A blog which supplements my two books, Menasha, and Neenah and Menasha: Twin Cities of the Fox Valley
Pages
Downtown 1958
Friday, December 24, 2021
Holiday Wishes
Thursday, December 23, 2021
The Beer of Good Cheer!
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Toy Town!
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
A Christmas Wish from the Heart
Monday, December 20, 2021
Anatomy of a Snowstorm
December 7, 1927, Menasha Record
December 8, 1927, Menasha Record
December 9, 1927, Menasha Record
A typical December in the Menasha area as the "Appleton road", or as we know it today as Highway 47 shuts down due to excess snow. Eventually, this stretch of road, at least within Menasha, was named as "Appleton Road." The Record, did its best to keep people informed. "Autoists," as drivers were known then, had to rely upon their local newspaper for news of the road reopening because, as we know, cell reception in 1927 Menasha WAS pretty weak. Seriously though, radio was not the mature medium it later became and news was not instantaneous as today.
Friday, December 17, 2021
Automatic Sleeping Comfort
December 20,1947, Menasha Record
Electronic and appliance gadgetry for Christmas is the watchword at Drucks this 1947. Styles may have changed since 1947 but these are timeless things in that there's always going to be some type of coffee maker, electric razor, toaster, and a device to produce music. Some of the products offered here seem positively prehistoric now, but they were state of the art for that era. I don't think electric blankets have changed that much since their invention, though I could be wrong.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Christmas Special
December 23, 1939, Menasha Record
Back when long distance calling was a "thing," consumers really had to pay attention to the rates because those charges could really pile up. In today's day of unlimited calling via cell phone, no one gives a second thought about it, unless they need to call internationally perhaps. Back in the day, the local phone directories had charts in the front of the books with rates in state and out of state to the big cities like New York, Chicago, and L.A. to give one an idea of what they faced if they called there. I don't necessarily miss those days, but it sure made for shorter calls.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
A Union Girl
January 5, 1865, Island City Times
In the Yuletide spirit during the Civil War, comes a local Neenah girl imploring her local citizens to write to those local soldiers helping to save the Union. At first glance, it is a nice Christmas gesture but then it becomes more about helping to save their moral souls. While her motives are pure, I do not think that regular letters from Mother and Father might be enough to salve the weary constitution of the fighting solider and keep him "safe" from the "drunkenness and profanity of camp." Nevertheless, take a moment to admire the flowery prose of this mid-19th century writer. I'm sure she was a faithful sister and generous friend to her correspondents, despite her temperance leanings.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
A New Look for the Square
Monday, December 13, 2021
Santa Shops Menasha Dry Goods Company
Friday, December 10, 2021
Treats for the Children
December 1, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
We've been dealing with themes about Christmas ever since Thanksgiving and we have touched upon the subject of Santa's Gingerbread House. So, here it is, as posted in Bowlby's ad from 1969. As evidenced in past blog posts, the house resided in different locations within the downtown area and in this year, Bowlby's was fortunate enough to have it situated next to its store.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Melodies for Christmas
December 19, 1924, Menasha Record
The Menasha Music Shoppe was located at 177 Main Street, which has the same address as the Hotel Menasha. And since the hotel barber shop and cigar stand had the same address as well, there must have been some extra space for a purveyor of fine music to sell their wares. The artists featured here are not household names by today's hindsight, though I cannot vouch for their popularity in 1924. For all I know, they could have been very popular. Radio had not hit its heyday as of yet so as years go on, more and more Americans will be exposed to commercial radio big bands and orchestras and that will fuel another rise in record sales.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
City Hall
Every now and then I feel the need to remind our blog followers of the once-stately city hall Menasha used to have. This view is from about 1908. Over time, the city offices moved elsewhere, the grand tower above the building was removed for safety reasons and by the mid 1980's, the building was on its last legs before it was demolished. Yes, there were some efforts to preserve it. We reported in October about a proposal for it to become a restaurant but that also fell through. Still, we appreciate this grand old building for its beauty and for what it meant to Menasha.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Case Dismissed
December 23, 1918, Menasha Record
John Strange, noted industrialist, president of the John Strange Paper Company, and a one-time Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin was a strident supporter of Prohibition. This article reflects the aftermath of a speech he gave where he likened the major brewers of Milwaukee to our enemies in Europe during World War I, saying, "the worst of all our German enemies, the most treacherous, the most menacing, are Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz and Miller." As evidenced above, Mr. Pabst was not amused. Personally, I do not follow the judge's reasoning for dismissal of the suit, though one might surmise it might have seemed to be a frivolous lawsuit to him or perhaps he read the political waters and felt it best to have the whole thing disappear.
Monday, December 6, 2021
Give a Useful, Practical Gift to the Home!
December 8, 1927, Menasha Record
Menasha Furniture offers a vast variety of Christmas gifts because they ask, in another ad, why not consider a furniture store when giving gifts? Of interest to me is the children's furniture containing nursery rhyme characters, sort of an endorsement to the idea of kids having a childhood as we now know it. It wasn't that long before the date of this ad when children were routinely working in factories and at other jobs, foregoing school to help contribute to the family's upkeep. And though a congressional amendment was first approved by Congress in 1924, it wasn't ratified by the required number of states until 1938 to become law. And while that law placed limits on many forms of child labor, agricultural labor was still excluded.
Friday, December 3, 2021
Set in Stone
November 25, 1970, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Fifty years is a long time and is it no wonder things evolve, even in education? Starting life as a junior high, Maplewood is now a middle school, according to the Menasha School District web site, serving grades six through eight, whereas the junior high had taught students in grades seven through nine. According to my newspaper research, Maplewood then became a middle school in 1991, reopening after being used for a time by the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley. But then, around the mid 1990's I see it once again being referred to as a junior high. I'm confused by all the back and forth. Needless to say, things change.
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Golden Egg Pocahontas
From the 1938 Neenah-Menasha City Directory comes this ad. I guess I didn't know the popular types of coal, as I had no idea what this ad was talking about . But a little more research yielded the following:
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Hail, Santa
November 25, 1961, Oshkosh Northwestern
Santa moves into Menasha's famous gingerbread house for the first time in 1961, delighting the hearts of local children. In years to come, that gingerbread house will be moved around to various locations in the downtown area, but never wavering will be the enthusiasm shown by visitors to the jolly old elf inside. Coming soon on the heels of Thanksgiving, the holiday has traditionally been a launching pad for the Christmas merriment to come.
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Thanksgiving Punch
November 24, 1909, Menasha Record
Before we leave Thanksgiving totally behind, let's peruse the menu at the Hotel Menasha, 1909-style, for the feast that day. I must say, there ARE some things on this menu that I do not recognize at all, but it does remind me of those "Gilded Age" menus I'd seen in past reviews of the 1880s and 1890s in Boss Tweed-era New York, steamship round of beef and that sort of thing, feeding the robber barons and big bellied financiers with their pocket watch chains pulled snugly across their waistcoats. I always found it humorous to dictate, down to the nth degree, those little things like mints and mixed nuts that one just assumes would be there but were felt important enough to be included by the maitre d. One would not hinge his or her dining decision on such mundane details, but it mattered to some people evidently. By the way, "Saratoga chips" are better known today as potato chips, a one-time specialty that we just take for granted now..
Monday, November 29, 2021
That Time of the Season
November 30, 1966, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
With Thanksgiving behind us now, can Christmas be far behind? This is the time of the year when that next major of holidays is thrust upon us via the media, but also via little local reminders like this. The decorations and the downtown itself may have changed over the years, but the meaning is always the same. That clock is ticking and it'll be here before you know it!
Friday, November 19, 2021
Floral Gifts
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Kiddie Time
November 23, 1948, Menasha Record
What a great babysitting service the Brin did by providing a kid's program in conjunction with the Thanksgiving holiday. It wasn't touted as such, but it did give busy Moms a chance to do other things, like maybe putting more money into the local economy by doing some Christmas shopping while the kids were being entertained. I'm sure somebody from the Menasha Businessmens' Association saw the benefits in that and practically begged the local theaters to open up for such a program. Special note: notice all the neighborhood groceries that were still resident in Menasha, from where the free tickets were available.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
The Best of the Aristocracy
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Elegant Tableware
Monday, November 15, 2021
Enjoyable Affair
Friday, November 12, 2021
Pensive Waiting
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Veterans Day
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Gather While Ye May
November 26, 1986, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
With Thanksgiving almost upon us, we look back at some of the good works our young people are capable of. This time of year brings forth the spirit of giving, feeding the hungry and the homeless. It's especially noticeable at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, during the colder months and the local airwaves are awash with feel good stories of such food drives and Toys for Tots-like campaigns to better people's lives. Our local schools were not immune to the lure of this as well, as evidenced in the above photo. Far be it from me to be cynical about these good works, for they perform a valuable public service, but sometimes I wonder about the public nature of such campaigns. Are we doing it for the good of the deed or for the recognition of it? With the preponderance of social media today, every move of certain people is carefully catalogued and curated to enhance their narrative and grow their "brand." Seriously? Whatever happened to anonymous giving? I'm not a religious person and I'm not good at Bible verses but isn't there one about doing charity in secret because God will see it anyway? I'm sure these kids had the best of intentions with their student council project. I'm just commenting on what I see. Now, I'm getting down off my soapbox.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Be Careful What You Wish For....
This page from the 1935 Menasha High yearbook, The Nicolet, where its editors pleaded for a new and improved school building, was surprisingly prophetic. As most of us know, the school burned the very next year in March of 1936. The fire’s exact origin is unknown, but it was thought to have started in the machine shop. To keep the school going, classes were distributed among the remaining schools and other public buildings until the new high school could be completed in 1938. Despite the tone inferred from the yearbook, plans were already in motion to design and build a new school at the time of the fire, though funding had not yet been finalized. Still, this added footnote by the yearbook gives the event an eerie circumstance the school did not deserve.
Monday, November 8, 2021
Oh, My...
November 15, 1968, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Let's start the week on a humorous note with our diver in training having a moment. Assuming this isn't staged, the photographer, with his fast shutter speed, caught his subject's candid expression at the most opportune moment of all to place this photo into competition for the pic of the week category. I'm sure the YWCA diving team had a great laugh over this for weeks on end.
Friday, November 5, 2021
Wee Nippee
November 18, 1961, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Slurry With the Fringe on Top
November 15, 1961, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
I know the tour guides prompted the kids to do this little demonstration, but in the absence of that, some stalwart student might have dipped his fingers in the slurry anyway and discovered it for himself. Like the kids in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the heart wants what the heart wants, and temptation is sometimes overwhelming, as we know. That fella on the extreme right is especially proud of his find. We'll have more from this field trip later this week.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Literary Stand-Outs
November 23, 1981, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Adorable first graders from Clovis Grove dress up as their literary heroes at their school library during Book Week. If memory serves me correctly, I was a fan of The Fire Cat as well. Pickles the cat gets adopted by the firehouse and makes good on his plan to be a good fire cat for the other firefighters. See, how those stories stick with you? Just don't ask me about other favorites, Scuffy the Tugboat or Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel.
Monday, November 1, 2021
Fun Stuff
November 13, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
There's a lot to unpack (and a whole lot of fun) in this compendium of articles from the local newspapers from a century ago. Evaluating this era with the modern age is often like comparing apples and oranges, yet it is an irresistible premise. Over time we can see the evolving loosening of social mores while the late 19th century maintains a stranglehold on social decorum and telling it like it is in a moment in time. While euphemisms abound aplenty there is still an honesty evident that is often lacking in modern news reporting. The word "amused" is apropos for those inclined to make a deep dive into the past via their local library's microfilm collection of historic newspapers.
Friday, October 29, 2021
Another Lost Chance
October 16, 1985, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Over the years, Menasha has had many ideas to reinvigorate the city center, from plans for a downtown "mall," to relocating the business district to Broad Street, to even this idea. And that's not to say these ideas were bad. it's just that, sometimes in the planning stages, one learns that there are insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of the idea being realized, be it something like hazardous asbestos that must be removed or learning that the property is just too far gone to renovate it in a cost effective manner. Sadly, for the fire station, that restaurant never did come to pass and the whole building met the wrecking ball in 1988. In subsequent years, Menasha would face the demise of more and more historical buildings being razed, to include the Hotel Menasha, a couple of banks, the Brin Theater, and an entire lock of Main Street in the heart of the retail area. This blog will not pass judgment on these actions, but rather just make the reader aware of them, as if he or she isn't already cognizant of these changes. But as was said before, things aren't as simple as they appear to the layperson.
Thursday, October 28, 2021
School Spirit
October 21, 1972, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
While the visiting lion from yesterday was holding court at Bowlby's downtown, my very own Sophomore class was raising the roof at the St, Mary's gym for homecoming. I can name every face in that crowd and probably make good educated guesses at even the obscured faces. That was the beauty of a small class...everybody knew everybody else. It's rather difficult to maintain anonymity when there's only 100 or so kids.
Our rescheduled 45th reunion was a few months ago and some of these same faces reappeared then, albeit aged with time, a little heavier, a little grayer, a little balder. But our enthusiasm ran high, nonetheless, just as the caption says. Just look at the practice we had.