This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website

Buena Vista House

300 N Fourth

In 1847, the Battle of Buena Vista took place during the Mexican-American War.

U.S. troops, led by General Zachary Taylor, fought Mexican General

Santa Anna’s forces, who ended up withdrawing.

In the spring of 1848, there came Dr. Fischer, John C. Halliger, Hohrmann and Ernst Achilles together with families, then the first Baptist Fried. Schielemann with wife, Nottorf, Grossmann and Lorenz Fribert, Wilhelm Wiggenhorn with family, among whom were his sons Constanz, Alexis, Eugen and August; Adolf Beurhaus and Adolph Lange, both married, Henry Maldaner, Fritz Herrmann, Chas. M. Ducasse, Gustav Schnasse, Martin Hopf, George Schempf and family, Schmidt Toelle, Henry and Louis Mulberger, Carl Roedel, Georg Koenig, Louis Stallmann, Leonard Meth with wife and several others.

Wilhelm Wiggenhorn arrived here with his family in the month of October, 1848, after he had been on the farm with Averbeck for several weeks, and bought the Buena Vista House and the opposite lot from Henry Boegel for the sum of $1680. The house [hotel] at that time, however, was in only a half-finished condition, and only plastered one time, but it was furnished comfortably as an inn and the upper story was even used for divine services of the Evangelical Protestant parish, which, in the absence of a regular preacher, was presided over by Mr. Senator Meyer. In his absence, Louis W. Ranis led the parish, and special religious functions such as weddings, christenings, etc. were performed by Pastor Dietrichsen from Milwaukee who came here from time to time.

In the vicinity of the Buena Vista House, a German lathe operator had erected a windmill on a stump, in order to operate his turning shop with it. His name, not accurately determined, was declared by some as Schiess, by others as Spiess. He did not however achieve his wish with his windmill, and for a long time afterward its rudder stood there, without being used until finally this and other buildings had to make way for the [St. Henry’s] German Catholic church.