Normanna Sangerkor Badge

Peggy Derrick

Catalog Number: 2013.fic.103

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

This badge was worn by a member of the La Crosse Normanna Sangerkor, or Norwegian Men’s Singing Corps. Singing societies were popular among Scandinavian and German immigrants, and La Crosse also supported the German Frohsinn Singing Society, and another Norwegian group that was ultimately absorbed by the Normanna Sangerkor.

The Sangerkor was founded in 1869, by Carl Jackwitz, with 21 original members. It’s considered the first Norwegian singing society in the U.S., and it continued until 1955. Its members sang for their own amusement, and they sang at large sangerfests, or singing festivals, across the upper Midwest.

One of the largest was held in La Crosse in 1906, when the Northwestern Scandinavian Singers held a festival here. A special, temporary, auditorium was built downtown to seat 3,000 people, and other singing groups from around the region came to participate.

Another important milestone was the time, in 1870, when they were invited to perform with the world-famous Norwegian violinist Ole Bull.

Emil Berg was their first director, a musician and tenor of some renown who had immigrated to Chicago, where he was making his living at an upholstery shop. The La Crosse Sangerkor invited him to move to La Crosse, even paying for his move. Berg spent the rest of his life here and directed the Sangerkor until his death.

In 1911 Rolf S. Rynning thought they needed something more elegant and permanent than the printed ribbons they wore for performances and competitions. Sketches by the artist E.O. Forseth were sent to Whitehead Hoag and Co. in Newark, N.J. The company based its design on those drawings, and this badge is the result.

Rolf was the son of Erik Rynning, one of the 1869 founders, and a longtime member himself. E.O. Forseth was a longtime director of the Sangerkor.

These badges were officially worn for the first time in July, 1912, at a Sangerfest in Fargo, N.D.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on September 2, 2017.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

The Artwork of Lillian Annin Pettingill

Amy Vach

Catalog Number: 1984.130.20

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Lillian Gleason Annin was born in 1871 in Le Roy, N.Y., to James and Priscilla Annin. She was the youngest of seven children. At the age of 16, she graduated from Ingham University with a degree in Fine Arts. Records from Ingham University, one of the few all-women liberal arts colleges at the time, indicate that Lillian was an assistant art teacher at Ingham University for one term. A year later, Lillian taught at a university in Nyack on the Hudson. In 1889, she was in charge of the Art Department at the Indianapolis Institute. She was also on the staff of Ohio Western Reserve University.

At the age of 37, Lillian married Claude Pettingill on Dec. 28, 1907, in Bellingham, Wash. Pettingill was the son of Josiah and Eunice Pettingill. Josiah came to La Crosse at a young age and served in public office as county clerk and chairman of the town board. He was also appointed postmaster of La Crosse by President William McKinley. Josiah started the first abstract company in La Crosse, and Claude followed in his father’s footsteps and continued the company after his father’s death. He worked as an attorney, real estate agent and insurance agent.

Lillian and Claude stayed in the Seattle area for about nine years before returning to La Crosse. She painted in the Seattle area and is described as a “rare and collectible artist” in art dictionaries.

When they moved to La Crosse, Lillian became active in the art community and helped found the Art Association of La Crosse. Apart from her involvement in the Art Association, Lillian also provided additional classes for people who desired more instruction. She continued painting and drawing in the La Crosse area. A shift can be seen in her artwork as she transitioned from painting west coast scenes to painting scenes of rivers, valleys and bluffs in the Coulee Region.

Lillian was also involved in the League of Women Voters around 1925 and is mentioned in the La Crosse Tribune as giving talks about the importance of the group. She served as the vice president of the League of Women Voters. Her husband, Claude, died in 1948 and she died in 1953. Her sister-in-law Grace Pettingill Hogan Van Steenwyk donated 20 pieces of artwork created by Lillian Pettingill to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 1984.

Lillian is going to be portrayed in this year’s Discover the Silent City: “Leaving a Mark-Artists of La Crosse.” Her artwork is also available for viewing in a virtual exhibit on the La Crosse County Historical Society’s website at www.lchshistory.org/the-artwork-of-lillian-pettingill.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 26, 2017.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

The Magneto from Flight 421

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Ivy King

Catalog Number: 2014.fic.642

On August 29 1948, the Upper Midwest was going through a heat wave. Weather reports indicated that the day would be nearly clear with a few showers in the La Crosse area. This is the report that Northwest Airlines Flight 421, flying from Chicago to Minneapolis, received. But, later, an unexpected storm was brewing. At around 5:00 pm people in Winona were staring at the sky, watching a growing thunderstorm approach. The thunderstorm grew more intense as it came towards them, with increasing thunder and lightning that was not a part of the initial forecast. It was on this day that Northwest Airlines Flight 421 crashed just outside of Winona.

The airplane was a Martin 2-0-2, and it was a little under a year old. It was a newer, more modern model, and it contained extras such as reading lights and air conditioning. The flight had an experienced pilot and co-pilot: Captain Robert Johnson and David Brenner. The pilot had flown more than five thousand hours, and the copilot, a native of La Crosse, served as a pilot during WWII.

A total of 33 passengers boarded the plane expecting to land in Minneapolis a couple hours later. It departed from Chicago at 3:50 pm. No issues occurred at take-off, and the plane flew to its planned altitude of 8,000 feet as it went over Wisconsin. A little after an hour into the flight the Martin 2-0-2 aircraft reported its position, which was over La Crosse. This would be the airplane’s last check-in, and the pilot’s voice was calm. The plane gained permission to descend a thousand feet.

The plane descended, continued its course, and encountered the unexpected storm. According to eyewitnesses, the plane was spotted below some of the clouds before flying into the edge of the storm clouds. Within seconds the bystanders witnessed the plane falling from the sky. Local farmers claimed the plane barrel-rolled out of the sky even though winds were light.

Winona patrolman Ed Hittner responded to the call of the fallen flight. He waded down into the water himself after finding a wing in a marsh. He met up with a man named Jack Volkel, another pilot, and he recognized the type of plane and understood the possible significance. Immediately, Volkel went to check if any flights were missing.

The plane was mainly torn into four pieces. Parts of the wreckage were found as far as seven miles away from the crash site in a ballpark in Winona. It has been estimated that as many as 20,000 came to the crash scene and offered aid. All of the 33 passengers and four crewmembers on the flight died in the crash.

This piece was collected and donated to the La Crosse County Historical Society by Mayor J. J. Verchota.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 19, 2017.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.