This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website
Homecoming Day
Repasts,
Receptions and Reminiscences
Begun in
1902
1902
In
1902 Watertown initiated a series of
annual Homecoming Days. These days
of reunion and celebration, held in early August or September, were anticipated
each summer.
This
author likes to think that the success of the Homecoming event was a prelude to
that of Watertown’s current
Riverfest event, also highly anticipated, extremely successful, and
held in early August at Riverside Park.
1904,
08 10
Watertown
Daily Times
During
the Homecoming held
Home-Coming Day!
Monday evening president Ernst A. Kehr, Frank J. Toussaint
and Jos. Schumacher, of Milwaukee were in the city and made preliminary
arrangements for the affair. Special
excursion trains will be run on that date from Milwaukee, and it is expected
that large delegations of excursionists will also arrive from Chicago, Madison
other cities.
There were over 3000 visitors in this city on Home
Coming day last year, and September 4th promises to have a much larger crowd.
Thousands of former Watertown people who reside all over
the United States have been waiting anxiously for the announcement of the date
this year, and now that it has been set, they are arranging their affairs so
they can be here on that date.
1904, 09 08
Watertown Daily Times
The second annual
homecoming celebration last Sunday in this city under the auspices of the
Watertown Club of Milwaukee was a grand success - the attendance was larger
than last year, the day was an ideal one so far as the weather was concerned,
and good cheer prevailed on all sides. The city was handsomely decorated -
business houses, public buildings and residences, - and
Over 700 Milwaukee
people were present on the occasion and it is estimated that there were at
least 3000 visitors in the city, and in the words of The Milwaukee Sentinel reporter: "Watertown proved a royal
host indeed to its homecoming sons and daughters."
A parade in the
morning, a monster picnic at Tivoli Island in the afternoon and evening, and a
brilliant illumination of the city's streets at night were the features of the
program rendered.
A large portion of
the visitors began to arrive on Saturday, including over 200 from Milwaukee,
but most of them came on Sunday morning trains. The banner delegation left
Milwaukee in a special train of six coaches over the Milwaukee road at
Former Gov. George W.
Peck, a member of the Watertown Club, had promised to be present, but as the
result of his nomination for governor on the democratic ticket he asked to be
excused and "homecoming day" lost its star attraction. Mayor Rose
also had promised to speak at Watertown in behalf of the Milwaukeeans, but his
trip to Arizona removed his name from the program. Visitors from other cities
had come on earlier trains, and when the special train of the Milwaukee
delegation arrived over 1,000 people crowded the depot yard to greet them . . .
(At Tivoli Island)
3,500 gathered for the afternoon festivities, and this number was increased to
over 5,000 during the evening. At
During the afternoon
and evening Bach's band gave a concert on the island, and at night the island
and the streets of the city were brilliantly illuminated by strands of electric
lights. The special train left for Milwaukee at
1905
Watertown Daily
Times 07
27 1905
The third annual home
coming and excursion of the Watertown club of Milwaukee to Watertown will be
held on Sunday, Aug. 6. The train will leave over the Milwaukee road at
Ward's military band
will play concert music at Tivoli Island at Watertown in the afternoon . .
. It was decided to invite Mayor Dunne
of Chicago, Mayor Rose of Milwaukee, and Governor La Follette to deliver
addresses to the people at the picnic grounds in the afternoon. There will be a
parade of all civic societies of Watertown in the afternoon.
1905
Watertown
Gazette article
of 08 11 1905
1905
Watertown Daily
Times, 08 12 1905
Sunday, August 6, was certainly a gala day in
this city it being the observance of the Third Home Coming Day which has become
quite a social feature in the experience of the inhabitants of Watertown, and
great credit is due the mayor and members of the home club, in making it the
grand success it was under the circumstances - and there would have been a much
larger attendance had the railroads made special rates for the occasion, which
they were precluded from doing on account of the existing laws in the state. As
it was, there were at least 700 former residents of Watertown who came to meet
relatives and friends and visit the scenes of other days. The delegation from
Milwaukee numbered about 500 ...
1907
Watertown Daily Times, 07 19 1907
(At last Monday's
Council meeting) Alderman Ryan presented an ordinance amending an ordinance
governing hack and bus men. It was adopted and now provides that any person can
operate buses to picnics, fairs, etc. without obtaining a license and not
interfering with the provisions for buses running to trains. The ordinance was
amended so hastily in order that visitors here for the homecoming might have
necessary accommodations to the picnic grounds and a certain few not have a
monopoly in the conveyance of the visitors to the picnic grounds.
Homecoming Day, 08 04
1907 WHS_005_188
1908 Chapter on 1908 Homecoming
1909
The
grandest of the Homecoming fetes was that of July 31
and August 1, 1909. Bands went to
the stations to meet the trains and welcome former residents. Another floral
parade in which carriages and surreys still predominated, and a program, in
which Mayor Arthur Mulberger and Judge George Grimm were featured speakers, was
followed by amusements of many kinds - band concerts, repasts, receptions and
reminiscences. [ Watertown Remembered ]
Image
Portfolio
Click to enlarge
1909 1909, assumed Homecomers, 1913
Cross-References:
No 1:
Military Band, invitation, Homecoming Day (year uncertain) No 2 No
3 (2 and 3 are enlargements of
1)
No 4:
Tivoli Island, site of Homecoming celebrations
Compiled
by Ken Riedl
