Smith Park's Olden Days

July 31, 1965 Neenah-Menasha Northwestern

 

This 1965 article extensively describes the area of Doty Island surrounding present-day Smith Park in honor of its then-68th anniversary.  In another article, the Post-Crescent reported that a display with period automobiles was among the 60 or so exhibits scheduled for a festival to illustrate the era when the park was dedicated. 





Music Box Associates

November 10, 1959 Appleton Post-Crescent

 

This is another in my long running series of those self-serving newspaper stories that were never news (unless it's "news" to report on the latest merchandise brought in), but mostly advertising.  If nothing else, it gives us a sense of what businesses came and went (some faster than others) in Menasha and reflects sometimes, the social mores of the times. 

 

Personally, I do not recall this business at all and the name is intriguing for an appliance dealer.  That alone made it of interest to me. 

Banta Picnic

July 15, 1960 Appleton Post-Crescent

I can only speak from personal experience but one of the highlights of the summer for me growing up, was always the Banta picnic.  As a child of a life-long Banta employee, I thought I had the proverbial keys to the kingdom, though I know other kids had company or office picnics to attend and I'm sure theirs were just as good,.  Wish I had some festive photos to illustrate my point. 

John and Me

 

 

I'm putting this blog on hiatus through the end of this week to honor a son of Menasha- a 1960 graduate of St. Mary's, a 30-year US Air Force veteran, and my beloved oldest brother- John Galassie. 

 

John, or Jack, as he was later known, passed away on December 20th of last year.  It was his wish to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  Due to the many services requested for other veterans, scheduling at Arlington had became quite backlogged.  As a result, his service was not available for seven months until this week.  His service is tomorrow at 11:00. 

 

As shown in the photograph above, you can see the huge age difference between the two of us- over 15 years in fact, but we spent our lifetimes erasing what distances there were between us, both geographically and socially. 

 

Jack left home after high school graduation in 1960 when I was three years old and as a boy, he was my hero, who'd come home from, what were to me, exotic places, in his resplendent blue uniform.  At the height of my GI Joe obsession, he was my very own lifelike model.  As he progressed through the ranks, I was the lucky recipient of his castoff stripes and I wore them proudly. 

 

When I was a young man, he became my mentor and as a result of his influence, I entertained ROTC as a means to finance college and eventually donned a uniform myself, though it was Army green.  Unlike his long career, my tenure as a soldier was brief, only five years.

 

As I matured, he was always there for me, though we might be separated by many, many miles.  But he was never far from my heart.  With the advent of email and the internet, keeping in contact became even easier.  Our adult years were a constant barrage of electronic communications for the distances had become too great and our paths didn't physically cross that often anymore. 

 

Sadly, to my chagrin and everlasting regret, when he passed, I had not seen him since January of 2008 when our mother passed away.  I am so thankful for the time we did spend together in her final weeks. 

 

So, here's to you, Jack.  You were my first hero and undoubtedly, my finest.  Godspeed, Big Brother. 

 

Fifth Annual Prospector Days

July 23, 1964 Appleton Post-Crescent

Readers of this blog will recall how fond I am (and was) of the Prospector Days celebrations we used to have in the Twin Cities.  I posted on it last year and touched on it a little bit in last week's post entitled "City of Opportunity." 

So, in keeping with that, I offer up a more extensive offering to get your mind to thinking of way back then, plus a few other news items.   

W.P. Hewitt

 

W.P. Hewitt

 

W.P. Hewitt was engaged as a manufacturer of wool in Menasha since 1867 as a junior member of the firm of Chapman and Hewitt. Later, he organized the firm of W.P. Hewitt and Company of which he was president until 1906 when it merged with the Menasha Mill Company. Hewitt also served as president of the Bank of Menasha from 1897 until his death in March of 1907 at age 58.

 

 

In this iconic early view of the Tayco Street Bridge, you can see the prominent Menasha Woolen Mills at what will become later the corner of Tayco and River Streets.  To the left in the background is St. Patrick's. 

City of Opportunity

July 24, 1963 Neenah-Menasha Northwestern

 

This edition of the paper, filled with advertising for Prospector Days, used that event to look back upon Menasha 50 years ago.  Citing a 1913 promotional booklet used to entice new business to the city, the news was, understandably, all good. 

More importantly, can I still get some of those clam diggers priced so affordably at $2.88?!

Happy Weekend! 

Elks Lodge

In another of our continuing series of buildings that don't exist anymore- the Elks Lodge 676 on Mill Street, back before the builiding of the marina and the housing units. 

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) 676 was formed in Menasha in 1901 and after this site was demolished, moved its headquarters to Nicolet Boulevard near Seton Middle School. 

Tayco Street

from P. V. Lawson's History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People.  C.F. Cooper and Company, Chicago, 1908.

We all know that many of the north-south streets in Menasha north of the Fox River are named after cities in Wisconsin:  Green Bay, Manitowoc, DePere, Appleton, Racine, Milwaukee.  But Tayco?  The above extract from P.V. Lawson's excellent history of Winnebago County sheds some light on where the Tayco Street name came from. 

Stooges Protest

 

November 10, 1959 Appleton Post-Crescent

 

Many of the TV sets in America looked like the one featured in the accompanying ad when this protest was about to be set in motion in 1959.  Everything's relative, so it's easy, in retrospect, to think such an action taken almost 55 years ago was innocent and perhaps a bit frivolous, considering how societal norms and threats to young people have changed. 

 

At this juncture, the '60's hadn't even come yet, rife with drug woes and disrespect of authority and civil unrest.  The "Generation Gap" about to occur gave America's parents a lot bigger things to worry about than a clunk on the head. 

Konemac Street

October 13, 1931 Milwaukee Journal

 

Here's a news item to file under "fanciful" or "urban legend."  While the naming of a street for a famous baseball manager made for great copy during the 1931 World Series when baseball was still America's pastime, it doesn't add up. 

 

I have an old map of the Twin Cities dating back to 1878, well before Connie Mack's first forays into professional baseball as a player in 1886 and the street name was the same, though it was spelled then as "Konemak."  If I had to guess, I'd say it was an Indian word and later evolved to its present form, for whatever reason.  Perhaps the final "c" replaced the "k" to somehow make this story fit better along the way, or perhaps the map maker was just careless and it was never changed back.  (I have another map from 1907 and the street is spelled as "Konemac" then.  

 

It makes a nice story though.

Safety Winners

 

July 12, 1967 Twin City News-Record

 

The policeman stopped his car right in front of my house that summer morning.  I was scared to death when he pulled up behind and stopped me.  But then I was so proud when I received my prize, the first thing I'd ever won- movie tickets for myself and my parents to any movie showing at the Brin or the Neenah Theater.  Evidently, I had used the proper hand signals on my Schwinn Stingray and proved to him that I did know a little something about bike safety.

Despite my parents' urging that we wait for some kid-oriented fare to arrive in town, the movie I picked was Up the Down Staircase at the Neenah, a "juvenile delinquents in an inner city high school" type of film so popular then, one with social issues, etc.  Those tickets were just burning a hole in my pocket and I knew if I didn't use them sooner than later, my 10 year old self would just bust.  You know how kids are.   

My parents begrudgingly went along with my choice but I don't remember being that pleased with it myself when all was said and done. (They were teaching me a lesson, although I didn't see that until later.)  It had to have made for a more enjoyable experience for my folks though.  Still, I hope Bonnie had more sense and waited until later in that year for Doctor Dolittle or The Jungle Book to come out!

Our Bustling City Center

This shot is almost identical to the header photograph to this blog, which was attributed to be circa 1958.  Some of the signage has changed in the background- particularly the stores to the east of Schultz Brothers and the big bold letters on Tuchscherers' corner are missing as well- so this might be earlier than that photograph. 

Wooden Ware Office Staff

 

Members of the corporate staff pose in front of the old office building shortly before it was closed in 1967 and the offices moved to Neenah.  Left to right are Tad Shepard, Dick Johnson, Rae Peppler, Joe Jankowski, Jan Smith, Nancy Linsmire, Lucile Miller, Phyllis Bender, Pan Zenefski, Audrey Schultz, Ray Golden, Len MacKenzie, Dorothy Britzke, John Dombeck, Mac McCarragher, Mowry Smith, Jr., Dorothy Anderson, and Neal Jack.

95 Years Ago

 

July 3, 1918 Oshkosh Northwestern

 

Patriotism ran high 95 years ago in the midst of World War I.  The news reports the recognition of St. Mary's parishioners who'd entered military service as well as a decision that still holds today- the renaming of Berlin Street to Paris Street.  Anti-German sentiment ran high, with U.S. involvement in the war.

 

In keeping with this mindset, on a personal note, my grandfather, an American citizen of German/Austrian extraction since August of 1906, was nevertheless required to carry around identity documents with him for the duration of the war.  I often wonder how he felt about having to do this.  Did he feel this was the cost of his being a part of this country?  Did he feel betrayed?  Compared to what Japanese-Americans went through during World War II with relocation camps, etc., this was minor, I know.  No political statement here- just a recitation of the facts. 

 

 

 



Scott Building

Another view of the Scott building.  When I was a young boy, I seem to remember that Shell station behind the building as being a Sinclair station, if I recall correctly.  Dinosaurs and all.  Who could forget DIno Power to fuel those big cars parked out front?!   

City Square - Happy Independence Day!

A lot has changed for the ol' Menasha square over the years.  It's now developed its own identity as Curtis Reed Square and is the focal point for many community events, to include an annual New Year's Eve gathering and is a Community Fest venue for bands and food vendors and the like. 

As I take a hiatus from this blog to celebrate the Fourth with my family, my best to you and yours for a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.  See you Monday!

538 Broad Street

 

At one time Menasha had three commercial districts: at the intersections of Broad and Appleton, Main and Mill, and Main and Tayco. 

Commercial activities at Broad and Appleton developed as a result of the boat landing and plank roads that led from that spot as a point of transshipment.  With the completion of rail connections in 1861, this area declined in commercial significance leaving only a few reminders of its former importance. 

This building west of the intersection of Broad and Appleton Streets dates back to 1884, when it was first used as a grocery store and saloon.   By 1910, it was home to Emmet Lindau's photography studio and by 1920, it had been subdivided into apartments.  

 

Tuk-Cher's

 

I've long wondered if the changing of the name outside of Tuchscherer's in the 70's was a clever marketing move by the owners.  It would perhaps fix the nearly a century-long confusion by the public in spelling the name correctly.  Or were they just resigned by the dumbing down of America in general, and figured, if you can't beat them, join them.  

 

I worked at J.C. Penney during my high school and college years.  To this day I still see too many people spelling it as "Penny's" and I see it in print that way too often.  It drives me nuts.  Being a stickler for correct grammar and spelling, I can definitely see the Tuchscherers' point. 

 

Aside from that, this cool building was a prime example of what architects call "art moderne," a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s. It emphasized curving forms and long horizontal lines. Sharp angles were replaced with simple, aerodynamic curves. Exotic woods and stone were replaced with cement and glass and unnecessary ornamentation was a thing of the past. 

 

Although this building is gone now, a similar type structure in the city which still exists is the old Gear Dairy on 1st Street.