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Robinson House
1859 A NEW OMNIBUS
07 21 Mr. Peter Bertholf
has recently purchased and bought to this city a large
and commodious Omnibus,
which will be found at the railroad depot every evening and morning, or
whenever the cars arrive, ready to convey passengers to the hotels or to any
part of the city. It is the most elegant establishment of the kind
in the city, and we hope the enterprising and gentlemanly purchaser will find
his reward in the patronage and liberality of travelers and citizens. WD
[Cross
Reference: Peter Bertholf,
proprietor, Robinson House. s e c Main and First, 1866-67 Watertown City
Directory]
1863
06 25 ADAM’S
PAINTING AND GRAINING PATTERNS
A New and Beautiful Style of Graining. Mr. Drew Straw, an experienced and skillful
painter in this city, has just introduced an entirely new and superior system
of graining, which enable the operator to produce the most perfect and
beautiful imitations of Rosewood, Oak, Black Walnut, or any other wood that may
be preferred . . . Fine specimens of Mr. Straw’s
work with his new patterns may now be seen at the Robinson House, the painting
of which has been done by him. There is
no failure or humbug about this new and useful invention and we strongly
commend Mr. Straw to the favor of all who wish to unite taste and economy in
adorning the interior of their dwellings.
WD
07 02 The Robinson House. The hotel, formerly known as the Planter’s, has been rebuilt, enlarged,
elevated, completely overhauled, refurnished, and will be ready for the
reception of guests and travelers on the 4th of July. It will be open for the inspection of
visitors on Friday evening, the 3rd, when ladies and gentlemen who would like
to pass through its suits of rooms are cordially invited by the new proprietor,
Mr. R. E. Robinson, to do so. The House
is now an entirely new establishment and as much a credit to our city as to the
enterprise and liberality of the gentleman, who at a great outlay, has
furnished the public with another first-class hotel. We hope he will find his reward in a
profitable and successful business. WD
07 02 NEW
FRUIT AND CONFECTIONARY STORE
[same date] A.
H. Van Vlierden has opened a Fruit and Confectionary
Store under the Robinson House. He has a
soda fountain and a suit of rooms where parties can obtain a dish of ice cream
at any hour. All varieties of fruit and
candies can also be purchased there. WD
07 16 The complimentary supper given by Mr. E.
R. Robinson, the proprietor of this new public house, came off according to
appointment on the 15th. It was
generally attended . . . all passed the evening delightfully in the enjoyment
of the special hospitalities of the occasion.
There were seats for about one hundred and fifty guests and we do no
more than justice when we say that no more sumptuous table was ever prepared in
this city. The “bill of fare” comprised
everything in the way of fish and fowl and all varieties of the choicest
delicacies. Oysters in the shell were
served up in every style the ingenuity of experienced cooks could devise, meats
of all descriptions were furnished in abundance – in short, nothing was wanting
that could satisfy the taste or please the fancy.
The gay assemblage was in the best of spirits and all
passed off charmingly. It has never
before been our fortune to see so many of our citizens together at a similar festivity
and all departed with the highest appreciation of the courtesy and liberality
of the new landlord.
The Robinson House of this city is now fully opened to
the public and a better arranged, better furnished and better kept hotel is
nowhere to be found. The guests of Mr.
Robinson feel themselves at home.
Several families have already abandoned housekeeping and taken rooms at
the Robinson and we understand more contemplate doing so.
No speeches were made or toasts drank at the party we
have spoken of, but if we had been called on for a sentiment, we should have
been prompted to offer something like the following: The Robinson House – May its Union flag wave
in the breeze and its proprietor meet with the full success and generous reward
he so richly deserves.
We think that would have brought the crowd to their
feet “with three times three.” WD
09 24 VAN
VLIERDEN’S FRUIT AND OYSTER ROOMS
Mr. Van Vlierden has
recently established fruit and oyster rooms under the Robinson House on Main
Street and is now ready to furnish the best variety of the favorite Baltimore
oysters by the dish, can, or at wholesale.
His dining rooms are elegantly fitted up with reference to the reception
of visitors or parties at any hour and he is prepared to entertain his guests
in the most agreeable and pleasant way.
His stock of confectionery is large and various and the choicest brands
of cigars and tobacco may always be found at his establishment. Every kind of green fruit can be obtained
there at the lowest price. WD
12 17 AN
EXCHANGE
Mr.
James Kilmer, formerly of the Watertown House,
has recently become clerk of the Robinson House of this city, one of the best
hotels in the state. Mr. Kilmer is one
of those intelligent and genial gentlemen that friends and guests always like
to meet. Attentive and accommodating,
treating all alike with courtesy and urbanity, he will be sure to win the
respect and good will of all who have business to transact with him.
A
correspondent sends us the following note, which we insert just as it came to
us:
“Another
change in the Administration – In looking over the columns of the N. Y. Tribune this morning I was highly
elated in noticing that the Hon. Hiram Whitney, formerly head clerk of the Robinson
House, has been promoted to the clerkship of the far-famed Watertown House,
where he will be found in the good humor and graceful appearance which have won
the affections and confidence of the traveling public and is ever ready to wait
on his old friends and all others who see fit to favor him with a call. We say success to ‘Hi’ – as he is bound to
reach the height of fame.” WD
1864
02 04 LEAP
YEAR RIDE
This being Leap Year, the ladies have asserted their
privilege and got up an old fashioned sleigh
ride and it is to come off tomorrow . . .
02 25 SALE
OF THE ROBINSON HOUSE
We learn that Mr. R. E. Robinson, the proprietor of
the extensive and popular hotel known as the Robinson House, has sold that establishment
to Mr. Peter Bertholf and Benjamin Cunningham of this
city for $8,000. The new owners will
take possession on the 1st of April next and no doubt maintain the fair
reputation of the house.
Mr. Robinson will leave here, as a memorial of his enterprise,
the largest hotel we have yet had, and which, under his skillful management,
has become a credit to the place. He is
a model landlord and his guests all depart with one opinion of his uniform
courtesy and efforts to render all around him pleased and “at home.” He will carry with him the good will and
respect of the community, and brief as has been his sojourn here, he has
remained long enough for his departure to be generally regretted. WD
03 31 NEW
PROPRIETORS
Tomorrow the new proprietors of the Robinson House,
Messrs. [Peter] Bertholf & Cunningham, take
possession of their establishment and Mr. Robinson, who has conducted it with
so much ability and success during the past year, retires. It is now one of the best hotels in the state
and enjoys a reputation it is well worth while to keep and which we have no
doubt will be maintained by the new proprietors.
Mr. Robinson will carry with him, wherever he may go,
the good will and kind regards of the community whose favor he has secured by
his liberality and courtesy. Should he
remain in the state and engage in the same business elsewhere, his hotel will
be the home of our citizens whenever they shall meet him in their travels. We can wish no place a better fortune than to
have him at the head of a public house.
WD
04 21 The Robinson
House, under the careful and successful management of its now proprietors,
Messrs. Bertholf & Cunningham, maintains its high
place in public favor, and justly ranks among the first class hotels in the
state. Its present landlords spare no
pains or expense to make it an agreeable and attractive resort for travelers
and all others who avail themselves of its excellent accommodations. It is the largest establishment of the kind
in the city, conveniently arranged, and is conducted with a liberality and
courtesy that win the good will of all who stop at it, and it well deserves the
popularity and esteem it has already acquired.
WD
09 15 BARBER ROOMS
under the Robinson House
Eugene Gebhardt: Barber rooms under the Robinson House, on
First Street. Shaving, hair dressing and
champooing [shampooing] done with neatness and
dispatch.
HAIR DRESSING –Eugene Gebhardt
has succeeded M. Paulfranz in the proprietorship of
the Barber Salon under the Robinson House and will hereafter carry on the
business at the old stand. He is a
skillful master of the tonsorial art in all its branches, serving his customers
promptly, cutting the hair after fashion, and doing all in a manner calculated
to please and give entire satisfaction. WD
1865
1911 ROBINSON HOUSE BAR /
Pictures of Days Gone By.
08 10 During homecoming there were several pictures
on exhibition in the show window of the D. & F. Kusel
Co. that attracted the attention of a great many people, one being the picture
of the interior of the Robinson House bar, which hotel stood on the present
site of Gamm’s drug store and the Evan’s block; another picture of the
Watertown Rifles, taken in 1857, a photo of Carl Schurz at 19 years of age; a
picture of Watertown’s first band organized in 1866, composed of Al Rutherford,
Otto Schulerman, W. D. Sproesser,
William F. Quentmeyer, Carl Nowack,
William Sommerfelt, Frank Kartak,
Fred Pohlmann, one unknown. WG
History of Watertown, Wisconsin