Kenosha Country Club

Kenosha Club Buys Golf Source Site
Purchased by Southport Organization
One of the finest sites for a golf course in the state of Wisconsin has been purchased by the Kenosha County club through the A.F. Stahl Agency of Kenosha, situated near the intersection of the Berryville Road with Sheridan Road between Racine and Kenosha.
The purchase of the Kenosha County Club includes 175 acres of land and it is the intention of the club to erect on this land a magnificent clubhouse. The Lingies, Linstroth, and Benson farms make up the parcel of 175 acres, and the consideration, although not made public, should be in the neighborhood of $30,000.00.
The situation of this land is nearly ideal for a country club. All roads approaching the place are improved, and the main road is a cement highway. The interurban railway passes right at hand. Should there ever be a movement to unit Racine and Kenosha golfers, this club is as easily accessible to Racine as to Kenosha.
The Kenosha County club will continue in its present quarters for some time, but an effort will be made to get the new clubhouse and golf links ready for use in 1921.
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, Feb. 27, 1920)

New Golf Course Planned in Kenosha
Contracts for the construction of the new golf course of the Kenosha Country Club have been let and the work of the construction is to start on March 15. The contract provides for the completion of the course by October 15. It is expected that close to $60,000. will be expended in the construction of the course and it is planned as one of the finest golf courses to be found in the middle west, members, say.
The actual work of building the bunkers and the sand pits and laying out the greens is to be started on April 1. The seeding down of the new course will be done in August and it is expected that the course will be ready for play in May or June of 1922.
Plans are now being made for the erection of a clubhouse, to cost $50,000, it is estimated. The plans in clued provision for dining rooms, a large dance hall, and locker rooms.
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, March 2, 1921)
 

Harvest Party at Kenosha Country Club on Saturday

First Annual County Fair to be Inaugurated As Theme of Season’s Last Party
The days back when the County Fair was the one big event of the year which was looked forward to and planned for during the four seasons, will be revived at the Kenosha Country Club next Saturday evening.
The Club members are to have a real fair, their first annual, for the entertainment committee in the zest of planning for the event feels that even as the old-timers, the Club will clamor for a similar fete each year.
The County Fair will be a feature of the annual Harvest Home dinner dance, which each year caps activities at the Club, and the entire Clubhouse will be utilized for the exhibits of bumper crops, prize “preserves” and the other excellent entries of the Fair.
Suitable exhibits have been arranged for all the members, and they will be grouped about the tables, and in other conspicuous places with the name of the exhibitors in plain view.  And like all County Fairs, there is to be a “Midway” where ballyhooers will announce special entertainment for the farmers and farmerettes “coming to town.”
To carry out the spirit of the party still father, the entertainment committee has requested all members come in rural costumes.  The matter of costumes will also revive an old custom in vogue at Harvest Home parties a number of years ago, but which fell into the discard the past few seasons.
More than two hundred and fifty reservations have already been made for the vent, and only a few more can be accepted.  None will be taken after Friday morning.
(Source:  Kenosha Evening News, September 11, 1929)

 William Still
William Still, 72, for many years the professional golf instructor in the early history of the Kenosha County Club and known as “The Father of Kenosha Golfing” died at his home near Jacksonville, Florida.
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, October 7, 1939)

Directors Elected 1910 (Club in Kenosha)
"The annual meeting of the Kenosha Country Club was held at the clubhouse on Monday evening and the annual reports of the officers showed that the season now drawing to a close had been one of the most successful in the history of the club.  Many new members have been added to the lists during the year and the greatest interest has been taken in the club events.  The report of the treasurer of the club showed that there was a deficit of about $800 for the season but this total deficit was made up by popular subscription before the close of the meeting.  The deficit was largely due to losses incurred through the operation of the dining room at the club and it is not an unexpected deficit.  members of the club realize that it is impossible to serve meals such as are served at the club with a profit.
Considerable work has been done in adding to the club's property this year and all of these improvements are paid for.
At the annual election of directors, Charles W. Allen, Charles Chester Allen, and Chester D. Barnes were elected to succeed themselves as members of the Board of Directors.
While there are not more big tournaments scheduled for the season the links will be kept open until late in October.  The recent rains have placed the greens and fair green in excellent condition and it is certain that the enthusiastic Kenosha golfers will keep the ball rolling until driven off the field by the early snows of winter.  The election of officers for the new year will not take place until the regular winter meeting of the Board of Directions to be held next February."
(Source:  The Telegraph Courier September 8, 1910)

Railroad-North Shore

North Shore Passenger Line Station Stops in Somers Township
Map Shows Kenosha Country Club, Hansche Road (Klapproth private drive), Piper Road-County Line
(Source:  Map courtesy of the Lake Forest College Library Special Collection and Archives, Railroads, Donnelley and Lee Library Archive Collection)



North Shore Passenger Line Station Stops in Somers Township
Stops in Somers Township, Birch Road, Bose Road and Berryville Road
(Source: Map courtesy of the Lake Forest College Library Special Collection and Archives, Railroads, Donnelley and Lee Library Archive Collection)

Kenosha Club Buys Golf Course Site
"One of the finest sites for a golf course in the state of Wisconsin has been purchased by the Kenosha County Club through the A.F. Stahl Agency of Kenosha, situated at the intersection of the Berryville Road with the Sheridan Road between Racine and Kenosha.
The purchase of the Kenosha County Club includes 175 acres of land and it is the intention of the club to erect on this land a magnificent clubhouse.  The Lingles (spell?), Lindstroth, and Benson farms make up the parcel of 175 acres, and the consideration, although not made public, should be in the neighborhood of $80,000.00.
The situation of this land is nearly ideal for a country club.  All roads approaching the place are improved, and the main road is a cement highway.  The interurban railway passes right at hand.  Should there ever be a movement to united Racine and Kenosha golfers, this club is easily accessible to Racine and Kenosha.
The Kenosha County club will continue in its present quarters for some time, but an effort will be made to get the new clubhouse and golf links ready for use in 1921.
(Source:  Racine Journal February 28, 1920)

Center of the World

Center of the World
Photo taken March 21, 1937
Located on the southeast corner of 22nd Avenue and Birch Road.  This photo was taken between 22nd Avenue and the North Shore Railroad tracks.
(Source:  Original photo courtesy of Jim and Sharon Bose Smith.  Copyright 2012.  All Rights Reserved.  Violet Birch Bose is Sharon's mother)

Center of the World
Evelyn and Violet Birch stand with their mother, Tillie Birch, in front of the store about 1930.
(Source: Original photo courtesy of Jim and Sharon Bose Smith. Copyright 2012.  All Rights Reserved.  Violet Birch Bose is Sharon's mother)

 Center of the World on Birch Road
"Most old timers and some not so old timers will remember the place.  It was on north 22nd Avenue and Birch Road, where Casa Capri Restaurant stands today.
These photos come from the family album of Violet (Birch) Bose: her parents original store next to the weigh scale that serviced all the local farmers about 1927/28 as a candy, cigarette, and soda stop.
The old Birch homestead still stands on the north side of Birch Road, although the home has passed out of the hands of the Birch family.
As the years went by, the Birchs added to the business.  First a tavern, and then an IGA grocery store and a couple of gas pumps.
The bar served a Friday night fish fry (15cents a plate) and a Saturday chicken fry (25 cents a plate).
For the farmers in the area, it truly was the center of the world.  The weigh scale was used by the farmers to weigh their truck loads of wagon loads of cabbage, corn, and grain.  The North Shore tracks ran along 22nd Avenue, crossing at the intersection of Birch Road.  Many a freight car was packed and stacked by the farmers and their sons.  These same men came with shovels and cleared the tracks of snow during the year of the big blizzard in the 30's.
During those years of the Great Depression, after all the crops were harvested and sold, the farmers would come in the afternoons to the Center of the World and sit around a huge old round oak table to play a few hands of rummy or sheepshead.  When spring came, the card games ended and the farmers would return to their fields.
The business was a family affair and everyone had their jobs, including Violet and her older sister, Evelyn.
Just keeping the place clean was a real chore; 22nd Avenue was a bumpy gravel road and when the wind blew out of the west it was a constant battle to keep the dust down.
The store was a lot of work, filling shelves, cleaning the glass fronts and the meat counters, preparing food for the fish and chicken fry and the never ending job of scrubbing and sweeping.
Violet remembers the flies being a real problem.  She said the only way to keep ahead of them was some foul smelling spray and those sticky strips that hung from the ceiling.
Then there were the girls' most dreaded jobs: cleaning the outdoor privies and the spittoons, which had to be washed with hot sudsy water.
The building had a flat tarred roof and during the depression when money for repairs was tight, a rainstorm meant scurrying about with pots and pans to catch the drips from the leaky roof.
Customers became the Birchs friends and company.  One year Chris got a deer and they held a deer roast for all their customers and friends.  Violet recalled that one customer played ragtime piano and they rolled back the carpet in the living room and danced.
the tavern was closed on election day, as was the law, but that didn't mean a day of rest for the family.  That day was always spend sanding and varnishing the bar for the year.
One night after everyone was n bed, Tillie heard a strange noise and woke Chris up and together they climbed out the bedroom window to investigate.  Chris had his shotgun and caught a man trying to cut out the door lock to the place.  As it turned out, the man had just been released from prison.
Chris and his brother, Bill, were athletes, playing on the Somers Grays baseball team.  Chris eventually built a ball diamond and grandstand south of the store.  It was a huge success and the parking lot was always packed with cars during a game.  Teams came from Milwaukee, Illinois and Western Kenosha County.
the biggest draw were the hilarious donkey baseball games where players rode donkeys while playing their favorite sport.
"You hit the ball and you humped on that donkey and maybe he took you to first base and maybe he didn't," laughed Bose.
The steadfast customers of the establishment were farme3rs in the area until about WWII, when they began to draw folks from the city of Kenosha.
In 1945, Chris and Tillie sold the business and went to Somers to live and farm.  A succession owners ran the place, but always kept the name:  Center of the World."
(Source:  Kenosha News, Bulletin, November 20, 1995, "Old Kenosha" article, page 52)