Story board signs celebrate Merrill’s past
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Story board signs along the River Bend Trail showcase some of Merrill’s rich heritage, so walking the River Bend Trail is a great way to enjoy the riverfront, get some exercise, enjoy family time in a healthy way, and enjoy the great outdoors in Merrill. But it’s also a wonderful way to learn about Merrill’s history.
When the cuppola (also referred to as the “tower”) from the T.B. Scott Mansion is restored and placed across the river from it’s former location along the River Bend Trail, a story board sharing some of the Mansion’s history will be placed there to inform all who pass by it of its history and significance.
But it’s not just along the River Bend Trail that the story boards are appearing. And that’s good news for local history buffs and generations to come.
Recently, a new story board was installed in the Bankers Square pocket park on E. Main Street in Merrill, near 921 E. Main Street and showcasing the history of that historic Merrill building.
Today, that building is home to the Merrill Foto News.
“I’d just like to say that we noticed and much appreciated the signage placed in Bankers Square referring to the 921 E. Main building,” said Tim Schreiber, General Manager of the Foto News and other MMC publications. “[It’s] a really nice touch to the park, on a historical Merrill building.”
“I know that even as a lifelong Merrill resident, I find things like this very interesting, not to mention so do tourists to the area I’m sure,” Schreiber said. “Good to see and hope the city does more of this. We have some great places here in town.”
The story board shares the timeline of the various and significant businesses that have occupied the building over the years, from Schram’s Furniture Store and Funeral Home beginning around 1908 through the current Merrill Foto News. Some of you may remember some of the other significant occupants: Saeger Bros. Furniture, Western Auto Assn. Store, Campbells Clothes & Things, and Book World Book Store.
Old photographs and a more detailed history of the earliest occupant is quite fascinating. “In 1888 Alfred H. Schram abandoned his trade of wagon and carriage maker and entered the furniture and undertaking business in Plymouth, Wis.,” the story board begins. It then goes on to tell the [short version] story of the business that started in this location when Mr. Schram moved to Merrill and how a descendant of that business remains in Merrill today … the Waid [formerly Schram-Waid] Funeral Home.
But why tell the entire story here? Visit Bankers Square, read the story board for more information, sit a spell and enjoy a great view of the dam and the river. Feel free to shop some of Merrill’s Main Street businesses while you’re there.