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Main street after the fire of 1909. (Picture on cover shows same street before the fire).
runs a sawmill and cheese box factory. General Merchandise stores are op-
erated by Groelle and Hamann Christensen, and L. H. Weyers. Perschke and
Cutts keep the Hardware; August Weide, the Meat Market. C. Voght and Son sell
machinery and Linskog and Jarvis are the blacksmiths. Harness and Leather
Works are owned by Phil. Klein. Chris Nelson is the operator of the Nelson
Hotel and another is operated by William Glaman. There is also a creamery
and cheese factory operated by Otto Rhodes. Dr. J. H. Clark is the physician
and surgeon; also has a drugstore. E. L. Messer is the Postmaster; also owns
and edits the Marathon County Register. The Unity State Bank is also on this
side of the village with the following oficers; president, C. E. Blodgett; vice-
president, ,b. Hamann; cashier  S. J. Falck, who with J. H. Clark and L. H.
Weyers constitute the board of directors."
The article continues, "on the Clark County side are the following: William
Creed, general merchandise; Feed Store which handles farm produce; Hardware
Store, owned by W. E. Morgan; furniture, J. Kuehnau; wood lime, and farm pro-
ducts operated by J. Koch; Win. Laabs operates a hotel; J. P. Johnson is a wagon
maker; a livery stable by Frank Jarvis. Van Misener is the barber of the village.
Unity has an excellent school building; new, modern, and sanitary as good
as any in the county. It is a high school with a full four-year course with three
lower departments. The principal is 0. L. Stinson and his assistant is Jessie
Swan. There are three churches: the Methodist, Scandinavian Lutheran, and Christ
Disciple."
In February of 1917 we experienced another fire. This started south of the
Post Office, destroyed the Drugstore, the building housing the Clark County Tele-
phone Exchange and Millinery Store, and two dwellings. Once again the people
united to help clear away the rubble.
As time went by the village entered into a state of general decline. The
mills closed, business activities decreased. Fires had destroyed many which were
not rebuilt. Older men retired as their products and services were no longer
needed because of progress in the scientific field. Our failure to attract industrial
development has been our greatest setback. Gradually the people left to seek
employment elsewhere. For many years we have been known as a "retirement
town".