Yesterday’s Milwaukee
Inside the Plankinton House Hotel, 1908
Two historic views of the Plankinton House Hotel's impressive interior.
Sep 17th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Plankinton House Hotel, 1889
The Plankinton House hotel once sat on prime real estate.
Sep 9th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Plankinton House Hotel, 1886
Milwaukee had become a boom town, where Adam Gimbel would relocate his dry goods business.
Sep 3rd, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Plankinton House Hotel, 1867
Its owners would expand it over the decades to make sure it remained Milwaukee's finest hotel, but this is the original structure.
Aug 27th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
The Plankinton House Hotel, 1869
It succeeded the American House hotel, which burned to the ground in 1861.
Aug 19th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Northwestern Mutual Insurance, 1886
A fire burned the Newhall House hotel to the ground, but a local company would build a new home on the site.
Aug 13th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Newhall House, 1883, After the Fire
The fire killed 71 people but circus star Tom Thumb survived. The catastrophe became a sobering lesson for the city.
Aug 5th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Newhall House, Late 1860s
It was the largest and finest hotel in the West, a sign that Milwaukee was becoming a significant city.
Jul 29th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Soldiers Home Fair’s Pavilion
The centerpiece of fair that raised lots of money for the cause.
Jul 23rd, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
The Mysterious Oracle at the Soldiers Home Fair
The 15-day festival held in 1865 offered all the wonders and curiosities of the day.
Jul 8th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Soldiers Home Raffle, 1865
All kinds of donated goods were contributed and sold to provide aid for Wisconsin's returning veterans.
Jul 1st, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
Inside the Soldiers Home Fair, 1865
The two-week fair was a major event for a young city with just 55,000 residents.
Jun 24th, 2014 by Jeff Beutner
