The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-12-30
CITY PURCHASES
OLD LANDMARK
Pays $4,000 for Old Brand
Property South of Main
Street Bridge.
HISTORIC OLD PLACE
Many Memories of Exciting.
Times Recalled as City
Takes Over Place.

The city of Kenosha on Tuesday af-
ternoon closed up the purchase of the
Virgil M. Brand company just south
of the Main street bridge and it will
be taken over by the city at once.
The price paid was $4,000 and Mr..
Brand received city order for this
amount with the understanding that
it would be held for a few days until
the city had a chance to get a little
ahead in its bank balance. The city
will receive from Mr.. Brand the taxes
On the property for this year and this
viii reduce the purchase price by
something over $500.
No use has been decided on for the
property, but it was claimed that with
the building of the bridge the prop
erty was practically made useless to
the present owner and he demanded
that the city buy it. In the original
scheme for paying damages in connec-
ton with the building of the bridge
the damage to the Brand property was
estimated at a thousand dollars. La
ter the owner Of the property appeared
and demanded full compensation for
his property.
Historic Old Grog Shop.
The property taken over by the city
was one of the historic old grog shops
Of the city A tumbled down old shack
Il had been the foundation for the
Fortunes of several men who went into
the saloon business in Kenosha. 1t
had been the scene Of bitter fights be-
fore the council when the operation Of
the place by some Of the men in charge
of it had called it into question on the
police docket The most famous own
err of the old plaza was Adolph Kroe-
ger. Kroeger who was afterward
known as "the millionaire tramp" was
credited with having made vast sums
of money in the place and he was
picturesque character He went to
Chicago and spent his money like
water and gained fame as spender,
even in city of spenders. Kroeger
dropped out of the life of Kenosha
years ago and no one appears to know
anything about his whereabouts now.
His wife was a woman noted for her
beauty but she also disappeared from
the city years ago.
Home of Baseball Club.
The second floor of the old building
was at one time the home of the Keno
sha baseball team when it was under
the management Of Peter Breen. Tbs
manager was the agent for the Brand
Brewing company in Kenosha and he
had his Offices in the old building. The
saloon was the happy Longing place
for years of men who worked about
the harbor and while it had record
of having rather rough patronage, it
was only a few times in its history
that it was under the fire of the police
and the council.
City Has No Plans.
With the building of the bridge. the
historic old building has been buried
under pile of debris up to the win
dows and the city will probably have
it removed in the near future. The
city now owns all the property from
the south edge of the river to the
property of the Balm Wagon company.
The property of the Cudahy company
was bought sometime ago and the two
pieces of property cost the city in the
neighborhood of 5000. 1t has been
suggested that the city use this as the
site for modern downtown comfort
station and it is probable that this
matter will be taken up sometime later
on following the completion of the
work on the bridge.