The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1902-01-23
Park City Hall and Gardens Destroyed
by Fire Shortly After Midnight
This Morning.
THE LOSS is PLACED AT $4,000
Park city Hotel and Gardens Destroyed by
Fire Shortly After Midnight
This Morning.
(From Thursdays Daily.0

Park City hall, one of the famous
old land marks of Kenosha, was de-
stroyed by fire shortly after midnight
this morning. The origin of the fire
is not known but it is thought that the
flames started by the crossing of
run1be of electric light wires IN the
center of the building. The loss is
placed at about six thousand dollars
and the insurance of the real estate is
two thousand dollars.
The fire caused great excitement on
the North side and when the alarm of
the fire was turned in shortly after
midnight a great crowd gathered at
the old hall to watch the cOnhagrat1on.
When the firemen arrived the IRE had
gained a good Roadway and it was evil
dent that the old building was doomed
to destruction. The flames were leap
ing out in the center of the big hall
and we're spreading rapidly to the
wooden buildings on either side. The
firemen worked hard to save some part
of the old building but the flames
spread so rapidly that after the hire
had burned for two hours there was
little of the building left except
shape1ess ruin.
When the fire broke out Mr.. and
Mrs. r. @. Stoehr were sleeping IN one
of the west rooms of the house. When
the fire was discovered the halls and
stairways of the building were already
filled with smoke and Stoehr found 1t
impossible to make his way out of the
building. He went to the window of
the room and fired three shots to give
a signal to the fireman, and Fire
men Charles Schend and Henry
Isermann volunteered to go to the
rescue of the people. They managed to
break the window frames with an ak
and brought Mrs. Stoehr and the baby
down a ladder to safety. The husband
managed to escape without injury.
All the furniture in the building
which was largely the property of Mr..
Stoehr, was destroyed. The loss on
the furniture is partially covered by
insurance.
The burning of old Park City hall
will cause sorrow in many places IN
Kenosha. 1t was the pioneer dance
first built in 1851 by the father OF
Alderman Chris Schend and it at once
assumed the place as tn, center of the
social gaieties of the North side. 1t
was the social home of the Old Retired
Hook and Ladder company, the jolly
Six, the Pastine Pleasure club and all
the clubs of pioneer bow1ers. For
%Io l.
been kept open the year round aud al
most every week the hall was used for
dance given by some of the North
side clubs. There was one time in
each year, however, when all roads led
TO Park City and that was the event of
the Jolly Six ball. This was the one
dissipation of many of the leading men
of the city and whenever the night ar
rived the hall was always packed to
overlooking. These functions will
NOW probably be transferred to some
other dance hall and old Park City will
soon be forgotten.
Mr.. Schend was seen this morning
and ia speaking of the loss of the
building he said that the loss would
be large one. Since the first part of
the hall was built in 1851 additions
have been constantly made until at
the present time more than $4,000
had been spent on the property. It
was one of the best equipped buildings
of it's kind in Southern Wisconsin.
For some time the hall had been
leased by the Miller Brewing company
al an annual rental of 5000. The sa-
loon in the hall had been conducted by
Stoehr & Grel1e and their loss will be
a large one.
Alderman Schend has not as yet de-
cided as to whether the building will be
rebuilt, but it is probable that the old
ruins will be torn down and leave a
vacant lot for the erection of a more
pretentious building. The fire caused
the widest excitement for an hour and
great crowds gathered to watch the
flames eat up che famous old resort.