Plain, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plain, Wisconsin
Village
Looking south at Plain on Wisconsin Highway 23
Location of Plain in Sauk County, Wisconsin.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Sauk
Area
• Total	0.83 sq mi (2.16 km2)
• Land	0.83 sq mi (2.16 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	810 ft (247 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	773
• Estimate  (2019)	766
• Density	919.57/sq mi (355.14/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55-63125
GNIS feature ID	1571574

Plain is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 773 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Plain is located at 43°16′39″N 90°2′40″W / 43.27750°N 90.04444°W / 43.27750; -90.04444 (43.277580, -90.044563).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.83 square miles (2.15 km²), all of it land.

History

The village of Plain is located on Wisconsin Highway 23 in the Town of Franklin. The area of Plain was originally known as Cramer's Corners because Solomon, John, and Adam Cramer owned the land after moving there from Richland County, Ohio (previously from Pennsylvania). The Cramers are listed as land owners in an 1857 Town of Franklin map. (This Cramer family should not be confused with the Kraemer [Krämer] family from Irlach, Bavaria, Germany, who settled in Plain, Wisconsin, in 1867.) Several rough buildings were erected and the area acquired the nickname of Logtown. A post office was established at Plain in 1860, and Plain formally became a village in 1912.

The origin of the village's name is widely rumored to have been selected as an homage to the Shrine of the Virgin Mary at Maria Plain, in Salzburg, Austria. There are, however, no known documents, newspaper articles or books of the time to support this claim, and writings of the time indicate a less colorful origin: In the book Baraboo and Other Place Names in Sauk County, Wisconsin (written in 1912, the same year that Plain was incorporated) it says of Plain that it was "called Plain because the inhabitants were plain people." In a September 23, 1915 letter in the local newspaper, the Weekly Home News, a subscriber wrote of his desire to have Plain re-christened, as the town had expanded and improved so much over the past three years that it had outgrown the "plain"ness of its name. In the letter, the author wrote: "Within a few weeks very strong efforts will be made at proper headquarters to have the name of Plain changed, as that name does not agree with the rushing strides our burg is making. First of all there is no meaning to the word Plain, as it is an adjective; we must have at least a noun and why not put a "ville" or "city" to it."

Demographics

2010 census

St. Luke's Catholic Church

As of the census of 2010, there were 773 people, 321 households, and 224 families living in the village. The population density was 931.3 inhabitants per square mile (359.6/km²). There were 358 housing units at an average density of 431.3 per square mile (166.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.2% White, 0.1% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 321 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the village was 40.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

Festivals

In Plain there is an annual St. Luke's Parish Festival and a Plain Fire and EMS 3-day celebration during the summer. The St.Luke's Parish Festival lasts three days (Friday-Sunday). The Plain Fire and EMS celebration, sponsored by the Fire Department and EMS service, includes fireworks on Saturday night, kickball, baseball, and fun activities for the kids.

Notable people

• Rev. Johann (John) Laurer was pastor of St. Luke's Catholic Church in Plain from June 1896 to August 1907. He is credited with writing Geschichte der kath. Gemeinde des hl. Lukas zu Plain, Wis. (History of St. Luke's Catholic Parish, Plain, Wisconsin) before leaving for the parish of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Spring Green, Wisconsin in August 1907. The history was handwritten in three separate booklets, one booklet was 68-pages. This version was transcribed from German script and translated to English. Laurer was born on September 10, 1861, in Osterhofen, Bavaria, Germany. He died on February 21, 1922, at St. Joseph Hospital in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
• Hildegarde Thering (1903-1988), was author of A History of Plain, Wisconsin in 1982, and was postmaster at Plain for 31 years.
• Sister Rose Thering, of the Racine Dominican Sisters, who was a professor of Catholic-Jewish dialogue at Seton Hall University, was born in Plain in 1920. A film about Sister Rose's life was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short "Sister Rose's Passion"

Images for kids

• 

  Octagon Barn and owner's mailbox near Plain, Wisconsin

• 

  Looking east at the residential area of Plain

See also

In Spanish: Plain (Wisconsin) para niños