Editing Richland Center, Wisconsin (section)

==History==
Richland Center was founded in 1851 by [[Ira S. Haseltine]] from [[Andover, Vermont]],  northwest of [[Brattleboro, Vermont|Brattleboro]]. He was drawn to the site because of its abundant water power, fertile prairies, and its juxtaposition to the geographical center of Richland County. Haseltine offered to donate land to the county if Richland Center was chosen in a vote as the county seat.<ref>Butterfield, C. W. (1884). ''History of Crawford and Richland Counties, Wisconsin''. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company. pp. 1150-1151.</ref> In 1852 the Wisconsin Legislature formally declared Richland Center as the seat of justice for Richland County.<ref>"An Act to Declare the County Seat of Richland County," Wisconsin Statutes 1852, c. 37.</ref> The present Richland County courthouse was built in Richland Center in 1889.

In 1876, a [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] railroad branch connected Richland Center with the [[Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad]] at [[Lone Rock, Wisconsin]], providing an outlet for the town's commerce. The line was originally constructed with maple rails, but it was rebuilt as a standard gauge iron railway in 1880.<ref>Butterfield (1884). pp. 948-950.</ref> On October 8, 1882, the town's railway depot was destroyed when an early morning fire ignited two kegs of gunpowder stored inside, causing an explosion which tore the roof from the building and scorched several nearby rail cars.<ref>Butterfield (1884). p. 1164</ref> Another passenger depot, built in 1909, still stands today, serving as a visitor center for the community.<ref>"[http://www.richlandchamber.com/vcenter.html Richland Center Visitor Center]." Richland Chamber & Development Alliance. Retrieved 2011-11-03.</ref>

Richland Center became an important location for the [[women's suffrage]] movement in Wisconsin after Laura Briggs James, Julia Bowen, and other residents founded the Richland Center Woman's Club in early 1882. The club quickly became the largest suffrage group in the state and was influential in organizing the movement throughout Wisconsin.<ref>McBridge, Genevieve, G. (1993). ''On Wisconsin women: working for their rights from settlement to suffrage''. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 101-102.</ref> [[Susan B. Anthony]] visited Richland Center in 1886. Later, Laura James' daughter [[Ada James]] became influential in the movement, helping to begin the Political Equality League in 1909 and advocating for women's rights, pacifism, birth control, and prohibition.<ref>"[https://archive.today/20120919005231/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1485 James, Ada Lois]." ''Wisconsin Dictionary of History.'' [[Wisconsin Historical Society]]. Retrieved 2011-11-03.</ref> The women's club was the driving force behind the construction of the [[Richland Center City Auditorium]], which was the city hall from 1913 to 1998.<ref>{{cite web |title=National or State Registers Record: 182 N. Central Ave. |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR1793 |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |access-date=20 July 2022 |language=en |date=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hesselberg |first1=George |title=Donations launch effort for Richland Center auditorium |url=https://madison.com/news/local/donations-launch-effort-for-richland-center-auditorium/article_9c1784df-117e-5a10-9ab4-164d1655a624.html |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=madison.com |date=2 Aug 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Frank Lloyd Wright]] was born in Richland Center in 1867. The [[A. D. German Warehouse]], completed in 1921, is the only building designed by Wright in Richland Center and is an early representation of his [[Mayan Revival]] style.

[[File:A.D. German Warehouse view from SE.jpg|thumb|left|Frank Lloyd Wright's A.D. German Warehouse, view from the southeast]]

The origin of [[GTE|General Telephone and Electronics]] (GTE) can be traced to the Richland Center Telephone Company. In 1918, three Wisconsin public utility accountants (Sigurd L. Odegard, John A. Pratt, and John F. O'Connell) purchased the Richland Center Telephone Company for $33,500.  At that time, the modest company served only 1,466 telephones in southern Wisconsin. But in 1920, the three accountants formed the Commonwealth Telephone Company and engaged in an aggressive acquisition program, which dramatically expanded its services to more than 500,000 telephones in 25 states. Following bankruptcy during the Great Depression, the company reorganized into the General Telephone Corporation and continued to expand. After merging with Sylvania Electric Products in 1959, it again changed its name, this time to General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (GT&E, later GTE). By 1969, GTE provided service to 10 million telephones across the nation, making it the largest independent telephone company in the United States.