Main St Boathouses in Lakeside Park

Lakeside Park was originally a swampland and not at all what it appears today. The following pictures were taken by Langdon Divers, and show what the park was like in the early days.

Langdon was standing on the edge of Main St., (about where the train engine is now) and these boathouses are just to the east of Main St.  If you look closely, you can barely make out the top of the bandstand just behind the second row of boathouses.

Here is a summer photo of the same boathouses, but with all of the growth that clearly defines the channels through the swampland.

This photo shows the newly constructed stone bridge, which is easily recognizable today.

Old Lakeside Park

Few people loved Lakeside Park as much as Fond du Lac native Langdon Divers. He had a camera with him in the early 1920's, rode bikes around the lake in the summer, and went ice-boating in the winter.  Thanks to his collection of photos, we know that there were free swimming schools, and the swimming 'chute' was rebuilt after a summer storm. All of the following photos were taken in the early 1920's.

This is a photo of the first 'chute' built for swimmers into Lake Winnebago.

This photo shows the walkway leading to the chute.

Here Langdon took a shot of the walkway in the winter time. Dated Jan. 1925.

Who, but Langdon Divers, would take a camera to the top of the 60 foot chute, and take a picture of the actual chute as a friend obviously landed in the water. Dated July 12, 1921.

Another winter scene on the lake, showing a large ice-skating scene in 1922.

Ice boats on the lake by the chutes

The Idea Theater

You've all seen the sign.  Many pictures over the years of Main St. in Fond du Lac show a little arrow sign, pointing down First Street to the "Idea Theater".  But those Main St. photos only contain the sign, and not a glimpse of the actual theater.

Well here it is in all its glory.

The Idea Theater

First St., Fond du Lac, WI

Willow Lawn School

It takes a lot to move a building, and recently I found some pictures showing all of the work that goes into adding a building to the Galloway House and Village complex

This is Willow Lawn School, in its original location

The roof had to be cut off, because of height restrictions.

Here comes the school, crossing Highway 41

Here is the school on Pioneer Road crossing Main Street.

And don't forget the roof!

On the grounds of Galloway House and Village.

"Doc" Aubery of the Iron Brigade

Military history is not my specialty.  Nada.  I don't know the difference between a regiment, company or whatever.

But once in a while I really get inspired and excited when someone else discovers something, and that's what happened last week.

Thanks to a visit from Kevin, of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum I started digging and learned the following:

"Doc" Aubery was just a 14-year-old kid in Vermont when the Civil War started.  He watched his four older brothers as they drilled and practiced in their hometown of Burlington.  When the time came for these new recruits to board a train, and the townspeople all gathered at the train station to see them off, little Cullen "Doc" Aubery decided at the last minute that he wanted to go along, and so he hopped aboard the train as it was leaving.  He hid from his brothers, and was finally discovered when they arrived in New York.

He soon was hired by a Lieutenant, to "keep his tent in order".

Eventually he found himself attached to General Edward S. Bragg of the Iron Brigade. He had often noticed that during the lull between battles and marches, all of the men craved newspapers.  He set himself the task of purchasing papers at the various localities, and selling them to the men.  Thus he became known as the Newsboy of the Iron Brigade.

After the war, Cullen "Doc" Aubery settled in Milwaukee.  He wrote memoirs of his experience titled: "Recollections of a newsboy in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865: his capture and confinement in Libby Prison: after being paroled, sharing the fortunes of the famous Iron Brigade".

Doc Aubery also wrote to the officers and soldiers of the Iron Brigade for momentos and souvenirs from the war, as well as asking for their photos.  He accumulated quite a collection, which can be found in Blakely Museum and the Thornton Research Library.

 Now I have to find out just how we came to acquire these important Iron Brigade items.

Idea Theatre

Many times have I seen photos of Main Street in Fond du Lac, with a sign pointing toward the Idea Theatre, but this is the first time I've found a picture of the actual Theatre.

This photo is with several other photos showing bulidings constructed by Immel Construction.  The top of the Theatre has the year 1905.

New to the Library

New addition to the library is "The Freund's  1660-1985  Germany to America" by Judy Schmitz.
This is another great genealogy reference if you are researching family history in the Holyland.