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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
This page part of chapter
on series of annual Homecoming Days
Homecoming
1904
During
the Homecoming held September 4, 1904, Tivoli Island was crowded with 3,000
people, while another 1,500 were at the same time watching the races on a half-mile
track in the new fairgrounds. Two clubs - the Thirty Year Club and the
Milwaukee-Watertown Club - both consisting of Watertowners
living away from the city, were formed around this time.
1904
08 10 HOME-COMING DAY!
September 4th, 1904 is the date
set for the second annual excursion of the Milwaukee-Watertown Home-Coming Club
to Watertown.
Monday
evening president Ernst A. Kehr, Frank J. Toussaint
and Jos. Schumacher, of Milwaukee were in the city and made preliminary
arrangements for the affair. Special
excursion trains will be run on that date from Milwaukee, and it is expected
that large delegations of excursionists will also arrive from Chicago, Madison
other cities.
There
were over 3000 visitors in this city on Home Coming day last year, and
September 4th promises to have a much larger crowd.
Thousands
of former Watertown people who reside all over the United States have been
waiting anxiously for the announcement of the date this year, and now that it
has been set, they are arranging their affairs so they can be here on that
date. Watertown Daily Times
08 12
Home-Coming Day!
SUNDAY,
SEPTEMBER 4TH.
Large
Crowds Expected – Picnic, Speech Making
and
Amusements on Tivoli Island.
Further
Particulars Next Week.
September
4th, 1904, is the date set for the second annual excursion of the
Milwaukee-Watertown Home-Coming Club to Watertown. Monday evening, President Ernst A. Kehr, Frank J. Toussaint and Jos. Schumacher, of Milwaukee,
were in the city and made preliminary arrangements for the affair. Special excursion trains will be run on that
day from Milwaukee, and it is expected that large delegations of excursionsists will also arrive from Chicago, Madison and
other cities.
There
were over 3000 visitors in the city on Home-Coming day last year, and September
4th promises to have a much larger crowd.
Thousands of former Watertown people who reside all over the United
States have been waiting anxiously for the announcement of the date this year,
and now that it has been set, they are arranging their affairs so they can be
here on that date.
Mayor
Wertheimer will deliver an address of welcome, which will be responded to by
Mayor Rose, followed by addresses from President Kehr,
Joseph E. Davies and others. The local
committee consists of Mayor Wertheimer, Jos. E. Davies, Julius Wiggenhorn, W. F. Brandt, Dr. F. C. Werner, Jas. P. Holland
and Jas. W. Moore, who will appoint other committees to assist them in the good
work.
The
second annual Home-Coming day will be a hummer in Watertown. Invite all your friends, and prepare to
entertain them in a manner that such an occasion deserves. Watertown
Gazette – 08-12-1904
08 23 ARRANGEMENTS FOR HOME-COMING DAY
Arrangements are progressing nicely for the big event of
Home-Coming Day in this city on Sunday, September 4th, under the auspices of
the Watertown Club, of Milwaukee. Clauder’s military
band of 36 pieces will accompany the Milwaukee excursionists to the city, and
it is stated by President Kehr, of Milwaukee,
president of the club, that the number of excursionists this year will be much
greater than the big crowd of last year. Watertown people should write their
friends abroad and invite them all here on that day, and businessmen,
especially those on Main Street, should decorate their places of business in
honor of the event. People are com¬ing by the
thousands on that day from all over the country, but the largest del¬egations are expected from Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison,
Janesville, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Portage, St. Paul and Minneapolis. Tivoli
Island will be the rendezvous of the home-comers and their friends. Remember
the date, Sunday, September 4th.
09 08 The second annual homecoming
celebration last Sunday in this city under the auspices of the Watertown Club
of Milwaukee was a grand success - the attendance was larger than last year,
the day was an ideal one so far as the weather was concerned, and good cheer
prevailed on all sides. The city was handsomely decorated - business houses,
public buildings and residences, - and Main street was nicely illuminated.
Over
700 Milwaukee people were present on the occasion and it is estimated that
there were at least 3000 visitors in the city, and in the words of The Milwaukee Sentinel reporter:
"Watertown proved a royal host indeed to its homecoming sons and
daughters."
A
parade in the morning, a monster picnic at Tivoli Island in the afternoon and
evening, and a brilliant illumination of the city's streets at night were the
features of the program rendered.
A
large portion of the visitors began to arrive on Saturday, including over 200
from Milwaukee, but most of them came on Sunday morning trains. The banner
delegation left Milwaukee in a special train of six coaches over the Milwaukee
road at 8:15 o'clock in the morning, arriving at Watertown at 10 o'clock. This
train carried over 500 people, including the officers of the Watertown Club . .
.
Former
Gov. George W. Peck, a member of the Watertown Club, had promised to be
present, but as the result of his nomination for governor on the democratic
ticket he asked to be excused and "homecoming day" lost its star
attraction. Mayor Rose also had promised to speak at Watertown in behalf of the
Milwaukeeans, but his trip to Arizona removed his name from the program.
Visitors from other cities had come on earlier trains, and when the special
train of the Milwaukee delegation arrived over 1,000 people crowded the depot
yard to greet them . . .
(At
Tivoli Island) 3,500 gathered for the afternoon festivities, and this number
was increased to over 5,000 during the evening. At 2 o'clock City Attorney
Arthur Mulberger called the crowd to order and in
behalf of Mayor Wertheimer, who was suffering from a painful cold, delivered an
eloquent address of welcome . . .
During
the afternoon and evening Bach's band gave a concert on the island, and at
night the island and the streets of the city were brilliantly illuminated by
strands of electric lights. The special train left for Milwaukee at 10:30
o'clock. Watertown Daily Times
History
of Watertown, Wisconsin