Abrams, Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abrams is a town in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,757 at the 2000 Census.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 97.3 km² (37.6 mi²). 97.0 km² (37.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.29%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,757 people, 652 households, and 494 families residing in the town. The population density was 18.1/km² (46.9/mi²). There were 700 housing units at an average density of 7.2/km² (18.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.52% White, 0.80% Native American, 0.06% Asian, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.
There were 652 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,250, and the median income for a family was $53,510. Males had a median income of $37,261 versus $23,542 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,889. About 1.7% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
Abrams' first European settler, Richard B. Yeaton, arrived in 1854. Yeaton built a sawmill on the banks of the Pensuakee River, dubbing his newfound settlement West Pensaukee. Abrams was known for its "pumpkin pines"- enormous white pine trees that thrived in the sandy soils. The pine trees even appeared on town apparel in the 1980s, as t-shirts were embroidered with "Abrams- A Good Place to Grow."
Subsequent settlers were mostly New Englanders, and the general thought was that Abrams would be named New Haven or Hartford or Westchester. However, when the railroad built a station in the town, it was named after the prior owners of the land, the Abrams family.
Abrams enjoyed steady growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At one point just before World War I, Abrams boasted four churches, three taverns, four sawmills, a smithy, two hardware stores, a school, a fine hotel, a feedmill, and a population of over 500. Abrams had been fortunate to escape the flames of the Peshtigo Fire in 1871, but luck ran out. Disaster struck on July 4th, 1923, when a fire destroyed much of the town. Abrams never fully recovered from the blaze.
[edit] Notable people
Abrams is the hometown of three modest celebrities: songwriter Pee Wee King, pitcher Bob Wickman and radio personality Pam Jahnke. Pee Wee King, born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski in 1914, was a pioneer in the country and western music industry. He wrote the smash-hit "Tennessee Waltz" and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974. King died in 2000.
Bob Wickman is currently a closer for the Atlanta Braves, but has spent time with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Cleveland Indians. Wickman pitched in the 2000 and 2005 MLB All-Star Games.
Pam Jahnke, also known as "The Fabulous Farm Babe" is a Abrams native who works as a popular farm broadcaster in the Madison, Wisconsin, radio market.
