Barn quilt highlights beauty of Wolf River

The nation’s largest trail of barn quilts in Shawano County continues to grow with the addition of the 399th quilt. It is on display on a barn that overlooks the Wolf River at N5626 Poplar Road west of Shawano. The quilt pattern highlights Wolf River Road and the Wolf River. The shades of blue at the bottom of the quilt represent the Wolf River, the gold shades are Wolf River Road, which meanders for four miles along the river, the wolf silhouette represents the Wolf River and the bald eagle is for the eagles that are seen regularly in the area. The quilt pattern has been named “The Gold Coast.” Earlier this year, local Shawano residents Todd Dobberstein, Bart Huntington and Dan Cerveny purchased 35 acres of farm land on the corner of Wolf River Road and Poplar Road from Darlene Hermann. The purchase included the barn on which the quilt is mounted and the farm house. Dobberstein, who lives on Wolf River Road, drives by the barn every day and could visualize bringing the property back to its original appearance. Over the next several years, plans are to develop at least part of the property. “We really want to dress up the area so people can enjoy driving by it and seeing our beautiful barn quilt,” Dobberstein said. Gotthelf and Edna Hermann purchased 87 acres from Frank Biebelhausen in 1937. The land had a cheese factory on the southwest corner of the property close to the road, but there were no other buildings on the land. The cheese factory was later moved closer to the house, which was built in 1940. The cheese factory was used as a temporary barn until the present barn was finished. Gotthelf constructed a sawmill, which he used to saw all the logs into lumber for the barn and other buildings. The logs came from the wood lot that was part of the 87 acres. Edna Hermann’s father, John Boettcher, a carpenter, started building the barn in 1941 and completed it in 1947. The farm was a dairy operation until about 20 years ago when the Hermanns sold the cows. In the late 1960s, Don Dreier purchased farm land along the river with plans to develop the area. His was one of the first homes along the river. Some local Shawano residents have at times referred to Wolf River Road as The Gold Coast. It’s not a bad description, as it is one of the most scenic stretches along the river with more than 60 beautiful homes. It’s also great for fishing, boating, water skiing and for observing many species of birds. “I’m excited about what the future holds for this property and being part of the Shawano County barn quilt project,” Dobberstein said. The quilt was painted by the Shawano County barn quilt committee and was put on display by LeRoy and Keenan Raddant, both of whom work for Raddant Electric in Shawano.