Community Profile: Pittsville, WI
With a population of 874 people, Pittsville certainly qualifies as a small town. But for those who live there, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Bob and Bonnie Wolff raised three children in Pittsville and are still active members of the community. As a lifelong resident, Bonnie has come to know a fair number of families and can’t walk down the street without stopping to talk to half a dozen people.
“That’s a wonderful thing as far as I’m concerned, is to be able to connect,” she said. “This community is very, very tight, very close.”
“People don’t know who you are, but they’ll still wave at you,” added Bob, who taught 4,000 kids as an educator in the district and serves as a member of both the Council and School Board. After living in a number of big cities during his youth, moving to Pittsville as an adult was a major change for him.
“The one thing that impressed me is when I came into town, I was able to drive from the south end of town to the north end of town and not see the sky,” he said. At that time, elm trees canopied the streets. While those are now gone, the city remains conservation minded, planting trees every year and keeping an inventory of the 100-150 varieties of birds that call the area home.
In their experience, Pittsville has everything it needs to be a functioning little city. There’s a grocery store, bakery and barber shop, bank and gas station, weekly newspaper, funeral home, hardware store, meat processor, and a few restaurants, to name a few. The Pittsville Community Library provides resources and programs for families, and the fire, EMS, and police services are excellent.
Officially declared the geographical Center of the State, Pittsville provides recreational opportunities with the nearby Yellow River and a walking trail system that’s a popular way to keep active, as well as disc golf. Locals are active in the American Legion, Lions Club, and Boy Scouts.
The Pittsville School District also plays a big role in local life. In addition to sports, there are multiple clubs for students to get involved in, including FFA, which runs the popular Splash of Red Cranberry Tours every fall to highlight the important industry. The school’s fitness center also functions as a community gym outside of school hours, and the large auditorium is the place for local performances by the Drama Club and Pittsville Area Community Theater. Additionally, the Pittsville Foundation for the Arts brings in professional performances.
AP classes are offered for students to get a jump start on college, but the district has also focused on technical careers, helping students developing workforce experience while still attending school.
Though the students may vanish for a time upon graduation, it’s not forever. “A lot of community’s kids leave,” said Bob. “They come back to Pittsville.”
The local historical society is an active group dedicated to preserving the area’s rich history from past to present. In 1858, James Quick Severns became the first white man to arrive in the area. Then came Oliver Pitts in 1856, later followed by his family which set up a saw mill (Pitt’s Mill) near the Yellow River. Industries like pickle, canning, and two cigar factories were early risers. By 1883, the burgeoning town had its first newspaper. Severns remained an influential leader and is buried with his wife in Mound Cemetery in Pittsville.
The city would be devastated by fires in 1911, 1924, and 1928 that destroyed the business district, but it would have a booming downtown by the 1950s. During that decade in 1952, Governor Kohler declared Pittsville to be the exact geographical center of Wisconsin. A new plaque rededicated this year marks the spot.
In more recent years, the city has experienced slow growth as people arrive to take advantage of its low cost of living, buildable lots, and tight-knit, small-town atmosphere.
“It’s been home,” said Bonnie. “I love knowing the families that have created Pittsville as their home as well. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Author: News Desk
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