website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Weltburger / Weltbuerger
Wepco Printing
Watertown
Weltbürger, added masthead: Der Erzähler.
1853-54
David Blumenfeld and D. W. Ballou came here within
the same year, 1853-54. Both were able
editors, loyal Democrats, powerful and fearless editors. Blumenfeld eventually called his paper the Weltburger. Ballou named his the Democrat. Kiessling, Elmer C., Watertown Remembered
(Watertown: Watertown Historical Society), 1976, pgs
172-73
Blumenfeld
edited the Weltburger
for over 50 years during an era when it was the most widely read newspaper in
the city. He was prominent in Watertown
society and sired a numerous, talented family, some of whom became linked by
marriage with other old families in the city, while others achieved fame
abroad. His son Ralph told the adventurous story of his
boyhood in Home Town, a book he
published in 1944 after a long career as editor of what was then England's, and
therefore the world's, largest new paper, the London Daily Express. The
elder Blumenfeld died in 1905.
1858
12 23 Arrangements made for starting another
German paper, the Weltburger;
Democratic in politics serving the German population WD
Another source states that the first Weltburger location
was in the Werner building on the north side of the Main Street bridge
1875
1879
Weltburger
Printing Office, 119 North Second St
Shown:
C. Hugo Jacobi, William Voss, David Blumenfeld, Ralph Blumenfeld, Otto
Krueger, Moritz Blumenfeld, Charles Blumenfeld.
1870s
Simon Melzer,
employee.
1882
1883
1890s
317 E Main
1890s WELTBURGER
SIGN, front and back sides
Hung
outside the office of the Watertown Weltburger newspaper office at 317 E Main. Dates to the
1890s
1891
06 03 BUILDING
TO BE ERECTED, SE corner 2nd & Madison
George Gerbic is preparing to erect a business building on his
corner of Second and Madison streets. We
understand it will be occupied by The Weltbuerger
office. WR
1892
William Reber
employed for short while
1894
119 N Second location
c.1897
1899
02 01 BEWARE OF SOLICITORS
We wish to advise the
business men and merchants of this city not to be deceived by parties from
outside who are soliciting job work, and claiming that the local printers are
charging twice as much as the work can be gotten for elsewhere. If you will take the trouble to compare
prices you will readily discover that Watertown printers are doing work at
rock-bottom prices, and that an institution cannot exist and do work for less
money. An investigation will quickly
undeceive anyone who is led away by the misrepresentations of the travelling
printer. WR
1912
Fred Nowack,
son of Frank Nowack, Sr. and wife of this city, died
last Sunday in Milwaukee. Deceased was
born here on May 6, 1881, and learned the printers' trade in the Watertown Weltbuerger
office. After leaving here he engaged in
business in Milwaukee for seven years past, being a member of the printing firm
of Nowack & Husting. His wife survives. On Monday his remains were brought to his
parents' home here, and on Wednesday were interred in Oak Hill
cemetery. WG [Nowack,
Friedrich, b. 1881, d. 1912]
WELTBURGER
INDEX ENTRIES, 1912-1913 EDITIONS
1915 SCHEMPF CHRISTMAS AD
commands Page 1 of Weltbuerger
12 11 
c.1925
INTERIOR OF, 113 N. Fourth
Adolph Jaeger, Emil Kuehl, Walter Maass, Emma Jaeger (sister to Adolph)
1950
04 14 EMIL
KEHL, PRINTER FOR 60 YEARS, Sells Interest in Weltbuerger
Began Working at Age of 11 Years on
Weekly Paper
Emil Kehl, 502 South Second Street, for 60 years a printer, has
retired and has sold his interest in the Weltbuerger
Printing Co. to Charles R. Abel, former linotype operator for the Jansky
Printing Co.
Mr. Kehl, shown here, is a native of Watertown but left with
his parents at the age of eight and settled at Glenwood. There, when he was 11 years of age, he went
to work for the Glenwood Tribune, a
weekly newspaper which is still being published. He remained with that paper for some time,
then went to work in various newspaper and printing establishments, earning as
he worked. He worked in Amery and
Minneapolis among other places, later returning to Watertown. Here his first job was with the Republican,
a weekly newspaper which was edited by the late Granton
Norris.
German Weekly
He first became
associated with the Weltbuerger, then a
popular German weekly here, when it was edited by the late David Blumenfeld who
was the father of the late Ralph D. Blumenfeld, a famous newspaper editor in
London, editing the famed London Express for many years.
Later the ownership
of the Weltbuerger was transferred to
Milwaukee and then returned to Watertown.
Here Mr. Kehl became associated with the late
Otto Krueger and the late Gustav Schwenke in
publishing the paper. In 1906 Mr. Kehl left and the paper was published by Mr. Krueger and
Mr. Schwenke.
In 1930 he returned to Watertown and again affiliated with the publishing
concern and remained until his retirement a few days ago.
In speaking of his
experiences, Mr. Kehl said it has been an interesting
career. He witnessed the rise, and
decline of the German newspaper here, for the Weltbuerger
is no longer being published. For a time,
after it was no longer edited locally, it was being published in Winona, Minn.,
and Mr. Kehl served as the local subscription and
advertising representative. He recalls
how many difficulties the late Mr. Blumenfeld had in getting out some issues of
the weekly which was then in its heyday.
Enjoys Wide Clientele
The Weltbuerger, in
recent years the Weltbuerger Printing Co., has enjoyed
prosperous business in the job printing line and Mr. Kehl
says he feels certain that it will continue under the present owners—Adolph
Jaeger, who went to work with the Weltbuerger in 1906, and the new partner, Mr. Abel.
In
addition to doing all sorts of job work, the company gets out such publications
as the Northwestern College monthly
magazine, The Black and Red, as well
as the college high school paper and it also does considerable work for the Bethesda Lutheran Home and their clients. In recent years new equipment has been added
to the printing establishment and it enjoys a wide clientele.
Mr. Kehl will continue to make his home here. He is a former supervisor for the Twelfth
ward, serving on the Jefferson County board for six years. WDT
1956
2003
Oct Wepco Printing, 113 N. Fourth St., Watertown
Wepeo
Printing Company is the oldest printing operation in Watertown. Founded in
1852, the original "Weltbuerger Printing
Co.", published one of the leading German weekly newspapers in
Wisconsin. The newspaper, titled "der Weltbuerger"
was published until 1932 when English became the dominant language and the
business turned to a commercial printing operation. At that time the business shortened its name
to Wepco Printing (Weltbuerger Printing Company).
Acquired
by Times Publishing, Inc. in 1997, after more than 150 years Wepeo Printing continues the traditional lead type art as
well as utilizing the contemporary desktop publishing technology giving
customers a wide range of quality printing options. Wepco
Printing has four employees:
2015
Cross-References:
Time magazine, 01 02 1933: Last week
the 80-year-old weekly Watertown (Wis.) Weltburger ceased
publication. Famed German-language
publication, it had been edited by Liberal Carl Schurz
at one time and by Ralph Blumenfeld, now
board chairman of the London Daily
Express. Since 1930 the Weltburger had
been published by National Weeklies, Inc. in Winona, Minn.
01 29 1915 Moritz
F. Blumenfeld appointed State Superintendent of Public Property; born in
Watertown in 1859, learned the printer’s trade and was associated with his
father, the late D. Blumenfeld, in the publication of the Watertown Weltberger.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin