Broad Street Changes - 1962

February 18, 1962 Appleton Post-Crescent

 

We have seen recent blog entries highlight the construction of a new Germania Hall in 1963, the historic grocery of John Schriebeis from the 1880's and the building of the Riverside Clinic in 1957, all on Broad Street.  Here is yet another entry about Broad Street. 

 

This article showcases efforts to transform Broad Street into a business and commercial zone, one of the many efforts over the years to stimulate business in the downtown area.  As with the article, research supports the idea that at one time in the 1800's, the intersection of Appleton and Broad Streets was the nucleus of what could have become a third commercial district, after Main Street and the Tayco Street Bridge area, perhaps even becoming the dominant area.  The two taverns and former grocery remaining at that intersection bear witness to that effort.  And, to add even more emphasis to this contention, remember that the US Government Land Office had been relocated from Green Bay in the 1850s to a location on Broad Street to regulate the sale of public land bought from the Indians. 

Today, the remnants of this 1962 effort to bolster Broad Street seem to be the absent homes that once bordered the rear of Main Street businesses, sacrificed for parking. 

Riverside Clinic

The clinic building to the left opened in late 1957 as Medical Associates with office space for ten doctors.  Later it became known as Riverside Clinic.   The building on the right was completed in 1968 as an addition to the clinic and had office space for nine more physicians.  In 1974, the McClone Insurance Agency took over the original building when Riverside Clinic and Twin City Clinic in Neenah merged to form the Nicolet Clinic.  This was the forerunner of today's Affinity Medical Group.  

Ah...!

Appleton Post-Crescent, April 1953

 

 

Wisconsin Rapids Tribune March 13, 1953

 

Featured today, a couple of Gem Beer ads from 1953.  The brewery in Menasha would last another three years, closing in 1956, while other Walter Brothers breweries in the state, and one in Colorado, would continue into the '70s and beyond. 

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Entry

Menasha

MENASHA (an Indian word meaning "thorn" or "island"), a city of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, U.S.A., 88 m. N. of Milwaukee, and 14 m. N. of Oshkosh, attractively situated at the N. extremity of Lake Winnebago at its outlet into the Fox River. Pop. (1890), 4581; (1900), 5589 (1535 foreign-born); (1905, state census), 5960; (1910), 6061. Menasha is served by the Minneapolis, St Paul & Sault Ste Marie, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul, and the Chicago & North Western Railways, and by an inter-urban electric railway system. Several bridges across the Fox River connect Menasha with Neenah, with which it really forms one community industrially. Doty Island, at the mouth of the river and divided about equally between the cities, is a picturesque and popular summer resort.

Menasha had good water power and among its manufactures are paper and sulphite pulp, lumber, wooden-ware and cooperage products, woollen and knit goods, leather, boats and bricks. The first white man to visit the site of Menasha was probably Jean Nicolet, who seems to have come in the winter of 1634-1635 and to have found here villages of Fox and Winnebago Indians. Subsequently there were French and English trading posts here. The city was settled permanently in 1848, and was chartered in 1874.
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I find the statement interesting, about how "... the bridges connect Menasha with Neenah, with which it really forms one community industrially."   That statement is (was) true in more ways than just industrially, though many citizens of both towns would argue against it.  Also, I find the Doty Island reference curious, as if it was simply a vacation spot.  Yes, Roberts' Resort was a big attraction on the island, but much of the island by 1911 was already residential and had industrial sections and was a part of both cities.   

Interurban Rates

Interurban rates for 1918

 

 

 

 

From about 1898 to 1927, when the electric trolleys were abandoned in favor of buses, you could travel around the Fox Valley for pocket change.  At a time when mailing a letter cost 3 cents, a nickel trolley ride in 1918 was affordable.  That nickel is worth about $1.20 in today's money.  There was even an extended inter-urban railway that travelled between Neenah and Oshkosh (see map below), though I expect the rates were higher, of course. 

 

 

 

 

Schreibeis Groceries

Pictured above is John Schreibeis and his grocery wagon.  Mr. Schreibeis, a long time resident of Menasha, was first introduced via the book, Menasha, where he was shown as a city policeman in 1890. Born in Two Rivers in 1861, he arrived in Menasha in 1881. He served as a police officer for four years before leaving the force and entering the grocery business at 546 Broad Street. He also became instrumental in local politics, serving as Fourth Ward member of the Board of Education, city postmaster, and was a member of the Board of Parks Commissioners.

Chilly Waters Near Water Street

The railroad bridge on a chilly day near Water Street, ca. 1985.  You can see the power plant at the extreme right of the photo.   

On the Waterfront

An early 1970s view of the Mill Street/Water Street intersection.  Clearly visible is the Anchor Inn at 408 Water Street next to the old library.  Over the years, the restaurant had been known as Alex's on the Water, the Anchor Inn, Fanny Brice's and later The Overtime when local high school basketball coaches Clem Massey and Jack Wippich went into business together around 1975.  And based on its owners' professions and the restaurant's name, it's not hard to imagine the decor in case you've forgotten. 

Mr. Paper Man

From 1939, another in a series of great advertisements that Gilbert Paper Company used to market their bond paper.  This ad emphasized their "centrifugal refining equipment" used to wash, purify, and screen the rag content, which, as the ad describes, wasn't just ordinary rags, but new cloth purchased from fabric mills.   

Main Street and City Square

Let's end the week with a view of downtown taken from, most likely, the crosswalk in front of Schultz Bros.  It's an overcast early afternoon in 1974 as we view the city square area.  You can see the three main financial institutions of the city- Twin City Savings and Loan, the First National Bank, and the Bank of Menasha.  Also present- Morton Drug and the then-city offices in the old FNB building.  If you squint really hard, you can see the Gibson Chevrolet sign in the background, almost parallel to the Bank of Menasha's time and temperature sign.  I was in high school during this period and this is how I remember downtown. 

Original Germania Hall

Menasha's Germania Hall was built during the 1860's on Chute Street by members of the Menasha Turner Society. Curtis Reed donated the land for the building. The building was torn down in 1963 when the new hall was built at 320 Broad Street.

Interior view of the old Germania Hall showcasing the balcony.

 

This curtain decorated the stage of the old Germania Hall.

Rear view of the demolition of the old Germania Hall in 1963. 

Photos courtesy of Appleton Post-Crescent, September 22, 1963.

What's a Zephyr?

Growing up in Menasha, most of us probably never gave it a second thought- we all know what Bluejays are, but what IS a Zephyr? 

The St. Mary namesake is a tribute to the train above- the Burlington Zephyr- which debuted in the midst of the Great Depression in 1934 and held the land speed record at that time for a train, making the Denver to Chicago run in 13 hours and 5 minutes at an average speed of 77 mph.  The stainless steel, streamlined trains epitomized the era of art deco fashion and glamorized what had become a mundane way of travel.  Finally, excitement was to be had once again by the railroad industry and this lasted until interstates and freeways in the 1950's took root in America's consciousness as THE way to go. 

300 Racine Street

In our ongoing feature of buildings and structures no longer with us in town, today we feature this warehouse at 300 Racine Street.  Notable for its advertising of the Drucks Plumbing store on Third Street, this warehouse is now gone and today the site contains a Walgreens at the corner of Third and Racine and a Subway restaurant to the north.

Wooden Ware Delivery

The drawing above portrays the delivery of barrels to customers in the Menasha Wooden Ware's earliest years.  By late in the nineteenth century, as the business prospered, the company needed more efficient delivery methods, so it called into service large delivery wagons like the one pictured.  The driver is Joe Beaudo.  

Walter Brothers Brewing Receipt

This ornate receipt from 1911 shows a connection between the Menasha branch of the Walter Brewing Company and the Pueblo, Colorado faction.  However, it is misleading in  implying that they are two plants of the same entity whereas they were not. 

Martin, Christian and Matthaus, three of the five Walter Brothers, operated the Menasha based Walter Brothers Brewing Company with their Gem and Gold Label beers. Eventually, Martin severed his ties with the Menasha brewery and headed west.  He determined that Pueblo, Colorado would be an opportune place to start brewing. His product was originally named Mountain Dew and eventually called Gold Label, like the Menasha beer.  However, by the mid-20th century it was simply known as Walter's. Martin expanded his breweries in Colorado to include Trinidad, Colorado,  acquiring an existing brewery through a business loan default. Walter's is still being produced today in Pueblo as a micro-brew.

J.C. Mossop, Tinsmith

John C. Mossop was a tinsmith who worked for a hardware dealer, Jacob C. Koelsch at 2 Main Street in 1893.  My guess is that earlier he was in the stove and/or hardware business himself, judging from the years on the back of this card/calendar and his own name stamped on the front.  The 1880 census lists him as a hardware merchant so this seems to fit.  Per that year's census, Mr. Mossop was born in 1846 in England, had a wife named Eliza, and their four children aged 4-12 and his mother were members of his household.   

This beautiful advertising card, complete with the pocket calendar on the back, espoused the values of the Acorn stove from the firm of Rathbone, Sard, and Company.  The stove pictured above is an 1886 model, here represented on another advertising card.  You'll notice it is shaped like an acorn. 

Parade Past the Brin

This photo shows the beginnings of a parade in front of the recently closed Brin Theater which dates this to about 1969.  Notice how the marquee and the Brin sign are still standing and the windowed glass for the movie posters is still evident. 

 

The parade marshal is being towed by a representation of a train sponsored by the Winnebago County chapter (or as they call it the Voiture) 751 of the La Societe des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux, an independent fraternal organization of veterans, popularly known as the Forty & Eight.  This organization was started in 1920 by American Legionnaires as a "fun and honor society."  

 

Now composed of veterans of all wars, it draws its origin from World War I when young Americans were sent to France to fight "the war to end all wars." The narrow gauge railroads of France had boxcars (voitures) that carried little more than half the capacity of American boxcars and these voitures were used to transport the men and horses to and from the fighting fronts. On the side of these little boxcars was stenciled the capacity of each, holding either forty men or eight horses, and these voitures became the trademark of the organization. It was thought that if one could laugh at the train ride from the coast of France to the trenches crowded in these little boxcars only recently vacated by eight horses, one could surely adapt to the changes in his life when he returned home.

Zenefski Children

We first saw an example of a Bradley photo back in June of this year.  This photo card from the studio shows three of the Zenefski children around 1895/1896. 

Benjamin, Emily and John were three of the ten children of John Joseph Zenefski and Catherine Jedwabny. John (the father) was born in Germany and, at the time of his death in 1931, had been a resident of Menasha for over 50 years.  He was a 45 year employee at the Menasha Wooden Ware. 

I know little of Ben and Emily's lives after this, but the younger of the two boys pictured, John Frank Zenefski, was born November 12, 1893  and died February 13, 1976 in Menasha. John married Celia Ann Pozolinski and together they had five sons and five daughters before her death in 1941. He was employed by Gear Dairy for 28 years and retired in 1956.  At the time of his death, he had 39 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. 

To my knowledge, John wasn't a civic leader or a captain of industry, but a Joe Average who forged a life in our hometown, going to work each day and raising his children.  He was a father and a husband and a grandfather.  He was a face of Menasha.  

Washington Street Bridge

As a gateway to Menasha from Neenah, Washington Street heads north from the Nicolet Boulevard/Commercial Street (Neenah)/1st Street (Neenah) intersection and ends at the Tayco Street Bridge. This view of the bridge is looking east.  Whereas the Tayco Street Bridge crosses the government canal, this bridge crosses the north channel of the Fox River.  You can see St. Patrick's at the extreme right edge of the photograph. 

Orpheum Theatre

June 17 and 18, 1919 in Menasha.  This photo depicts a homecoming parade honoring the returning soldiers and sailors from World War I.  The Women's Catholic Order of Foresters march in front of the Orpheum Theater.  The Orpheum was at 159 Main Street, later home of the Valley Theater.  After that was torn down, the new First National Bank built in 1965 resided in the spot.  

From the Edna (Stilp) Stiren photo album via Neenah History at Flickr.

Racine Street Bridge

As we edge towards the weekend, here's a colorful view of the Racine Street Bridge.  Featured prominently in the foreground is the control room.  The bridge tender operates what we laymen call the drawbridge portion of the bridge from this station which is directly adjacent to the small building. 

Memorial Building Dedication

"Commodious."  Now there's a word you probably wouldn't see in a headline today.    "Spacious" would be a better fit.   I didn't know the island currently known as the Isle of Valor even had a name back then, but Picnic Island seems to fit the bill for the time. 

Wisconsin Historical Society & Biography Articles; Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 6, 1928

Car Barn

 

Car barn at 313 Appleton Street.  When this photo was taken, there was a good chance that an orange and black Milwaukee Road engine was inside.  I used to hang around the tracks between Third and Fourth Street a lot as a kid, watching the switch engine parade the boxcars up and down the tracks.  At the time, I couldn't think of a better job!