THE WAUPACA POST

August 8, 1991

 

WHEN THEN WAS NOW

By Wayne A. Guyant

 

            Lot 1, Block “L”, is the original plat of the village, now the City of Waupaca, may

have been a business location as early as 1863, and possibly even before.

            This location, 202 South Main Street, is JR’s True Value Hardware Store in 1991, owned and operated by Roger and Gloria Coenen.

            There had been four owners of this property when on August 24, 1922, Joseph E. Cristy purchased it from Mrs. Louisa Spaulding, the widow of Henry J. Stetson of Chicago, Illinois.

            Going back in warranty deed records, on January 21, 1857, Benson Survey and his wife, Eliza, of Waukesha, sold Lots 1 and 10 in Block “L”, as recorded in the original plat of the village, to Thomas McCrossen.

            Four months later on May 19, 1857, McCrossen sold the same two lots to William P. and Isabel Quint.  The property again changed hands on August 15, 1863, when William P. Quint and wife sold the property to Henry J. and Austin Stetson.

            It is believed that Henry and Austin Stetson operated a mercantile or jewelry business together until June 18, 1877, when Austin sold out his interest to Henry, who continued to operate the business until his death on July 16, 1892.  Austin had passed away in 1881.

            It would seem only logical that Henry J. Stetson built his large, two-story brick building sometime shortly after the big fire on January 19, 1877, that destroyed many of the old wooden structures on Main Street.

            The Stetson store had a stairway on the south side of the building that led upstairs to a large hall on the second floor over the Stetson store.  This was known as Stetson Hall where large parties, dances, and roller skating were held.

            I found an interesting account that told about J. H. Hudson, who had one of the first bands in Waupaca that was active in playing at gatherings, such as concerts, patriotic celebrations, baseball games and at the roller skating rink over Cristy’s store (Stetson Hall).

            Mrs. Kathleen Marceil of Wisconsin Rapids, who is a granddaughter of the late Joseph E. Cristy, told me that Cristy’s also held style shows there.

            And when Turkey Trot days were held in Waupaca, she said that Cristy’s released their turkey from their roof.

            As close as I can find out, Turkey Trot days started shortly after the years of World War I.  It was a day set aside before Thanksgiving when the merchants of Waupaca got together and ran big sales to induce the people of the surrounding area to come to Waupaca to do their shopping and to have a chance of catching a free turkey.

            Large crowds gathered in the streets below waiting for the moment that a turkey would be released from the roof of a store building.  Whoever wound up with the turkey – probably scared out if its wits and lacking some of its feathers – was his – or hers – to keep for Thanksgiving dinner.  This practice was discontinued in a few years because things got a little out of control, and I believe that a football was substituted to replace the live turkey.

            C. J. (Curtis John) Vosburg was employed in the mercantile establishment of H. J. Stetson in 1892, at the time of Mr. Stetson’s death.  Mr. Vosburg took over the operation of the Stetson store in 1893, and ran it until 1900, when he retired.

            A notice in a Waupaca newspaper for August 24, 1895, noted that C. J. Vosburg had a new hardwood floor and new plate glass front windows put in, which gave him a better chance to display his large stock of goods.

            Vosburg was born in Milwaukee, March 12, 1847 and died August 8, 1931.  He was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Havenor and they had two daughters:  Frances, who married Carroll H. Cristy, and Florence, who married W. M. Lukes.

            Vosburg gained his experience in clerking at an early age, working for A. M. Kimball at Pine River and at Northport and later was a partner in a store in Plainfield before coming to Waupaca after his marriage in 1886.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Vosburg are buried in the Saxeville Union Cemetery.

            After C. J. Vosburg retired in 1900, the Nielson Bros., Frank and Edward, took over the store and operated their mercantile business until they were forced to close in 1903.

            A Waupaca paper dated October 8, 1903, stated that, J. E. (Joseph Elmore) Cristy, “a young man from Ringwood, Illinois, came to Waupaca last week with the view of renting the store building that was operated by the Nielson Bros.”

            J. E. Cristy opened the Cristy store March 15, 1904.  He opened with a big three-day sale. This was the start of one of the three big names in business in Waupaca:  Cristy’s, Cohen Bros. (Fair Store) and Lea’s.

            Another news item that appeared in the Waupaca Leader, May 8, 1912, said, “Cristy will remodel store. Plans are underway for extensive improvements.  The store building will be extended 36 feet to the west, and will be two stories high, and the same width as the present building.  He will have a galley room 36 by 43 feet at the west end, where he will have offices and a rest room.  The women’s ready-made clothing will be upstairs.  The partitions in the main store room will be taken out. There will be no change in the basement.”

            For several years J. E. Cristy conducted an annual vegetable fair, whereby people were encouraged to exhibit their labors.  The winners were given different amounts as premiums for the different categories of produce.  These premiums were payable in merchandise of their choice from any department.

            The premium list for September 1910, for Cristy’s fourth annual vegetable fair, included vegetables of all types:  field corn, apples, grapes, canned fruit, jellies, pickles, and flowers, a total of 43 categories in all.  The prize winners’ produce, except roses, canned fruit, pickles and jellies became the property of J. E. Cristy after the fair.  He paid them the market price.  He also bought any other produce that was for sale.

            A $1 premium was paid for most of the categories.  I will list only a few:  Peck of Rural New Yorker potatoes, peck of Burbank potatoes, peck of Early Rose potatoes, also pecks of Early Ohios and Triumphs; pecks of red, white and yellow onions, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, sugar beets, parsnips, rutabagas, watermelons, musk melons, squash, popcorn, sweet corn, white and yellow Dent corn and white and yellow flint corn; largest and best variety of apples; canned fruit; pickles; jellies; roses, cut flowers and dahlias in bloom.

            Joseph Elmore Cristy was born January 1, 1865, at Johnson, VT.  His parents moved to Ringwood, IL, when he was still a small boy.  He attended the public schools at Ringwood and later at the university of Valparaiso.  When he returned from Valparaiso he became associated his father in the general merchandising business.  He later purchased his father’s interest and established a bank in connection with it.

            On September 30, 1885, Joseph E. Cristy was united in marriage to Flora Harsh of Ringwood.  They became the parents of five children:  Carroll, Harry, Mae, Kenneth and Jay.  Flora Harsh Cristy passed away in Waupaca on October 14, 1920.  On February 12, 1924, J. E. was married to Beatrice McCallen, who died the following October 6.

            Mr. Cristy was the superintendent of the Methodist Sunday School nearly the entire time that he resided in Waupaca.  J. E. Cristy passed away January 25, 1927, and is buried in the family plot in Waupaca.

            It was not until August 24, 1922, that J. E. Cristy purchased on land contract the property where he had opened his store in March of 1904.  After his death in 1927, his son, Carroll H. Cristy, took over the business.  It was on January 20, 1928, that Carroll H. Cristy fulfilled the land contract obligation, with Mrs. Louisa S. Spaulding of Chicago, IL (Mrs. Spaulding was the widow of Henry J. Stetson, who had remarried.)

            The Cristy store continued to operate on the corner of West Union and South Main streets until March 5, 1942, when Mrs. Carroll Cristy leased her entire store to Gamble-Skogmo, Inc.  The article in the Waupaca County Post stated that Gamble’s had plans to greatly enlarge their sales room in both the basement and the main floor as well as the balcony and that Mrs. Cristy would dispose of her ready-wear and dry goods stock immediately.

            In 1939 Gambles moved from their location at 117 North Main Street to the Cristy building.  Mrs. Cristy rented them the left, or inside one-half of her building, and in 1942 they took over the entire building.

            In 1981 Roger and Gloria Coenen rented the building, converting it to JR’s True Value Hardware Store, and in 1988 they purchased the property from Mrs. B. L. (Kathleen) Marceil, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Cristy.