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December 23, 1939, Menasha Record
Today is the first day of an annual custom- Merry Christmas and holiday greetings from the fine, past merchants of the Twin Cities. It's a blog tradition to offer these little snippets of greetings and holiday cheer on behalf of the advertisers within the local newspapers. Most of them are gone now, but we at the blog hope some of these businesses strike a chord with you and give you a nostalgic glow, be it fond memories of the fellowship you shared at a local tavern or perhaps the thought of a special gift from a local store.
December 23, 1901, Appleton Post-Crescent
This is an indication of the importance of Menasha early in its infancy, helping to tie the valley together via passable roads and infrastructure. Yes, Menasha's founders would have been astounded at the progress in just fifty years, likely terming it science fiction. (By the way, that term was first used in the same year, 1851, but didn't really enter the public lexicon until the 1920's.)
December 30, 1893, Saturday Evening Press
One of the prices of industrialization was the inconvenience of coal-fired smokestacks that belched soot and befouled the neighboring areas of Menasha. Needless to say, Menasha was not alone in having this problem. Weighing this "inconvenience" versus the benefits of commerce meant that the soot was a necessary evil for the healthy progression of the city. Pollution would eventually be dealt with, but it would take awhile.
December 18, 1929, Menasha Record
A few weeks ago in the blog, we had a 1969 ad from The Clothes Shop that is very reminiscent of this one. Of course, that version just screamed 1960's. But forty years before, it was enough to have a sedate Christmas candle and a somber litany of gift ideas that greeted the shopper's eye to get the point across.
December 21, 1915, Menasha Record
The new-fangled "talking machine" threatens the old tradition of gathering in the parlor with sheet music on the stand and Mother on the piano. Within a few years, radio will appear as a commercial entity and records will become even more popular as the century rolls on.
December 26, 1901, Oshkosh Northwestern
Menasha certainly was a hotbed of marital scandal and intrigue back in the day, as this article attests. I can only assume bigamy laws were not as strict as they eventually became in certain jurisdictions. A one dollar fine and then being allowed to leave seems pretty lax for the time, though it might have been just enough for it to be a part of the public record. It sounds as if Mr. Bublitz was more than forgiving, as long as he had his boy back.
December 6, 1898, Oshkosh Northwestern
Our subject from last week who had the scandalous divorce in Menasha after disclosing his secret marriage, just got into bigger trouble. Now it seems he's accused of clothing theft from his employer in Appleton and selling the goods to unsuspecting customers in the Twin Cities. And so close to Christmas, too. More to come in the days ahead.
December 23, 1939, Menasha Record
For those wondering what to serve the guests for Christmas drop-ins and the like, Walter Bros. Beer is the solution. And with the assurance that the brewery itself would deliver it to your home until 10 pm, there was no excuse for your guests to go parched and unsatisfied as the Yuletide approached.
November 22, 1898, Oshkosh Northwestern
Scandal rears its ugly head in Menasha via this "secret" marriage that led to a public divorce. I'm sure this couple, unlucky in love, gave the citizenry enough tongue wagging to last throughout the holidays.
December 18, 1958, Twin City News-Record
Surely the Christmas spirit was in abundance for the Rotarians but especially for the school kids gifted with Christmas goodies. I can't imagine them going back to the afternoon classes and being in any condition to learn after this noontime Christmas overload.
December 16, 1958, Twin City News-Record
Kudos to the Twin Citians of this time period. Evidently, Neenah and Menasha put their best feet forward to make a visitor feel welcome. Was it the Christmas season or just the unbridled hospitality of the local folk? So nice of Miss Bailey to single us out, as too often it is only bad behavior that gets publicized.
December 15, 1898, Oshkosh Northwestern
The mayors of three principalities engaged in a mutual admiration society while riding the inter-urban between their towns. I guess it was only fitting that the Smith library was shown off to the other two mayors, having just been completed and obviously the newest thing in town. Neenah's City Hall (and clock towers) had been completed in 1888. I wonder how much of a spirit of cooperation and fellowship really was fostered that day, as politics tends to muddy things up, as we all know.
December 1, 1965, Oshkosh Northwestern
There's nothing like discount prices to bring shoppers to the downtown area, especially when Dick and Jane are expecting something wonderful under the tree. Does anybody know what "Col-R-Placs" are? I was stymied by the mention of "Putter-Poles" and I eventually found this on eBay:
It seems like a cross between TinkerToys and an Erector set. I was 9 years old for Christmas, 1965 and I likely could recite every toy commercial I'd seen up to that point! But this outfoxed me. They must not have had a large TV budget.