THE VILLA. at Camp St. Michael

Transcription

1 THE VILLA at Camp St Michael On the grounds of Camp St Michael, on Fish Lake in Wisconsin near the village of Hancock, about forty-five miles west of Oshkosh, there was a large Villa which served as a summer-time residence for the Camp Director, Chaplain, kitchen staff, and some of the counselors who weren t housed in the Sleepy Hollow dorm cabin with the campers During the remainder of the year, the Villa served as a get away place for members of the Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorian Priests and Brothers) and an occasional retreat spot for our smaller communities The Villa, along with the rest of the camp property, had originally been owned by Elmer Huckins, a wheeler-dealer from the late 1920's who ended up dying in federal prison after being convicted of masterminding swindling deals along with his son The Camp staff often told the campers made-up tales about Huckins being a gangster-wannabe who tried to align himself with Al Capone s crime syndicate in Chicago, and that Capone had often stayed in the Villa There is no documented evidence in our Archives, however, to suggest that Capone ever visited the Villa or that he even knew Huckins But the stories were fun anyway! That s all part of a summer camp experience! Below, you ll see the original real estate photos taken of the Villa and two newspaper articles about Camp St Michael The first article, from the Milwaukee Sentinel (October 1954) is about the sale of the property to the Salvatorians and some information about Elmer Huckins The second article (undated) is from the Hancock-Coloma News It is about the summer camp itself, again with some information about Huckins The camp closed and was sold in 1969 The large Persian rug you ll see in the living room photos is now part of the decor of our Salvatorian Sisters Archives in Milwaukee

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4 IMILWAUKEE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1954 Salvatorians Buy Huckins Big Estate t $65,000, was revealed when It Jerome said, and will have fa- County, and he also was p~ 1 was recorded with the Register cilitles for about 100 boys, There master and secretary of a loan of Deeds of Waushara County are a number of buildings on company He wasn't too succesi the px:operty, Including the big fulso he went to Chicago a " HELD 1ST MORTGAGE house built by Huckins in his tried seiling jewelry ;c;nd cas The Salvatorians purchased palmy days registers Then he w~nt to Cleve the property from Robert Baker The Salvatorians have begun land where he promoted a wheel ' of Hancock, Wis, son of the the work of painting and re_corporation That went banklate Ben B Baker, wealthy Him- furbishing buildings that need rupt cock lumberman, who had held it They plan to build a chapel NOT ORDINARY TYPE a first mortgage of $171,000 on and a dining room 'J the estate and took it over about Part of the estate was operit was 1923, when Hucklq 1930, after the Indictment of ated as a girls' camp for sev- was 57, hardly the age for e~~ Huckins and his son, George eral yeprs,during the Baker barking on new ventures ~t The boys' camp wiii start op~ ownership: ending in 1952 Some Huckins wasn't the, ordli:1ary erations next summer, Father of the residences on the proper- type Dlstingu!:shed In appeal"! ty have been occupied ance, affllble In manner, quickly )Jripressed 'people an 2 MILLION COLLARS won their liking -:' Huckins, the original owner of The "throw out" business 48 the handsome estate, must have dreamed up bec1!,me,a gold miw picked the pockets at: a host of The elder Huckins then was ablll small investors in 'Wisconsin, to build his dream manslon ~a Iowa and other neighboring Fish Lake, load it'with Oriep~~ states to the extent of at least rugs and equip it in the most ex- 2 mllilon dollars,accordlng to pen!;live and up-to-date mannel!: federal authorities He also had a suite a:t The Huckins' business ' opera- Shorecrest Hotel In Milwauk tlons were rather vague; not to and an apartment In Chlc, say veiled in mystery ' But the ins son, George, who ~~if J Investors didn't care Huckins a dull career behind a di was paying 26 to" 52 per cent counter in Cedar Rapids, -la: BC interest He didn't have to qillred a fleet of cars; a :$40,0Q9 solicit customers They came to home of his own an,d the Cedar him, begging for the chance to Rapids baseball franchise in (h ~ invest old Three-I League / ' The story was they hod a But the -blow finally fen; big deal with cigar manufactur~ Federal and state authorlth!sin ers for "seconds" or "throw 'Vis c onsin, IllinoiS, :!r:tlcblgan outs" and resold them to job- and lowa were investtiattng i1:l" bers at a huge profit No one 'arflung operations ~ otfa~r' bothered to check with the cigar and son!, manufacturers until the bubble Elmer finally was ctlarged in broke in 1929 and some inves- Federal Court In 1929 witn' tors got nervous as postal using the malls to defraud, but ' authorities bank examiners and the charges were dismissed when the press began to inq;jire into authorities were unable to find this fabulous business out the nature of the Huckins business NEVER Hl!:ARD OF HIM 15 YEAR SENTENCE " Actually, the cigar manufac After a series of court bat turers never heard of the "throw-out" deal and never tles, Elmer was finally -con heard of Huckins, so they testi victed and sentenced in 1935 to 15 years in Leavenworth pri fied later in court Apparently all Huckins had son and fined $10,000 He died done was use the old dodge of there after serving three y~ars, paying dividends or interest out of the term ot the capital invested by his George was tried three times dupes, many of whom were so He was convicted the first eager, to pile up riches they and then granted a retrial Bur sent even those dividend checks the jury disagreed and the third back for re-investment trial ended the same way: ;He BacKabout 1900, Elmer Huck died In jail at Anamosa, Ia,!n Huckins was dapper and unbowed when this picture wa!! i~s was running a crossroads 1932 while awaiting a fogr~ taken in 1933,just outside the waiting door of his cell grocery store at Pittsville, Wood trial He was 42 The quarter million dollar Fish Lake showplace built by Elmer Hucltins the Middle West's master swindler of the late '20's has been bought by the Salvatorians, the celebrated religious order at St Nazianz, Wis The 161-acre estate will be I used as a summer camp for boys from all over the state, and may possibly be used also as a novitiate, according to Father Jerome, the provincial of the order The sale for an estimated 1 sh ' time

5 THE HANCOCK-COLOMA NEWS, Sf Michael's Boys Camp LocafedonSife Once Owned by Fasf~Talking Specu/afor Hi\NCOCK -A camp for boys, facilities and excellent counseling The place was purchased in the quarter For a while he paid the' operated by the Salvatorian Fa During their stays at the camp mid 1920's by Elmer S Huckins, a fantastically high ' dividend rate,' Ihers of SI Nazianz Seminary, is \Joys lake part in riflery, archery, smooth talking speculator who had but only with money receive~ from ncaring the end o[ another busy hilndicraft, swimming, boating, grandiose dreams of accumulating subsequent inveslors season Hundr 'ds of bo'ys, ages 8 water skiing and overnight camr' a fortune and 'planned his country Inevitably the bubble burst, the to 18, many of Ihem from out of outs At least twice a week meals estate to he a filling home lor a business failed and creditors [ore sl ilt e, are not happy thaj Ihe sum- are served ouldoors befote a camp millionaire ' closed on the estate The mortgage IT'er sea,on is drawing 10 a ciosc fire lie chose an unlikely enterprise, holder took over the property, and <ls Ihe ('amp is a boy's version of Father Reginald, the camp di- but his persuasive talk attracted for- a number of years it was op' paradise re'ctor, is assisted by seminarians investors who put their money into erated as a riding academy Camp life' at SI Michael's, 10 who act as counselors In addition hfs business venture which consist- The Salvatorian Fathers ' finally cated on Fish LAke just east of some of the religious brothers from ed o[ buying lind selling cigar sec- bought the land, which runs along here', follows Ih ' pattern of many SI Nazianz Minor Seminary work orids both sides of County Trunk GG camps throughollt the country, but as cooks at the camp during the He became known as "52 per Many of the original buildings few others can compare to its summer cent Huckins" because he offered are used for camp purposes The be'alllirul setting, up to-dale (,CJuip- The camp site has an interesting, investors 52 per cent return on large barn, which Huckins had hlc'nl wine rnnge of recreational although somewhat shaded, past' th 'ir mon 'y - 13 per cent each hoped to fill with blooded horses, is now used as a dormitory One of the houses is used as an office, and quarters for camp supervisors and a smaller barn serve asstorage space Other buildings have hl'en added Among them are a kitchen and dining hall and chapel The mansion, which reportedly cost well over $100,000 and W<l~ This mansion on the shores of Fish lake near Hancock was built by a "wheeler dealer" dur Ing the 1920's, but is now used,las II summer rest home for religious brothers whose order operales St Michael's camp The multi roomed HOUSE WITH A PASt "" ~ i:":t, -::;;;: < i ~~ IJ j, ~d:iiii1 ~l ' "1111, 11' '11 itol : i ; I, ~,' ,t",,~ r c:' ; JIIIIII I ~ " ' ---:!-_ - house with its numerous French doors, lind windows, huge open staircases, richly carved woodwork and luxurious bathrooms reportedly cost well over $100,000 (Northwestern Berlin Bureau photos) -'l, ~ ", ' :! occupied by Huckins dllring the great days before the hig crash is u,ed by religions brothers as a summer rest home Gay Trappings StAY The house is sparsely 'furnished now, but many of the trappings of a gayer day remain French do~r5 and wliidows surround the entire! building liuge open st<lirca~es le<ld llway from spacious pllrlors and drawing rooms with their carved stone fireplaces and chipped open beams stllined to a rich brown The home and il~ furnishings were truly "ahead of their time" Allhough well over 30 years old, I :~ the house has huill-in refrigerators, 1 Liled baths and indirect lighting ; Many of the walls are inlaid with e:,pensive and intricate mosaics : and an elaborate system of bells i and lights are in perfect working 1 order In this sybllritic atmo<phere the religious brothers relax Cl1ring I their few weeks of S1I11111H'r vaca- 1 tion These men, who have taken ~ the vow of poverty and perform menial task at lht: seminary wear ( plain cotton clothing as they lounge ( about the building, sit in the sun on the purches or nap on their plain ( cots The incongruity Is astonish r ing,