Washington Co., WI – Today’s c. 1920 photo, courtesy the Washington County Historical Society, was taken at a popular intersection in Washington County. The village used to place a Christmas tree at the corner during the holiday. Can you name the intersection?
Archives at the Washington County Historical Society show “the village placed a Christmas tree at the intersection during the holiday.”
Quite a few people were familiar with last week’s c. 1920s photo of the intersection in Kewaskum. “It is the drug store on the corner of Highway 28 and Fond du Lac Avenue,” wrote John Kudek. “Across the street is the hotel and on the west side is the former Rosenheimer Grocery store.”
The ‘drug store,’ currently the Coffee Corner, was also formerly known as Kewaskum Drug, Graf Drug Store and long ago it was the Corner Drug Store owned and operated by Ray Skrentny. “His family lived in the building,” Ann Neumann of Kewaskum said. “The Corner Drug Store also had a soda fountain, and you could buy penny candy. I remember that’s where my parents got Dr. Edwards prescription filled.”
Roger Strack of Kewaskum remembers the drug store too. “Back in 1949 I would drive up there for the best milk shakes,” he said.
The ‘hotel’ was the Republican House or the American House Hotel. That too has gone through many name changes including Kewaskum Hotel and Glacier Inn.
“Our family would pass that intersection often in the 40s and early 50s when we would venture from our home in Port Washington to visit my mother’s (Margaret Miller Mehring) relatives in Kewaskum,” Richard Mehring said.
Mike Paul, local historian, confirmed the hotel was the American Hotel and Rosenheimer brothers, Moritz and Adolph (founders in 1874) ran the L. Rosenheimer & Sons grocery across the street; that building was also home to the General Store Antique Mall. In 1952 Lehman (Lem) and Henry bought out other family members.
