Neville Public Museum of Brown County

Snapshots in Time

Since April 6, 2005, the Green Bay Press-Gazette's weekly Community Snapshots section has included an historic image from the Neville Public Museum's photograph collection. Although only one image is featured each Wednesday, all of the images continue to be available for reproduction.

Snapshots featured in 2007

Minahan Building#2.1993.57 Featured June 2007

This 1910 photograph provides a bird's eye view of the Minahan Building located on the northeast corner of Washington and Walnut streets. Constructed in 1906 and financed by Dr. John R. Minahan, the building had 70 offices and an electric power plant in the basement which powered Green Bay's street lights until 1913. Photo courtesy of Bethe Photography.

Octagon House#2499 Featured June 2007

Frederick Deckner built this home on a hill at the east end of Mill Street before the Civil War. The walls were constructed of a combination of limestone and gravel and the two floors had three rooms each. This photograph was taken in 1910 and the home was occupied until it was torn down in 1952.

Old YMCA#742 Featured June 2007

The Young Mens Christian Association of Fort Howard was chartered in 1890. A fundraising campaign and a large donation from William J. Fisk allowed for construction of the building located on the corner of West Walnut and Chestnut streets in 1892. This photograph was taken about 1900, several years before a 1908 fire heavily damaged the building.

Kimball's Silver Band#874 Featured May 2007

Musicians are assembled and ready to play in the 1887 Fourth of July parade. Organized and led by Charles T. Kimball, the brass band was one of several in Green Bay. The photograph was taken in front of Robinson and Phipps, a wholesale druggist, and the Nau Brothers, a grocery, both located in the 100 block of Washington Street.

Sherwood Hotel#706 Featured May 2007

This 1930s photograph of the Sherwood Hotel was taken shortly before the upper three stories were torn down and the street floor converted to a store. Built in 1874, it was first known as the Cook Hotel and was considered one of the finest north of Chicago. At various times known as the Straubel, Felch, and Frontenac, the hotel was located on the southwest corner of Washington and Cherry streets. The remainder of the building was razed in 1981.

Tuyls and Radue Grocery#708 Featured May 2007

This photograph of the Tuyls & Radue Grocery was taken about 1916. The grocery store was owned by Charles J. Tuyls and Fred Radue and located at 1404 Cedar St. About 1925 the business relocated to Main Street and Mr Tuyls was the sole proprietor.

Walnut Street#2.1993.46 Featured May 2007

This 1913 photograph was taken looking west from the intersection of Adams and Walnut Streets. The six story white building to the right is the Minahan Building. Note the streetcar tracks running down the center of Walnut Street. In 1913 automobiles were a rarity and the only Green Bay dealership at the time was Lucia Brothers on North Adams Street. Photo courtesy of Bethe Photography.

Columbus Community Club#2.1993.58 Featured April 2007

This 1926 image, taken by Bethe Photography, is the Columbus Community Club at 115 South Jefferson Street. The Club boasted a 3,500 seat auditorium, an Olympic size swimming pool, and a bowling alley. The facility was built for $400,000 and was completed in 1925. Located in downtown Green Bay, the club was converted to Catholic Central High School in 1941 and is known today as the WBAY Building.

Daniel Whitney Home#851 Featured April 2007

This photograph, taken about 1885, shows the home of Daniel Whitney. Whitney came to the area in 1819 and platted the village of Navarino in 1829. Less than ten years later Navarino consolidated with the village of Astor to become the city of Green Bay. The home, located at 118 Main Street (the southwest corner of what was then Main and Madison), was built in 1830 and was demolished in 1897.

Freedom Train#18.1988.2990A Featured April 2007

Spectators watch the arrival of the Freedom Train in Green Bay on June 30, 1948. The train traveled across the United States carrying historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, the America Flag raised at Iwo Jima, and the Emancipation Proclamation. The Freedom Train was designed to give American citizens to the chance to view historical documents and reflect upon the meaning of their citizenship. The Henry Lefebvre Collection.

Green Bay's New Streetliner#52.1994.70 Featured April 2007

In 1937 the streetcars in Green bay were replaced with city buses known as "streetliners." Wisconsin Public Service operated the streetcar and bus system in Green Bay until 1974 when Green Bay Transit took over. This photo was taken in November of 1937 at the corner of Walnut and Washington Street. The Minihan Building is visible in the background.

Swimming at Bay Beach 1914#6209.61D Featured April 2007

Bay Beach was once a popular swimming location. According to the photographer, the water, "except for prolonged hot spells, was clean, pleasantly warm in the shallow area, and ideal for children." Swimmers, however, had to go out quite a distance to reach deep enough water to swim and dive. By 1933 pollution caused the beach to be closed to swimming. The Otto Stiller Collection.

Adam Spuhler Company#7663.13 Featured March 2007

Ladies wear and dry goods are featured in this interior photograph from about 1900. The department store was a longtime fixture located at 229-231 North Washington Street. In addition to ladies wear and dry goods, the store offered everything from rugs to men's and children's clothing.

F. Hurlbut Company#2781 Featured March 2007

This image of the exterior of F. Hurlbut Company was taken by photographer Tom Martin in 1966. Located at 133 Cedar St. (the end of North Washington and beginning of Cedar St.), the building was constructed in 1916. Shown is the city clock at top center and behind the company was the Green Bay Parking Center. The site is now the location of Holiday Inn City Centre and Coaches Corner.

Opening of the Green Bay Theatre#6209.96 Featured March 2007

It is a full house for the opening of the Green Bay Theater, ca. 1903. Located at 213-217 Walnut St., this theater later became the Orpheum Theater and then the Vic Theater. The Vic closed its doors for business on September 14, 1985. The Otto Stiller Collection.

The Green Bay House#6209.157A Featured March 2007

The Green Bay House was located at 328 North Adams Street, on the southeast corner of Adams and Main. In the 1872-1873 City Directory, the hotel boasted "good meals and lodgings may be had at the lowest prices; also good stabling and all accommodations required of a first class hotel." This particular photograph was taken in 1923, several years before the building was razed. The Otto Stiller Collection.

Opening of the Green Bay Theatre.#6209.96 Featured March 2007

It is a full house for the opening of the Green Bay Theater, ca. 1903. Located at 213-217 Walnut St., this theater later became the Orpheum Theater and then the Vic Theater. The Vic closed its doors for business on September 14, 1985. The Otto Stiller Collection.

Baby Health Center#7956.90 Featured March 2007

Alydia Braskamp, far right, entertains a crying infant at the Baby Health Center, 1919. Born in Alton, Iowa in 1883, Braskamp moved with her family to Waupun in 1895. She attended a three year nursing course at Hahnemann Hospital in Chicago from 1907 to 1910 and then returned to Wisconsin to practice closer to her family. After joining the Red Cross in 1917, Braskamp moved to Green Bay, only to be called to overseas service during WWI. She returned to Green Bay in 1919 to work as the assistant superintendent of nurses and nursing instructor at Deaconess Hospital, now Bellin Memorial Hospital. She held this position until 1924. Ms. Braskamp died at the Wood VA Hospital in Milwaukee in 1947 at the age of 64. Today, students at the Bellin College of Nursing benefit from a scholarship fund established in her name.

Turner Hall#18_1988_6965 Featured March 2007

Bethe Photography took this image of the exterior of Turner Hall sometimes around 1910. Turner Hall was built in 1870 on the northwest corner of Monroe and Walnut streets in Green Bay. The hall was home to the Turnverein, or Turner Society, a German organization with a focus on athletics and politics. The Turner Hall in Green Bay offered a find gymnasium as well as social activities, such as performances by the Pabst German Theater Troupe of Milwaukee and Saengerfest, a convention of German singing societies. The Henry Lefebvre Collection.

Green Bay and Western Line#6209.168B Featured February 2007

A Green Bay & Western locomotive moves along the east side of the Fox River, about where St. Francis Park in Allouez, Wisconsin, currently stands, ca. 1910. In May 1896 the newly formed Green Bay & Western line emerged from the former Green Bay & Western & St. Paul Railroad, developing a number of subsidiary lines, such as the Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western, that provided transportation throughout Northeastern Wisconsin to Lake Michigan and to other, larger railroads. Often referred to as the Green Bay Route, Green Bay & Western was considered a small, backwoods operation until 1934 when Homer McGee became president. During the next 28 years, the line made improvements to speed operations and improve travel times. Marginal subsidiaries were abandoned, while others merged fully with the railroad. The line operated successfully until it was purchased by Wisconsin Central in the early 1990s. On August 28, 1993, it merged into Wisconsin Central's Fox Valley & Western line. The stretch of rail shown in the photograph was taken out of service in 1989, allowing development of the Fox River Trail that was dedicated in 2001. The Otto Stiller Collection.

Dance at Riverside#18.1988.2360 Featured February 2007

The Riverside Ballroom was a popular venue for dances such as this one in 1949. The dance floor at the Riverside was capable of holding 1,000 people and was specially designed to "give" with the dancers. Over the Riverside's 67 year history, people danced to big bands such as those of Lawrence Welk, Sammy Kaye, Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. It was the site of the Feb. 1, 1959, Winter Dance Party - the final performance of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Besides dancing, the building was also used for roller skating, weddings, flea markets and even Green Bay Packers practices. The Henry Lefebvre Collection.

Sledding#18.1988.2821 Featured February 2007

Baird's Creek is the location of this 1950s sledding party. Today the hill is part of the Brown County owned Triangle Hill Sports Area located along the Baird Creek Parkway. The Henry Lefebvre Collection.

Switchboard#1926 Featured February 2007

This image shows women working the telephone switchboard, about 1960. Often referred to as "cordboards" by telephone company personnel, early switchboards in large cities usually were mounted floor to ceiling in order to allow the operators to reach all the lines in the exchange. The operators were boys who would scoot up a ladder to connect to the higher jacks. In the 1890s this measure failed to keep up with the increasing number of lines, so a new system was devised for operators to work together, with a team on the "A board" and another on the "B board." These operators were almost always women until the mid 1960s when men were once again hired.

Paving Washington Street#6209.95 Featured February 2007

Workers along the west side of the 100 North block of Washington St. stopped momentarily for this photograph in 1907. Streetcar tracks are newly placed and a steam-powered roller, visible in the background, is ready to compact the new surface. The Otto Stiller Collection.

Victorian Interior#6209.1 Featured February 2007

This late 19th century interior view is typical of rooms of the Victorian Era. According to the photographer, the generous use of drapes, elaborately carved furniture, ornate picture frames and the plaster of Paris cat were the height of fashion. The Otto Stiller Collection.

The Annen Candy and Biscuit Company#6209.150a Featured January 2007

A group of people stand near the Annen Candy and Biscuit Company, located on the northeast corner of Walnut and Jefferson Streets, Green Bay, 1902. The current site of Green Bay City Hall once was the location of a number of well-known businesses. The building was originally used by the Columbia Baking Company in the 1890s. By 1900 the Annen Company moved into the building, occupied it for a few years, and then relocated to the former VanDyke Brewery located at the southwest corner of Chicago and Jackson Streets. The McIntyre Burrall Company then transferred their business into the old Annen Company building. They remained in the building for several years, first as a harness manufacturer and later as a radio and appliance retailer. Unfortunately, they were not successful in the new business and within a few years of the change McIntyre Burral closed, selling the building to the City of Green Bay. In the early 1950s a large fire forced the city to raze the building, ultimately erecting the structure that now houses Green Bay City Hall. The Otto Stiller Collection.

Laying Bishop Fox to Rest#26.1989.173 Featured January 2007

A carriage driver escorts Bishop Joseph John Fox's remains to Allouez Cemetery, March 1915. Bishop Joseph John Fox was the fifth Bishop of Green Bay, and the first to receive the title of Monsignor in the Green Bay diocese. Fox was born in Green Bay on August 2, 1855 to Paul and Frances Fox, who were considered two of the earliest German settlers in Brown County. Bishop Fox prepared for the priesthood at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee and later attended the American College of the University of Louvain, Belgium, but returned to Northeastern Wisconsin to be pastor of St. Kilian in New Franken. After a short time at this church he returned to Green Bay to work as pastor at St. John's Church and later was employed at Our Lady of the Lourdes in Marinette. After eleven years at Our Lady of the Lourdes, Bishop Fox again returned to Green Bay, this time as Vicar General, eventually becoming Bishop on May 27, 1904. Through his vocation Fox raised funds and constructed a new building for St. Joseph's Orphanage as well as created schools for St. John's Church and Our Lady of Lourdes. On November 7, 1914 Bishop Fox resigned because of health problems. He died four months later on March 14, 1915.

Cigar Delivery#26.1989.169 Featured January 2007

Charles Schunek, Jr. and his father deliver hand-rolled cigars, ca. 1900. At the turn of the century, Schunek was only one of nearly 100 cigar makers in Brown County, and one of ninety-four who were a part of the Green Bay Local 162 of the Cigar Makers' International Union. This local was founded in 1881, meeting on the top floor of Findeisen-Greiser furniture store located at 226 Main Street. Most of the union's members worked alone from their residence or employed only an apprentice in a small shop. Many rolled 400-500 cigars a day and distributed them to local news and tobacco depots, or to dry goods stores, who sold them for 5 to 10 cents each. After the turn of the century, machine-rolled cigars began to compete with the more expensive hand-rolled varieties leading to fewer people learning the craft of cigar-rolling. Membership in the union gradually declined as well, with only two members left by 1952.

Christmas at Pranges#18.1988.14082 Featured January 2007

A Christmas tree stands outside of a decorated H.C. Prange Department Store, Green Bay, Wisconsin, ca. 1960s. The Prange's Christmas windows were a long-standing holiday tradition in Green Bay, as well as for the other communities the department store served. As early as 1939, the Green Bay Press-Gazette newspaper ran an advertisement in the Thanksgiving edition that stated that the Prange windows would be unveiled at 5:30 that evening, and that the crowd should expect "Action! Trills! Drama!" as they viewed "candy-makers at work, Jumbo, the elephant, tugging away at a load of toys! And you'll see the most cunning dolls and toys, gathered from far and near." Furthermore, "Friday, H.C. Prange Co. swings wide its doors to a Christmas wonderland…a city of twinkling poinsettias, shining tinsel, glistening stars and magical gift courts. A City of a Thousand Gifts collected from the far corners of the globe…particularly our own treasure-laden United States…" Often these windows were planned months in advance, selecting themes that included holiday merchandise. The window displays were usually assembled in a display room first so that the mechanical pieces could be inspected and the display arranged. It was then reassembled in the windows. From the middle1930s through the late 1970s, Prange's windows presented hundreds of scenes, including a Victorian family in the snow and a tiger with glowing eyes, as well as snow babies and a barnyard hoe-down. The Henry Lefebvre Collection.

Bellevue Park#18.1988.5897 Featured January 2007

A crowd stands along the side of the playing field by a Bellevue Products Company building, ca. 1925. Bellevue Park is probably best known among Packer Fans as the home of the Green Bay Packers during 1923 and 1924. It was also a popular minor league baseball park as well as the back lot of Hagemeister Brewery. During Prohibition the brewery reorganized itself as the Bellevue Products Company, manufacturing candy, soft drinks, and ice cream. Unfortunately, while Hagemeister Brewery was successful from its conception in 1866, it was unable to remain solvent producing new products, and closed in 1926. This photograph was taken near a storage area at Bellevue Park. It is likely that the sign with "Nic Ryan" painted on it referred to Nicolas Ryan, a barber who was elected as Brown County Sheriff for a second time in late 1924. The Henry Lefebvre Collection.

Stockyard#8081 Featured January 2007

The Andrew Elmore home sits west of the stockyard along the Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ca. 1875. Between 1862 and 1890 Andrew Elmore and his partnership, Elmore and Kelly, owned property north of the Chicago & North Western rail yard. A large portion of the property was reserved for Elmore's personal estate that included a 16-room home and streets named after his children: Augusta, Phoebe, Mary, and James. Along the Fox River, a 100-foot grain elevator was built. The 1872 city directory noted that it was modeled after the Chicago grain elevators and contained a fireproof engine room, as well the capacity to hold 30,000 bushels of grain. The stockyard shown in this photograph was also likely a part of the Elmore property. Much of his land was largely undeveloped and was ideal for a stockyard in that it allowed animals awaiting sale or shipment a supply of hay and grazing land. Additionally, the railroad permitted the stockyard a direct rail connection to Chicago where cattle in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were brought to the Union Stockyard and distributed amongst the eastern states. By 1900, however, Green Bay's stockyard seemed to disappear as the city's meat packing industry developed, allowing a large percentage of cattle to be dressed before shipment on refrigerated railcars.