Mazomanie in Dane County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

John F. Appleby

Photographed By Keith L, May 5, 2009

1. John F. Appleby Marker

Inscription. It was here at Mazomanie in the late 1870's that John F. Appleby perfected the knotter. Still used on binders and balers, the knotter is a mechanical device which binds grain into compact bundles with twine.

Appleby was born in New York State but spent his boyhood in Walworth County, Wis. In his youth he was intrigued by his mother's nimble fingers tying knots as she worked at a spinning wheel. Thus inspired Appleby carved from wood his first "bird-bill" knotting device.

Following service in the Civil War Appleby moved to Mazomanie where he perfected the knotter in his brother-in-law's machine shop. He tested and proved his invention in a grain field adjacent to the village. At the time Mazomanie was a prosperous farm trade center, boasting a knitting mill, brewery, foundry, machine shop, and flour mill.

Appleby's knotter was a major landmark in the mechanization of agriculture. It sped development of America's western wheat empire and of the farm implement dynasties which have made American agriculture the world's most productive.

Erected 1970 by the Dane County Historical Society. (Marker Number 12.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture. In addition, it

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is included in the Wisconsin, Dane County Historical Society series list.

Location. 43° 10.497′ N, 89° 47.659′ W. Marker is in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, in Dane County. Marker is on Brodhead Street north of West Exchange Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is next to the Mazomanie Historical Society Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 118 Brodhead Street, Mazomanie WI 53560, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mazomanie Electric Power Plant (within shouting distance of this marker); Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Mazomanie (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Flag on the Bluff (about 300 feet away); The Branch Line (about 400 feet away); The Mazomanie Depot (about 400 feet away); The Railroad in Mazomanie (about 400 feet away); The Mazomanie Downtown Historic District (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mazomanie.

Also see . . . They Passed This Way. "Enlisted in 1862 in the Twenty-third Wisconsin regiment, and served until honorably discharged July 4th, 1865, at Mobile, Alabama. During his term of service he invented the repeating magazine fire-arm, while at the

Photographed By Keith L, May 5, 2009

2. John F. Appleby Marker

siege of Vicksburg, which he sold to Thomas W. Lane of Boston, Massachusetts." (Submitted on June 25, 2009.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,887 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 25, 2009, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.