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Celebrating Our Past - Do You Know Him?
In March 1964, Walter Bober, Lester Johnson, Thomas Smith, William Schmitz and Robert Ableman, Monroe businessmen began a new cigar-making operation in Monroe hoping to manufacture 10,000 handmade cigars a week. The new interest in handmade cigar making was triggered when cigarette warnings began turning smokers to cigars. At the time, George Koepp, 80, local cigar maker for 60 years, was called out of retirement to head Monroe Cigar Co, Inc. A building was secured in the area of the Swiss Colony (new business park at the time) and hand rolling began. Koepp and Vera Scherer handmade several hundred per day.
The originator of Monroe’s famed Shoe Peg brand was the late Edward Lipchow who made cigars for 70 years. He sold his Havana Royal Cigar Co to Koepp in 1954, and the cigars were then made in his home. A peg, once used in shoemaking, was stuffed into the puffing end of each cigar as a gimmick, but became a mark of smoking quality. It was reported that Baumgartner’s sold about 1,000 Shoe Peg cigars weekly. Note the photo of our courthouse on the box top. The bottom photo is a stamp on the bottom of the box
stating retail price for each cigar is between 4-6 cents.
I believe the man in the photo is Mr. Koepp, if you can confirm this is correct, please direct the information to PO Box 804 or Linda Lostetter at lostetter68@gmail.com or 608-325-9730. These cigar boxes and many other interesting local items can be found at your Green County Historical Museum on 9th St. The museum is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons June through September. The museum is volunteer manned and new volunteers are always needed.
The originator of Monroe’s famed Shoe Peg brand was the late Edward Lipchow who made cigars for 70 years. He sold his Havana Royal Cigar Co to Koepp in 1954, and the cigars were then made in his home. A peg, once used in shoemaking, was stuffed into the puffing end of each cigar as a gimmick, but became a mark of smoking quality. It was reported that Baumgartner’s sold about 1,000 Shoe Peg cigars weekly. Note the photo of our courthouse on the box top. The bottom photo is a stamp on the bottom of the box
stating retail price for each cigar is between 4-6 cents.
I believe the man in the photo is Mr. Koepp, if you can confirm this is correct, please direct the information to PO Box 804 or Linda Lostetter at lostetter68@gmail.com or 608-325-9730. These cigar boxes and many other interesting local items can be found at your Green County Historical Museum on 9th St. The museum is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons June through September. The museum is volunteer manned and new volunteers are always needed.
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Celebrating Our Past - Do You Know Us?
Girl Scout Troop 6 standing in front of Goetz Theater (Blumers Drug Store in the background), Just having returned from a trip to Fritos (girl holding bag). If anyone can recognize any of these girls, please contact the Historical Society by emailing Linda Lostetter at lostetter68@gmail.com or a note to PO Box 804, Monroe. It is thought this is late 50s or early 60s. The lower picture is believed to be of the same troop.
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Nickels and Dimes
This winter was a brutal one! With all of the snow and ice, we have incurred bills that are over and above of what we had planned to spend. With that in mind, we need your help! Please consider saving your nickels and dimes for a donation to our museum to help defray the cost of snow removal
Although the city maintains the sidewalk in front of the museum, we are responsible for the walkway from the front gate to the
front door and the sidewalk along the west side of the building. Despite the museum not being open to the public during the winter, it doesn't mean that there are not people there. In fact, this is when our volunteers are hard at work and we needed to keep the sidewalks safe.
So please, round up your change and turn it into a few dollars to help us pay those snow and ice removal bills!
Also, we sometimes need extra things that are not always covered under our operating expenses so this will be a big help.
We thank you in advance. Please mail any donations to Green County Historical Society, PO Box 804, Monroe, WI 53566 and be sure to mark your check and nickels and dimes.
Although the city maintains the sidewalk in front of the museum, we are responsible for the walkway from the front gate to the
front door and the sidewalk along the west side of the building. Despite the museum not being open to the public during the winter, it doesn't mean that there are not people there. In fact, this is when our volunteers are hard at work and we needed to keep the sidewalks safe.
So please, round up your change and turn it into a few dollars to help us pay those snow and ice removal bills!
Also, we sometimes need extra things that are not always covered under our operating expenses so this will be a big help.
We thank you in advance. Please mail any donations to Green County Historical Society, PO Box 804, Monroe, WI 53566 and be sure to mark your check and nickels and dimes.
Museum Changes Schedule for 2019 Season
The Board of Directors of the Green County Historical Society at their February meeting agreed to a schedule change for the museum for the 2019 season. Beginning in June, the museum will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 pm - 4 pm and will continue through the end of September. Society members will be available for group tours at other times throughout the years.
Please reach us on our CONTACT page to schedule a tour today!
Please reach us on our CONTACT page to schedule a tour today!
Museum Receives Facelift
As was reported in the August newsletter, the museum was to receive a much-needed facelift with the help of a grant from the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin and funds from the City of Monroe. The remaining, unused chimney was rising high above the roofline and birds were able to enter the attic. It was decided to finally remedy the situation to avoid any future problems.
M & D Truck & Equipment Sales had delivered the heavy lift before Thor and his crew from Bruni-Miller showed up to work at 7:00 Monday morning, August 20. The lift malfunctioned after they had removed a few feet of the chimney above the roofline. M & D was not able to fix the lift, but was able to deliver another one later in the day.
Already at this time Thor made the comment that it was fortunate that this project was being done at this time. He said that there was nothing supporting the chimney above the roofline and that at any moment in a heavy windstorm, the bricks may have blown over and crashed through the roof of Stop-N-Go next door.
Work continued the next day without any glitches. The chimney was taken down to the next roofline. At that time it was noticed that the bricks seemed to be supporting the north end of the building, so it was decided not to remove any more of the chimney. The chimney was capped off with the trim around the existing chimney, which nobody would really notice because it blends so well with what was there. David Dickson, new member of GCHS, did a great job.
In addition to removing the chimney and repairing the fascia in that area, repairs were made to the fascia all around the building and T A Painting painted it all. After the estimate was made, painter Ty suggested that the two companies work together with Bruni using the lift in the mornings and T A Painting using it in the afternoon. That helped to limit the number of times the lift had to be moved, making fewer ruts in the yard.
The actual bill came in $4,665 less than the estimate, meaning that GCHS has that much extra money for future repairs/improvements to the building. These savings were realized because the weather cooperated so the lift was only needed for a week instead of three, because the painting was done daily instead of after the construction was done, and because only partial removal of the chimney saved costs in labor and landfill.
Much thanks to Thor Thompson and T A Painting for working together, doing great work, and helping us to save a significant amount of money.
M & D Truck & Equipment Sales had delivered the heavy lift before Thor and his crew from Bruni-Miller showed up to work at 7:00 Monday morning, August 20. The lift malfunctioned after they had removed a few feet of the chimney above the roofline. M & D was not able to fix the lift, but was able to deliver another one later in the day.
Already at this time Thor made the comment that it was fortunate that this project was being done at this time. He said that there was nothing supporting the chimney above the roofline and that at any moment in a heavy windstorm, the bricks may have blown over and crashed through the roof of Stop-N-Go next door.
Work continued the next day without any glitches. The chimney was taken down to the next roofline. At that time it was noticed that the bricks seemed to be supporting the north end of the building, so it was decided not to remove any more of the chimney. The chimney was capped off with the trim around the existing chimney, which nobody would really notice because it blends so well with what was there. David Dickson, new member of GCHS, did a great job.
In addition to removing the chimney and repairing the fascia in that area, repairs were made to the fascia all around the building and T A Painting painted it all. After the estimate was made, painter Ty suggested that the two companies work together with Bruni using the lift in the mornings and T A Painting using it in the afternoon. That helped to limit the number of times the lift had to be moved, making fewer ruts in the yard.
The actual bill came in $4,665 less than the estimate, meaning that GCHS has that much extra money for future repairs/improvements to the building. These savings were realized because the weather cooperated so the lift was only needed for a week instead of three, because the painting was done daily instead of after the construction was done, and because only partial removal of the chimney saved costs in labor and landfill.
Much thanks to Thor Thompson and T A Painting for working together, doing great work, and helping us to save a significant amount of money.
Possible Thanks to the Effort of GCHS Volunteer, Sherry Anderegg
Left to right: Sammy Atkins and his daughter Makayla, Kathee Rosenberg, Dianne and Robert Gonzalez.
Hiram Stevens was Sammy’s 4th Great Grandfather, Makayla’s 5th Great Grandfather and
Kathee and Dianne’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Direct descendants, from California and Alabama, visited Monroe on April 11th to learn more about their relative, Hiram Stevens, who lived and worked in Monroe before the Civil War. They are shown in front of the house Hiram owned in Monroe. Their brother Bill Stevens had inquired about his 3rd great grandfather thru the Green County Historical Society website (he was unable to make the trip due to a death in his family). Sherry Anderegg did some research and was able to provide them with information regarding Hiram and provided the tour around the city and out into the country where Hiram also owned 40 acres of land west of Monroe. Hiram was an attorney, solicitor in chancery, and a general land agent. He purchased the house and lot in February 1856, he helped organize a high school in 1854, he was a member of the committee to welcome the railroad to Monroe in 1858; he enlisted in Company F of the 31st Wisconsin Infantry in November 1863 as a second lieutenant, and was promoted to First Lieutenant during the Civil War.
Survey Says!
The Board of Directors of the Green County Historical Society would like to thank everyone that participated in our recent survey. The information gathered from the results will provide us with information that will help us make decisions moving forward.
Please click the link below to view the results of the survey.
Survey Results
Please click the link below to view the results of the survey.
Survey Results
Historical Society Seeks Donations for Lincoln Park Water Tower
In 2005, GCHS took the lead in putting the 1889 Lincoln Park Water Tower on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. May citizens contributed money in this effort. The old water tower, which was taken out of service in 1993, was eligible for the State and National Historical Registers under two criteria:
-it is architecturally significant and a fine example of the type of water tower construction that was popular in Wisconsin during the late 19th century
-it is historically significant because it represents the establishment of a municipal water system that dramatically changed the way people lived in the twentieth century.
The old water tower also created a fine masonry landmark in Monroe. In 2010 the City of Monroe approved the painting of the water tower's steel tank.
Today, GCHS is seeking private donations and grants for the further maintenance of the water tower. They have gotten price quotes for power washing the interior of the tower, the laying of a 4" concrete floor in the interior and spraying a wet mix of concrete (shot crete) coating to the 3-foot outer base of the tower. The estimated cost for all three projects is approximately $8,000. Any checks donated for this project should be made out to "Green County Historical Society" with a note in the memo line "WATER TOWER ONLY" and sent to :
Green County Historical Society
PO Box 804
Monroe, WI 53566
Donations may also be made with a credit card via Paypal through the website. Please be sure to indicate "Water Tower Only" in the Special Instructions field. Funds will be kept in a separate water tower preservation account. All contributions are fully tax-deductible. Any questions regarding this project should be made to Donna or John Glynn at (608) 325-5351.
-it is architecturally significant and a fine example of the type of water tower construction that was popular in Wisconsin during the late 19th century
-it is historically significant because it represents the establishment of a municipal water system that dramatically changed the way people lived in the twentieth century.
The old water tower also created a fine masonry landmark in Monroe. In 2010 the City of Monroe approved the painting of the water tower's steel tank.
Today, GCHS is seeking private donations and grants for the further maintenance of the water tower. They have gotten price quotes for power washing the interior of the tower, the laying of a 4" concrete floor in the interior and spraying a wet mix of concrete (shot crete) coating to the 3-foot outer base of the tower. The estimated cost for all three projects is approximately $8,000. Any checks donated for this project should be made out to "Green County Historical Society" with a note in the memo line "WATER TOWER ONLY" and sent to :
Green County Historical Society
PO Box 804
Monroe, WI 53566
Donations may also be made with a credit card via Paypal through the website. Please be sure to indicate "Water Tower Only" in the Special Instructions field. Funds will be kept in a separate water tower preservation account. All contributions are fully tax-deductible. Any questions regarding this project should be made to Donna or John Glynn at (608) 325-5351.
Self-Guided Tour of Historic Barns, Farms and Cheese Factories Now Available
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Local Historian, Kim Tschudy, has compiled a list of historic barns, farms and cheese factories located in New Glarus and Washington Townships in Green County. For additional information on the tour or to download a brochure containing tour information, please visit our Barn Project page.
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