Village of Sussex - As a new season approaches, spring cleaning is on the minds of many residents. This is typically the time when people dig out their basements, discarding items deemed old and useless. But as Fred Keller has shown, the items found in a basement are sometimes far from being garbage.

The Sussex village historian since 1976, Keller has been collecting historical artifacts about the village of Sussex, the town of Lisbon, the village of Lannon and the surrounding communities for several decades. The items he has found have come from antiques shows, estate sales, and people who just have no use for items that have a larger historical significance.

The fruits of his labor can be seen in the carefully archived wall of historical books and photo albums, and labeled artifacts that adorn his walls. While a typical basement is a mess of boxes filled with remnants of the past, Keller's is almost like a museum, with hundreds of years of information and history available at his fingertips. Even temperature and humidity are controlled to preserve the delicate artifacts. His collection spans the timeline from before the first settlers stepped foot in the area to the present day.

"Ever since I was a very young boy, I've had an interest in history," Keller said. In 1946, Keller's father bought the Sussex Mills feed mill and coal yard, and brought his family to the area. "I immediately knew that I would be associated with Sussex for the rest of my life," Keller said. Driven by his childhood interest, he has collected historical items for most of his life, but it was not until after his military service from 1951 to 1954 that he began the collection he has now.

After working a 10-hour day, shoveling coal at his father's mill, Keller was sent to buy some eggs from Burt Harris, a local man. While he was there, Keller spotted a Civil War-era musket propped near a bunch of old boards. Keller paid $5, his day's wage, and took the rifle home. And so the Keller collection got its start.

The oldest pieces in Keller's collection are trilobite fossils found in the area. Trilobites are hard-shelled segmented creatures that scientists believe lived 300 million years ago, predating the dinosaurs. Keller also has a number of pieces of bronze brought to this area by glaciers during the Ice Age. The arrowheads in his collection predate the European migration to the area.

The first pioneer family to come to this area is the Weavers, who eventually settled what is now Sussex. Keller's collection documents the earliest days of the village in detail. "Memories of Early Days," a book Keller uncovered, collects the letters and writings of Melinda Weaver, the first European woman to come to this area. The book is an account of the earliest days in Sussex-Lisbon, recounting what life was like in the area from 1837 to the 1850s, from a female's perspective. The book was written in 1876 for the Waukesha Plain Dealer newspaper, and very few still exist. An autograph book in Keller's collection contains the Weavers' signatures. From a descendent of the family, Keller received a collection of pictures of the Weavers and other early settlers in the area. "After working on the family for so long, I feel like I could walk down the street and meet them," Keller said.

Keller's collection of books reaches far beyond the founding family, and covers the wide range of people and events that have formed the Sussex-Lisbon area into what it is today. His knowledge of the area has made him an invaluable resource for others who are researching their own family or the history of the area. "I have people from all over the United States who will come to me looking for information on their families," Keller said. "When I help them out, I tell them I want a copy of their work to add to my collection." Keller's collection of books is complemented by an even more expansive collection of photographs. Keller has literally thousands of photos, ranging from portraits of family members to old postcards of the area.

Besides books, the artifacts in Keller's collection document the growth of the area. One of the most astounding items in his basement is a piece of wood from the Weaver barn. Half of a Celtic cross is carved into the wood, which dates back to 1842. Along with the other half, which is now missing, the boards were hung in the barn, which was used for church services before St. Alban's Episcopal Church was constructed. At a certain point in the day, the sun would pass over the cross and illuminate it.

Keller's artifacts also document the growth and change in business since the village was established. In earlier times, the area was primarily agricultural. One predominant crop was sugar beets. These crops grew underground, and farmers needed a tool that would allow them to pull them up and chop them. Thus, the beet knife was invented. This knife looks like an elongated, thin cleaver with a thin, perpendicular point on the end. The hook was used to pull the beet up from the ground. The farmer could then chop it in one motion. One of these knifes is part of Keller's collection.

Another unusual tool that was used in the area is a device called a grain thief. This long, pointed pole has several compartments that can be opened and closed. When a merchant went to a mill to purchase grain, he would jab the grain thief into a pile, and then open and close the compartments. When it was pulled out, the merchant could see whether the grain in the middle of the pile was rotten. One of these tools is also part of Keller's collection.

After the industrial revolution, more industries began to spring up in the Sussex-Lisbon area. In 1920, Mammoth Spring Canning Co. opened its doors in Sussex. Though it had an impact on the local economy until it closed its doors in 1995, Mammoth Spring is more famous for an advertising campaign that ran for about three decades - Kewpie. Kewpie is a troll-like figure; it has hair that comes to a point on the top of its head, a round tummy and a cute face. From 1924 to the 1960s, Mammoth Spring put Kewpie on all of its products. The Kewpie figure has since become a worldwide collecting phenomenon. Keller's collection features signs, old cans and figurines. One light-up Kewpie soda sign in Keller's collection advertises that the company has "pop in cans." This sign is one of only three made. In 1954, Mammoth Spring was the first company to put soda in cans. At the time, the public did not accept the idea, and the company soon stopped canning soda. Keller has a Kewpie pop can from the short-lived campaign.

The process of collecting all of these artifacts and historical documents has been an arduous one. Keller frequents antiques shows and estate sales, and looks through items that are being thrown away by others. "I'm a great garbage diver," he quipped.

Probably his most resourceful way to gather information has been to talk to the old-timers in the village. Keller has made it his life's work to write down firsthand accounts of the growth of the area by interviewing people from all walks of life. This does not always come easily though. Keller recalled his attempts to interview one resident who had been a prisoner of war during World War II; however, the former officer did not want to talk about his experience. "He never wanted to sit down and talk to me, but every once in a while, I would catch something he said (about the experience) and I would write it down," Keller said. "I interviewed him for 20 years, a sentence at a time." For Keller, interviewing has proven to be the most rewarding part of his history collection. "What I really have enjoyed has been the people I've met," he said.

Now that Keller is growing older, as he put it, he would like to pass his collection on. His first option would be to donate it to the village of Sussex, he said. But before this happens, he added, some things need to be done by Sussex.

The first is to establish either a Sussex or a Sussex-Lisbon historical society. This is needed because people need to have the training and know-how to maintain the collection and to keep it from disintegrating. Second, the village would need to find a place to store it, display it and make it available for research.

Though the village has not decided whether to take the collection, it has shown interest. Keller and Village Trustee Roger Johnson will attend a six-hour seminar presented by Wisconsin State Historical Society about how local communities can form historical societies. If the village decides not to take the collection, Keller said he could either give it to his children, who no longer live in the area or have the space to take it; sell it at auction; or donate it to Waukesha County Historical Society. March 14, 2001

Village of Sussex - A community's history, one could argue, belongs to its residents. It exists in collective memory, in the silent walls of old buildings, in stories passed from grandparent to grandchild.

Since 1946 Keller has collected Sussex. His home is brimming with photographs, documents and artifacts from the village and surrounding communities.

The other thing Keller has is vision, and at 69 he can see himself slowing down. He suffered two strokes more than a decade ago, and was hospitalized last week for surgery to remove a cancerous prostate.

The village is interested, officials say, but experts say municipalities don't always have the expertise to properly preserve the collection.

Baker said she had not spoken to Keller regarding his collection and that it was too early for her to say if the museum would be interested in accepting it into its collections. If the village does find a home for the materials, however, help with preservation could be available. Baker said the Wisconsin State Historical Society occasionally lends expertise. Freelance archivists can also be hired, she said. Baker said the museum does not have sufficient staff to send an individual to the village to help.

Village President Mike Knapp said if the village takes the collection, they "would have to look at" getting help from experts. "It's a great gift," Knapp said. "It's invaluable. We don't want to lose it." by John Tindall, Staff Writer, Sussex Sun, February 21, 2001

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