The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-10-12
EARLY TAVERNS IN KENOSHA
COUNTY.

EARLY TAVERNS IN KENOSHA
COUNTY.
Public houses, or taverns, as they
were commonly called forty years ago,
were among the most important insti-
tutionsiin this county. There were
in 1912 twenty-one taverns in the
county, most of them doinga thriving
business. There were taverns in the
county prior to 1912 which were dis
continued before that date and not in.
Guided in the list. 1t will appear
strange TO many persons why so many
taVerns were needed in the county at
that early day while the country was
sparsely settled. At that period the
country west of this, as far as Rock
river, marketed its products at South
port, now kenosha. There were then
no railroads, and all transportation
was done with conveyances by teams.
frequently as many as two hundred
leans were seen to pass over the
/" Geneva road" in single day. The
roads running northwesterly to Bur-
lington, and southwesterly through
Salem and Bristol, were often thronged
with travel. This county, Walworth
and Rock had a reputation for raising
wheat; it was the chief grain product
grown. 1t will readily be seen that
with such large amount Of travel, a
great number of taverns were required
for the accommodation of man and
beast.
Of the 81 taverns in the county in
1912, four were in Kenosha and seven
teen in the country towns. Those in
Kenosha were kept by Boardman,
Whitney, Seymour, DoolittIe & Bro.
All Of these were conducted as temper
ance houses. Whitney and Seymour
were church deacons. The tavern
kept by Doolittle & Bro, on the north
side, was regarded the aristocratic
house, called the Wisconsin Hotel"
Three of these taverns disappeared
many years ago. The one kept by
Boardman still remains, remodeled
with additions, and is now kept by
VOltZ. Of the seventeen country
taverns, seven were on the old Geneva
road, kept by the following persons
Woodbridge, Hinton, Fowler, Jackson,
Burgess, Dodge and Gen. Bullen.
Most of these did furnishing bust
ness, and all but two were temperance
houses. The tavern kept by Jackson
was perhaps the most conspicuous.
His was the headquarters of the
"Free Soil" party in the county in
early times. Fowler, in addition to
tavern keeping, ran an academy:
he was a scholarly man. On the old
Milwaukee road (so-calleO tayerns
were kept by Eastman, Stevens. Fost-
er q Willis and Leet. On the Burling-
ton road, once a great thoronghfare of
travel, but ceased to be such twenty
five years ago, taverns were kept by
Hall q Pratt, Bachelor and Coffeen:
the house kept by Hall s. Pratt on this
road at Paris Corners was most wide
ly known; that locality was an event
full place forty years ago. On the
road to Wilmot, Bernham kept a
tavern; south of Kenosha, on the
road to Waukegan, Reed kept tavern;
north of Kenosha on the Racine road,
was Peck's famous tavern.
1t is "a noticeable fact that outside of
the present city limits, in 1912, where
there were seventeen taverns in the
county, there are now but two, neither.
OF which probably does one.half the
business oe the average tavern forty
years and over ago. Railroads have
entirely revolutionized travel and
transportation, and swept out of exist
ance nine-tenths of the old-fashioned
country taverns. Many people have a
distinct recollection of enjoying the
comforts of well-kept tavern, and
that journeylngs were often continued
after night-fall to reach one of these
stopping places having a reputation
for good living.