Town of Holland
Brown County, Wisconsin
An Irish Catholic immigrant community founded by settlers from County Limerick, Ireland
The community of Askeaton was founded by Irish Catholic immigrants who landed in New York in 1849 and later moved west to purchase land in the Town of Holland. The settlers named their new community Askeaton after their hometown in County Limerick, Ireland.
The first Catholic Masses were held in the homes of two of the town's earliest settlers, Maurice Summers and Maurice Meehan, with Father J. Van Luytelaar from St. Francis Parish in Hollandtown presiding. The first church, a log cabin, was built in 1858 and expanded in 1879. The church that stands today on St. Pat's Road in Askeaton was built in 1908 and is now part of St. Clare Parish.
A small log school was built in 1858, about a mile from St. Patrick's Church, to educate the growing number of children in the community. In 1859, a new log schoolhouse was constructed across the road from the current church and was replaced by a brick building in 1890. Another school was built next door to St. Patrick's Church in 1916 and served the upper grades, while the older school continued to house first and second grades. In 1963, Joint School District #2, Askeaton, was absorbed into the Wrightstown School District. In more recent years, the schoolhouse was used for religious education and storage.
Today, Askeaton is home to a small community that includes some descendants of the original settlers.
Askeaton's history is embedded in church records, family genealogies, and the rhythms of agricultural life. The Town of Holland Area Historical Society is gathering photographs, documents, and oral histories that reflect Askeaton's unique heritage, and we welcome contributions from anyone with roots in the community.
Sources: Askeaton From the Old Sod to the New by John F. Hart; “End of the line for old Askeaton School,” Brillion News Vol. 124, No. 50, by Emily M. Rotzenberg.
The families who founded Askeaton had fled the Great Famine in Ireland. After arriving in New York, they worked on railroads and in shipyards along the East Coast, saving enough to travel west in search of farmland.1 They made their way via the Great Lakes to Green Bay, then south to the Wrightstown area, where they found available land in what was then a vast expanse of virgin timber.2
The town they left behind in County Limerick was a small village with roots reaching back centuries, home to the ruins of a medieval castle and a Franciscan abbey founded in 1389.3 Among the founding families of the new Askeaton were the Bricks, Burns, Carrolls, Clearys, Foxes, Harts, Meehans, McQueens, Powers, Setrights, Sheehans, Summers, and Walls.4 For much of its history, the community was also known as “East Holland,” while Hollandtown was called “West Holland.”
The old Town Hall for the Town of Holland sits at the intersection of County Z and St. Pat’s Church Road in Askeaton. The building currently sits empty, and the Town of Holland Area Historical Society intends to establish its home there. The current Town Hall, built in recent years, is located at Holland Road and Highway 57.
This page is a work in progress. The Town of Holland Area Historical Society is actively researching and expanding the historical record for all three of our communities. If you have photographs, documents, stories, or other materials related to Askeaton’s history, we would love to hear from you.
More detailed content, primary source documents, and archival materials are available to members through our digital archive. Creating an account is free.