USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Memoirs of Milwaukee County : from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Milwaukee County, Volume I > Part 33
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MEMOIRS OF MILWAUKEE COUNTY
Washington, Mitchell, Kosciusko, Humboldt, and Riverside parks. During the winter season the park board keeps the ice on the ponds in Riverside, Washington, Kosciusko, Humboldt, and Mitchell parks in the finest condition for skating. The two animal houses in Wash- ington park, as well as the individual outside cages, have recently been built, the new animal house being one of the most up-to-date in the whole country, and the eagles' cage is said to rank with the best. The park board has wisely seen fit to leave Humboldt Park alone to a large extent, and in this spot a Milwaukee visitor may have a glimpse of some of the typical virgin forest.
In the summer of 1907 the council created the Metropolitan con- mission of eleven members, selected from among Milwaukee's repre- sentative men, to plan for the improvements and extensions of the park and boulevard system. At the end of three years from the date of its appointment the commission is to report to the park commission and the council. A definite plan of action in the purchase of park lands, the laying of boulevards and driveways is expected. The park board has numerous plans for the immediate future, such as terracing of the slope to the lake in Lake Park. It is planned to build a grand stair- way from the pavilion to the beach, while walks are to be laid down the slope and arbors are to be built. The board contemplates opening a lake shore drive from the foot of Mason street to Flushing Tunnel Park, along a levee built on crib work out in the lake, making a lagoon between the driveway and the mainland, and thence to Lake Park along the beach. The board has under consideration also the establishment of children's playgrounds all over the city, so that these places of sport may be even more accessible to the youngsters than the parks. Lake, Kosciusko, Washington, Humboldt, and Mitchell parks have chil- dren's playgrounds, and Baker's tract is primarily intended for a field for sports.
There are ten patrolmen on the pay-roll of the park commission, and the personnel of the board is as follows: Daniel Erdmann, presi- dent ; August Rebhan, Henry Weber, Alfred C. Clas, and August M. Gavin, with F. P. Schumacher, secretary. Charles G. Carpenter, expe- rienced in landscape gardening and park management, is superin- tendent of the public parks.
ORGANIZED CHARITIES, HOSPITALS, ETC.
"The poor ye have always with you." This indictment of the social system which existed nineteen hundred years ago is equally applicable to that of the Twentieth century, and Milwaukee is no excep-
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tion to the universal rule in these later days. But the benevolence of the city's more prosperous population in the support of the great num- ber of charitable organizations for the aid of the unfortunate ones who are unable to keep the wolf from the door, is one of the things of which the Cream City may well be proud. Nearly all of the 180 churches of Milwaukee have auxiliary societies, composed mostly of the women of the church, which deal more or less with charitable work, and there are numerous asylums and homes within the city. The municipality and the county, with poor departments, contribute largely to the succor of the poor, and besides there is the Associated Charities, which is perhaps the largest single agency for the relief of the financially distressed.
The first meeting for organized charity ever held in Milwaukee was held on Oct. 30, 1847, in response to a call issued in the city papers, at the school-house on the corner of Jefferson and Mason streets, on the site now occupied by the Layton Art Gallery. Those present formed themselves by resolution into a benevolent society for the relief of the poor and the destitute within the city. The first officers of the society were Mrs. G. P. Hewitt, president; Mrs. M. B. Taylor, vice-president, and Mrs. Eliphalet Cramer, treasurer. This was a season of great business depression, when men were out of work, and their families suffering for the necessaries of life, as a consequence of this lack of employment. The society was maintained by donations and subscriptions. At the annual meeting in 1850 the secretary re- ported that a liberal grant of $500 from the city for the foundation of an orphan asylum had been made. The establishment of this insti- tution became a subject of much discussion, and different plans were proposed and advocated by Catholics and Protestants. Finally two institutions were decided upon, the Protestants renting a small house on Van Buren street, engaging a matron to take charge of it; and the Catholics, under the direction of Right Rev. J. M. Henni, established St. Rose's Female Orphan Asylum, which has ever since been one of the notable institutions of the city. A report submitted by the officers of the society on Jan. 4, 1850, states that the orphan asylum had been established and a constitution had been prepared and adopted, the constitution being that which still governs the organization and the conduct and management of the institution, a few necessary changes having been made therein. The board, containing sixteen members, was organized that year, with Mrs. Hewitt as president, Mrs. Elisha Eldred, vice-president, and Mrs. McVicar, treasurer. At the expira- tion of a month after this organization was affected a house was rented, a matron was engaged, and nine children were gathered into
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the asylum. The main support of the asylum for a number of years were the receipts of an annual fair, but it finally became difficult to raise money in this way and the managers pledged themselves to raise funds by their own individual efforts in addition to a system of street collections. This system became fairly successful, and the institution has been maintained with the funds thus collected. Mrs. William P. Young gave a lot of ground situated on Marshall street to the asylum in 1851, and at a quarterly meeting in 1852 it was decided to erect a building. At the annual meeting in December. 1853, the sum of $830 was reported as collected and work on the building was com- menced. The quarterly meeting in January, 1854, found the basement and first story finished and the family of orphans occupying the same, and in 1854 the treasurer reported that the sum of $3,408 had been expended, and formal possession was taken of the building. This was afterward sold and the house of Wallace Pratt, on the corner of Juneau avenue on the lake shore, was purchased at auction and used until 1873. This building was from time to time enlarged and im- proved, until the city gave to the institution five acres of land, upon which the present commodious and handsome building, known as the Milwaukee Protestant Orphan Asylum, was erected with funds realized from the sale of the other building and some borrowed money. The present building is very satisfactory and convenient and most admira- bly suited for its purpose.
The Home for the Friendless, now located at 378 Van Buren street, had its origin in the kindly impulses and sympathetic hearts of Chief of Police Beck and a few ladies, who felt that a place of tem- porary shelter should be provided for the women and children who might otherwise be compelled to seek the cold charity of a police sta- tion. This movement was started in 1868, before any of the numerous institutions, which have since relieved the home of a share of its burdens, had come into existence. Among the ladies who founded this worthy charity was Mrs. H. H. Button. In the beginning they labored under many difficulties, but finally succeeded in throwing open the doors of a temporary refuge for women and children in 1868. It is supported by the generous donations and subscriptions of the people of Milwaukee.
Among the most notable charitable institutions where destitute people are cared for in the city are: The Milwaukee Protestant Home for the Aged, Mrs. E. J. Lindsay president, Downer and Brad- ford avenues ; Home for the Aged, conducted by the Little Sisters of the Poor at Twentieth and Wells streets; Home for the Friendless, 378 Van Buren street ; Lutheran Home for Feeble Minded and Epilep-
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tics, 1385 Humboldt avenue; Milwaukee Protestant Orphans' Asylum, Mrs. C. H. Watson president, East North and Prospect avenues; St. John's Home for Old Ladies, Mrs. William Wettig president, 640 Cass street; St. Rose's Orphan Asylum, Lake Drive and East North avenue ; St. Vincent Orphan Asylum, Greenfield and Third avenues ; St. Aemilianus Orphan Asylum, Archbishop S. G. Messmer, presi- dent ; Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls, Lake Drive and Downer avenue; Catholic Boys' Home, Joseph Crowley president, South Pierce and Twenty-fifth streets ; the Milwaukee House of Mercy, E. J. Lindsay president ; the Boys' Home Industrial School of St. Francis, and several others. Each of these has its special form of charity and all are doing a great amount of good.
When adversity overwhelms them and gnaws their vitals to the point where their pride can no longer keep them away from seeking help to tide them over, it is to the Associated Charities that the city's poor people go. The watchword of this organization is to "Help people to help themselves." The Associated Charities works in per- fect co-operation with the police department, the city and county poor offices, the district attorney's office, the various homes and other insti- tutions, and with the benevolent societies and church auxiliaries. It has established three branches of its own: the Mission Band, having for its field the North and East sides of the city ; the Charity Union, with the West side for its field, and the Industrial Band, operating on the South side. These branches are composed of kind-hearted, public-spirited women. The Associated Charities began on Jan. I, 1882, when a little group of men and women organized it in the old St. Paul's church that stood at the corner of Jefferson and Mason streets. The first president was James G. J. Campbell, and Howland Russell, now vice-president, was its first secretary. F. G. Bigelow was the first treasurer and was re-elected for the twelve succeeding terms. Begin- ning without an agent, the work of the Associated Charities grew to such an extent in a few months that in June of the following year Gustav Frellson was appointed agent, and he has been its agent ever since. He was connected with the police department prior to June 7, 1883, when he began his work as charities agent. In the fall of the same year the society was incorporated under the Wisconsin laws. The Associated Charities was the pioneer organization dealing wholly with relief work in Milwaukee. Prior to that time the relief work of the city had depended on the county poor list, the church aid societies, and individual alms-giving. The Associated Charities systematized charitable work so that imposition by professional mendicants was im- possible. The agent has a complete record of every case handled from
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the beginning of the work. and until Feb. 25, 1908, there had been 39,919 cases handled.
All families found deserving are furnished with necessary fuel, food, and clothing ; abandoned wives and children are looked after; reconciliations between estranged couples are effected : erring husbands are brought to justice. Encouragement is given by advice and help; the despondent are stimulated to renewed effort: disheartened ones are reimbursed with ambition and self-respect. Nurses and medical care are furnished in cases of illness ; employment is obtained for men and boys. It is through the work of the Charities that begging on the streets and in business houses has been largely wiped out, and im- posters prosecuted. The society has done valiant service in preventing children from becoming charges upon society, and through its efforts the Investigation and Protection Bureau was established, which is now saving Milwaukee citizens thousands of dollars annually from all sorts of fraudulent solicitors. During the year 1907 the number of subscribers nearly doubled, and there are now more than 800, the sub- scriptions varying from $6,000 to $10.000. The officers and directors are: William Lindsay, president; Howland Russel, vice-president ; Robert Camp, treasurer; Fred W. Rogers, secretary; Mrs. H. W. Johnson, registrar; G. Frellson, agent; and E. W. Frost, the Rev. C. H. Beale, James P. Brown, A. W. Rich, the Rev. William Austin Smith, J. Mills Campbell, Archbishop Messmer, T. W. Buell. Edward Bradley, the Rev. P. B. Jenkins, Charles B. Weil, Clarence H. Young, Albert Heath, and William G. Bruce, directors.
Among other general relief associations, all of which, however, more or less co-operate with the Associated Charities, are the Women's House to House Charity, Mrs. M. Falbe, president; the United Jewish Charities, Hebrew Relief Association; Jewish Widows' and Orphans' Society, Federated Jewish Charities of Milwaukee, Milwau- kce Rescue Mission, Deaconess' Aid Society, and the Deutsche Gesell- schaft, with a score of branches.
The hospital accommodations of Milwaukee are abundant. The first step taken toward establishing a permanent hospital was in 1848, when a small building was erected by the Sisters of Charity to provide accommodations for cholera patients. It was located on the corner of Jackson and Oneida streets, and called St. John's Infirmary. Sister Felicita Dellone, from St. Joseph's, Emmitsburg, Md .. com- menced the good work, which was at first supported by charity. In January, 1857, the city donated three acres of land to the Sisters of Charity for the purpose of building and maintaining thereon a hospital, now known as St. Mary's. It is a well organized and useful institu-
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tion, largely upported by paying patients, but it has from time to time received appropriations from the state treasury. In 1863, Dr. W. A. Passavant, a Lutheran clergyman then resident in the city, interested himself in organizing a hospital. It was established in 1864 under the guardianship of the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses, and has had for its directors and patrons many of the leading citizens of Milwaukee. The hospital is governed by a board of visitors, who are elected by the life patrons, and at present Rev. H. L. Fritschel is the general director, and Martha Gensike the directing sister. It is a popular institution and its numerous beneficiaries attest its usefulness. St. Joseph's Hospital, under the care of the Sisters of St. Francis, was dedicated and opened for the reception of patients in 1883. There are no "free beds," but many charity patients are cared for. In 1888, the Elms Hospital was opened, devoted exclusively to the treatment of surgical diseases of women, and the same year the Emergency Hospital was established. It was maintained at first by voluntary contribu- tions, but after a short time the city assumed its support, and in 1892, John Johnston donated a piece of land on Sycamore street for the use of an emergency hospital, providing the city erected a suitable build- ing upon it within two years. This was done, and the institution is now known as the Johnston Emergency Hospital. It is governed by a board of trustees, who are nominated by the mayor, the Commis- sioner of Health being ex-officio a member. It is a well equipped hospital, provided with all necessary appliances, and the staff is selected from among well-known physicians and surgeons, resident in the city. As the name implies, it is used only for cases of emergency.
The Lake Side General Hospital was organized in 1891 through the instrumentality of Drs. F. E. Walbridge and Ralph Chandler. One feature of the hospital is that only trained nurses can be employed to care for the patients. It is managed by a board of directors, who are elected by the stockholders, and it ranks among the very best hospitals in the city. In 1894, some ladies of Milwaukee, realizing the necessity for a children's hospital, founded an institution for their care and treatment. In addition to those named above there are in the city the Hanover Hospital, on Hanover street at the northeast corner of Madison ; the Knowlton, at 830 Sycamore, and of which Miss O. B. Knowlton is superintendent; the Milwaukee Maternity Hospital, at 424 Vliet street; Mt. Sinai Hospital, a Jewish institution of which Mrs. M. A. Hardaker is matron; and the Post Graduate Hospital, at 603 Milwaukee street.
Thus it will be seen that the people of Milwaukee have by charity
. or otherwise made ample provision for the sick and suffering among
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them, and the hospitals are well supplied with the requisites de- manded by modern sanitary science, being in these respects fully abreast of the time. And besides the reguarly established hospitals there are a number of asylums, houses of refuge, industrial schools for boys and girls, homes for the aged and the friendless; for the wayward, for infants, for foundlings, and for orphans ; there are also, as have been enumerated, several benevolent aid societies and asso- ciations largely maintained by the charity of citizens. and designed to care for the infirm, the destitute, the struggling, the fallen; to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and bind up the wounds of the afflicted.
NATIONAL SOLDIER'S HOME.
Although not strictly a Milwaukee institution, and not altogether one of charity-what the soldier gets is his by right-the National Soldier's Home is one of the things which justly merits local pride. The United States is foremost among the nations of the earth in car- ing for its needy former soldiers. The home which it established here was the direct outgrowth of a movement inaugurated by the benevolent and patriotic women of this city for the purpose of extending aid to sol- diers. These women are generally credited with originating the idea of a home for disabled soldiers, and not only with originating but also with putting it into practical operation. Matthew Keenan was a po- tent factor in securing the location of the home here and it is said to have been the first one of its kind established by the National gov- ernment. It was located in the town of Wauwatosa, west of the Mil- waukee city limits and comprises 400 acres of land. Accommodations are provided for more than 2.500 soldiers and here where the beauties of nature are enhanced by the skill of the landscape artist the inhabi- tants of the home may spend their declining years in peace,
"Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife."
NOTABLE FIRES.
Milwaukee has always had a reasonably good fire department. and has generally managed well in providing securities against loss by fire. But of course the city has had frequent visits from the fire fiend. Prior to 1845 there had been numerous small blazes, but it was on Monday morning, April 7, of that year, that the first fire of note occurred. It originated in a small store on the west side of East Water street, between Michigan and Huron. Some thirty buildings were destroyed, among which was the Harriman House, formerly the Cottage Inn.
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The most disastrous fire that up to that time had visited the city occurred on Aug. 24, 1854, after a drought of six weeks had pre- vailed and everything was parched and dry. The flames were first seen darting from Davis' livery stable on Main (now Broadway) street, in the rear of the old United States Hotel; thence they were car- ried by a strong wind northward and westward, and another livery stable, and the Tremont House and barns were soon in ruins. Other buildings followed in quick succession and in two hours the entire block bounded by East Water, Huron, Main, and Michigan streets was a mass of smouldering ruins. Then leaping across East Water street the flames attacked the stores of Bosworth & Son, Haney & De- Bow, and J. Gardiner, which establishments were soon destroyed in spite of the heroic efforts that were made to save them. The men of the Milwaukee fire department were well-nigh exhausted, the entire membership having been called into action, when their courage was revived by the appearance on the scene of a large force from Racine, who had come in response to a telegram from Mayor Kilbourn. The losses in this fire aggregated $381,000, with insurance. amounting to $233,000.
The Milwaukee House, the second wooden hotel erected in Wis- consin, and which was built in the spring of 1836 by Solomon Juneau and Morgan L. Martin, was burned on Dec. 23, 1855. It was located on the northwest corner of Broadway and Detroit streets, and at the time of the fire was kept by Theodore Wettstein. A fire that is sadly remembered, on account of the burning of five young men, was the burning of J. B. Cross' five-story block, at the northeast corner of East Water and Huron streets, on Dec. 30, 1860, and which caused to the owner of the building a loss of $40,000. Except that of the treas- urer, all the city offices were in this building at the time, and city records valued at $500,000 were destroyed. Another peculiarly sad calamity was the burning of the Gaiety Theatre on the night of Nov. 15, 1869. During a sword combat in one of the scenes of the drama that was being enacted, a kerosene lamp was broken and the burning oil ignited the scenery. A large audience crowded the hall on the occasion, and when the flames spread with lightning-like rapidity a panic was caused among the people who were attempting to get out of the building. The wildest confusion reigned, two lives were lost, and many persons were seriously burned or otherwise injured. Other notable fires which occurred while the city was dependent, in whole or in part, upon its volunteer fire department for protection, was the burning of Rice's Theatre in 1853; of Albany Hall in 1862; of St. James' church in 1872; of the Juneau school building in 1873; of the Blatz brewery in 1873, and of the House of Correction in 1874.
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Early in the history of the embryo city it was deemed advisable to provide for some means to stay the progress of such fires as might from time to time break out in the village, and thus the Volunteer Fire Department had its beginning in 1837. In that year a hook and ladder company was organized, and among the members thereof were such men as Alexander Mitchell, Rufus Parks, Lewis J. Higby, Elisha Starr, Benjamin Edgerton, F. C. Pomeroy, A. O. T. Breed, Albert Fowler, George D. Dousman, and John Pixley, all of whom were young men who became widely known in later years. Benjamin Edgerton became the first foreman of the company and T. C. Pomeroy was its first secretary. By dint of much solicitation, the department succeeded, in 1839, in obtaining for its use the hand engine which be- came known as "The Neptune," which was considered at that time a great acquisition, and which later did good service on more than one ยท occasion. There were three fire companies in existence at the time of the incorporation of the city in 1846, and each company was uni- formed and pretty well equipped for that period, the members of each taking pride in their organization. A joint organization of the com- panies had been effected in 1845, and they assumed the name and dig- nity of a fire department, with Capt. L. H. Cotton as chief engineer, and Gideon Hewitt as assistant chief. An ordinance was passed soon after the incorporation of the city, under which ordinance a chief engineer and three assistants were elected, and five fire wardens-one for each ward-were appointed. The first officials thus charged with the conduct and management of the city fire department were Gideon Hewitt, chief engineer; N. Dewey, Herman Haertel, and William Brown, first, second, and third assistants, respectively; and James Bonnel, J. D. Butler, Levi Hubbell, Harvey Birchard, and David Merrill, fire wardens. But is was not until 1874 that the full pay fire department came into existence, although for a dozen years prior to that time the department had what was termed a half pay systen, under which its members followed such occupations as they chose during the day, and were required to be on duty as firemen only at night.
The Newhall House fire, which occurred on Jan. 10, 1883, should be mentioned among the conflagrations, as it was so dreadful in its consequences as to leave a lasting impress upon the history of the city. When the flames were first discovered, at 4 o'clock on the morning of the fated day, they had gained such headway that it was useless to attempt to save the building, and the energies of the members of the fire department were directed to the attempt to save the unfortunate inmates. The hotel was six stories high, contained 300 rooms and was
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well filled with guests on the night of the fire. Springing from their beds, dazed and panic-stricken, men and women rushed to the win- dows and implored the firemen and the crowd which had gathered to come to their rescue. In their despair many persons flung themselves from the windows or fell in attempting to lower themselves to the ground. Forty-seven charred and dismembered bodies were exhumed from the smoking mass of debris, when with much difficulty the work of excavation amid the ruins was performed, and it is known that sixty-four persons lost their lives in the terrible holocaust. But as the hotel register was lost and no complete list of the guests could be made out, there is a possibility that the loss of life was even greater. Forty-three bodies or portions of bodies which were found in the debris after the fire remained unidentified, twenty of which were buried in Calvary and twenty-three in Forest Home cemetery. The inquest on the dead resulted in the rendering of a verdict in which it was set forth that the fire was of incendiary origin; that the pro- prietors of the hotel were guilty of culpable negligence in not having employed sufficient watchmen to guard the house against fire, and the owners were guilty of negligence in not having provided niore outside fire escapes.
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