There is a special peace in the realization that where I stand now someone else once stood, and another someone will one day stand.
Enjoy this little time travel in Verona, Wisconsin! These photos from various eras and locations where gathered by the Verona Area Historical Society over many years, and are paired with videos of their modern day locations filmed in September of 2020. See details below for locations and comments:
*Site 1 (0:00) - Train depot, photo circa late 1800s. Located where South Main crosses the bike path. The railroad came to Verona in the early 1880s, greatly fueling our growing town. The tracks were decommissioned around the 1980s(ish) and were converted to the Military Ridge bike trail. Editor's note: The original depot was a few paces to the south and a few dozen paces to the west of the current shelter, but I lined them up for visual effect. When you bike this trail, you are riding the rails!
*Site 2 (0:12) - The Matts House, photo undated (could be mid to late 1800s, definitely predates 1927.) Located on the northeast corner of Verona Avenue and Main Street. Home built around 1848 by early our Pioneer Matts family. Boyhood home to Verona Civil War Veteran and P.O.W. William G.L. Matts.
*Site 3 (0:24) - 1941 parade heading north on South Main Street, in front of today's Plumbing and Glass building. This is from Don Stewart's amazing 8mm film collection. The Stewart family traces its roots back to Verona's first two U.S. settlers.
*Site 4 (0:32) - 1930/1932 view of South Main Street looking Northeast, from the corner of Park Lane. From right to left is the building currently housing Avantis (then Walter Henrich's Furniture Store and Funeral Home), the building currently housing Schmidt's Law Office (then Fischl's bowling alley), the Schuetz builing (gone, but currently the site of Toot 'n Kates) and the Eagle's Nest (gone, currently the south part of the Mobile gas station). The closing shot of the old car in color is from the Stewart family films - it is Don Stewart in 1939/1940 driving his car in this same location. He proudly commented it was a "1923 Buick with 7,000 miles on it."
*Site 5 (0:47) - Circa 1900 photo of the building that today houses Tuvalu, on the southwest corner of South Main Street and Church Avenue. It was once known as the "Verona House" and appears as a point of interest on some 1800s plat maps.
*Site 6 (1:01) - Photo of the building that today houses Plumbing and Glass on the northeast corner of South Main and Railroad Street. Date of photo between 1922 and the mid 1930s. When this photograph was taken, the right side of the building was J.C. Brown's car dealership and the left part was a blacksmith shop. Photograph is from the 1972 quasquicentennial edition of the Verona Press.
*Site 7 (1:11) - West Park Lane, looking back towards South Main Street in 1924. The little boy is Lyle Stewart, born around 1920 and about four years old in this photo. To the right of him is the old building that housed Stewart and Miller's grocery store (Miller and Son's today). Behind his right shoulder is the house which is the Sow's Ear today, at the time the home of Marlo White, descendant of Verona's pioneer White family. On the left side of the photo is Sharer's hardware store which stood on the site of today's Goodwill.
*Site 8 (1:18) - 1960 construction of a new high school on North Main, north of Richard Street. This building was recently the "K Wing" of Verona Area High School until the schools moved around in Summer of 2020 and the New Century charter school moved in.
*Site 9 (1:30) - Schoolchildren posing on the west side of the White School, on the northeast corner of Highway PD and Timber Lane, currently part of the Goodman Campus. Date unknown.
*Site 10 (1:40) - White school again, earlier photograph of the south side. Appears to be late 1800s or early 1900s.
*Site 11 (1:53) - Saint James Lutheran Church, 427 South Main Street. 1917 congregation photograph taken at the celebration of Pastor and Mrs. Nitardy's 25th wedding anniversary.
*Site 12 (2:04) - Building that today houses "Cahoots" bar at 102 West Railroad Street. Date of the photograph is unknown, and is from when it was called "The Auditorium". The Auditorium was a longtime restaurant and a hotel often used by travelers who came by rail. I recommend visiting and asking Curt (the owner) about the history of the place - he's found some interesting stuff!
*Site 13 (2:16) - The 1917/18-ish Verona Graded School building at 401 West Verona Avenue. Used continuously as a school by the Verona School District until the New Century charter school moved out in Summer of 2020. Did you spot the squirrel in the video?
*Site 14 (2:24) - 1939 grade 6-8 school photo, on the west side stairs of the former Verona Graded School at 401 West Verona Avenue. Elmer Gordon (upper right side) was principal of the Graded School for many years.
the song is "Heavenly", by Aakash Gandhi.