Smith Park

 From July 12, 2012

In the 1890's, Menasha Wooden Ware founder Elisha D. Smith tried to attract Downer College, then located at Fox Lake, to move to Menasha. He was disappointed when the authorities decided to merge with Milwaukee Women's College and move to Milwaukee. Smith decided that the rejected 40 acres he had offered Downer should be offered instead to the City of Menasha to become a park. This donation was made in 1896 at about the same time as his offer to build the city a library. Ironically, many years later, Downer College merged with Lawrence University in Appleton.

The heavily wooded property was located between “The Avenue” (Nicolet Boulevard) and Cleveland, Keyes, and Park Streets.  Along with the land, Mr. Smith had a pavilion constructed to encourage use of the park. A pious man, he stipulated that there be a strict ban on alcohol, circuses, gambling, sports, and dangerous machinery at the park. Of course, this ban also included Sundays, except for religious activities and temperance meetings.  The designer of Chicago's Lincoln Park, Olaf Benson, was chosen to design the gardens and walks within the new park and when completed, it was the pride of Menasha.

Over time, Menasha residents seem to hold dearest the many memories of the dances that were held over the years.

To illustrate that, here’s an excerpt from 1999’s Memories of Doty Island : A Link Between Two Cities, edited by Caryl Chandler Herziger and Winifred Anderson Pawlowski:

    In the 1930's an area teenager could go to three dances a week-Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday-from 7:00 to 11:00 P.M. at the Memorial Building. Boys and girls came from Appleton, Oshkosh, Omro, Winneconne (sometimes even from Green Bay) besides Menasha and Neenah. Occasionally, on a Friday night, there would be a school dance after a basketball or football game, but otherwise it was, "See you at the Mem!"

    Everyone came early, paid the required nickel, went upstairs and had his or her hand stamped. By 7:30 the popular girls (the best dancers) already had every dance for the rest of the evening promised to someone. How they kept track of when each partner was to appear for his dance, no one knows, but it seemed to work out. Imagine remembering who you had the 16th dance with!!  Music was by records (with someone unknown running the machine) piped from downstairs. The Mem had a great dance floor, and the balcony doors were unlocked so anyone could go out there for a romantic moment or two. Or they could go down the steps and wander across a bridge onto the dark and secluded island. There was also a soda fountain on the first floor so thirst could be quenched, but no drinks were allowed upstairs.

    About 10:30 some of the regular partners began to leave. It took a little while to get home-not via the shortest route, of course. The parents knew the dance was over at 11:00, so they allowed a reasonable time to get home after that. However, if a little ride or walk was in the minds of the young people, there would be extra time.

    During the summer there was a park dance in the park pavilion every Monday. The dance floor was anything but smooth, but there was real live music! And very good music, too- not just some amateur, pick-up band. Tom Temple and Tony Winters were the next best thing to Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller.

    Even if you weren't asked to dance, you could sit on a bench outside the pavilion and listen and talk with jealousy about the lucky ones who were "tripping the light fantastic." Maybe a non-dancing male would ask you to go for a walk into the darkness! Whatever you did that night was fun and gave the participants something to discuss until the next Monday.