South Germantown Village Tour Scene 3 of 8 See Scene 4 of 8 for additional South Germantown village tour information or Scene 2 of 8 to go back one page. To see the Germantown Picture Gallery, go here. Main Street (Fond du Lac Avenue At Main Street) Fond du Lac At Main Looking West; 1999 Julius and Wilhelmina Flemming Home Flemming Residence: south side; SW corner Fond du Lac and Main; Julius and Wilhelmina "Minna" (Ott) Flemming with daughter Anna and son Julius, later Weber family. Straub Home Straub Residence: south side; second house; 1915, Fred Straub; the house with all the character. Buescher/Siegl Hotel: Beuscher Hotel <=|=> Siegl Hotel-Bar-Dance Hall-Park Siegl Hotel Dance Hall<=|=> Jerry's Old Town Joseph John and Anna (Ott) Siegl proprietor. Ownership through the decades: patentee Adam Bookman, then P. Riess, ... John Bluem, Charles Strehlow who sold it to Phillip Beuscher on 14 January 1899 and called it "Old Town Inn", on 4 November 1921 under Joseph John and Anna (Ott) Siegl known as the 'Siegl Hotel', in 1945 under Clarence and Mary (Bellman) Boyung called 'Boyung's Inn', in 1952 under Roman and Madge Keifer known then as 'The Moonbi Inn'. On 1 January 1978 ownership changed to Gerald and Laura Grosenich becoming "Jerry's Old Town Inn". The facility is located on the south side of Main Street. There was a new owner in the 2000s and the restaurant was bough out of foreclosure in 2012 by Chaz Hastings and was reopened in 2013. Mr. Hasting also bought The Bier Stube located next door. Starting in 2013, from a business perspective, one establishment complimented the other. In a 1942 Milwaukee Sentinel article, it identified the Siegl Hotel was originally built 65 years previous. The picture upper left is of the Beuscher Hotel taken after 1898. As passed down from Al Brandenburg, on the steps are Sarah (Kurtz) Beuscher and her son Phillip Beuscher. A biographical sketch of the Beuscher family can be found here. At the time the picture was taken, a sign on front the building read "V. Wabitsch Music, Orders taken for Concerts, Balls, and Parties." On the lower right is Jerry's Old Town Inn in 1999. The original building was expanded after 1898 adding a dance hall to its east. The picture upper right is of the Siegl Hotel in the 1920s. A biographical sketch of the Siegl family can be found here. The dance hall contained a basketball court used by the Purity Milk mens and Badger Milk Maids ladies basketball teams sponsored by Gehl's Dairy. It also contained a small stage on the south wall where bands played and performances were given. The picture lower left is of the dance hall. Pictured are Joseph, Ann, and Anna. Sarah and her son Phillip are buried in Last Home Cemetery, South Germantown. Joseph and Anna are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Goldendale. Pictures of Joseph and Anna can be found here. Blacksmith Shop Blacksmith Shop: Kupfel later Diefenbach: As recalled by Dan Sennott, the blacksmith shop was directly across from the east side of the restaurant. The owner was George and Anna Diefenbach and in summer I would watch him shoe horses and repair wagons. There were numerous times he would give me a bucket and I would have to go down to Schwartz's Tavern and get a bucket of beer which he kept in a small wood stove at the rear of his shop. I believe he had one daughter. The building is no longer there. Just west of the hotel was our house. My parents were William and Kathryn. Two doors to the west of our house was the Knetzger Harness shop. I don't remember to much about it except it had a lot of leather products. Right across the street from our house was a driveway that led to the east side of the dairy, the house to the east was George Haschke, the next to it was a Schessow, and east of that was the Blacksmith Shop. Next to his shop was his house which was on the point of highway 55 and Main Street. The shop is pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 108 and the house on page 115. The family Strong Home Strong Residence: north side; west of blacksmith shop, just before south/east entrance to dairy. Greulich Residence:, north side, just west of the south/east entrance to Gehls Dairy. Before Greulich was the family Zander. After the family Olsen. Picture not available, house owned and removed by Gehls Dairy. Staats/Beck/Sennott Residence: south side, west of the hotel; built by Jacob Staats in 1890, then owned by John and Eva (Beuscher) Beck; then William and Kathryn Sennott. Today it is a German Beer Stube. John and Eva Beck c: 1904 <=|=>Beer Stube 1999 Kraetsch Residence Kraetsch Residence: south side, west of Sennott; Elizabeth Kraetsch; Built in the 1880s by P.H. Braun. Later Bill and Viola Smith lived here. Pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 68. Weber Residence Strong/Weber/Schessow Home: north side, west of Greulich; Clarence and Tilly Weber; before Webers the family Strong, after the family Schessow West Of Hotel, View West Knetzger Harness Shop: not shown; south side; next house west, Leonard Knetzger Harness Shop/Dr. Ambrose Kentzger (brother), dentist. Building has been removed. Pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 67. A biographical sketch of the Knetzger family can be found here. Christmas Shop Residence: soutrh side; next house west, 1930s, Carl and Mildred Schmidt with son Robert; 1990s Blau Christmas Shop. Pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 68. John and Sophia (Braun) Dotzler J.A. Dotzler Residence: south side; next house west, John Adam and Sophia (Braun) Dotzler; years later Nancy's Groom Room. John and Sophia are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery in Goldendale. Fire House Building #2 Fire House: Fire house #2, south side, west of Dotzler. In shape, looked identical to the first firehouse. From pictures looks a bit larger with a taller bell tower and much better constructed. Both towers held an alarm bell. Could have been the first firehouse referbished. Pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 68 and 110. Schmit Residence: south side; next house west of firehouse; no longer exists; spur line to its west. Gehl Dairy: Gehl's Dairy Factory (north side; originally called Badger Milk Products Company) John Paul Gehl proprietor, later Eugene Gehl, later Eugene's brother Paul, later Paul's son John. Originally located east of the corner South Main and Western Avenue on north side, later moved to the NE corner at Main and North Streets. The the North Street property previously owned by H.R. Bond & Company operating Cream City Lime Company. Pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 53-55. Eugene is buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Goldendale. Paul and John are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. A biographical sketch of the Gehl family can be found here. A description of the dairy complex can be found here. See Scene 4 of 8 for additional South Germantown village tour information or Scene 2 of 8 to go back one page. To see the Germantown Picture Gallery, go here.