THE REPORTER | FDLREPORTER.COM SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016 | PAGE 3A

1

2

Fond Du Lac920.375.1823

PER ARCH

1For new patients that do not have dental insurance. New patients must be 21 or older to receive free exam and X-rays, a minimum $170 value. Minimum savings is based on a comprehensiveexam and full X-ray series; the value of the savings will vary based on doctor recommendation. Discounts cannot be combined with other offers or dental discount plans. 2Starting price isbased on a current denture wearer selecting a Basic single arch replacement denture. Price does not include relines or adjustments. 3Denture Money Back Guarantee applies to all full andpartial dentures and covers the cost of the permanent denture(s) only. The guarantee period begins upon insert of final denture or hard reline and refund request must be submitted within90 days thereafter. Denture(s) must be returned within 90 days after refund request date. 4Some patients will not qualify for extended financing. Subject to credit approval and minimumpurchase amounts, as determined by third party financing sources. 5Some limitations may apply. See provider for details. Offer(s) must be presented at first visit. Offers expire 5/31/16. ©2016Aspen Dental Management, Inc.

*1.99% Introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is available on Home Equity Lines of Credit with an 80% loan-to-value (LTV) or less.The Introductory Interest Rate will be fixed at 1.99% during the five-month Introductory Period. A higher introductory rate will apply foran LTV above 80%. Offer is available for new applications submitted from February 20 – April 29, 2016.After the five-month introductoryperiod: the APR is variable and is based upon an index plus a margin. The APR will vary with Prime Rate (the index) as published in theWall Street Journal. As of February 9, 2016, the variable rate for Home Equity Lines of Credit ranged from 3.24% APR to 8.50% APR.Higher rates may apply due to an increase in the Prime Rate, for a credit limit below $125,000, an LTV above 80%, and/or a low creditscore. A U.S. Bank Consumer Checking Package account is required to receive the lowest rate, but is not required for loan approval.The rate will not vary above 18% APR, or applicable state law, or below 1.99% APR. Choosing an interest-only repayment may causeyour monthly payment to increase, possibly substantially, once your credit line transitions into the repayment period. Repayment optionsmay vary based on credit qualifications. Interest only repayment may be unavailable. Loans are subject to credit approval and programguidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to changewithout notice. Property insurance is required. U.S. Bank and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice. Your tax and financialsituation is unique.You should consult your tax and/or legal advisor for advice and information concerning your particular situation. Other

restrictions may apply. Mortgage and Home Equity products offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit Products areoffered through U.S. Bank National Association. Customer pays no closing costs, except escrow-related funding costs. Anannual fee of up to $90 may apply after the first year and is waived with a U.S. Bank personal Platinum Checking Package.The Consumer Pricing Information brochure lists terms and conditions that apply to U.S. Bank Consumer Checking Packageaccounts and can be obtained by calling 800.872.2657. Member FDIC ©2016 U.S. Bank. All rights reserved. 160083 2/16

You don’t have to move toget that new-home feeling.

Consider a U.S. Bank Home Equity Line of Credit for your nextproject. With competitive rates and Kexible payment options,lasting home improvements could be within reach. Introductoryrates start as low as 1.99% APR.

Call 800.209.BANK (2265), visit a local branch,or go to usbank.com/dreambig.

Actual rate may be lower.Visit your local branch or usbank.com.

Rate available 2/20/16 - 4/29/16.Rates are subject to change.

1.99% 4.24%APR*APR*

Variable rate afterintroductory period

Introductory rate for 5 monthsRates as low as

HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT

EQUAL HOUSING

ally wrote the book on thesubject — served an earlywarning that like last callin a dimly lit bar, appear-ances can be deceiving.

“That is a tough topic,”Draeger responded to anemail inquiry. “First of allwhat do you mean by old-est? Continuously servingbeer and liquor? Oldestbuilding that once houseda bar?”

Twists and turnsContradicting evi-

dence also blurs thesearch.

Consider Appleton’sMcGuinness Irish Pub asa case in point; a bar thathas made history detec-tives of Nick Hoffman,chief curator of the Histo-ry Museum at the Castlein Appleton, and his team.

“We’re trying to get agood grasp of when it offi-cially opened as a tavern,”Hoffman said.

Appleton property rec-ords say the building wasconstructed in 1880.Though for Hoffman,property records are justa starting point.

“I would be carefulwith the city property rec-ords — they are very im-perfect, especially withearly structures. Wesometimes find historicbuildings are older thanwhat the online databasesays,” Hoffman said. “Italso doesn’t take into ac-count if parts of the housewere re-used from otherstructures.”

When it comes to theMcGuinness building,newspaper accounts, pho-tos, city directories, mapsand tax records indicate astructure existed at thatlocation in the 1870s, pos-sibly as far back as 1872.

Fortunately for localand tavern history enthu-siasts, Hoffman uses theword “fun” when talkingabout the prospect ofmining those sources tobring the past into focus.

Still, take documenta-tion contradictions, timesthose by thousands ofbars, add 167-some yearsof statehood, subtracttime served for Prohibi-tion, and it produces (un-derstandably) many an-swers with a common de-nominator: Caution.

Historians across thestate responded to the old-est bar inquiry withphrases such as:

l “I feel pretty confi-dent that. . .”

l “. . .the second legalbar, I think. . .”

l “I am pretty sure anybars older than that aregone now.”

l “. . .I believe, from the1880s.”

l“. . .that too is difficultto determine.”

l “Information prior to1870 is hard to find.”

Staking claims Draeger and Mark

Speltz detail 70 historicbars and breweries intheir book, “Bottoms Up:A Toast to Wisconsin’s

Historic Bars & Brewer-ies,” but not necessarilythe oldest. Each corner ofWisconsin has its ownunique story and claim tostake.

Scott Brouwer, LaCrosse Public Library ar-chivist, found that Strass-er’s Tavern, 1306 DentonSt., La Crosse, has been acontinuously operatingbar in the same familysince 1889. As a bonus, hesays newspaper articlesindicate Strasser’s has acontinuous billiard li-cense dating back to 1892.

The Fond du Lac Coun-ty Historical Society pro-vided a detailed timelineof J. D. Finnegan’s Tavern,2 N. Main St., Fond du Lac.(You know your buildingis old when you have a sin-gle-digit street address.)

Originally a bankbuilding constructed in1852, thirsty patrons havebeen served adult bever-ages at that location since1875 — mostly — regard-less of the name on thesign including Miller’s Sa-loon, Kob’s Saloon, Galla-gher’s Saloon, El GrecoTavern, Sabrina’s Tavernand The Senate Tavern.

It’s reported that thebar, Schmidt’s SampleRoom at the time, was vis-ited in 1902 by Carry A.Nation.

“She was the samewoman that Wyatt Earphad thrown into jail atWichita, Kansas in 1876for breaking up saloonsthere,” the Fond du LacHistorical Society filereads. “She didn’t breakup any saloons here inFond du Lac.”

Though at LakesidePark, “She gave lectureson alcohol, beer, tobacco,sex and whatever she

found evil. She had manylisteners according to theFond du Lac papers.”

Amy Meyer, Manito-woc County Historical So-ciety executive director,provided a detailed histo-ry about the Hika BayTavern and Union Housein Cleveland that startedas a boarding house andtavern for sailors around1850. She reports it servedmany functions until afood shortage duringWorld War II forced theowner “to discontinue alloperations except for histavern business.”

Landmark 1850 Inn be-gan its operations duringthat era, making it the old-est bar in Milwaukee, ac-cording to MilwaukeeFood & City Tours. It’s thelone representative fromWisconsin’s largest city tocrack the nine oldest.

When it comes to oldbars, small towns standtall. Madison, Green Bay,Appleton and others ofsimilar size were shut out.Meanwhile, Franksvilleand Pipe can claim barsthat pre-date Wisconsin’sstatehood and Watertown,25 times smaller than Mil-waukee, has two bars ofthat vintage.

Property records onthe Wisconsin HistoricalSociety website uncov-ered Yangers’ Pub in Wa-tertown, which began asBuena Vista House in1847, that inadvertentlyled to another bar thatcould make a solid claimto be Wisconsin’s oldest.

“I am not sure the Bue-na Vista House. . . is actu-ally the oldest bar in thecity,” William F. JannkeIII replied. “That honormight be better awardedto the M & M Bar. Howev-

er, you asked about theBuena Vista House. . .”

After thanking Jannke,author of “Watertown: AHistory,” for Yangers’ de-tails, I asked about the M& M Bar and got an eight-page, meticulously docu-mented, published paperin response. It traces thetavern’s heritage to 1840when it started as the Ex-change Hotel.

According to proceed-ings of the 62nd annualmeeting of the State His-torical Society of Wiscon-sin, the first licensed tav-ern is credited to GreenBay’s John P. Arndt in1825. However, the tav-ern’s name and locationaren’t mentioned.

“It’s often referred toas Arndt’s Saloon,” KevinM. Cullen, Neville PublicMuseum, deputy directorwrote in an email. “It waslikely within walking dis-tance of Fort Howard(1816-1852), that oncestood behind the train de-pot of Titletown brewery.”

If true, that leaves a 15-year gap between Arndt’sSaloon and the ExchangeHotel.

Did a tavern pour itsfirst drink sometime be-

tween 1825 and 1840 and isstill serving today?

As long as Wisconsinhistorians like Hoffmanare having fun, nobodycan make a last call on an-swering that question.

Daniel Higgins writes aboutfood and drink for USA TODAYNETWORK-WisconsinEmail: daniel.higgins@gannettwisconsin.com,Follow on Twitter andInstagram: @HigginsEats

BarsContinued from Page 1A

PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORY MUSEUM AT THE CASTLE

The George Walter Brewing Company (left), circa March 27, 1933, in Appleton, across from tiedhouse buildings that are now home to the Fox River House (third building down) andMcGuinness Irish Pub (near building).

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOND DU LAC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

J. D. Finnegan's Tavern in Fond du Lac has served as a tavernat it’s current location since 1875, seen here in 1918, undermany names and owners.

BARS EXISTED IN WISCONSIN SINCE, WELL, BEFORE WISCONSIN EXISTED.A handful of bars in operation today can trace lineage backto the days when our state was knee-high to a badger. 1840: M & M Bar (Exchange Hotel), 617 S. 1st St., Watertown“The oldest building in the city IS the M & M Bar and I will prove it,” William F. Jannke III wrote in the 2007Watertown History Annual. He may have also given it a solid claim as Wisconsin’s oldest bar. 1846: Brossman’s Bar (Franksville Hotel), 3241 Racine County H, Franksville You gotta love a bar that boasts about its hauntings rather than its history. Brossman’s Facebook page reads: “Welcome to the Most Haunted Bar in Franksville!!!” How many bars in Franksville are haunted? 1846: Big Al Capone’s (Club Harbor), N10302 US 151, PipeListed on the National and State Register of Historic Places, the Wisconsin Historical Society website notes: “Rufus P. Eaton served as innkeeper of the only hotel andtavern in the area in 1848.” 1847: Yangers’ Pub (Buena Vista House), 300 N. 4th St., WatertownGreen and gold paint makes it look more Titletown than Watertown, but Jannke believes the building, which was home to refugees of the 1848 German revolution, is essentially the original one. 1847: 1847 at The Stamm House,6625 Century Ave., Middleton“Prohibition brought life back to the Stamm House and the rural speakeasy was raided often,” reads part of the history on The Stamm House website. Can’t say I’ve found another place to make that claim. 1848: Red Circle Inn, N44W33013 Watertown Plank Road, NashotaClaiming to be Wisconsin’s oldest restaurant, Red Circle Inn does have a lounge and owner lineageincludes Fredrick Pabst who named the inn for thedistinctive red circle used in the brewer’s logo. 1850: Landmark 1850 Inn, 5905 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee “This is the oldest tavern in Milwaukee,” reads Milwaukee Food and City Tours’ script for its historicbar tour, run almost weekly for three years. Guide Robert Hurst says the validity hasn’t been challenged. 1850s: Hika Bay Tavern and Union House, 252 Lincoln Ave., ClevelandThe Manitowoc Historical Society says this tavern and inn served sailors coming through the area. At one time services included a barbershop. Back in the day,it also served all you can eat meals for 50 cents. 1850s: Black Dog Bistro (Rhine Center Saloon), N8898 Rhine Road, Rhine Center Short on details other than it burned down and wasrebuilt in 1907 by Louis Laun, this bar is promoted as “the friendliest place in town” (an unincorporated community) instead of its historic stature.