Fourth of July Parade, 1869, Downtown Janesville
Photo of a horse-drawn float full of flower-bedecked women dressed in white riding in an 1869 July 4th parade in front of the Myers House. James Webb's jewelry store, located in the Myers House building, is also visible.
St. Paul's Evangelical Church history @Hedberg Public Library
Hedberg Public Library has the entire run of our local newspaper, The Gazette, on microfilm dating back to the 1840's. Using our microfilm readers, you can print a hard copy or save an electronic copy of any article found.
However, there is no *index* to the entire newspaper. Unless you know the time frame in which an article appeared, you may not be able to locate the information you seek. Reference librarians can help! We have access to online and print resources that may assist in your search.
A longtime member of St. Paul's Evangelical Church called the library to ask questions about the history of the church, especially the German Lutheran church that was dedicated in 1883 and still stands in Janesville at 169 S. Academy (All Saints Anglican Church).
The patron knew that the church was dedicated December 2, 1883 so we checked one of our online newspaper resources and found an extensive article in the December 3, 1883 Gazette about the dedication. Our patron wanted to know who the contractors were and the article listed the names of the contractors and the mason! The total cost for building the church was $10,000.
We were also able to find obituaries for Pastor Droegemueller and also for one of the wives (Emma Treu) of his predecessor, Rev. E.A.L. Treu. Our online newspaper resource, Access Newspaper Archive, used in conjunction with our online database subscription to Ancestry, and Google searches, brought up many 'hits' and our patron was thrilled with the information.
Here's the Janesville Gazette article from Access Newspaper Archive, dated Wednesday, May 25, 1966, page 2:
Access Newspaper Archive is available through any Internet connection using your library card.
Contact Hedberg Public Library's reference librarians to learn more. Email referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org or call 608-758-6581.
Posted 11/12/2013 by sb/dm
However, there is no *index* to the entire newspaper. Unless you know the time frame in which an article appeared, you may not be able to locate the information you seek. Reference librarians can help! We have access to online and print resources that may assist in your search.
A longtime member of St. Paul's Evangelical Church called the library to ask questions about the history of the church, especially the German Lutheran church that was dedicated in 1883 and still stands in Janesville at 169 S. Academy (All Saints Anglican Church).
The patron knew that the church was dedicated December 2, 1883 so we checked one of our online newspaper resources and found an extensive article in the December 3, 1883 Gazette about the dedication. Our patron wanted to know who the contractors were and the article listed the names of the contractors and the mason! The total cost for building the church was $10,000.
We were also able to find obituaries for Pastor Droegemueller and also for one of the wives (Emma Treu) of his predecessor, Rev. E.A.L. Treu. Our online newspaper resource, Access Newspaper Archive, used in conjunction with our online database subscription to Ancestry, and Google searches, brought up many 'hits' and our patron was thrilled with the information.
Here's the Janesville Gazette article from Access Newspaper Archive, dated Wednesday, May 25, 1966, page 2:
Contact Hedberg Public Library's reference librarians to learn more. Email referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org or call 608-758-6581.
Posted 11/12/2013 by sb/dm
Lavinia Goodell - Wisconsin's first Woman Lawyer
"Rhoda Lavinia Goodell came from a family dedicated to public service. Her grandfather Goodell was a missionary to Constantinople; her father was an active abolitionist, temperance advocate, and supporter of women's rights. What I wanted to convey in this play is that Lavinia Goodell is more than a name on a dusty list of Important Women in Wisconsin History. She was a woman who desired to serve, but perhaps more importantly, more humanly, she was also just a woman who wanted to be able to use her gifts to the fullest degree possible, and if that meant taking on the patriarchy, well, then that's what it meant." --Playwright Betty Diamond's notes from program
HPL Reference librarians attended a reading of a new play about Lavinia Goodell, the first woman to be admitted to the Wisconsin bar. Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley S. Abramson introduced the play and playwright Betty Diamond. Here's the March 8, 2013, program cover:
Lavinia is one of several women depicted in a mural on the outside of the Rock County Courthouse building. Read about the mural dedication here.
Hedberg Public Library's Local History Database is an index to newspaper clippings and other materials in the library's local history collection. Find references to Janesville's famous female lawyer on the search page to the
Local History Database. Enter the words: lavinia goodell in the search by Subject Heading box.
The library's Janesville's Past collection of digitized materials points to other resources.
For assistance, contact Reference Librarians at Hedberg Public Library 608-758-6581 or referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org
-posted by sb
Jim Fitzgerald - Native Son, Janesville, Wisconsin
He graduated from Janesville High School in 1944, served in the Navy, graduated from Notre Dame in 1947, and eventually returned to Janesville, where he operated a service station with Fred Weber, and oil jobbing business. He and his wife raised six children, and in 1956 he was voted Janesville Man of the Year.
With local businessman J.P. Cullen, they started the first two modern shopping centers in Janesville - Creston Park and Sunnyside Shopping Center.
In July 1961, he is part-owner of the new Holiday Inn hotel and swimming pool that opens at 2723 Milton Avenue, located at the current site of Toys 'R Us.
In May 1965, the new Oasis Restaurant, with a lake, opens near the I-90 interchange. Bessie the cow graced its entrance.
In September 1966 he brought Total TV, Wisconsin's first cable television system, to Janesville.
In October 1976 he bought the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team, hiring Don Nelson to replace Larry Costello as coach 18 games into the season. Nelson, who had no previous coaching experience, would guide the Bucks to the playoffs in 9 of his 11 years with Miwlaukee.
For complete obituary, view The Janesville Gazette online: http://www.gazettextra.com/obits/2012/jun/05/james-fitzgerald-sr/
--posted by sb
Susan B. Anthony - The Janesville Connection
Susan B. Anthony
February 15, 1820 - March 13, 1906
Janesville was involved with the women's rights movement in Wisconsin in the late 1800's. Susan B. Anthony, an American civil rights leader, lectured at the All Souls Unitarian church in Janesville, located on the northwest corner of Court and Bluff (now Parker Drive) streets, on March 27, 1878. "Woman wants Bread, not the Ballot", was the title of her talk.
Susan visited Janesville again, according to the Gazette of September 22, 1887. "Susan is Late: To-morrow morning is the date of the first session of the women's suffrage meeting. Miss Susan B. Anthony was to have made the opening address, but a telegram to the Gazette from the Rev. Olympia Brown states that Miss Anthony will not arrive in time to carry out this part of the programme", read the opening paragraph. The next day's paper announced that her lecture will be delivered at the woman's suffrage meeting in the Court Street M.E. church lecture room that evening, September 23, 1887.
Another article, from September 26, 1887, states that 'Susan B. Anthony took occasion Saturday night to draw the Rev. T. DeWitt Peake over the coals....'
On November 18, 1872 Susan was arrested for voting in the 1872 Presidential election. She went to trial, was fined $100, but not imprisoned, and refused to pay her fine.
She was born on February 15, 1820 and died on March 13, 1906.
--posted by sb 2/14/2012
Old Sale Barn Fire at Rotary Gardens Site
When did the old cattle barn burn down? Located on the current site of Rotary Gardens, a woman remembered the barn fire and was hoping to find an article in The Janesville Gazette. A guidebook at Rotary Gardens dated the fire of the auction barn in the late 1930s. "Lillian" felt certain it happened after 1939. Reference librarians checked available sources for information, with no success.
Our Local History Database had related information about the Janesville Livestock Exchange sales pavilion in another location, Beloit Avenue, but no mention of a fire at what is now Rotary Gardens.
The library's AccessNewspaperArchive database, available at Badgerlink.net, provided two clues. An article from The Sheboygan Press dated June 1, 1932, explained that "plans are under way to establish the Wisconsin Dairy Cattle Market in Janesville". An article from The Janesville Gazette, dated February 17, 1968, had this headline: "Cattle Sales Barn Leased by Norwood". It announced the sale barn went out of business, and the structure at 1901 Beloit Avenue would be converted to a warehouse facility for Norwood Mills. The article included this tidbit: 'In May 1940, the property [at 1901 Beloit Avenue] was taken over by Wisconsin Dairy Cattle Market Inc., owned by Dr. R.H. Bussewitz, Walter Gasper and Robert Morton".
Could May, 1940, be the correct time frame for the fire at the Rotary Gardens site?
We contacted the Rock County Historical Society archives for help.
Their Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for the years 1926-1944 included this message printed on the map, with a mark on the spot of the current Rotary Gardens site: "May 1944 - Wisconsin Dairy Cattle Market Sales Barn".
Could May, 1944, be the time frame for the fire?
Our older Janesville City Directories list the address for the Wisconsin Dairy Cattle Market as 915 S. Main Street from 1934 through 1941. The 1943 directory lists their new address: RD3, PO Box 172 - which is the 1901 Beloit Avenue site.
Reference librarians decided to search our Janesville Gazette microfilm, starting with May, 1944. We found this article in the Monday, May 15th issue, on page one:
(Click to enlarge) It continues on page nine:
We were unable to reach "Lillian" by phone, and had planned to mail the article to her. She happened to stop by the desk the very next day!
We're so glad Lillian asked the question.....she was right about the date. We'll share this with the Rock County Historical Society and Rotary Gardens, and add it to our local history files.
12/22/2011 posted by sb
Salute to Rock County Vietnam War Soldiers
This past Veterans Day ceremony at Traxler Park in Janesville included a special exhibit.
Pat Riley, of VietNam Veterans of America, Rock County Chapter 236, compiled a list of names of Rock County VietNam veterans killed during the war. Pat's goal was to locate an obituary for each soldier. Pat contacted reference librarians at Hedberg Public Libraryfor help. The AccessNewspaperArchive database, available at Badgerlink.net, was used to find many obituaries from area newspapers. Pat also searched microfilm for The Janesville Gazette, here at the library. Obituaries for most of the 40 men were found, copied, and displayed at Traxler Park. A photograph of this display from November 11, 2011, can be found online at The Gazette's web site.
Here is Pat's list of Rock County servicemen killed in VietNam during the war:
Timothy Agard, Vincent Agius, Thomas Becker, Leslie Bellrichard, Glen Bjerke, Nolan Black, Edwin Brown, Jerald Bulin, John DeBock, James Donstad, Donald Downing, David Drought, John Fiedler, Harry Geary, Willard Godfrey, William Grudzinski, Alvin Halverson, David Hellenbrand, John Kessinger, Earl Knutson, William Martin, Robert McCartney, James McConnell, Jeffrey Mead, Michael Nielson, Timothy Norman, Carl Oldfield, Melvin Rimel, Elwood Roehl, Harry Warren Schneider, William Schneider, Gerald Schultz, Mike Schumacher, Richard Stindl, Leonard Tauschek, Earnest Tews, Thomas Vail, Ralph Wixson, and Dennis Wood.
Copies of the obituaries found are being added to the library's local history collection.
posted 11/21/2011 by sb
Pat Riley, of VietNam Veterans of America, Rock County Chapter 236, compiled a list of names of Rock County VietNam veterans killed during the war. Pat's goal was to locate an obituary for each soldier. Pat contacted reference librarians at Hedberg Public Libraryfor help. The AccessNewspaperArchive database, available at Badgerlink.net, was used to find many obituaries from area newspapers. Pat also searched microfilm for The Janesville Gazette, here at the library. Obituaries for most of the 40 men were found, copied, and displayed at Traxler Park. A photograph of this display from November 11, 2011, can be found online at The Gazette's web site.
Here is Pat's list of Rock County servicemen killed in VietNam during the war:
Timothy Agard, Vincent Agius, Thomas Becker, Leslie Bellrichard, Glen Bjerke, Nolan Black, Edwin Brown, Jerald Bulin, John DeBock, James Donstad, Donald Downing, David Drought, John Fiedler, Harry Geary, Willard Godfrey, William Grudzinski, Alvin Halverson, David Hellenbrand, John Kessinger, Earl Knutson, William Martin, Robert McCartney, James McConnell, Jeffrey Mead, Michael Nielson, Timothy Norman, Carl Oldfield, Melvin Rimel, Elwood Roehl, Harry Warren Schneider, William Schneider, Gerald Schultz, Mike Schumacher, Richard Stindl, Leonard Tauschek, Earnest Tews, Thomas Vail, Ralph Wixson, and Dennis Wood.
Copies of the obituaries found are being added to the library's local history collection.
posted 11/21/2011 by sb
Elvis Carbon Copy
Library staff had a poignant interaction with the former fiancee of Clark Duller (aka Clark Dullere), a Janesville teenager from the late 1950s who bore a striking resemblance to "The King," Elvis Presley. Dianne and her cousin came in to the library to see if there was a way they could look at past newspaper articles about Clark. The Oooos and Ahhhs that emanated from our microfilm room got the attention of a reference librarian, who realized a search could also be conducted on the database Access Newspaper Archive, available through the state website Badgerlink.net. Once his name was entered, we discovered an article published on April 13, 1957, about his strong resemblance to Presley that Dianne and her cousin had found on the film.
We also found a longer article that included his obituary in the Janesville Daily Gazette dated April 5, 1958. Clark was on his way to see her when his motorcycle went off County Trunk M near Evansville. With tears in her eyes, Dianne thanked us and said "You never forget your first love."
They were at the reference desk when we discovered another article, dated Good Friday, April 4, 1958, with the headline "Janesville Motorcycle Rider Killed". Dianne said she was secretly engaged to Clark Duller, who at the time of the crash was seventeen and Dianne was sixteen.
We also found a longer article that included his obituary in the Janesville Daily Gazette dated April 5, 1958. Clark was on his way to see her when his motorcycle went off County Trunk M near Evansville. With tears in her eyes, Dianne thanked us and said "You never forget your first love."
Anyone who would like to share information, recollections, or memories about this story, please contact the staff at the Hedberg Public Library at 608-758-6581.
posted 10/14/2011 by DM
posted 10/14/2011 by DM
Rock Aqua Jays Celebrate 50 Years!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Rock Aqua Jays amateur ski team. Join in the celebration as they played host and placed first at the National Ski Show August 12-14, 2011, at Traxler Park, along the Rock River. You can also read The Janesville Gazette's special section to "Celebrate 50 Years!"
click article to enlarge
--first 'Aquacade' held Sunday, August 10, 1958
The history of the Rock Aqua Jays mentions the annual "Aquacades" held on the Rock River, and sponsored by The Janesville Gazette and WCLO. The "Aquacades" would become the Rock Aqua Jays, and the rest, as they say, 'is history'. Our Access NewspaperArchive database of historical newspaper articles includes these two stories. The first aquacade occured on Sunday, August 10, 1958.
click article to enlarge
The library has an extensive file of newspaper clippings and pamphlets about the Rock Aqua Jays, and some are featured in the display case outside of The Janesville Room of the library during August 2011.
Contact the Reference Desk for more information.
608-758-6581
Referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org
posted 8/18/2011 by sb
Fireman Finnane in Fatal Fire in 1959
click photo to enlarge
The Janesville Fire Department has had two firefighters die while fighting fires in the last 82 years. The last time was over fifty years ago.
On November 11, 1959, William Finnane died after a wall collapsed on several firefighters in a fire at the Schlueter Company, 112 E. Centerway. On March 2, 1925, Ed Lichtfus fell from a roof while fighting a blaze at 410 S. Locust St.
This photograph of firefighters placing a wreath on the grave at William Finnane's funeral is from "Century of Stories: a 100-year Reflection of Janesville and Surrounding Communities", p. 129. See also entry for 11-11-1959 on page 131.
According to our Local History Database, the June 21, 2007 issue of The Janesville Gazette has the story on page 7A. Visit our Local History web page or Ask a Librarian for assistance.
Janesville's Past, our online collection of photographs, includes older photographs of other disasters in Janesville's history.
posted by sb 7/12/2011
Civil War Veterans of Rock County, Wisconsin
April 12, 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the U.S. Civil War. The Janesville Gazette's Anna Marie Lux tells the story of a Rock County Civil War soldier, Henry Allyn of Shopiere. Just twenty years old, he was one of more than 2,800 Rock County men who served between 1861 and 1865. He left Janesville by train in the spring of 1861. He wounded his foot and turned 21 in the First Battle of Bull Run. In August 1962 he survived the Second Battle of Bull Run, or Second Manassas, where more than 25,000 died. See The Janesville Gazette of April 12, 2011, page 1A.
Henry kept a journal, and in early September 1962 he mailed it to his family. On September 17, 1862, he was shot in the hip while fighting at Antietam. Before his death, he wrote a letter home dated September 28, 1862. He died of his wounds October 3, 1862.
Some of Allyn's journal is copied in this pamphlet at the library.
The Rock County Historical Society has more of this journal.
Another book, There Stands "Old Rock": Rock County, Wisconsin and the War to Preserve the Union, by Thomas W. Walterman, tells the story of Civil War soldiers of Rock County.
In proportion to its population, Rock County sent a larger number of men to the Union Army than any other county in Wisconsin.
Hedberg Public Library has other books and photos relating to the Civil War.
Contact the Reference Desk at 608-758-6581 or referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org for more information.
posted 5/11/2011 by sb
Janesville's Beauty Contest Winner in 1921
"The Big Winners in the $20,200 Beauty Contest"
--The Chicago Tribune, June 5, 1921, B6.
A patron asked for help finding information about Marie Scarcliff, of Janesville, who won a beauty contest in 1921. The contest was sponsored by The Chicago Tribune. Marie went on to compete in the Mid-western states contest, but lost out to Miss Indiana, who won the $10,000.00 grand prize - worth about $120,000.00 today.
Librarians searched the online NewspaperArchive, available on our Research Databases web page, and found several articles from The Janesville Gazette in 1921. This database is invaluable when seeking older articles from the Janesville newspapers. While the library has microfilm of every issue since the 1800's, there is no published index. Unless you have a date or at least month and year, it can be daunting.
NewspaperArchive provides an index. However, not every article from every issue is included online.
An article from Monday, June 6, 1921, explained that a 'new and beautiful picture of Miss Scarcliff was published in the Tribune....Sunday, along with photos of the other five prize-winners. Miss Scarcliff was awarded the ...prize for Wisconsin several weeks ago'.
Another HPL librarian found the citation to the article online, and we requested a copy through InterLibrary Loan, a free service to Arrowhead Library System patrons. We received the Chicago Tribune microfilm from 1921, and with our digital reader, scanned and uploaded the photos here:
"Miss Marie Scarcliff, 164 South Franklin street, Janesville, Wis. Home Girl, 21 - Awarded the $1,000 prize for Wisconsin."
(equal to $12,000.00 today)
(click photo to enlarge)
Miss Hackett, of Indiana, is in the top left photo (profile) below. Marie is in the group photo across the top of the page below, (first girl on the left), with her portrait below that.
Here's the second page of the article:
(click photo to enlarge)
And, a later Gazette article dated July 2, 1921, revealed that "Marie Scarcliff Has Thrilling Hour With Auto Bandits". While traveling with friends in Kansas City, MO, she had a "thrilling experience with hold-ups.....who stopped the car, a Marmon sudan, and stripped it of tires, search-light, glass wings and other equipment."
We learned Marie survived this and lived a long life. Our patron's uncle was the photographer who took Marie's picture. We found his name in our online city directory for 1921: "James McCartney, photographer", located on Milwaukee Street.
This morning our patron came in and explained that she met Marie in Hartford, Wisconsin, in the late 1970's and visited about her experiences. The patron brought in a large, framed portrait she found in her mother's home - of Marie, taken by Mr. McCartney. Our graphic artist took a photo of the framed print - isn't it lovely!
You can see 'McCartney' in the lower right corner.
Another example of how the more we learn, the more we add to Janesville and Rock County's history - @ your library!
Keep your library's Reference librarians in mind for help with your local history questions!
--posted 12/17/2010 by sb
"Camp Janesville" - World War II POW's Lived Here
A 'Sound Off' entry in today's Janesville Gazette (November 10, 2010 p. 6A) asks about German POWs in Janesville during World War II. According to the Local History Database on Hedberg Public Library's web site, 'Camp Janesville' opened at the corner of Western Avenue (Rockport Road) and Crosby when 250 German prisoners were brought here to help with the canning industry. Assisting them were "high school students, Jamaicians, Barbadians, Mexicans, soldiers from Truax field and full time war workers who work short shifts in order to help with the harvest."
Betty Cowley's book, Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner-of-War Camps, includes a chapter about Camp Janesville, with recollections of people who lived in the area at the time.
Included are memories of Mary Lee, wife of Captain Hugh Lee, Camp Commander in the summer of 1944. They lived in a mobile home beside the camp.
Cowley's book includes over 30 Wisconsin POW camps, from Antigo to Wisconsin Rapids. Rock County public libraries have copies available to loan. Her book includes an extensive list of primary source material about Camp Janesville. Librarians at Hedberg's Reference Desk can assist you.
"Camp Janesville Closes Monday"
--The Janesville Daily Gazette
October 26, 1945
(click several times to enlarge)
This article explains that POW's were paid 55 cents per hour for their labor. Prisoners were allowed to keep 80 cents per day for their spending money.
Note the headline to the right of the Camp Janesville article ,about the safe return of four solders from the 192nd Tank Company:
Betty Cowley's book, Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner-of-War Camps, includes a chapter about Camp Janesville, with recollections of people who lived in the area at the time.
Included are memories of Mary Lee, wife of Captain Hugh Lee, Camp Commander in the summer of 1944. They lived in a mobile home beside the camp.
Cowley's book includes over 30 Wisconsin POW camps, from Antigo to Wisconsin Rapids. Rock County public libraries have copies available to loan. Her book includes an extensive list of primary source material about Camp Janesville. Librarians at Hedberg's Reference Desk can assist you.
We found this article, describing the closing of the camp, using our research database NewspaperArchive. This is free online through our Research Databases page with your Hedberg Public Library card.
"Camp Janesville Closes Monday"
--The Janesville Daily Gazette
October 26, 1945
(click several times to enlarge)
This article explains that POW's were paid 55 cents per hour for their labor. Prisoners were allowed to keep 80 cents per day for their spending money.
Note the headline to the right of the Camp Janesville article ,about the safe return of four solders from the 192nd Tank Company:
Contact the Reference Desk for more information: 608-758-6581 or referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org
--posted by sb
Janesville's City Hall Buildings: 1902 & 1968
In the fall of 1901, city officials laid the cornerstone of a three-story, 66 x 94 foot building, located at the southeast corner of North Jackson and Wall Streets. The E.A. Rush Company, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, designed the building. Initial cost was to be $44,000, but the final cost was $64,000. New furniture and fixtures pushed the total cost to almost $80,000. An old stone barn on the site was retained for city-owned horses. --source: City on the Rock River: Chapters in Janesville's History
The city replaced the old building with the new Janesville Municipal Building in 1968.
This new building was constructed right behind the old City Hall.
Old City Hall was then demolished for a wide piazza fronting the new building.
This article from The Janesville Gazette on August 2, 1968, page 2a, includes a detailed history.
(click several times to enlarge as needed)
--posted by sb
Rambeau Field
What do reference Librarians do when a question comes to us that seems impossible? We try anyway!
Joan Clark*, a former Janesville resident visiting from Arizona, asked whether we could help her find a photo of herself and her husband, Lefty*, that had been printed in the Janesville Gazette sometime in the 1990s. The only thing she remembered about the image was that the two of them had been photographed in their winter hats outside a tavern called, perhaps, the Blue Moon. The photo meant a lot to her and her husband because the original, once in their daughter's possession, had burned in a house fire.
What are our methods when trying to track down something as difficult to find as this? The Hedberg Public Library has many sources for finding local information. HPL has the Janesville Gazette back to when the paper was started in 1845. So we knew if we could verify the date and location of the photograph, we could get a copy of the photo. First, we checked our own Local History Database--an index to many books, photos, newspaper articles, and pamphlet materials about Janesville and Rock County. Nothing there. Next, we checked city directories and old phone books to see if there was a Blue Moon Tavern in Janesville. Again, no luck.
Questions that one staff member can't answer are written out and left at the reference desk for other staff members to work on. One librarian remembered that there was a Silver Moon tavern on Highway 14 back in the mid-1990s. This librarian phoned the Clarks who verified that the photo was taken at the Silver Moon Tavern! Sometimes we need the memory of staff members to get the question on the right track!
A mere year date is not going to yield useful results -somehow the date needed to be narrowed down. Next, a search was done on the Internet that included the search terms "Silver Moon Delavan." This search yielded contact information for Glenn Davis*, former owner of the tavern. The librarian emailed Glenn about the photo. He remembered that the photo was possibly taken during a Green Bay Packer Super Bowl event at the tavern. This was enough information to jog the Clarks' memories; they verified that it was a Packer Super Bowl game that had drawn them to the Silver Moon.
Staff found the dates of the two Green Bay Packer Super Bowls in the 1990s -- January 26, 1997 and January 25, 1998. So we now had likely dates for the photo.
Another librarian checked the newspaper microfilm for the day after the 1997 Super Bowl, which was Monday January 27, 1997. There, on the front page of the paper, was the very picture we had been seeking: Joan and Lefty Clark in their winter hats sitting in the "cold section" of the bleachers set up at "Rambeau Field" outside the Silver Moon Tavern!
HPL has the technology to take that image from the microfilm, put it on a flash drive, and email the image as an attachment. The Clarks preferred to have copies of the microfilm images printed and sent to them in Arizona by mail. Both the Clarks and the librarians, all of whom thought that finding this photo was truly a long shot, were thrilled.
Sometimes it takes the teamwork of a number of reference librarians, pooling their knowledge, memories, and skills, to answer a single - apparently impossible - question!
--posted by DM/LG/KH (*names used with permission)
Joan Clark*, a former Janesville resident visiting from Arizona, asked whether we could help her find a photo of herself and her husband, Lefty*, that had been printed in the Janesville Gazette sometime in the 1990s. The only thing she remembered about the image was that the two of them had been photographed in their winter hats outside a tavern called, perhaps, the Blue Moon. The photo meant a lot to her and her husband because the original, once in their daughter's possession, had burned in a house fire.
What are our methods when trying to track down something as difficult to find as this? The Hedberg Public Library has many sources for finding local information. HPL has the Janesville Gazette back to when the paper was started in 1845. So we knew if we could verify the date and location of the photograph, we could get a copy of the photo. First, we checked our own Local History Database--an index to many books, photos, newspaper articles, and pamphlet materials about Janesville and Rock County. Nothing there. Next, we checked city directories and old phone books to see if there was a Blue Moon Tavern in Janesville. Again, no luck.
Questions that one staff member can't answer are written out and left at the reference desk for other staff members to work on. One librarian remembered that there was a Silver Moon tavern on Highway 14 back in the mid-1990s. This librarian phoned the Clarks who verified that the photo was taken at the Silver Moon Tavern! Sometimes we need the memory of staff members to get the question on the right track!
A mere year date is not going to yield useful results -somehow the date needed to be narrowed down. Next, a search was done on the Internet that included the search terms "Silver Moon Delavan." This search yielded contact information for Glenn Davis*, former owner of the tavern. The librarian emailed Glenn about the photo. He remembered that the photo was possibly taken during a Green Bay Packer Super Bowl event at the tavern. This was enough information to jog the Clarks' memories; they verified that it was a Packer Super Bowl game that had drawn them to the Silver Moon.
Staff found the dates of the two Green Bay Packer Super Bowls in the 1990s -- January 26, 1997 and January 25, 1998. So we now had likely dates for the photo.
Another librarian checked the newspaper microfilm for the day after the 1997 Super Bowl, which was Monday January 27, 1997. There, on the front page of the paper, was the very picture we had been seeking: Joan and Lefty Clark in their winter hats sitting in the "cold section" of the bleachers set up at "Rambeau Field" outside the Silver Moon Tavern!
HPL has the technology to take that image from the microfilm, put it on a flash drive, and email the image as an attachment. The Clarks preferred to have copies of the microfilm images printed and sent to them in Arizona by mail. Both the Clarks and the librarians, all of whom thought that finding this photo was truly a long shot, were thrilled.
Sometimes it takes the teamwork of a number of reference librarians, pooling their knowledge, memories, and skills, to answer a single - apparently impossible - question!
--posted by DM/LG/KH (*names used with permission)
Starr & Lombardi: Packer Legends Visited Janesville
On August 4, 1956, Bart Starr threw his first professional touchdown pass right here in Janesville, Wisconsin, at Monterey Stadium in an exhibition game. Read all about it in the Monday, August 6, 1956 edition (there was no Sunday paper at the time). We scanned this from our microfilm collection.In this photo, Coach Lisle Blackbourn is pictured with Rev. G. E. Carlton from St. John Vianney Catholic Church, along with Packer players Billy Bookout and Howie Ferguson. Vince Lombardi was not hired as coach until February 4, 1959.
Click once or twice to enlarge
Bart Starr's return to Monterey Stadium on October 15, 2010 to dedicate a plaque is explained in the September 21 issue of the Janesville Gazette - read it now.
Vince Lombardi spoke in Janesville on February 25, 1969. An audio cd of this speech may be purchased at Videogenics, or borrowed from the library. Our local history pamphlet file for Vince Lombardi includes a note that Howard Gage, owner of Videogenics, recorded Lombardi's speech and recalled that the Master of Ceremonies for the event was Bob Rhodes, former editor of The Janesville Gazette. The library has a copy of the text of Lombardi's speech. While reading "Lombardi and Me" by Paul Hornung, library staff noticed an entry in the Table of Contents: 'Appendix B: Lombardi's Farewell Speech, Given February 26, 1969, in Janesville, Wisconsin'. The date of the speech is listed incorrectly. It was given on February 25, part of a 'Town Hall Series', at what is now the Janesville Performing Arts Center, in the former Marshall Middle School building next to the library.
Here's an excerpt:
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Bob, for that wonderful introduction. Anytime I hear all of those things, in an introduction like that, I always can hardly wait to hear what I have to say. I am flattered of course to be invited here, to be one of your speakers in the town hall series. This is my first attempt at anything like this; usually I speak at after-dinner banquets, I mean after-dinner speaker at banquets and so forth and so on, but very seldom am I asked to appear in auditoriums, such as this, and in a town hall series. I want to say, however, that I am flattered to be asked, very much so. The last few weeks, as Bob said a little bit, have been very, very hectic for me. In fact I am somewhere on a cross, somewhere between a Baptist minister who bought a secondhand car and never had the vocabulary to run it and a football...a football coach who died and went to hell, and never noticed the transition....."
After his speech, Lombardi answered questions from the press.
We scanned The Janesville Gazette article from our microfilm of February 26, 1969, with the headline: "Lombardi Not Surprised by Jets' Super Bowl Win". This was the victory predicted by the brash Jets quarterback, Joe Namath.
At the time of the speech Lombardi was the new coach and part owner of the Washington Redskins. It was his last public speech in Wisconsin. Lombardi died on September 3, 1970.
--submitted by sb, 10/6/2010
"Layoffs Swamp Library"
This was the headline in the Janesville Gazette on April 30, 1980. Sharon Ebel, of the Gazette staff, wrote of the effects of layoffs at the General Motors and Dana Corporation plants in Janesville and Edgerton, respectively.
The two men in the 1980 photo are Guy Hinkle, left, and Scott Jordan on the right. Notice they are using a drawer from the library card catalog, a collection of index cards listing books by title, author or subject. This was before computer catalogs.
In 1980, Library Director Dan Bradbury said circulation skyrocketed in part due to area layoffs. More patrons - especially men - visited the library, and were observed reading to their children in the children's department.
Janesville Public Library in 1982Books about automotive repair, home improvement, garden and landscaping, and career opportunity materials were popular. The first three months of 1980 saw a 15 percent increase in circulation compared to 1979. In 1980 the library's reference department received more requests for "8mm and 16mm movie projectors, which are circulated almost daily". There was no Internet, computer catalog, or VHS/DVD player in 1980.
"With many persons unable to take long vacations because of the energy and economy pinch, [the library] hopes to saturate library shelves with information describing Wisconsin tourist attractions." Other patrons requested information about job opportunities, pay scales, resumes and educational requirements in other fields.
In 2010 even more options for job-hunting are available @ your library:
- Free computers to write a resume or search the Internet
- A Job-Seekers lab held monthly - no registration required - for job-hunting help.
- A Job Resource Center (JRC) located across from the library Reference Desk with books, magazines and reference material. Find help with choosing a career, returning to school, studying for an entrance exam, finding work or writing that resume. See also our online Job Resource Center - available 24/7!
Helpful library staff are here to assist with your information needs - just as in 1980!
We're here for you.
--posted 9/20/2010 by sb
Judi Kneece and the Janesville Women's History Mural Dedication Ceremony, August 26, 2010
Thursday's ceremony outside the Rock County Courthouse was a wonderful tribute to the women of Janesville, who worked for the right to vote and established local institutions, including the first library and the first public hospital in the city. The mural project began as a way to honor the memory of community leader and former JATV station manager Judi Kneece, (photo) who passed away last year.
(Click to enlarge)
The Friends of Judi Kneece committee spearheaded this project, and in just 6 1/2 months developed a plan, selected the artist, secured funding and put the mural in place on the courthouse wall! The ceremony coincided with the 90th anniversary of the 19th Ammendment, giving women the right to vote. Elected officials and community leaders were there to dedicate the mural to Judi's memory. Judi, you are missed but will not be forgotten!
This reverse side of the flyer from the ceremony tells of the women in the mural:
Friends of Judi Kneece committee members wore purple in her honor. An article in The Janesville Gazette 8/26/10 explains the project.
Did you know that.....
Susan B. Anthony visited Janesville to promote women's rights?
Headlines in The Janesville Gazette dated September 26, 1887 declared that "Susan B. Anthony took occasion Saturday night to draw the Rev. T. DeWitt Peake over the coals....". Susan also 'spoke here on suffrage', according to the somewhat buried (page 11A!) headline in the March 12, 1889 issue of the Janesville Gazette. Search our Local History Database to learn more about women of Janesville's history. For assistance, contact the Hedberg Public Library Reference Librarians at 608-758-6581 or email us anytime.
--posted by sb on 8/30/2010
--includes excerpts from HPL's Weekly Windup
Do you know where Tommy James performed in Janesville in 1966?
"In February 1966, we found ourselves booked in another club in Janesville, Wisconsin. One day, in the middle of our first week, the club went bankrupt. When we showed up for work that night, the doors were chained and padlocked."
...Excerpt from "Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells"
...Excerpt from "Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells"
Which club in Janesville went bankrupt?
The June 19, 2010 Janesville Gazette's "Asked & Answered" column by Catherine Idzerda asks if anybody knows what club James is referring to.
Hedberg Reference Librarians may have found the answer!
"Tedons A-Go-Go, the In Crowd Goes Where the Action Is", claims this ad found by searching the NewspaperArchive.org database, available under Research Tools on the library web site.
Tedons was located on Highway 51, between Janesville and Beloit.
The ad appeared on page 18 of The Janesville Daily Gazette on Friday, January 28, 1966.
Koachmen was the band's name *before* they were The Shondells, according to Tommy James' book.
We found no listing in the older city directories for Janesville and Beloit.
So...we checked our collection of older Janesville telephone books.
"Tedon's Night Club" is listed under 'Taverns' in the yellow pages of the 1965 Janesville Telephone directory:
A photograph of Tedon's has not been found.
Who was Gary Edwards, the other name in the Tedons ad?
Librarians found this article from the June 10, 1972 issue of Billboard Magazine on Googlebooks:
This article explains how Edwards was on the road for 12 years with the Koachmen and his act 'Gary Edwards & the Abominable Snowmen'. He produced records with Tommy James and Bob King. In 1972 Edwards lived in Niles, Michigan, home of the Koachmen before they became the Shondells.
If you have any information, let us know at 608-758-6581 or email us at referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org.
For more Janesville and Rock County history, visit our Local History page.
...and keep those questions coming! The more we learn from helping you, the more local history can be preserved for future generations!
posted by sb 8/15/2010
Janesville's First High School - Historic Marker Dedication July 4, 2010
Janesville's first high school opened to students in May 1859 and was located at Third (now Holmes) Street and Wisconsin in what is now Jefferson Park. A marker will be dedicated during a neighborhood ceremony at 9:30 am on Sunday, July 4 in Jefferson Park. When the 'new' high school opened in 1895, the old high school was renamed Jefferson School and served elementary grades until it was razed in 1947 to make way for the current neighborhood park.
View this book and more Rock County history online at Janesville's Past
Some Janesville School History:
May, 1859 High School opens - located at Third (now Holmes) and Wisconsin
1895 - 1922 Janesville High School located on High Street
1923-1955 Janesville High School located on Main Street
1955 New Janesville Senior High School opened on Randall Avenue
Main Street school became Marshall Junior High
1962 Franklin Junior High opened on Crosby Avenue
1967-1968 George S. Parker High School opened on Mineral Point Avenue
1967-1968 Janesville Senior High School renamed Joseph A. Craig High School
1971 Edison Junior High School opened on Chatham Street
1997 New Marshall Middle School opened on Pontiac Drive
The Janesville Schools Annual Report for the School Year Ending June 30, 1895, includes this description of the first Janesville High School, which opened in 1859. It describes the controversy surrounding the removal of remains from the old village cemetery prior to building the school. Click image to enlarge:
This photo is in the book 'Art Work of Rock County' by W.H. Parish Publishing Co., copyright 1893.
View this book and more Rock County history online at Janesville's Past
This lithograph of the building appears in the 'Combination Atlas of Rock County' from 1873:
(Click image to enlarge)
Some Janesville School History:
May, 1859 High School opens - located at Third (now Holmes) and Wisconsin
1895 - 1922 Janesville High School located on High Street
1923-1955 Janesville High School located on Main Street
1955 New Janesville Senior High School opened on Randall Avenue
Main Street school became Marshall Junior High
1962 Franklin Junior High opened on Crosby Avenue
1967-1968 George S. Parker High School opened on Mineral Point Avenue
1967-1968 Janesville Senior High School renamed Joseph A. Craig High School
1971 Edison Junior High School opened on Chatham Street
1997 New Marshall Middle School opened on Pontiac Drive
The Janesville Schools Annual Report for the School Year Ending June 30, 1895, includes this description of the first Janesville High School, which opened in 1859. It describes the controversy surrounding the removal of remains from the old village cemetery prior to building the school. Click image to enlarge:
The story of the new school continues on the next page:
Learn more of Janesville's local history through Hedberg Public Library or contact the Reference Desk for assistance 608-758-6581 or referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org.
Posted 6/25/2010 by sb
Posted 6/25/2010 by sb
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