Simon Augustus Sherman was a carpenter and joiner by trade. Born in Westboro, Mass., in 1824, he emigrated West to Portage County, Wisconsin, as a young bachelor of 24. Settling on lands at the junction of the Plover and Wisconsin Rivers, Sherman erected a planing mill which he operated while following his carpenter trade. He built the first building north of the Fox River to be painted, plastered, and finished. The first frame house in the “Indian Lands” was also constructed by Sherman. During his lifetime he developed his own planing machine and shingle making machine and once built a model of a portable breastworks for use in the Civil War. His sons, Clarence and Eugene, both developed several inventions with the aid of their father, and obtained numerous patents. In later years Sherman's pine lands were so extensive that he was considered one of the richest men in Portage County.
Obituaries of Simon Augustus Sherman are to be found in the Stevens Point Journal for December 29, 1906 and January 5, 1907.
