The Alexian Brothers' Novitiate is a manor house located in Gresham, Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States.
[4] The home was a Georgian style mansion with a two-story stone portico, large windows, thirty-five rooms, servants' quarters, and a second story balcony overlooking Freeborn Falls on the Red River.
The structure had been built with the intention that it eventually be donated to the Brothers, as Frank Peters had formed a strong connection to them in his youth in Chicago.
They demanded that the Novitiate and property be turned over to the Menominee Reservation, claiming that federal law allowed them to retake the land once it was no longer used for religious purposes.
Local law enforcement cut off power to the novitiate, which resulted in pipes freezing, causing extensive damage to the property.
[10] Negotiations went nowhere in January, as the Brothers refused to hand over the deed except for a reasonable price and the Menominee Warrior Society demanded it be turned over free, as they felt it already belonged to them.
The surrounding woods and riverside allowed for both vigilantes and members of the warriors society to bypass the guard units, making security a difficult task .
[8] The presence of AIM also brought the actor and Native American rights advocate, Marlon Brando, to the scene to support the Warriors Society.
[13] Fearing that the incident would end like similar situations at Kent State and Attica Prison, the Brothers instead chose to sell the property to the Menominee Reservation for one dollar.