Voshardt’s Hall was a Popular Gathering Spot in Two Rivers

Voshardt residence, saloon and hall, Jefferson and Walnut Streets, Two Rivers

Two Rivers, Wisconsin Illustrated 1891

Henry and Louise Voshardt came from Germany in 1861. After arriving in New York, they came directly to Wisconsin, settling in Two Rivers. The Voshardts had nine children – Sophia and  August (born in Prussia) and Charles, Frank, Herman, Henry, Maria Louise, William and Wilhelmina (Minnie) (born in Two Rivers).

Voshardt’s Opera House advertisement

The Manitowoc County Chronicle, March 31, 1896

Henry Voshardt was working as a carpenter when twins Charles and Frank were born in 1862. By 1870, Henry Voshardt owned and operated a saloon located on the northeast corner of Jefferson and Walnut (now 17th) Streets, where Hamilton’s wood type factory later stood.

In 1880, Mr. Voshardt constructed a large hall, 42×62 feet, for dancing and exhibitions adjacent to and north of the saloon. On Thanksgiving eve of 1881, a grand ball was held at his new hall. The Lake Shore Times reported “Everyone who contemplated partaking of his hospitality on Wednesday evening was assured of having a good time.”

During the late nineteenth century, Voshardt’s Hall was the scene of many social activities that included concerts, balls, dances, parties and wedding receptions. It was a popular place for labor meetings, boxing and wrestling matches, and, for a few years, exercises and physical activities by the local German Turn Verein or “Turners.”

In 1885, a special wood floor for roller skating was installed in the hall, said to be one of the best rinks in the state.

The Voshardts often used their hall for family celebrations. In 1880, the friends of August Voshardt gave him a surprise 21st birthday party. The music and revelry lasted almost as late as the Old Folks’ Masquerade at Boldus Hall that night, which “lasted until the rosy tints of the morning were to be seen in the east.”

August and William celebrated their weddings with music and dancing at the hall in 1883 and 1896, respectively. William was manager of the hall, renamed Voshardt’s Opera House, at the time of his wedding.

In 1899, the Voshardt property was purchased by J. E. Hamilton for $6,500. The property consisted of a large residence and saloon, the Voshardt Opera House and two store buildings. The Hamilton Manufacturing Company, located on the same block, intended to build an addition to their factory in the near future as Mr. Hamilton’s wood type business needed more room.

The Voshardt residence was moved to the corner of Jefferson and 23rd Streets where it remains a two-story single family home today.

Henry Voshardt moved about 1906 to live with his daughters Sophia (Mrs. Edward Mueller) and Minnie in Chicago, where his son Herman had co-founded the Friedley-Voshardt Co., manufacturers of architectural sheet metal, artistic steel ceilings and statuary, in 1888.

The family patriarch Henry Voshardt died at the age of 83 in 1909. He  was later interred with other family members in the Voshardt Mausoleum commissioned by Herman Voshardt in 1914 at Pioneer Rest Cemetery, Two Rivers.