West Bend, Wi – An interesting submission of photos by Carol Roecker of West Bend, Wi, as she captured images in 1936 when people waited by the railroad station in West Bend, Wi, for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The 32nd President of the United States traveled by train and met with governors as he toured across the country to tout his New Deal programs which included the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration.
The old warming house at Regner Park, the original bathhouse, was built in the 1930s as part of FDR’s CCC.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was an effort designed to create jobs to pull the country out of the Great Depression. The WPA developed projects to improve city streets, playgrounds, bridges and public buildings. Regner Park opened in 1935. Below is an image of the bathhouse with an aerial view of open dressing rooms.
From the video above, neighbors in West Bend will easily recognize the old West Bend Company. Anything you notice? Where is the elevated tram tunnel that ran out the back of the building. When was that added?
The current bridge running over the Milwaukee River to Silverbrook Drive hasn’t been built yet.
Kuester Island has an interesting look and no parking lot or bridge.
- The old pearl button factory is still standing. That’s on the far-right side of the photo on Washington Street.
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Photo courtesy the book, “Washington County’s Aluminum Industry” - The building was razed in 1997. Neighbors said it was constructed around 1890 and home to a number of businesses including the West Bend Plating Company, West Bend Knitting Mills, the A. H. Dennhardt Knitting Company, the Silver Lake Ice Company. Today the location is a park just south of the dam.
- Andrew Gonring I see Glenn’s Grill in the area where the skateboard park currently is. Also, open dressing rooms at Regner Park. I am saying early 1960s.
- Ed Tennies Pre 1958, Tennies Buick showroom is not yet built.
On Highway 33 is that the old monument building in the upper right-hand corner?
On a side note:
-Enhanced the image of the sign by the platform of the train depot. However, I need some assistance with the second line.
‘Riding bicycles or ?? & scooters on this platform prohibited.’
The answer submitted by Dustin Collett is VELOCIPEDE
-Can you name other Presidents that visited West Bend/Washington County?
Rail station sign second line
velocipede /və-lŏs′ə-pēd″
Any of several early bicycles having pedals attached to the front wheel.
The old time bicycles with large front wheel.