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attractions & oddities

resources

 
 

 

1

Home of the Hamburger

The Charlie Grill
Hamburger Charlie Statue

 

location:  Seymour
self- designation /  record holder / roadside oddity / event

The statue of Hamburger Charlie.

      

The Charlie Grill, where the record burger was made.   Man, I hoped they cleaned it afterwards.  Otherwise there might be a nation of vermin living inside this thing.

BurgerFest
Burger Fest started in 1989 to celebrate the birth of the hamburger here in 1885.  The Hamburger Festival occurs annually during the first weekend of August.  

Record Burger
The World's Largest Hamburger, weighing in at 8,266 pounds, was made here in 2001.  It was entirely consumed within an hour by just three people, all of whom were wearing sleeveless Kawasaki racing t-shirts.  I made that whole last sentence up.

Charlie Grill
The oversized grill, where the World's Largest Hamburger was made, sits across from the Railroad Museum.  But the sign next to it says that the record burger was 5,520 lbs and actually made in 1989.  Update that sign, folks.

'Hamburger Charlie' Statue
A 12' statue of "Hamburger Charlie" aka Charles Nagreen (1870 - 1951), the man who invented the hamburger, was unveiled in 2005.

Hamburger Hall of Fame
The Hamburger Hall of Fame is now closed.  But really, how many famous hamburgers are there in existence?

'Hamburger Charlie' statue & Charlie Grill
  Depot St.
Seymour, WI  54165
(920) 833-6688

 Official Site
homeofthehamburger.org

Roadside America
www.roadsideamerica.com

Roadside Architecture
1. www.agilitynut.com
2.  www.agilitynut.com

Greater Outagamie County Economic Development Corporation
www.gocedc.org

Wisconsin Historical Society
www.wisconsinhistory.org

Journal Sentinel Online
1. article "Burgers from the ground up" or (here)
2. article "Seymour cooking up plans to regain hamburger record" or (here)
3. article "Charlie flattened meatball and history was made" or (here)
4. article "History with ketchup, onions" or (here)
5. article "OFF the Beaten Path" or (here)

book:
"Roadside America"
 by Mike Wilkins & Ken Smith & Doug Kirby
Fireside / Simon & Schuster (2nd ed, 1992.)
page 224
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
 "Oddball Wisconsin"
 by Jerome Pohlen
 Chicago Review Press, Inc. (2001)
 pages 173 - 174
 buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)  pages 98 - 99
(3rd ed., 2009)  pages 90 - 91
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Great Little Museums of the Midwest"
by Christine Des Garennes
Trails Books (2002)
pages 46 - 49
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Strange Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Books (2007)
page 132
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Offbeat Museums"
by Saul Ruben
Santa Monica Press (1997)
pages 42 - 45
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"America Bizarro"
by Nelson Taylor
St. Martin's Press (2000)
pages 217 - 218
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

Man vs. Measurements

 

location:  Black Creek
roadside oddity / self-expression

      

"Drive in.  Learn something.  Be smart."  "Keys of math are the missing link."
James Brunette's yard is a testament to his concerns over the United States Bureau of Standards' definition of an inch.  Several displays and devices offer proof that this unit of measurement must be retooled.  He also seems to have some angst concerning local law enforcement. 

  N 5107 Highway 47
Black Creek, WI  54106
(920) 739-0733

Mr. Brunette does not mince words. 
book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)  pages 60 - 61
(3rd ed., 2009)  pages 49 - 51
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

3

FFA Tank Pig

 

location:  Nichols
roadside oddity

An above-ground fuel tank has been converted to a stainless-steel swine for the local FFA Alumni Chapters' events.

  is/was at: (in Nichols) W5570 County Road F

 

4

1/2 Mannequin on Roof
 at Soggy Bottoms Bar & Grill

 

location:  Nichols
roadside oddity

The stern-looking limbless figure sees all.  He may be immobile and seemingly lifeless, but let not the children of Nichols find themselves passing by after curfew, lest they learn the true meaning of terror.

  W-5635 Main
Nichols, WI  54152
(920) 525-3028

Soggy Bottom's MySpace page
www.myspace.com/soggy_bottoms

 

5

Galloping Ghost Statue
 of Kaukauna High School

 

location:  Kaukauna
peculiar mascot / roadside oddity

"The phantom horse and rider virtually galloped into KHS tradition about 1940 when a student cloaked himself and his mount in bed sheets and thundered onto the football field to present the opening game ball to the referees."
- section from the Kaukauna Public Library website

  1701 County Road CE
Kaukauna, WI  54130
(920) 766-6113

photo courtesy of Marci /talks with hands' on Flickr
Kaukauna Public Library
(history of the Galloping Ghost)
www.kaukaunalibrary.org

Flickr photo by Marci /talks with hands'
www.flickr.com

Wisconsin Paranormal Investigation Team (WIX)
www.hauntedwi.com

 

 

sighting / phenomenon / morbid curiosity

resources

 

1

Fish Fall from Sky in 2002

 
    unexplained phenomena
location:  Combined Locks

A woman and her son discover fresh fish around their house and yard, similar perhaps to the simulated image at the right.
Journal Sentinel Online
article "Stirring up the ghosts"
(scroll 2/3 down page) or click (here)

book:
"Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
page 93
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

"Very Bright Orange and Red Pulsating Disc Shaped Craft"  (2001)

 
UFO
location:  Dale
"A very bright orange and red pulsating disc shaped craft with another light of the same color following it."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report
UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

3

"Silent, Triangular Shaped Object"  (1999)

 
UFO
location:  Kaukauna
"The object seemed to be on a precise course, was in no hurry to get where it was going & was definitely trying to go undetected."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report
UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

4

"Dark, Triangular Object Gliding Low Over Neighborhood"  (1979)

 
UFO
location:  New London
"As the object passed out of my sight over my house, I felt the overwhelming need to run into the house, but was petrified that the "thing" might have landed in the front yard! I banged on the back door, but realized that everyone was downstairs and couldn't hear."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report
UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

5

Burma Swamp

 
haunted
location:  Black Creek

This 2000-acre area of the Lower Fox River Basin Plain is rumored to be the haunt of the phantom of Old Man Burma.

  southeast of Black Creek

 (submitted story)

 

6

Shiocton UFO Sightings

 
UFO
location:  Shiocton

"We all agreed it was not a star. It was like it was using the stars or planets usual location in the sky to hide. As I was watching it, it then broke off into 2."
- section from 06-07-07 UFO Wisconsin report
UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

 

"Ghosts of America" Haunted Location Reports
(take with a grain of salt)

 
ghosts
location:  statewide

The reports on this site are presumably fiction, using random Wisconsin place names in the stories listed there.  Even so, you might get a kick out of reading them.

"The spirit of an appallingly mangled hunter dragging a dead wolf has been observed on many occasions at Cedars Lock at night looking at the landscape. In any case, this is an unfriendly phantom that should be avoided."
- section from Ghosts of America website
Ghosts of America
www.ghostsofamerica.com

 

8

Charles A. Grignon Mansion

 
ghost
location:  Kaukauna

This 1837 mansion is allegedly haunted.

Also listed in the History section below.

  1313 Augustine St.
Kaukauna, WI  54130
(920) 766-3122

Wisconsin Paranormal Investigation Team (WIX)
www.hauntedwi.com

 

 

taste of local history

resources

 

1

Charles A. Grignon Mansion

 

location:  Kaukauna
museum

"In 1837, Charles A. Grignon built this elegant Mansion as a wedding gift for his Pennsylvania bride, Mary Elizabeth Meade. An oasis of luxury and civilization on the Wisconsin frontier, this stately home was known as "The Mansion in the Woods" to countless travelers... Costumed guides lead group tours (10 or more people) of the Mansion and tell about the Grignons, their home, and everyday life on the Wisconsin frontier. Visitors may also browse through the Mansion's historic apple orchard, and take home a treasure from the Museum Shop."
 - section from the Fox Valley History website

Also listed in the Paranormal section above.

  1313 Augustine St.
Kaukauna, WI  54130
(920) 766-3122

                

hours:
• June thru Aug  (Mon - Sat)  10am – 5pm  /  (Sundays)  Noon – 5pm
• April, May, Sept and Oct  (Sundays)  Noon – 5pm

Fox Valley History
www.foxvalleyhistory.org

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

 

2

Oneida Nation Museum

 

location:  Oneida
museum

"The Oneida Nation Museum, located just outside of Green Bay, has one of the largest ongoing exhibitions of Oneida history and artifacts in the world."
 - section from Portal Wisconsin website

  W892 County Road EE
Oneida, WI  54155
(920) 869-2768

                   

hours:
September thru May  (Tues - Fri)  9am – 5pm
June thru August  (Tues - Sat)  9am – 5pm
CLOSED DURING JANUARY

Official Site
museum.oneidanation.org

Portal Wisconsin
(featuring a 360º panoramic video)
www.portalwisconsin.org

 

updated 04-20-09  •  all images excluding those attributed to others are property of Wisconsinosity.com