Original Home of the Grange

19 East Main Evansville, Wisconsin

Researched and written by Ruth Ann Montgomery

On the southwest corner of the intersection of East Main and Maple Streets stands the first store built and owned by the Evansville Mercantile Association, known locally as The Grange. Although it has served as the home of many other businesses, its origins date back to a period of economic hardship for farmers.

In the 1870s everyone in business seemed to be making a profit except the farmers. The Grange organization offered farmers hope of being able to not only compete in the market place by cooperatively selling their products, but also by purchasing goods cooperatively. Evansville farmer's joined others in the nation by joining their local Grange. By November 1872, fifty people had joined the Evansville Grange and they rented a hall where they could meet.

When the Grange Store opened its doors on April 6, 1874, the shareholders had voted that the secretary, James Carle, should invest $200 in the purchase of plows. They rented part of the George E. Shaw Shoe Store on the north side of East Main Street and began making plans to build their own store.

Within a year, they had purchased the vacant southwest corner lot at the corner of Main and Maple (then called Railroad Street) from Charles Miller and his wife for $200. The legal description of the property was the east 30 feet of lot 6, block 9, village of Evansville.

Monthly meetings were held to make decisions about building a new store. Grange members went to Stoughton to check on the costs of materials of the stores built in that city by the Grangers. Some Evansville stockholders wanted their store to be built of stone and brick. At their May 1876 meeting, the members argued over the size of the store and the way it should be built. Finally someone made a motion that the store be built of wood and veneered with brick,. The dimensions were to be 30 feet wide, 70 feet deep and 26 feet high. The motion was defeated.

It took two more months to resolve the issue. Brick being too expensive, the Grangers resolved to build the new store of wood, 28 x 70 feet, with a basement and a hall overhead for the Grange meetings. The stone foundation was to be 18 inches thick. Many of the stores in Evansville's retail district were built of wood and Evansville people were disappointed that the Grange Store was to be just another "firebox".

In July 1876, the cellar was excavated and at the end of August carpenters were putting the roof on the store. The Grangers had planned that first floor of the store would be used for merchandise and the upper story was to be a meeting hall for the Grange organization.

The stockholders of the Evansville Mercantile Association represented several Grange organizations in the Evansville area and when they realized the success of the Evansville store, the Grangers decided to open a branch store in Brooklyn. This store opened in July 1877 with C. S. Gray as the manager. Gray worked under the direction of the Evansville manager, T. C. Richardson.

The business in Evansville also continued to grow. Nearly every year, for the next 20 years, the stockholders voted to spend money for additions or other improvement to their property.

Buildings were put up for storage purposes. The Brooklyn store and other real estate was purchased in 1883. The Grange Store stockholders continued to own the Brooklyn store property even after they discontinued the Brooklyn Store operation in 1892.

Many of the people who worked to make the Grange Store a success in the early 1880s remained with the business for many years. According to a report in the March 25, 1882 Evansville Review, John Porter was the bookkeeper; Vivan Holmes, manager of the butter and egg trade; and T. C. Richardson was chief of all. Others employed at that time were Nata Potter, W. H. Doolittle, head of the grocery department; Miss Hartley, head of the notion department; and Wm. Dawson, head of the carpet, clothing, boot and shoe business located in the upstairs. It is obvious from the departments listed that the emphasis of trade had moved away from farm implements, to a general merchandise store.

In 1886 the members voted to use $3,000 to make an addition to the store at 19 East Main. This time, the addition would be built with cream brick from Jefferson, Wisconsin. An elevator, new heating equipment, and a telephone were included in the remodeling.

Three years later, the Evansville store was valued at $4,000 and the warehouse at $500. With their property becoming more valuable and the store merchandise worth several thousand dollars, rather than a few hundred, the Grangers decided to protect their investment and install a fire wall between their store and the Woodbury store, to the west.

Workmen excavated for a stone foundation. The brick wall between the two buildings was to be 18 inches thick and extended above the ridge of the building. The Evansville Review estimated that more than 40,000 bricks were used to create the fire barrier. The entire store roof was also covered with corrugated iron, making the building practically fire proof.

The business continued to outgrow its retail and storage facilities. In 1890, the Grange Store built a barn for storage and a stable. They also purchased a house on Maple Street to use for an additional warehouse.

Changes were continually being made to the building. In 1894 the store was remodeled and the grocery department was moved to the basement. Again in 1897 there were changes when the large bay window on the east was added to the building. The business grew so rapidly that they used up all the floor space in the building and rented other retail property.

By the late 1890s, the Evansville Mercantile Association directors were primarily the husbands and wives of three families. Because T.C. Richardson, John P. Porter and Vivan C. Holmes had successfully managed the business, the men and their wives, Carrie Porter and Phila Holmes were voted in as the company's directors. From 1897 to 1902 the three men received $1,000 each plus 60 to 75 percent of the net profits .

When even the upper floor of the store could no longer accommodate the large inventory of merchandise, more space was rented. In 1899, the entire double store known as the Snashall Block, on the north side of East Main street was rented for the Grange Store's men's clothing department. Beautiful double plate glass windows in the Snashall Block allowed displays of the Grange Store's merchandise.

The Grange began making plans to build a single store to operate from and the shareholders chose land in the next block west. In 1903, they started building the large department store at 19 West Main. They broke ground in June 1903. Some even hoped that the store would include a large hall and opera house.

The store on East Main was vacated in 1904 and the Grange held onto the building for more than a year after they had taken up residence in the new store. They rented the old grocery room to Mrs. Ware for a music store in May 1904.

Two years later the Evansville Merchantile Association sold the old store to real estate agents, Marshall J. Fisher and James Gillies at an undisclosed price. The Rock County Court House Records indicate only that a deed was given to Fisher and Gillies in 1906 for $5 and consideration.

Marshall Fisher and James Gillies operated the real estate firm of Fisher and Gillies, in the "Copper Front building" on the north side of East Main Street. Fisher purchased Gillies' interest in the old Grange Store in 1907, becoming the sole owner. In February of that year he hired John Winston to remodel the building. Carpenters made the second story into a gymnasium room with baths and built a stairway to the front hall room on the second. The front of the building was also remodeled.

The YMCA moved their meeting rooms into the old Grange building. They held a banquet to official open their rooms and raise funds for their organization. Two hundred fifty people attended. H. O. Meyers was President of the new YMCA. They encouraged men of the laboring class such as railroad workers and factory men to join the organization.

The YMCA held onto the gymnasium until March 1913 when they closed the hall, over $650 in debt. Some of the bills were owed to the City of Evansville for water and light services. The City decided to cancel the bills for the club. The Evansville Review reported that it was always hard to keep up a YMCA in a city as small as Evansville.

Fisher kept the building as a rental property. When the Christian Science Church needed a meeting hall, he rented space for them to meet each Sunday Morning.

In 1917 he rented the store room in the basement of the building to Frank Hyne and his son to use as a show room for cars. The Hyne's handled the Buick, Oakland and Dodge car dealership.

In May 1918 Myron Park moved his billiard parlor from the Eager Building in the first block of West Main, to what had become known as the Fisher Building. In 1922 C. D. Barnard who had previously been in the tobacco business, purchased the billiard parlor from Park.

Although the original Grange club had disbanded, a new organization, the Waucoma Grange organized in 1929. At first, they met in the Woodman Hall. The regular meetings conducted club business and had speakers on topics of interest to farmers.

In 1935, they rented the hall above the Barnard Pool Hall for a meeting room. Members of the club worked on the hall to update the plumbing, improve the electrical wiring and build new cupboards.

Dix Barnard's pool hall on the first floor of the building was rented to Warren Reese. He purchase all of the pool hall equipment and in 1940, Reese moved his business into the old Economy Store building, just a few doors west. The first floor area was once again for rent.

Trying to find some activities to keep young people from loitering on the streets, the city organized a youth center. In December 1944, the city leased the area formerly used by Reese's pool hall for a "Rec" room for the young people of Evansville. Mrs. George Greenway was hired to be the "house mother" for the youth center. Phil Collins, chairman of the student governing body, received the key to the center from Mayor Ben Green. The large hall allowed room for basketball games and there were pool tables, ping pong tables, a juke box for dancing and a piano. The youth center lasted only a few years because the city could not find adults to supervise the program.

After Marshall Fisher died, the Fisher family kept the property until 1949 when Fisher's daughter, Elizabeth Fisher Reynolds and her husband Max, sold it to the Mckinney-Hatlevig American Legion Post #35. The Legionnaires had been meeting in a room in City Hall and they celebrated having their own building with a Washington's Birthday Dinner. The women of the Waucoma Grange prepared the meal. Entertainment was provided by the Cardinal Quartette, a group of barbershop singers from Madison. Following the dinner, the party goers adjourned to the Legion Club rooms on the first floor for cabaret singing.

At first the Legion used the first floor as a meeting room and the Waucoma Grange continued to meet in the second story. Dances and other social activities were carried on in this hall. When a group of square dancers calling themselves the "Fiddoodlers" organized in 1950, they also met in the upper hall of the building. The dancers later moved their meetings and dances to the Everill Skating Rink.

Harold (Babe) Brunsell was the Post Commander when the Legion decided to remodel the building. Mike Finnane served as building committee chairman. Roger Thompson and a crew of carpenters worked to create a lounge in the old Grange building. The men spent many hours cleaning and removing the maple floor from the second floor room. The beautiful thick boards were laid on the first floor to make a dancing area. A new bar, remodeled kitchen and restrooms were created.

The entry of the building was also moved to the west side of the frontage on Main Street and new entry doors were installed. Meetings of the Legion and frequent parties were held in the building. Roger Rasmussen was the Club Manager.

In the late 1940s Ole Petterson and Roy Sarow operated the Petterson and Sarow Heating and Plumbing business out of the basement of the building. Petterson bought out Sarow's interest in the building and Sarow left the business to open a Western Auto Store in the Baker Block across the street from the old Grange Store.

Petterson also let Patterson Upholstery use a portion of his space at 5 Maple Street.

In the 1950s Ole Petterson's son, Robbie, helped his father operate the heating and plumbing business in the south 1/2 of the basement old Grange Store. A series of small businesses used the basement of the building. Billy Dixon and Fred Sperry had a barber shop in the north 1/2 of the basement. When Dixon moved out of town, Gordon Hartin joined Sperry in the shop.

Forrest Graves operated a Zenith television dealership out of the north 1/2 of the basement in the 1960s. He had previously been the manager of the hardware department in the Grange Store.

City building inspector's records provide records of the building's use. During an inspection of the building in 1972, the local building inspector described the building as 105 feet deep and 28 feet wide, fronting on East Main Street, and valued at $8,320. The Legion occupied 50% of the building. The report further stated that Robbie Petterson rented approximately 25% of the property for $45.00 a month. The other 25% of the building was reported vacant.

Competition from the newly built Evansville Country Club on Cemetery road caused the Legion club to reassess their need for a building and they decided to sell. Jean and Bill Meredith, purchased the old Grange Store in March 1973 and opened Meredith's Lounge. Petterson Plumbing continued to occupy the basement portion of the building for their heating and plumbing business. In 1975, the building was also occupied by Cook Excavating according to the city building inspector's report.

Meredith owned the building for just four years, selling to Roger Berg in 1977. The tavern's name was changed to The Grainery, taking the name from the building's historic use as the Grange Store.

The building changed owners again when Greg Ardisson purchased the building from Roger Berg in May 1981. He renamed the business the Nite Owl. His Grand Opening was held during the 4th of July weekend and he has had an anniversary party on the 4th of July each year since opening.

Ardisson recently completed $20,000 of masonry work on the building. The work was performed by American Chimney and Masonry. The company has also done work on historic buildings on Shake Rag Street in Mineral Point. Every effort was made to match the mortar and the brick of the original building.