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ebook History of
Watertown, Wisconsin
Memorial Park
1940s, Hartig Brewery in background WHS_PC266
Far left: Veteran's Honor Roll
1923
06 01 WELL AT THIS LOCATION
The
city property adjoining N. First and Cady Streets contains
a flowing well which has been preserved but in such a manner that it would
require the talents of an acrobat to secure a drink of water even though there
was a cup to drink from.
02 18 MEMORIAL PARK FOR CITY NOW ASSURED
Committee Will Buy Properties for New Park
Memorial Park proposed for “brewery
lot.” Current location of City Hall,
Police & Fire depts.
Watertown’s
Memorial Park was under discussion at the city council meeting. The memorial park proposition will soon
become a reality. The Memorial Park has
been under discussion for some time and the city has already purchased the
tract of land on Rock River between Cady and Jones streets known as the
"brewery lot."
Properties
on the east end of the block, which includes the tract owned by the city, and
the property on the southeast corner of the tract, however, are still owned by
individuals. It has been proposed to
purchase these properties and include the entire block in the memorial park
area. This matter was taken up by the
council last evening and there seemed little opposition to such a
purchase.
Members
of the park board appeared before the council and spoke in favor of the
establishment of a memorial park to include the whole block between Rock River
and North Second Street from Cady to Jones streets.
Those
who appeared were Owain T. Hughes, Mrs. Eli E. Fischer and G. M. Gahlman. A number of aldermen also strongly endorsed
the idea and the building and grounds committee and
the city attorney were instructed to go ahead with the proposition and purchase
the additional property.
The
prices for the property include $6,500 for two houses and lots on which the
houses are located. These are owned by
Mrs. Mae Davler. The sum of $2,500 is asked
for two lots owned by Mrs. Sophie Delmel and $7,500 is asked by Reinhold
Neumann for the house and lot owned by him.
Ex-Mayor
Wertheimer also appeared before the council and stated that if the park plan be put into a reality that a bandstand be erected on the
premises. He spoke strongly in favor of
the proposition but stated that he was not there to dictate the council's
notion, but rather to present his viewpoint and that the council should be
allowed to do as it saw fit.
It was
pointed out that much of the money spent in buying the
properties would be gotten back by selling the houses and moving them to other
lots. A fund of approximately $9,000 is
also being held for the use of the park board in converting the land into a
park. This is the accumulated interest
from a fund which was created by the late Mr. and
Mrs. R. E. Lewis. WDTimes
07 22 PLOT FOR PARK TURNED OVER TO CITY
The Memorial park plot was turned
over to the board of park commissioners by the city council at its meeting last
night. The board was also instructed to
sell the properties which are stationed on the lots recently acquired by the
city. WDT
1926
02 25 MEMORIAL
PARK GATEWAY ACCEPTED BY THE ARCHITECTS
The
artistic gateway to the new memorial park was given a 100 percent acceptance by
the architects, Clas, Shepherd & Clas, of Milwaukee.
Members
of the firm looked over the work and gave their acceptance to workmanship. Jack Brennan, a local contractor, had the
work in charge and despite weather conditions completed the job to the entire
satisfaction of the architects. The
approximate cost of the work is about $4000.
It was
constructed out of the park funds available under the
Fannie P. Lewis estate and it is unique and out of the ordinary design for a
park entrance. It faces North First
Street and is the full width of that thoroughfare. In width it is 66 feet with a depth of 13
feet. The floor is
of tile and cement in panels. The arch
is of French design of red brick and stone, surmounted by huge angular blocks
of Bedford stone and rises to a height of 17 feet 6 inches. A balustrade of stone reaches out to the wing
posts on each side while a huge stone urn adorns the center.
The
gateway can best be appreciated when the conditions of summer allow a clear
view with a park background. It is
something new in artistry in Watertown and will be a fine adornment to the
memorial park which will be beautified during the present year according to
plans now under way.
The
park site now comprises one whole square facing North First Street, the river,
North Second Street and Cady Street. A
band stand is to be erected and the landscape gardening work will begin in the
spring.
A
portion of the land
was owned by the city and the rest was acquired by the city on purchase.
1927
08 16 MEMORIAL PARK
DEDICATED
1928
08 16 MERRY-GO-ROUND IN PARK
The placing of a merry-go-round on
Madison Street reminds old timers, and some who are not real old timers, of the
days when it was almost as usual an event to have a merry-go-round visit the
city to provide the public with entertainment.
Years ago the merry-go-round was usually
located on "the old brewery lot" which is now Memorial Park. On several occasions a contraption known as
an "ocean wave" was located there.
Those Were the Days!
1930
MOWDER-HILL STATUE. Fountain
Statue: “Phillis” the bird girl
Donated to the city in 1930 by Mrs.
Carry Mowder Hill in memory of the Mowder and Hill families and installed in
Memorial Park. View is to the north and
the building in the background was the tasting room of the Hartig Brewery.
Statue moved to Octagon Museum grounds in
1970.
1932
04 02 WORK OF FILLING IN CAVE-INS TO START
Memorial Park Will Be Closed For Repairs / Public Is Warned
Memorial
Park will be closed to the public for a period of several weeks beginning
Monday it was announced by Ewald Brumm, City Superintendent of Parks.
The
closing of the park is a necessity at this time to protect the public while the
work of repairing the damage done by cave-ins last summer is underway. Several places in the park caved in above several old underground tunnels
which were formerly part of a brewery located on the site. Much of this has been filled in but due to
washouts future cave-ins may result with the arrival of spring weather and it
is due to this fact that the Board of Park Commissioners has decided to close
the park to the public while the repairs are underway..
1933
06 08 MEMORIAL ARCH IS BEING DISMANTLED
The
memorial arch in Memorial park which has been undermined by the sagging of
ground below it due to an old tunnel is being dismantled and is to be rebuilt at a later date, the board of park commissioners announced
today.
The
arch was built with money from the Fannie P. Lewis park fund and its ultimate
replacement will be carried out with funds from the same source as soon as
opportunity presents itself, according to the plans. The fund has been one of
the major factors in the development of the park and the city has benefitted
through it to the extent of many thousands of dollars.
The
arch will be dismantled with the exception of the part
bearing the inscription tablet, the railings and the actual foundation. The
stone parts will be carefully numbered and labeled and stored in a place of
safe keeping so that they may be used again when the arch is rebuilt.
Sagging
of the ground under the arch has made it a place of danger to the public and to
remove this danger the board decided to have the arch taken down. Later, when the ground has completely
settled, the damage will be repaired and the arch rebuilt.
Tunnels
under Memorial park date back to the time of the old [Fuermann] brewery which
occupied the site. Much of this was filled in with waste material, such as tin cans, ashes,
etc. The moisture has now caused the tin
cans to break and rust to pieces. This
has gradually helped to undermine the region and the
heavy arch has begun to sag to a point where it was considered a menace.
Cross
reference note: 1962: The memorial arch in Memorial park which,
since the park dedication in 1927, has contained the memorial inscription to
Watertown’s war dead, was removed in 1962 to make way for construction of the
new city hall (municipal building).
1939
Police
photo taken in Memorial Park, Hartig Brewery
in background
1940
02 18 WAR MEMORIAL ARCH IN PARK TO BE ENTIRELY
REBUILT
Move made necessary by sinking
foundation
Watertown's memorial arch, erected and dedicated to the men who
fought in the World War, is to be erected on a new spot in Memorial Park, it
was announced by Board of Park Commissioner officials following several months
of planning for such a step. The arch,
in its present location at the N. First Street entrance to the park, has been
undermined by the steady sinking of the ground under it. Originally this was one of the cellars under
the old [Fuermann] brewery plant which is now the site of the park. The gradual sinking of the arch has covered
many years and recently the condition became so bad that the arch has been
seriously threatened.
Some years ago the overhead arch was
removed and placed in storage until such a time as it would be
rebuilt.
The arch will be located at the corner of N. Second and Jones
streets, north of the Oshkosh Fish Company building, the original American
kindergarten site. . . .
c.1942
-- -- MEMORIAL DAY AT MEMORIAL PARK
1940s
-- -- BEER CELLERS/TUNNELS CAUSE PROBLEMS
More people here are familiar
with the old beer cellars that are located under Memorial Park, which was once
the site of the Fuermann brewery. After the brewery was destroyed and remained
only a ruin and an eyesore the old cellars came into partial view and boys
playing on the lot used them for hideouts.
When the city acquired the property and the
development of the park began one of the first tasks was to fill in the old
passages. A part of the park area caused
trouble for years. A lot of old refuse,
tin cans, etc. had been used to fill in a portion of the place and over the
years a section of it began to cave in.
This caused a great deal of trouble for city and park board officials
and the great memorial arch, which originally stood at the southwest entrance
of the park, had to be repaired and replaced, as the settling ground caused it
to crack and break. After repairs had been
made several times and a portion of the original arch had been removed entirely
the entire memorial arch structure was torn down and rebuilt at the
southeast entrance of the park where it now stands. That section of the park had never been used
for cellars and consequently provided a better location for such a heavy
structure as the arch.
____________________________________________________________
Plan to Dismantle City’s
Honor Roll
City Officials and Veterans Groups to Discuss New Records
Watertown Daily Times, 12 18 1946
Plans for the dismantling of the
present World War II honor roll in Memorial Park and working out a system for a
permanent record of men and women who served in the war are to be taken up at a
meeting of a city council committee and representatives of the
Pitterle-Beaudoin post of the American Legion, the Beaudoin-Draeger-Koehler
post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Watertown garrison of the Army
and Navy union to be held in the near future.
The present honor roll is to be
torn down completely under the plan. But
what other means will be used to make the records permanent are still to be
worked out.
The honor roll has served its
purpose and has now reached the point where it is deteriorating and must be
done away with if it is not to stand as an eyesore to the community; the city
council was told last night. Some
veterans have already protested the present state of the roll.
____________________________________________________________
Later: Honor Roll Veteran's wall, along sidewalk by
High School on E Main St
1953
09 14 ST. HENRY’S TO UTILIZE PARK
Members of the upper grades in St. Henry’s
Catholic School will use Memorial Park, one block from the school, for their
noon recreational period, permission having been obtained for that
purpose. The plan was to go into effect
today.
A traffic officer will patrol North Second and
Cady streets when the children enter the park and when they leave. Because of this supervision, it will be
necessary for the children to go and return in a group at the appointed
time. The children were to receive
definite instructions regarding this arrangement to make the order effective.
Children in the lower
grades of the school will be restricted to use of the school grounds, now greatly
reduced in area because of the larger space occupied by the new school which
was opened last week.
1950s
FAIR DAY
IN MEMORIAL PARK AREA
Image Portfolio 1950s portfolio of Images Fair Day held on N Second St., Memorial Park area.
1961
11 14 SANTA CLAUS HOUSE / CANDY STICK PALACE
After flying over the city to announce his
arrival, Santa Claus will land at the Watertown Airport
next Friday afternoon at 2:20 o’clock, make a quick trip to the recreation building
and join the parade which is scheduled to get underway without delay soon
after. The Candy Stick Palace where
Santa will make his headquarters will be placed in Memorial Park. First plans were to
locate it in Madison Street on the Bank of Watertown parking lot
but it was decided Memorial Park will offer better facilities and that is where
it will go up next week.
The parade next Friday will start
from the recreation building at 2:30 p.m. and will go through Main Street and
wind up at Memorial Park. The Watertown
Municipal Band will join the parade as will the Watertown High School band and
1961 homecoming queen, Karen Ahlhorn and her court.
The Candy Stick Palace will be
open every night on which Watertown stores are open, from 6:30 to 8:30 o’clock
as well as every Saturday afternoon from 2:30 to 5 o’clock, and Santa will be
there at such times to greet children, give each one a favor and camera service
will be available for those who wish to have their picture taken with Santa
Claus.
Choral groups have been contacted
for providing concerts at the Memorial Park band shell near which Santa’s Candy
Stick Palace will be located during the holiday season. Santa’s arrival will feature the start of the
Christmas shopping season in Watertown and starting that night the city’s new
street decorations will be lighted up for the first
time. WDT
1962
02 02 PROOSED SITE FOR NEW CITY HALL
By a vote of 12 to 2
and with no debate whatever, the common council last night approved Memorial
Park as a site for Watertown’s proposed new city hall, which is to include both
fire and police department headquarters.
Last night’s approval had been foreshadowed on Monday when the aldermen
held their committee meeting and at which only two aldermen — Erich E.
Nuernberg and Kenneth Wilkes — indicated they would oppose the plan. They cast the only two negative votes on the
resolution last night, a resolution which was introduced by Alderman William
Wiegand, the council’s president. WDT
02 15 PLANS READIED FOR SUBMISSION
Alderman Kenneth
Wilkes, second ward, remains the only holdout in the common council on the
proposal calling for a new city hall, including both police and fire department
facilities, in Memorial Park. On a roll call
vote at last night’s meeting of the council to engage the services of William
Horne, Madison architect, in preparing the plans and specifications for the
proposed building, Wilkes cast the dissenting lone vote
which was 12 to 1, with Alderman Floyd Shaefer absent. The plans for the new building are expected
to be ready for submission at the March 6 meeting of the council. In addition to giving the go
ahead signal to the architect, the council approved a resolution calling
for soil borings in the Memorial Park area to determine construction
factors. WDT
1962
04 24 MEMORIAL ARCH IN
PARK REMOVED
The memorial arch in
Memorial Park which, since the park dedication in 1927, has contained the
memorial inscription to Watertown’s war dead, has been removed to make way for
the new use for the park — the site of Watertown’s new $817,000 city hall, a
project which is just getting underway and which is
due to be completed by the summer of 1964.
The late Henry Richard Little, Chicago
Tribune columnist who wrote the words used on the inscription, was the
principal speaker at the time the park was dedicated. WDT
1963
04 24 COMMON COUNCIL
GIVES GO AHEAD SIGNAL
The common council by
unanimous vote last night gave the go ahead signal for
a project which has been kicked around here for several years, including not
only by the present council but during the previous one. It approved contracts and financing for a new
city hall which will be located in Memorial Park. The meeting last night had been set for the
specific purpose of taking final action on the proposal and as expected, the
council decided to approve the project, since practically all arguments for and
against it had long ago been exhausted.
WDT
1964
04 08 CITY’S HONOR
ROLL
The request from the
Watertown Veterans Council that the city’s honor roll be placed somewhere in
the new Watertown Municipal Building or city hall now nearing completion in
Memorial Park is being considered and will in all probability be carried out. The veteran’s council has also requested that
the name of the present City Park, between South Third and South Fourth
Streets, be changed to Veterans Memorial Park
and this is also to receive serious study in the next few weeks. WDT
1966
01 30 HONOR ROLL RUNAROUND
Mayor Robert P. White
and aldermen were told last night by the Watertown Veterans Council, which
constitutes the city’s three largest service organizations, that they are tired
of “getting the runaround” on setting up an Honor Roll listing the names of
Watertown men who served in both World Wars and the Korean Conflict. John Kube, serving as the principal spokesman
for the Veterans’ Council, told the meeting last night that since March 1952,
when the Honor Roll matter was first brought up there has been nothing but
delay and no progressive action. Mr.
Kube cited dates and years in which meetings have been held to see the plan
through and said, “We have got the runaround to date. We got the runaround during Mayor Byron F.
Wackett’s administration; we got the runaround during the tenures of City
Managers Dean Van Ness and Claire C. Congdon and we have so far gotten the
runaround from Mayor White — it’s time you got this thing moving so we suitably
honor our men who served their country, as was originally intended when we
brought this matter up the first time and through successive requests since
1952.” WDT
08 02 PLANS FOR HONOR
ROLL
Plans for Watertown’s
honor roll, worked out by the Watertown Veterans Council and a common council
committee, were relayed to the council last night. A monument, suitably inscribed, will be
erected on the outside of the municipal building while a machine, with rotating
shelves on which will be placed the names of men who served in World War I,
World War II and the Korean Conflict will be located in
the lobby of the building. Lighted and
manipulated by pressing a button, the shelves will move to the desired position
to reveal the names. Those will be
listed alphabetically by the three wars.
The old Memorial Arch plaque, which was located in the former Memorial Park,
will be placed in Veterans Memorial Park, formerly City Park. WDT
-- -- MUNICIPAL BUILDING ON FORMER PARK SITE
History of Watertown, Wisconsin