Revised 17 February 2025 to include some additional material about my Beckmann-related talk at the Cedarburg History Museum in Spring, 2023.

Cedarburg News, October 14, 1885, page 1

I’ve been spending time with historic local newspapers online, searching for those tasty tidbits of local news that never quite make it into the history books, but are often found in the 19th-century local press. Today I was browsing through 1880s to early-1900s issues of the Cedarburg News, Fred. W. Horn, publisher, and found some interesting random bits o’ history that are connected to the Clark House and to some work I’ve done for the Cedarburg History Museum.

Fred. Beckmann and kin

You may remenber a post I wrote back in July, 2020, about newly-married German immigrant Fred. Beckmann, who farmed and lived on the Jonathan Clark property from 1868 until 1873, at which time he and his growing family moved to Cedarburg, where he then owned and ran the Wisconsin House hotel for the better part of the next four decades. I followed that up with an April, 2023 presentation at the Cedarburg History Museum, where I spoke about the life and the extended circle of family, business associates and friends of Fred. Beckmann. His story connects the hardscrabble early days of our area’s Yankee, Irish and German pioneers (Jonathan and Mary Clark’s generation) with the following generation of established and settled German-American farmers, business owners and civic leaders, such as himself. And Fred also connected and illuminated the story of the Jonathan Clark House with those of nearby Hamilton—and its Concordia Mill—and the development of downtown Cedarburg in the 19th-century.

That 2023 presentation was followed by a March, 2024, illustrated talk I gave at the Cedarburg History Museum as part of their big 2024 Civil War exhibition and lecture series. My subject was “From the ‘Burg to the Battlefield…and Back: Cedarburg’s Beckmann Family and the Civil War.” In my talk, I tried to take a more personal and local look at the war by examining the military service of few of Fred. Beckmann’s Cedarburg relatives, including his brother Charles Beckmann, future brother-in-law, Charles Gottschalk, and future father-in-law Henry Hachfeld/Hackfeldt.

Well, I wasn’t really looking for more info on Fred. Beckmann today, but I stumbled across some interesting things, and thought I’d share them with you here…

The Wisconsin House woodcut

CHM director Joel Willems was very helpful as I prepared my 2023 and 2024 talks; in particular, Joel provided me with our only image of Beckmann’s Wisconsin House hotel, once located on the site of the current Cedarburg Cultural Center in downtown Cedarburg…

One thing Joel and I did not know at the time was the date and provenance of this woodcut advertisement. For the files, I can now state that this woodcut appeared regularly in the Cedarburg News from at least July 31, 1895 until at least January 16, 1901, usually on page 1 or 2 of the issue. This particular version of the ad is taken from page 1 of the February 5, 1896 issue of the News.

“Good Stabling in connection with hotel”

The Wisconsin House woodcut advertisement ends with the useful note that “Good Stabling” is available in connection with the hotel. For many years, that stabling was provided by Charles Gottschalk, the husband of Fred. Beckmann’s sister Wilhemine “Mina” Beckmann. According to the 1881 History of Washington and Ozaukee Counties […] Illustrated, Gottschalk’s livery stable was the largest in Ozaukee county. And it was located across the street and just a few doors south of the Wisconsin House hotel on Washington Avenue.

Cedarburg News, January 24, 1883, page 2

Just down the block

While you were in Cedarburg, why not have your photograph taken? Or perhaps make enlarged copies of those scratched, fading daguerreotypes of the older relatives? Maybe have a bit of artistic re-touching done on those old—or new—photos, too? Gustav Podoll’s studio offered all these services, and more!

Cedarburg News, January 24, 1883, page 2

Gustav Podoll, one of Cedarburg’s long-established photographers, was also related to Fred Beckmann. He was married to Catherina Rigbers, an aunt of Fred. Beckmann’s wife Lena.

Con Wiesler’s place

Speaking of in-laws, the tavern keeper Conrad Wiesler had a place just down the street from the Wisconsin House (and it’s still there). Con Wiesler was also Fred. Beckmann’s brother-in-law; he was married to Dora (or Dorris) Hachfeld/Hackfeldt, the older sister of Fred’s wife Helena “Lena” (Hachfeld/Hackfeldt) Beckmann. On June 5, 1895, ads for the two establishments appeared one above the other on page 1 of the Cedarburg News:

As you can see, in this mid-1895 advertisement Fred. Beckmann was proud to announce that his “First class hotel” served the beers of Milwaukee’s Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.

First Class Hotel

The Wisconsin House, and Cedarburg’s other hotels, provided a number of necessary services. Farmers coming into town for the day might just want a good meal or a cold lager while they took a break from their errands at the local mills and shops. Traveling salesmen might need a room for the night. And then, just as now, when families came together for weddings, reunions, or funerals, some of the out of town guests would need a place to stay. Cedarburg’s hotels were in constant competition for their business, and a look at their advertisements can tell us what might have appealed to the post-Civil War travelers visiting the town…

Fine wines, spirits and cigars!

As you may have already noticed, fine wines, liquors, and cigars featured in many of the Wisconsin House ads.

Cedarburg News, August 11, 1886, page 1

One wonders: where did Fred’s “fine wines” come from in the 1880s and ’90s? As far as I know, the American domestic wine industry was not exactly making “fine” wines until sometime in the 1960s or so, almost a century later. Was the Wisconsin House able to obtain imported—perhaps German—wines? Or did Fred. serve whatever the American market produced and made available in Wisconsin at the time? I’d love to know.

Oysters!

Along with Fred. Beckmann’s bar full of fine wines and spirits, he often boasted of having a tasty supply of fresh oysters.

This was made possible in part by the post-Civil War development of the U.S. railroad network and the invention of the refrigerated railroad freight car. It’s very likely that Fred. could offer up truly fresh oysters, prepared as you prefered, as described in the above news item from page 2 of the October 14, 1885, issue of the Cedarburg News.

Cold beer, and lots of it!

Given Cedarburg’s substantial German-American population, it is no surprise that local and regional beers were in demand and featured in Wisconsin House advertisements. The bar-room of the hotel was ready to provide all the beer the public desired and—keeping up with technology—Fred. Beckmann’s beer was stored cold!

Cedarburg News March 27, 1895, page 2

But how, exactly, did Fred. keep “a whole brewery” of beer cold in 1895? Was it really just a new, very large “ice box” in the bar? No. It appears Fred. invested in the latest and greatest cooling technology: the refrigerator!

Cedarburg News, June 5, 1895, page 2

While he was making improvements, Fred. also gave the hotel “a new coat of paint, which greatly improves its appearance.”

Prost!

[Bartender standing behind a bar, holding up a glass of beer in his right hand]. Cincinnati, 1889. Library of Congress.

And that, dear readers, is how you stay competitive in Wisconsin’s bustling 19th-century hotel and tavern business for almost 40 years.

I hope you enjoyed these random bits of (kind-of-related-to the Clark House) local history. I’ll be back soon with other new discoveries. See you then.

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NOTE:

• All of today’s 1880s-1900s clippings were accessed via Newspapers.com (paysite) and were originally published in the newspaper then known as the Cedarburg News. The historic issues may be found online at Newspapers.com in their current collection of the News and its successor titles titled Ozaukee County News Graphic.
  
  
• And as usual on CHH, I have cropped and straightened many of the clippings, enhanced the exposure and contrast as needed, and I have also added a bit of warm color to the images, all for better readability.