Newsletter - March 2017
Burlington Historian
March 2017
ΑΔΚ, an international honorary organization for women educators, is committed to educational excellence, personal and professional growth, and the collective channeling of its members’ energies toward the good of their schools, communities, the teaching profession, and the world.
Barbara M. Beetow (1929-2005), a long-time member of AΔK, taught school at the primary level for over 38 years and served AΔK as its Wisconsin state president for a term. She provided in her will for the grant program from which the Society is now benefitting.
A group of volunteers has expressed interest in reactivating a program that earlier volunteers, led by the late Alice Petracchi (see accompanying photo) and others, had carried out at Whitman School following the building’s relocation to Schmaling Park on Beloit Street in 1986. For that to happen, the school’s plumbing system needs to be inspected and updated and the restroom fixtures replaced. Also, new curtains are needed for replacement windows that were installed in 2016 as part of the school’s general renovation. The grant will also be used for needed supplies.The Society is grateful to AΔK for its support.
President’s Message
It’s been sort of a quiet and mild winter so far. Hope we can “Spring” into the next season and get out and about to enjoy our great State of Wisconsin.
The Burlington downtown area has had some recent changes and new activity which is always welcome. The former Krein’s Color Bar has been renovated into “Rugan’s Gastro Pub,” an eatery and social place for lighter foods. Also, the “Coffee House at Chestnut and Pine Street” has added a bar called “The Liars Club” on the upper floor. The bar is named after the famous – or maybe infamous – 80-some year old tradition which names a “Liar of the Year” in a write-in competition that garners national attention around the New Year holiday. And the former Bank of Burlington building on South Pine Street is being renovated to accommodate two existing businesses that plan to relocate to that structure.
Some news of historic concern is that the City of Burlington is facing decisions as to the future of the 1890 water tower at the top of Lewis Street. The retaining wall surrounding the structure is in need of major repairs and the City has set a public meeting for input as to its future. Our board of directors is very concerned about the tower’s future and hopes to have a chance to voice our concerns and expound on the importance of the tower’s remaining a beautiful and historic landmark this community has had for many decades.
Enjoy the remaining weeks of winter and an early and beautiful spring season that our area, as part of Wisconsin, enjoys.
Dennis Tully
Pioneer Log Cabin to Re-open May 6
The 2017 Pioneer Log Cabin season is scheduled to start on Saturday, May 6. Plans are for the Cabin to be open May through October on Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 and on Thursday evenings from 3 to 7 in conjunction with Burlington’s Farmers’ Market.
Our docents, who make visitors – young and old and in between – feel welcome as they share the history of our 1860-era Log Cabin, are the key to the Cabin’s success – and more are needed. Anyone interested in becoming a docent is asked to call Jackie Heiligenthal at 262-661-4272.
“Edmund Fitzgerald” Program a Decided Success
The Society had a record-breaking turnout for our annual Christmas program at Veterans Terrace on Sunday, December 4, 2016. Best-selling author and speaker Rochelle Pennington’s presentation on the “Edmund Fitzgerald,” the largest shipwreck ever to go down on the Great Lakes, attracted so many attendees (see photo) that the program needed to be moved to a larger room than the one used for prior programs.
Thanks to the Society’s members and friends who contributed to the success of the program.
Re-designed Website Coming Soon
The Society has been in the process of re-designing and updating our website. To help in this endeavor, particularly as to the basic design of the site and the updating of our four major databases, we have hired Image Management (IM), a Racine firm that calls itself “Masters of the Website.”
We and IM are fairly far along in the process, with Society president Dennis Tully handling the transfer of our photo galleries and vice president Don Vande Sand helping to transfer existing articles and records and uploading additional content.
Once the new website is ready to go, it will take the place of the present website using the same Uniform Resource Locator (URL) – burlingtonhistory.org.
The present website was first developed around 2002 by our volunteer webmaster, Jeff Kiekenbush. Jeff, a computer expert, has done an outstanding job over the years, leading to accolades from many researchers saying the site was one of the best sources of local area genealogical and historical information they had encountered. The site is one of only six websites in Wisconsin to receive the Genealogical Gleaners Award given to websites that feature free vital and accurate information for the online genealogical community.
We are grateful to Jeff for all he has done for the Society and for taking time from increasing family and work responsibilities to help with the website. His efforts are deeply appreciated.
Ringling Brothers Circus Appeared in Burlington in 1889 and 1891
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced in January 2017 that it was going to close in May 2017 following the final performances of its two touring companies – the first on May 7, 2017, in Providence, Rhode Island, and the second on May 21, 2017, in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
The closing – attributed to increasing costs, declining ticket sales, and the circus’s decision to no longer use elephants – will conclude over 146 years of the circus’s existence.
The circus grew over the years by combining different entrepreneurs and groups’ shows. Four Ringling brothers – Albert, Charles, Otto, and John – started their circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin, in 1884. They were later joined by a fifth brother, Alfred and occasionally by two other brothers, August and Henry.
The Ringlings leased and added the name of Isaac Van Amburgh’s Museum and Menagerie for its 1889 tour. By 1900 the Ringling Brothers were actively competing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus, which pre-dated theirs. They acquired the Forepaugh-Sells Circus in 1906 and operated it separately until 1911. In 1907 they acquired the Barnum & Bailey Circus, operating the two shows separately until 1919, when they combined the two shows into the “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.”
While the Ringling Brothers Circus was still in its early years, it played in Burlington twice – once in 1889 and again in 1891. On May 20, 1889, the circus set up its tents on the grounds of the Wisconsin Central depot. According to the Standard Democrat, the circus, which gave both an afternoon and evening performance, was as good as everyone expected. For the morning parade, 2,000 people were on the streets.
The Ringling Brothers returned to Burlington with their circus on May 8, 1891. According to the Free Press, there was a large crowd in town to attend the circus and all were well satisfied that they gave as near what they advertised as any show that ever pitched their tents in Burlington. There were no gamblers, pickpockets, or fakirs with the company but everything was conducted fairly, squarely, and pleasantly, and everybody was satisfied with the performances afternoon and evening.
The street parade, the paper said, was the best seen in Burlington in twelve or fifteen years. It was simply grand with horses, elephants, camels and dromedaries, wild animals, five bands, chariots, and other attractions. The grand, glittering parade was looked upon in wonder by thousands of people, both our own citizens and those from the surrounding towns and country.
And Away We Go!
By Priscilla Crowley
Here it is – a brand new year – welcome 2017. May this year be our best and brightest ever. Good health, prosperity, good will towards our fellow man – all things bright and beautiful to all of us. I always think of a New Year as a chance for a fresh beginning – even if things sort of “stunk” in the old year, there is hope that the New Year will bring about changes that will benefit us all.
I must say my new year did not start out quite as I had hoped. On January 10th I did a poor imitation of a ballet dancer doing “Swan Lake” but without the graceful appearance or outcome a real ballet dancer would have had. The upshot of my “swan dive” so to speak is a broken left leg. I hasten to add that I am healing well and will soon be back on both legs and driving everyone nuts as usual.
The day I fell was one of those rainy, semi-icy days where one minute the pavement was just wet and next it was a sheet of ice. As usual I was in a hurry and rushed out of the building on an errand. I made my way down the steps and when my feet hit the parking lot pavement they went out from under me and there I lay in an ignominious heap on the ground. As I lay and experimentally tried moving to see if I could get up before anyone saw me, my left leg informed me that this would not be possible. I might add that it informed me of this “loud and clear.”
At first I could only feel sorry for myself and wonder how long I would have to lay there before someone came out of the building and found me. Fortunately, my brain finally kicked in and I remembered that I had my cell phone in my purse and managed to call to the inside of the office to confess that I was lying in a not very graceful heap in the parking lot. It was like that commercial, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Truer words were never spoken. I went from having no one outside to having everyone outside – it was a mini mob scene. They were all wonderful and I thank everyone one of them for helping me when I needed it most. Then came the rescue squad and there were even more people standing over the top of me. The day just kept getting better and better! You know how it is when you are on a winning streak. One thing I have learned from this experience is how many caring and compassionate people are out there if you just give them the chance.
I have been sitting here for about 5 weeks now, contemplating life and how what goes around comes around in one form or another. Because of my leg I am not able to drive right now and so I depend on the kindness of others to take me to appointments with the physical therapist and doctor – another example of what people are willing to do to help others if they are given the chance.
I have also been thinking back to when we were kids and all three of us got chicken pox and how we were all penned up in the house and how nuts that was. I am sure we drove Mom crazy by stating loud and clear that we were bored, BORED, BORED and complaining constantly about how bad we itched and why can’t we go outside? The bickering and fighting over trivial things that must have gone on with all of us sitting around the house, not really sick but not able to go about our normal business had to have been enough to drive her over the edge. I am sure if she could have, she would have willingly left us on some other person’s doorstep with a note that would ask them to please take care of these “darling children” with a no deposit, no return sticker on the note.
I bring the chicken pox forward a few years to when my kids got chicken pox – my son was first and wouldn’t you know he came down with it just as the weather was turning nice and we were going from snowballs to baseballs. His younger sister thought she was doing great because as the days wore on he was the only one who broke out, she remained pox free – finally the day had come when my son could play outside again and sure enough two weeks to the day my daughter broke out with the horrid chicken pox. I can still see her yelling out the window at the kids in the neighborhood, including her brother, “You gunkies, come back here, it’s not fair, I want to play outside! I’ll get you for this! Come back here!” It was not a good day or a good couple of weeks. Of course my son couldn’t help but gloat to his sister and of course his sister threatened him with all sorts of revenge when she was freed from her “chicken pox” prison. It was an epic couple of weeks – the stuff nightmares are made of! I certainly got a taste of what we put Mom through when we got sick; paybacks are never pleasant.
I say spring is coming and with it better days – kids will always come down with chicken pox or some other horrid “kid” disease and be penned up in the house – they will always threaten parents and siblings alike with the most awful revenge once they are freed and able to get out of the house. But it’s all part of the growing up process and thinking back there were some good things that came out of being corralled in the house with my brother and sister. We did have some good times and maybe even learned a lesson or two. The memories are priceless and we still talk about it once in a while with a “remember when” kind of a thing.
Everything happens for a reason – we just have to be smart enough to see what the reason is or take some good out of the bad. We come out better and stronger and maybe with a measure of understanding for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation. We are put on this earth to hopefully lead productive lives and benefit our fellow man. Our memories of days gone by help us with that goal – if we all think back to a time in our lives when things didn’t quite go as we planned and remember to apply that to someone who is going through a bad patch we are just living up to our potential. While I can’t think that breaking my leg was a good thing, it did give me the opportunity to take some time to think about life and what I can do to help ease the burden for someone else. Take the time to remember and reflect and then don’t be afraid to reach out a helping hand to someone who could use a boost. Happy spring!!
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