Oregon Area Historical Society

The Wounded Vet Who Guided our Community
by Luke Heiar

I am sure you have seen the name Netherwood around town. Most notably an elementary school (Netherwood Knoll) and an east/west road on the north side of the village. And if you are like me, you probably assumed this was one of those generic names often laid upon the suburbs, like Wildwood or Timber Ridge. What you might be surprised to learn is that Netherwood is named after a man who not only lived an extraordinary life, but also contributed enough to our community that it’s a wonder they didn’t re-name the whole village after him.

Charles William (C.W.) Netherwood was born in Watervliet, NY in 1843. His parents, Joseph and Emma, moved to the US from England right after their marriage in 1842, without much to their name. Joseph learned the trade of wool manufacturing and became an expert in the booming textile industry, helping to start up new factories along the Hudson river. Meanwhile Charles received intermittent education until he was the ripe age of 10, after which he took a job in a factory.

Like many others at the time, Joseph wanted to take advantage of the new opportunities being created out west. He saved up enough to buy 80 acres of land in the southwest corner of the Town of Oregon in 1856. The property was located just south of where Hillcrest Ln currently meets Bellbrook Rd. There Charles worked driving cattle, a legit cowboy, while getting educated at a local school as well as at a seminary in Evansville. 

In April of 1861 the Civil War broke out. In August of 1862, at the age of 19, Charles enrolled as a private in the Wisconsin 23rd Volunteer Infantry. He and a regiment of about 1,000 young men traveled from Camp Randall through Ohio, Kentucky, & Tennessee, defending and fighting along the way. By winter, his regiment was so burnt out from disease and battle that only ¼ of the men could even hold a musket. 

In spring of 1863 Charles found himself in western Mississippi fighting to take over the last Confederate stronghold on the river: Vicksburg. On May 16th, During the pivotal battle of Champion Hill, Charles got hit in the head with a piece of iron tossed from an unusual Confederate shell (more on that later). This left him in a condition where he could hear perfectly fine, however, could not move a muscle in his body. Other soldiers assumed he was dead. Some came to pay their last respects and laid his arms in the crossed “burial” position. After about an hour and a half, he mustered up the strength to move his little finger. “Migod! Charley’s Alive!!” yelled one of his companions. There was not much time for recovery. The very next day he found himself in the Battle of Black River Bridge, not as a combatant, but in the front lines none-the-less.

By May 22nd, 6 days after he was knocked numb by shrapnel, Charles was fighting again in the final siege of Vicksburg. It was here that he not only took a bullet to the shoulder, but also a cannonball to the face. This time, he had to go to the hospital. The damage was severe enough that on June 4th, he was sent up to Memphis to have ½ of his lower jaw removed. In extreme pain and unable to eat solid food, he was sent home in September. 

Back at Camp Randall, the local surgeon thought he was in good enough shape and sent him south again, back to the front lines. Fortunately for Charles, the field surgeons thought differently and suggested he be discharged. Which he was, honorably, in November, 1863 with the rank of Corporal.

All of that makes for a great story and there is no doubt that Charles Netherwood earns a place in our history for risking his life and donating some teeth to preserve our union. What he did after his service is why we name roads and schools after him.

Charles was able to cover up his deformed jaw by growing his now iconic beard, however the bullet to the shoulder left his arm in poor shape. He attended the University of Wisconsin for a short time but found it hard to find work as a disabled vet. He tried to carry on his father’s tradition as a farmer, but that proved to be too laborious for his condition, so he worked a series of office jobs and even made brooms for a while.

He married his first wife, Eva Bedford in 1866 who sadly passed away a year later. The next year he married a fellow New York native and widow, Lucy Gilbert. Her previous husband was killed in one of the final battles of the Civil War. She brought with her a daughter, Addie.

Seeing potential in Oregon, Charley commissioned the construction of a 2-story building named Netherwood Hall at the corner of N. Main St & Jefferson in 1868; today a green space with a little walking path and a bronze horse statue.

It was during this time that Charley started to dedicate himself to public service. He became village treasurer and sat on the township’s board of education. In 1869, at the age of 26 he was hired as the local PostMaster, a job he held until 1893.

On July 4th, 1873, 5 years after its construction Netherwood Hall burned down. I speculate fireworks, but there is no evidence behind this. A new Hall was built in its place that same year.

In 1883, with a population of 581, the Village of Oregon became incorporated. Netherwood was elected Village President the following year. A political “unicorn”, Charles was a strong supporter of both education and business. During his 21 years as village president he had quite a few milestones:

• 1891. Encouraged Badger Cycle Company to build a factory just south of where Janesville & Spring St meet (currently Badger Auto). While this was being constructed, they hit a natural spring. A few years later a pump was installed and running water was provided to much of downtown.
• 1894. Organized the Village’s first Fire Department
• 1895. Built the first high school
• 1898. Had streetlights installed downtown
• 1899. Had the pump house & our iconic water tower built next to the Badger Cycle building
• 1901. Telephone systems added to the village
• 1901-1903. Took a leave from President to move to Washington DC and serve as a clerk in the US Senate.
• 1904. First band concerts held in Triangle Park. Still going on today.
• 1906. Businesses were complaining about all of the horses tied up downtown, so Charles had the village purchase a strip of land just north of the business district and named it “Hitching Park” which is still there today, however, now designed for cars rather than horses. 
• 1908. Led the way for the first library
• 1911. Promoted the first automobile shop

Sure, Oregon would have ended up with most of these items eventually, but it always takes that adventurous individual at the top to make it happen, and C.W. Netherwood was he.

In 1898 Netherwood Hall burned down again. Not one to be discouraged by setbacks, Charles rebuilt and dubbed the building “The Phoenix”. This time his investment worked out and The Phoenix stood until 1988 when it was raised and turned into the green space you see today.

Netherwood was an active Republican. He started the career of Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette by encouraging him to run for Dane County District Attorney. Bob went on to become a US Senator, US Representative, Wisconsin Governor and founder of the Progressive Political Party. The La Follette family thanked Charles by having him escort Bob’s son, Philip, to his Gubernatorial inauguration in 1935.

By 1927, Charles was among the last living civil war veterans. A traveling historian and former Confederate soldier named James Thornby made his way to Oregon to interview him. After some initial, and expected, animosity, James declared that he has been “From the bottoms of {his} feet” a lifelong Republican, however, fighting for the south was the only viable option for him at that time. As their conversation went on, Charles recalled getting knocked out by a “peculiar” shell at Champion Hill in 1863. James knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“I made those shells and fired every shot at Champion’s Hill from the battery that day.” he said. 

“What! Then you fired the shot that caused me 64 years of pain.” Charlie replied.

“I fired it. I am sorry that you were wounded” Thornby admitted.

The two veterans carried on their conversation until the early morning. As it turns out, the Confederate army was low on ammo, so they were taking whatever they could find to load the cannons with. The shell that hit Charles was likely made from bits of locomotive parts.

A lifelong teetotaler and supporter of prohibition, Charles stayed in good health well into his later years. He celebrated his 85th birthday by hiking 12 miles to Madison. When asked if he was tired after his journey, he danced a jig. He made a similar trip on his 90th. When he hit 94 he was recognized as the oldest FreeMason in the entire state, offering 73 years of service to the organization.

Every small town needs that neatly dressed, friendly old man who sits on his porch and waves at the school children as they walk by, and that was Charlie’s final role in Oregon. Hearing loss removed Netherwood from much of his active public life, however he was still a well recognized & very well respected member of the community up until his final days. Charles William Netherwood died on July 4th, 1938 at the age of 95. He lived a life of service and inspirational resilience that deserves to be passed on for generations to admire. If you would like to learn more about Charles Netherwood, visit our local History Museum on Market St.