website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
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History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
A Digital Online ebook
“HomeTown Series” of publications
Ken Riedl,
Editor
Index to above online history ebook
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
GERMAN-IRISH HERITAGE / SENTIMENT
SOCIETIES,
CLUBS, FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
STORMS,
DROUGHTS, FLOODS & EARTHQUAKES
FOUNDING
OF WATERTOWN
Timothy Johnson arrival,
Dec 10, 1836
Through the eyes of Timothy
Johnson's daughter
Luther Cole arrival, Dec 27,
1836
James Rogan, first deed to
a land grant, recollections of, 1836
First hotel, a two room shanty, Rogan brothers, 1836
First death in Watertown, 1837
Watertown
settlement, depiction of, 1842
J. A. Hadley
reflection, Watertown Chronicle
founder, 1847
BOHEMIAN
SETTLEMENT
IMPRESSIONS
OF WATERTOWN
1842 S. M. Eaton memories
1843 Dr. Edward Johnson
1845 John Gamble letter
1848 Watertown in 1848
1853 Impressions
Hogs running at large, 1853
Dogs take over town, 1858-60
1859 Trip over railroad to Watertown
c.1872 August
Moldenhauer memory of 1850s-1870s
c.1900 William Kersey memory of c.1900
IMPRESSIONS
OF LAND AND WILDLIFE
GERMAN-IRISH
HERITAGE / SENTIMENT
Antagonism between German boys on
one side, Irish boys on the other; 1909
letter
Mass Meeting of German-Americans, WWI sentiment, 1915
German tradition continues; church services in German, 2010 WDT
We may learn
something from our German citizens, 1860
Beal &
Torrey Shoe factory built, 1904
Blanchard Mill (same as
Yellow Mill)
Farmer’s Hotel opened,
1847
Foster and Bauman
Veterinary Clinic
Fountain
& Co. opens first drug store in village, 1847
Goeldner
Musical Instu & Notions
Gruetzmacher Books and
Stationery
Habhegger Slaughter
House & Cold Storage
Hartwig veterinary hospital est, 1895
Herro’s Herros Tot and Teen Shop
Herro’s Streamline bar
(Herro Bldg)
Keck
Furniture established 1853
Keel, Robert, "Jumbo"
Kusel’s established 1849
Marquardt Manor opened
1969
Otto’s Inn founded 1876
Plank Road Brewery
established, 1852
Shandrew, F E, Threshing
Machine Manufactory
Trachte & Trayser
established 1888
Village Blacksmith
(Fisher Barton)
Watertown Squab Co and
Watertown Pigeon Club origins, 1897
Watertown Table Slide
Company organized, 1889
Weltbuerger Printing
established, 1852
Werner’s Bathing
Establishment & Barber Shop, Fred Werner
Wiggenhorn Cigar
established, 1858
Wisconsin National
Bank, organized, 1856
Advent Christian Church,
same as German Adventist, 1872, 215 S. Eighth Street
Apostolic Gospel Lighthouse, 311 S. Fifth Street
Assembly of God Church,
established 1934
Calvary Baptist Church
founded, 1960, 792 Milford Street
Christ United
Methodist, 112 Hall Street
Ebenezer Moravian Church established, 1853, N8095 High
Road
Faith Evangelical
Lutheran Church, founded, 1987
Faith Lutheran Church,
organized in 1986, 626 Milford Street
Fellowship Baptist Church, N605 Welsh Road
First Baptist, 160
Oakridge Court, and previous locations
First Congregation
United Church of Christ, established, 1845, 120 Kuckkan
Lane
First Evangelical and Reformed church, removed in 1973. [ 1] [ 2 ]
![[ 1]](http://www.watertownhistory.org/images_04/WHS_016_047_portion.jpg){kind=link}
![[ 2 ]](http://www.watertownhistory.org/images_06/WHS_018_124.jpg){kind=link}
German Baptist,
organized, 1854
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church,
founded 1971, 1611 East Main Street
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran
Church, founded 1875, 204 N. Tenth Street
Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, 605 West Street
Moravian
Church established,
1854, 510 Cole Street
Promised Land Church,
243 E. Spaulding Street
River City Church, 21 Pawnee Street
River
Valley Alliance Church, N610 Welsh Road
Seventh-Day Adventist
Church founded, 1967, 500 S. Fifth Street
St. Bernard’s mission
established, first Catholic Mass in Watertown, 1841, 114 S. Church Street
Church, 1846
St. Henry’s Catholic
Church established, 1853, 412 N. Fourth Street
St.
John’s Lutheran Church-WELS founded, 1852, 304 N. Sixth Street
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
incorporated, 1849;
St. Luke’s demolished (N Fourth St site), 1960, 301 Clark Street
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran
Church established 1854, 615 Jones Street
St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church organized, 1847
St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church, cornerstone laid, 1859, 413 S. Second Street
Trinity
Lutheran Church founded, 1916, 605 S. Fourth Street
Watertown Community Church, 106 E. Madison Street
Welsh Methodist
Church, constructed 1858
First city church
census, 1941
An Electoral
Study of Watertown
CITY HALL
North First St
Jones St
FIRE
DEPARTMENT
Phoenix Fire Co,
organized 1876
Watertown Fire Dept,
formed 1857
HOSPITAL
Emergency Hospital
established, 1887
First Hospital
established, 1903
POLICE
DEPARTMENT
CITY JAIL
[Lock-up]
COUNTY SEAT
First frame house in
Watertown, 1841
Gamm, August
Gamm, Fred
Habhegger, John
Kreitzman, see
Jones/Kreitzman
Kusel, Dan
Kusel, Frank
Maerzke-Laehr Homestead (est.1862)
Octagon House,
construction started 1851, completed 1854
Octagon House,
lesser known second one
Rogan, remodeled into Boyle
Funeral Home, 1937
Schiffler
home, St. Mary’s Hospital
Schulz, Gottlieb
Schulz, Reuben
Schurz, Carl
Three-mile house,
north of city
Wiggenhorn, Eugene (sold to
Julius)
America’s First
Kindergarten established, 1856
150th Anniversary of
America’s First Kindergarten, 2006
Trinity-St. Luke’s Lutheran
School
Watertown High School, S. Eighth St.
Watertown High School, E. Main St.,
started, 1866
Northwestern College
established, 1865
Luther Preparatory School opens,
1995
Sacred Heart Military Academy opens, 1955
Maranatha Baptist Bible
College opens, 1968
DAMS
Boomer Dam built, 1849
FLOODS
2008, The flood of June
Cady St Bridge
constructed, 1874
Memorial Bridge dedicated,
1923
Milwaukee St
Bridge (iron) opened, 1889
Milwaukee St
Bridge (concrete arch) opened, 1930
Territorial roads
constructed through Watertown, 1839
Watertown
Plank Road, constructed, 1846
Completion of
gave farmers a choice of
markets, only remedy
a railroad between city and the lake towns
Clyman St
Main St
Lewis fountain, Main St
Washington Ave
Western Ave
Chicago &
Northwestern Railway
1860 accident, C&NW, cow
derails train
1909 accident, C&NW, 12
killed
Railroad
(Milwaukee-Watertown) reaches city, 1855 (est. 1853)
Railroad (C. M.
& St. Paul Railway) reaches city, 1855 (begun 1851)
Railroad Bridges
over the Rock: C M & St Paul
Railway Bridge
Railroad Spur, North
Water St.
Theodore Roosevelt stops in
Watertown (1900)
President Taft passes through Watertown,
special train (1909)
Watertown Junction
Chicago & Northwestern with Milwaukee
Road removed (1977)
Reflection Park
Veterans
Park (former City Park)
SOCIETIES,
CLUBS, FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
Band, first in city, 1847
Concordia Society,
formed, 1862
Elks Lodge #666
Gondolier Club, formed, 1905
VFW,
Beaudoin-Koehler-Draeger Post No. 3709
YMCA / Greater
Watertown Community Health Foundation
CELEBRATIONS
/ OBSERVANCES / PARADES
U.S. CENTENNIAL / BICENTENNIAL
American Revolution
(July 4, 1776) Centennial celebration, 1876
American Revolution (July 4, 1776) Bicentennial celebration, 1976
WATERTOWN CENTENNIAL
100 year anniversary, founding, 1936
100
year anniversary, first city charter, 1954
NORTHWEST TERRITORY
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION (1938) [A] [B]
![[A]](http://www.watertownhistory.org/images_08/WHS_019_472A.jpg){kind=link}
![[B]](http://www.watertownhistory.org/images_08/WHS_019_472B.jpg){kind=link}
WATERTOWN SESQUICENTENNIAL
150
year anniversary, founding, 1987
1899, HARVEST JUBILEE & CARNIVAL of Sept. 13, 14, 15, 1899
1972, HERITAGE
DAY PARADE, June 18,
1972
FAIRS: CITY, INTER-COUNTY,
COUNTY, STATE
Jefferson County
Fair, 1858
Central Wisconsin
Fair Held at Watertown, 1888
Jefferson County
Fair, 1909, 57th annual
Watertown Intra-County Fair,
overview
1907
Watertown Fair Day [monthly]
DECORATION DAY / MEMORIAL DAY
FOURTH OF JULY
Fourth of July, “first in
village,” 1840
Fourth of July, “first in
village,” 1847
Fourth of July, 1858
Fourth of July,
1860
Fourth of July, 1862
Fourth of July, 1876
(Centennial year)
Fourth of July, 1896
Fourth of
July, 1966
Fourth
of July, 1981
LABOR DAY
Holiday celebrations of 1904,
1906, 1908, 1917, 1956, 1965
HARVEST JUBILEE & CARNIVAL
HOMECOMING DAY
1902, first one
CIRCUS
1910,
Campbell Brothers Shows
1915, Barnum and
Bailey Circus comes to town
FALL FESTIVAL
1929: Fall
Festival on Main Street (set of 4 images)
SAENGERFEST CELEBRATION
Saengerfest celebration,
1867, 1875, 1885
THANKSGIVING
TIVOLI ISLAND
RIVERFEST
#1
summer event at this time
WATERTOWN DAY
At 1907 World's County
Fair at Beaver Dam
DROUGHTS
1909, Mills on
Rock River affected
EARTHQUAKE
1909, Felt in
Wisconsin
FLOODS
1904, Flood and ice jam
in April swept away building on middle of Main St. bridge
1982, Heaviest rainfall in Watertown’s history
2008, The flood of June
SNOW STORMS
1842, Winter of
1881, Fierce snow storm
paralyzes city
1898, Major snow storm hits
city
1910, “Severest
winter ever experienced here”
1921, Richwood
area, Streblow farm
TORNADOS
1873, Tornado
1914, Tornado “Cyclone”
1928, Tornado,
Richwood (scroll forward)
1965, Tornado of
Palm Sunday
2024, Tornado,
straight line wind
TEMPS
1904, Coldest in
history
Brayton
family, early area (Aztalan) settlers, arrive in
area, 1837
Chadwick, John arrival,
1837
Cody, Dr. James [1], [2]
arrival, 1846
Cordes, Louis moves to
town. 1860
Eberle, Gustav
arrives, Eberle Drug, 1853
Through the eyes of Timothy
Johnson's daughter
Keel, Robert
“Jumbo”
Lasker, Mary nee Woodard
McDermott, Ellen, "Crazy
Nellie"
Merkle, Fred makes a
name for himself, 1908
Nowack, Louis (Louie),
Dr
Index: Watertown on the Internet
History
of Watertown, Wisconsin