31, 1980.

1981

On June 1, 1981, the library opened its new building on the site of the old city hall at 225 N. Oneida Street. The city hall building had formerly been Lincoln School.

1984

The Outagamie Museum was established in the former Masonic Temple building on College Avenue. It is now called the History Museum at the Castle.

1985

Houdini Plaza, located near the site of Harry Houdini’s boyhood home, was dedicated on May 25, 1985. The plaza sculpture, Metamorphosis, by Richard C. Wolter, was also unveiled.
Appleton’s Memorial Hospital was renamed Appleton Medical Center or AMC, later becoming part of ThedaCare.

1986

The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Inc. started with a $5,000 gift from retired AAL President Walter L. Rugland. The foundation manages endowments and distributes funds to area charities and organizations. (Source: Post-Crescent 5-22-2001, A-1)

In August 1986, two new elementary schools, Horizon School and Houdini School, opened.

1987

Willem Dafoe, who was born and raised in Appleton, was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1986 film Platoon.
The Avenue, Appleton’s downtown mall, opened on March 12, 1987.
On June 12, 1987, Fox River Oracle, a sculpture by Dimitri Hadzi, was dedicated at a site just off the Oneida Street Bridge.
Appleton Christian School opened on August 17, 1987.

1988

For the first time in its 116-year history, all 17 locks in the Fox River Locks System were closed. From this year on, only three of the locks would be re-opened, those in De Pere, Menasha, and Kaukauna.

1989

Appleton Aurora, a 60-foot-by-10-foot solar sculpture by Dale Eldred, was installed atop the Appleton Center in Houdini Plaza.
The John Birch Society moved its headquarters to Appleton.
On April 1, 1989, the Houdini Historical Center opened in the Outagamie Museum (now History Museum at the Castle).
On August 1, 1989, Appleton’s first woman firefighter began work.
The Appleton Library Foundation was established to create an endowment fund for the Appleton Public Library. As part of the fundraising efforts, entertainer Bob Hope spent four days in Appleton and Neenah, from August 23 to August 27, 1989.
The Institute of Paper Chemistry, along with the Dard Hunter Museum, relocated to Georgia and became the Institute of Paper Science and Technology.

1990

Valley Transit’s transfer center opened in downtown Appleton on March 1, 1990.

1991

In August 1991, two new elementary schools opened in Appleton; Edna Ferber and Janet Berry Elementary.

1992

The Viking Theater in Appleton closed on March 22, 1992.
On April 15, 1992, Appleton began enforcing a nightly curfew for those under the age of 18.
The Fox Cities Children’s Museum (now the Building for Kids Children’s Museum) opened in the Avenue Mall on November 2, 1992.

1993

On September 24, 1993, the Tri County Expressway, or 441 bypass, opened to the public.

1994

On May 16, 1994, the Fox Valley Veterans Clinic opened.
On September 16, 1994, a grand opening was held for Appleton City Hall at its new location in the City Center Building, 100 N. Appleton Street, formerly Pettibone & Peabody and Prange’s.

1995

Appleton Public Library became the first library in the state of Wisconsin to create a website.
Appleton North High School opened on August 27, 1995.

1996

Tim Hanna was named Mayor of Appleton after a recount of votes from the March 16, 1996, election and a series of court decisions.
On August 2, 1996, the Ring Dance sculpture by Dallas Anderson was unveiled at Appleton’s City Park.
Lawrence University celebrated its 150 anniversary.
The former City Hall at 200 N. Appleton St. was razed on October 16, 1996.

1997

The Appleton Public Library celebrated 100 years of service.
On December 13, 1997, Appleton’s new Emergency Shelter on Division Street opened.

1998

Vice President Al Gore visited Appleton Central Alternative School on September 22, 1998.

2000

On August 25, 2000, Fox Valley Lutheran High School relocated to its new campus on North Meade Street.

2001

On June 27, 2001, the Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits society and one of the Appleton’s largest employers, announced its merger with Lutheran Brotherhood. The combined company, later renamed Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, established its headquarters in Minneapolis while retaining operations in Appleton.

2002

College Avenue was re-constructed with areas of colored pavement, new trees and streetlights, and sidewalk “bump-outs” at the corners. The street re-opened for traffic on August 1, 2002.
In August 2002, the downtown Avenue Mall was renamed City Center Plaza.
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center opened in downtown Appleton on November 24, 2002.

2004

President George W. Bush visited Appleton twice. On March 30, 2004, he spoke to representatives of local businesses at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. On July 14, 2004, he passed through the city on a re-election campaign bus tour.
In September 2004, work began to clean sediments contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from the Fox River.
On September 16, 2004, the federal government turned over ownership of the Fox River locks to the state of Wisconsin. A fundraising plan to restore and operate the locks was launched.

2005

On February 26, 2005, the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame and its interactive museum, the Paper Discovery Center, opened in the former Atlas Mill at 425 W. Water Street, along the banks of the Fox River. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1993, with its first induction ceremony in 1995. The 1878 Atlas Mill was donated to the Hall of Fame by the Kimberly Clark Corporation in 1999. (Source: Post-Crescent, February 27, 2005, Section C-1)

The Big Picture Theater of Adventure & Discovery, the area’s first large-screen film theater, opened in downtown Appleton in March 2005. Due to low attendance, the theater closed in the fall of 2006. (Source: Post-Crescent, October 7, 2006, Section A-1)

On June 30, 2005, the expanded and remodeled Fox Cities Children’s Museum opened with a new name: The Building for Kids – Fox Cities Children’s Museum. (Source: Post-Crescent, June 30, 2006)

On July 1, 2005, a workplace smoking ban took effect in the city of Appleton. The ban, approved by voters in an April referendum, made Appleton the second city in Wisconsin (after Madison) prohibiting smoking in taverns. (Source: Post-Crescent, July 1, 2005, Section A-1)

On September 14, 2005, Lawrence University’s radio station, WLFM-FM 91.1, broadcast for the last time as the station converted to an Internet webcasting format. The station began in 1956 as the Fox Valley’s first FM station. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 15, 2005, Section C-1)

2006

In April 2006, work began on the two-million-dollar restoration of the four Appleton locks on the Fox River. This was the first of three phases planned to restore the 14 locks that had been closed since the mid-1980s. The estimated cost of the complete restoration was $150 million. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 16, 2006, Section B-1)

2007

Neenah Paper Company, based in Alphretta, Georgia, announced plans to acquire the Fox River Paper Company of Appleton. (Source: Post-Crescent, February 7, 2007, Section A-1)

Starting March 5, 2007, 50 fiberglass lions and 21 fiberglass lion cubs were placed on display throughout Appleton and the Fox Cities. The lions and cubs were decorated by 65 local artists, who were sponsored by area businesses and organizations. Their placement was to promote performances of the Disney musical “The Lion King” at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in May and June and the celebration of the City of Appleton’s sesquicentennial during 2007. (Source: Post-Crescent, March 5, 2007, Section A-1)

In April 2007, repairs on the four locks on the Appleton portion of the Fox River were completed. Another year of work is required on bridges before boat traffic is allowed through the locks. (Source: Post-Crescent, April 11, 2007, Section A-1)

In April 2007, the Outagamie Museum announced its new name, The History Museum at the Castle. (Source: Post-Crescent, April 27, 2007)

2008

On August 11, 2008, the College Avenue Bridge, which opened in 1959, was closed and demolition work begun. (Source: Post-Cresent, August 11, 2008, A-1)

2009

In April 2009, dredging work began for the removal of sediment contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from the lower Fox River and moved to a landfill in Calumet County. (Source: Post-Crescent, April 27, 2009, Section A-1)

After 112 years of business, Conkey’s Bookstore, a downtown landmark, closed in August 2009. (Source: Post-Crescent, August 14, 2009, Section A-1)

The new College Avenue Bridge, constructed at a cost of 17.85 million dollars, opened on October 30, 2009. (Source: Post-Crescent, October 31, 2009, Section A-1)

2011

The members of the Riverview Country Club voted on June 30, 2011, to sell their 77-acre property. On December 22, 2011, the property was purchased for $2.6 million by Community Outreach Temporary Services (COTS) and a coalition of other non-profit groups. (Source: Post-Crescent, July 9, 2011, Section A-1; December 22, 2011, Section A-1; December 23, 2011, Section A-1)

2012

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at Lawrence University’s Alexander Gymnasium on September 28, 2012, as part of a rally for the Obama re-election campaign. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 29, 2012, Section A-1)

2013

In January 2013, the ACES Xavier Educational System became the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System. (Source: Post-Crescent, December 6, 2012, Section A-1 and February, 2, 2013, Section A-1)

In April 2013, demolition began on the Washington Place Building, a low-income senior housing facility in downtown Appleton, which had formerly served as the Conway Hotel. (Source: Post-Crescent, April 28, 2013, Section A-3)

In June 2013, the Fox Cities Building for the Arts, 111 West College Avenue, was established to provide space for community arts groups. The new organization assumed operation of the Trout Museum of Art at the same location. (Source: Post-Crescent, June 11, 2013, Section A-1)

Houdini Plaza, remodeled at a cost of $1.5 million, was rededicated on July 10, 2013. (Source: Post-Crescent, July 11, 2013, Section A-1)

The first Mile of Music festival was held in Appleton, August 8 through August 11. More than 100 performers were featured in over 40 downtown venues, with between 10,000 and 15,000 people believed to have participated. (Source: Post-Crescent, August 9, 2013, Section A-1 and August 13, 2013, Section A-4)

2015

Appleton resident Ellen Kort, Wisconsin’s first poet laureate, died at age 79 on April 21, 2015. (Source: Post-Crescent, April 22, 2015, Section A-1)

2016

Presidential candidates visited Appleton in advance of the Wisconsin presidential primary. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on March 29, 2016. New York businessman Donald Trump spoke at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel on March 30, 2016. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife, Hillary, at Lawrence University on April 1, 2016. (Source: Post-Crescent, March 30, 2016, Section A-1; March 31, 2016, Section A-1; April 2, 2016, Section A-1)

2017

In the afternoon of June 14, 2017, a tornado struck the southeast portion of Appleton, part of a larger storm that included several additional tornadoes that passed through the region. (Source: Post-Crescent, June 16, 2017, Section A-1)

On September 27, 2017, the law enforcement division of the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department transferred operations from the courthouse complex in downtown Appleton to a building on Goodland Drive, in the northeast portion of Appleton. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 26, 2017, Section A-1)

2018

The Fox Cities Exhibition Center opened on January 11, 2018. The Exhibition Center was constructed at a cost of $31.9 million, which was paid for by a hotel room tax in Appleton and nine surrounding communities. (Source: Post-Crescent, January 12, 2018, Section A-1)

2020

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, the library closed the building to the public through June 30 due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the summer the library building was open by appointment only, with special hours set aside for senior and at-risk populations. On Saturday, September 12, 2020, the building closed again, due to a statistically significant increase in cases in the Fox Valley.

Jake Woodford defeated James Clemons in the April 7, 2020 election to earn a four-year term as Appleton mayor. Former Mayor Tim Hanna, who had announced in October 2019 that he would not seek reelection after 24 years in that office, endorsed Woodford. (Source: Post-Crescent, April 15, 2020, Section A-1)

The 2021 City of Appleton budget included $2.4 million for architectural design work toward a renovated or reconstructed library facility on the current site. The budget also identified $12 million in 2022 and 2023 for the construction of the facility.

2021

In March 2021, the Appleton Public Library Board of Trustees and City of Appleton Common Council selected Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) for design and engineering services for the Appleton Public Library at its current location.

The historic Zuelke building announces plans for redevelopment. (Source: Post-Crescent, July 16, 2021, Section A-1)

In November 2021, the first Afghan refugees arrived in the Fox Valley. (Source: Post-Crescent, November 16, 2021, Section A-2)

Lincoln Elementary School is renamed Dunlap Elementary School after its long-time principal.

2022

Laurie A. Carter becomes the first person of color to serve as President of Lawrence University. (Source: Post-Crescent, May 15, 2022, Section A-8)

Appleton East High School hires district’s first female high school principal, Jacque Smedberg. (Source: Post-Crescent, October 26, 2022, Section A-1)

2023

The Appleton Post Office is renamed for Mitchell Lundgaard, a firefighter who was killed in the line of duty in 2019. (Source: Post-Crescent, August 25, 2023, Section A-1)

Polly Olson becomes the city’s first female police chief on January 4, 2023. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 1, 2022, Section A-4)

2024

After 144 years, Courtney Woolen Mill closes, with Lawrence University purchasing the historic building and Appleton History Museum acquiring some of the machinery for a permanent exhibit. (Source: Post-Crescent, July 3, 2024, Section A-1 and August 11, 2024, Section B-1)

Fox Commons – a redevelopment of City Center Plaza – opens. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 16, 2024, Section A-1)

Cathryn Cofell is named the City of Appleton’s first poet laureate. (Source: Post-Crescent, September 25, 2024, Section A-1)

Atlas Science Center closes permanently. (Source: Post-Crescent, November 6, 2024, Section A-1)

Appleton International Airport sees 1 million travelers in a single calendar year for the first time after adding additional routes. (Source: Post-Crescent, December 22, 2024, Section A-1)

Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce named Chamber of the Year for 2024 to 2025.

2025

Air Wisconsin Airlines announces it is ending its partnership with American Airlines. (Source: Post-Crescent, January, 16, 2025, Section A-3).

On February 15, 2025, the newly renovated Appleton Public Library reopened at 200 N. Appleton Street.

Appleton International Airport expands its concourse, adding four additional gates, a restaurant, and a beer garden. (Source: Post-Crescent, March 2, 2025, Section B-1)

Appleton Public Library is named the Wisconsin Library of the Year by the Wisconsin Library Association.

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