Christoph & Johanna Zacher Farmstead
Location: about 800 W. Ryan Road
Oak Creek, WI
Established: 1851
Christoph and Johanna Zacher left Ehrfurt, Prussia, which is now Germany, in 1851. They were in their early 30’s when they left for the United States. The ship manifest from Castle Garden, New York shows they arrived in New York on May 9, 1851. They traveled on the ship named, Minna. Traveling with them were their three children; Henriette, Andreas, and Ludwig. On May 27, 1851 the family purchased an existing 10 acre farm on the southeast corner of 27th Street and Ryan Rd. in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Shortly after their arrival in Oak Creek, another son, Christian Zacher was born, followed later by another son, Oscar. In total they had nine children. The 1860 and 1870 United States Federal Census lists Christoph Zacher’s occupation as a blacksmith and farmer. In the early 1860's, the family moved to a 40 acre farm on the southeast corner of Howell Avenue and Ryan Road. In May 1864, they purchased an additional 20 acres of land located just west of the current Oak Creek Police Station on Ryan Road.
Family lore includes a story that Christian Zacher saved a man and his horse-drawn wagon from plunging into a river. The horse was startled and Christian quickly grabbed the reins to save them from a disastrous outcome. The horse and wagon were pulled back onto the road by the swift actions of Christian and the wagon driver. In the process of getting the horse under control, Christian’s arm was seriously injured. His arm was wired extensively to repair the damage. He was no match for the power of a panicked horse. He later had to find a different line of work because he could no longer work at his current occupation with the disabled arm.
Oscar Zacher, married Emma Sophia Studer, the daughter of Henry Studer, the proprietor of Studer’s store which was a combination saloon, dry goods store, grocery, post-office and dance hall at 812 Oakwood Road. The Studer building is now well known in the area as the Cellar Restaurant and Tavern.
Attribution: Shirley (Larson) Priebe and Diane (Priebe) Schumacher
Photo Indentification: Four Generations of the Zacher Family
Left to right, Christian Zacher (born in 1851); Lillian (Zacher) Larson (born in 1878); Lucille (Larson) Bierbach (born in 1901), Johanna Zacher (born in 1822)
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