Editing St. Nazianz, Wisconsin (section)

==History==

===19th century===
St. Nazianz was organized in 1854 as a religious colony by a group of German immigrants, led by Father [[Ambrose Oschwald]], a [[Roman Catholic]] priest. The first settlers in the Oschwald group numbered 113 and came to the United States from the [[Black Forest]] of [[Baden, Germany]], seeking religious freedom.<ref name="committee">St. Nazianz Centennial Committee: St. Nazianz, 1854-1954, [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.manStNazianz online]</ref>

Oschwald and his group sailed for America on the [[Feast of Corpus Christi]] in 1854, on two separate ships. The voyage of one lasted 52 days, and the other 55 days. By the time they arrived in [[Milwaukee]] by train, several of the group had died. Oschwald bought {{convert|3840|acre|km2}} of land in [[Manitowoc County]] for $3.50 per acre. His down payment was $1,500, with the rest paid in five installments.<ref name="committee"/>

In late August 1854, Oschwald sent six men to locate the land he had purchased. They took a boat from Milwaukee to [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin|Manitowoc]], the county seat, then headed west by oxcart, getting as far as the place where [[Valders]] now stands. They then cut their way through the dense forest, arriving at their destination on August 27. The men named the site St. Nazianz, in honor of [[Gregory of Nazianzus]]. Oschwald followed on September 1 with more men, and the group began working to clear the land and build log houses. Soon after, work started on the community's first church, a 32-by-24-foot structure, which was built by hand.  By October 21, the church was half completed, and Oschwald celebrated the first Mass.<ref name="committee"/>

Settlers began going by the name "The Association" and agreed to share everything in common and work without pay. That arrangement continued until 1896. The group built shops and mills and the community was thriving within just a few years of its start. People began practicing trades, including [[blacksmithing]], [[carpentry]], [[masonry]], [[shoemaking]], [[woodworking]], [[tailoring]], barrel making, rope making, [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]], [[weaving]], [[brick-making]], [[baking soda]], and [[brewing]].<ref name="committee"/>

In the ensuing years, Oschwald helped start several religious organizations, including the Oschwald Brothers and the [[Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity]]. Oschwald died on February 27, 1873, and was buried under the altar at the old St. Ambrose Church at the [[Loreto Monastery]].<ref>
"[https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Newspaper/BA15524 Quaint Old St. Nazianz]". ''Milwaukee Sentinel'', February 1, 1896.</ref> Several years later his body was moved to a shrine near [[Loreto Shrine Chapel]] in the village.

The [[Salvatorians|Salvatorian]] priests and brothers came to St. Nazianz in 1896, 15 years after the [[Society of the Divine Savior]] was founded by Father [[Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan]] in  [[Italy]]. The Salvatorian priests and brothers and the Salvatorian sisters worked to improve the holding of the former association and built [[St. Ambrose Church (St. Nazianz, Wisconsin)|St. Ambrose Church]] in 1898.

===2000 weather incident===
Shortly before noon on May 12, 2000, St. Nazianz and surrounding communities were hit by a severe storm that caused major damage. The storm was initially considered a tornado but was later declared a "thunderstorm [[Supercell|super cell]] moist microburst" by meteorologists. It was reported that the storm produced {{convert|120|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} straight line winds. The [[National Weather Service]] reported that at least {{convert|75|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} wind gusts were achieved.<ref name="National Weather Service">[http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grb/events/051200.php National Weather Service]</ref>  Residents who were in St. Nazianz as the storm hit said that it went from noon light to midnight darkness in a matter of seconds.

The storm roughly followed [[U.S. Route 151]], with St. Nazianz and [[Chilton, Wisconsin|Chilton]] receiving the worst of the damage, caused largely by wind and hail. The hail ranged from golf ball-size to baseball-size.  Many houses were destroyed by the storm, while others sustained major damage. Many cars were totaled or needed hail damage repair. The total damage caused by this storm to St. Nazianz and surrounding areas was estimated at $122 million.<ref name="National Weather Service"/> It was the state's first storm to exceed $100 million in damage.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Local 5 News at 10:00 |first=Luke |last=Stampe |station=[[WFRV]] |location=[[Green Bay, Wisconsin]] |time=10:15pm }}{{full citation needed|date=August 2019}}</ref> No casualties were caused by the storm. The village has since recovered considerably.