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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Keck’s
Founded 1853
John Keck
1818 - 1891
In
1853, only 17 years after Watertown was settled by Timothy Johnson, the first
issue of The German Press, the Anzeiger,
carried a card advertisement announcing the opening of the shop of John Keck,
cabinet maker, at 314 Main Street.
At the
time, Watertown was a bustling frontier town with a population of 4,000. The
downtown and surrounding neighborhoods were home to 28 dry goods stores, 24
groceries, 5 meat markets, 9 hardware stores, 6 clothing stores, and 6 boot and
shoe shops. The rapids of the Rock River powered saw mills, flour mills,
carriage shops, blacksmith shops, and lumber and brick yards.
From
its humble beginning, Keck Furniture relocated twice before moving to its
current location on Main Street in 1897. The store still occupies this
character-rich location, complete with tin ceilings and floor joists of
tamarack logs, cut during the earliest days of settlement in Wisconsin.
In
1924, F. G. Keck's "Big Furniture Store" underwent extensive exterior
and interior remodeling, executed by George, Fred and William Keck, grandsons
of the founder, and one of America's leading architect teams of the mid-20th
century.
During
the dark days of the Great Depression, the personal service of Keck Furniture
provided through its early years paid dividends, as the business persevered,
and area residents continued to patronize the store.
From 1938
until his passing in the mid-1950s, Keck Furniture was operated by John Keck,
grandson of the founder. During this
period, a young Ken Beyer was employed as a delivery and salesperson.
After
John's passing, the Keck family struggled to find a suitable candidate to pilot
the furniture store. They chose Ken
Beyer, who had left Keck's a few years earlier to work at another area
furniture store.
Under
Ken's leadership, Keck Furniture experienced a period of growth, culminating in
an expansion in 1989, which tripled the store's size.
Upon
his retirement in the late 1990s, Ken Beyer relinquished the store's operation
to his son, Tom, and daughter, Lyn Quinn. Under their leadership, Keck
Furniture continues its tradition of service and value that started in 1853.
_______________________________________________________________
Keck’s
was one of the furniture store businesses founded by a prominent German
family. The Keck Furniture Store was
started by German immigrant John Keck in the 1850s, and continued by Keck
children and grandchildren until the recent past. The second furniture store was Schmutzler’s,
started with pioneer carpenter and builder Christian Schmutzler's son Edward
entering the firm of Charles and Frank Nowack in 1874.
1853
Keck
Furniture was founded in 1853 by John Keck, who later left the business to his
son, Fred George, who in turn entrusted the business to another John Keck. This John died at a relatively your age, and
though he had three brothers, none were interested in the furniture
business. A series of managers were
hired, none lasting long. Ken Beyer
worked in the store since 1948. Having
worked in the store for so many years, he was fully prepared for management,
which he assumed from 1963 until 1998.
At that time, his son, Tom, and daughter, Lyn, took over the business.
Keck
Furniture is the oldest continuously running furniture in the state and the
fourth oldest in the nation.
1859
06 09 KECK & LEHMANN’S CABINET WARE ROOMS
. . . at corner of Main and Third streets.
Sofas, Bureaus and Bedsteads of every kind, from the most common to the
most valuable. They also are prepared to
make to order any piece of household furniture after the most tasteful and approved
patterns and warrant whatever they deal in to be what they represent. They invite all who wish to purchase whole
sets of furniture to call and examine their extensive and varied stock as they
are satisfied that for durability and finish it cannot be surpassed. WD
1860
10 12 4000 FEET MOLDING FOR FRAMES
Gilt and rosewood of every pattern and variety, from
1/2 inch to 4 inches in width, of the richest patterns. Frames made to order and on short notice, at
Keck’s Cabinet Warehouse, Watertown. WR
1861
01 11 MANUFACTURER AND DEALER
John Keck, manufacturer
and dealer in furniture and upholstery, second story, cor. Main and Third Sts. Bedsteads,
sofas, bureaus, lounges, chairs, looking glasses, gilt moldings, rocking
chairs, mattresses, center tables, etc., always on hand, at low prices. WR
1863
08 13 SECOND STREET
LOCATION: a cabinet warehouse
By Ald. Skinner: Resolved, that John Keck has permission to
occupy one half of Second Street, in front of his lot, next south of Heymann’s
Saloon, for the purpose of depositing building material for two months from this
date. Adopted. WD
08 20 NEW BRICK BLOCK
Mr. John Keck is now
digging the foundation of a new brick block on Second Street, just south of
Cooley’s block. The new building will be
80 feet deep, 24 feet wide and two stories high, and is to be finished off and
fitted up for a cabinet warehouse. WD
[John Keck, furniture
manufacturer, w s 2d bet Main and E Washington, 1966-67 Watertown City
Directory]
1866
08 20 JOHN KECK BUYS OUT
PETER MAY
1880 “F. Keck” CUT INTO BRICK
IS FOUND in 1966; 110 S Second St
WDTimes article of 07 01 1966 contains image
The
Keck Furniture Co. dates back to 1853, the year John Keck, the grandfather of
Pete Keck of the Keck Advertising Agency in Oconomowoc and other members of the
family, started in the furniture business here.
During
the recent remodeling of the former Buerger's Meat Market, later Block and
Andres and then Block's Market at 112 South Second Street the workers came
across a brick on which was carved "F. Keck." The building will soon be occupied by Grempel's Shoe Store, the remodeling project having
prepared it for the new occupancy.
Because
of the cumbersome transportation facilities during the middle of the last
century, with Milwaukee being a five to seven day round trip by way of
Oconomowoc and Waukesha, it is considered a pretty safe guess that the brick in
question, along with thousands of others, was made in the old Quentmeyer and Boomer brickyard at the south end of Utah
Street in Watertown.
About that
time, the brick in question became part of the street end of a common wall
between the buildings still in existence at 110 and 112 South Second Street.
In
1863, after having been in several different downtown locations, John Keck
decided to move his expanding furniture business into the building at 110 South
Second Street. Fred G. Keck, father of
Pete Keck, was born in 1869, the youngest of five children of John and Rosina
Keck. His youth was spent in the
vicinity of the building as the family
home was at 300 South Second Street, a block and a half south of the
store.
"Sometime
in the year 1880, my father, Fred G. Keck, at that time 11 years old, faced the
brick wall to the south of his father's place of business and, apparently,
began scraping out his initial “F” and his last name “KECK” into a brick about
36 inches above the sidewalk. Over the
years, the face of the brick was painted and repainted to almost obliterate the
carved name. But, through it all, the
indentations still stood out legibly." – Pete Keck
Cross Reference:
1875 Watertown City Directory
c.1890
FORMER STRAUSS BOOT & SHOE SHOP OCCUPIED
KECK LOCATION
1891 JOHN KECK OBIT
Death
has claimed one of Watertown's oldest and most esteemed citizens, in the person
of John Keck, who departed this life at his home in the First Ward on April
18th, 1891, his final illness being pneumonia. He had been seek but a few days,
hence his death was unexpected by his friends.
Deceased
was a native of Germany, being born there on December 19, 1818; consequently he
was in his 73d year at the time of his death.
He came to America and located in New York City in April, 1850,
remaining there until June, 1851, when he removed to this city. He worked here as a cabinetmaker until 1858,
when he engaged in the furniture business for himself, which he conducted very
successfully up to the time of his death.
He was
a member of Washington Lodge, No. 77, L.O.O.F., and was one of its organizers
some 35 years ago. He also helped to
organize the Concordia Society in
1862. Mr. Keck was possessed of an
honest and frank disposition and all who knew him honored and esteemed him for
his integrity and honest manner of dealing with his fellow man. Our citizens mourn his death as that of a
good and noble man.
His
wife, two sons and three daughters survive him.
His funeral
was held from his late home, under the auspices of Washington .Lodge. L.O.O.F.,
Rev. Mr. Sterz of the German Evangelical
Protestant Church conducting the religious services. His remains were followed to their final resting
place in Oak Hill cemetery by a very large number of sorrowing friends.
JOHN KECK, MRS, OBIT
(Rosina Keck)
12 21 1898 - Another of our early residents
has been called to eternal rest in the person of Mrs. Rosina Keck, whose death
occurred Monday morning at the family residence, 300 Second Street. Mrs. Keck was born in Germany in 1835, being
therefore 73 years of age. In 1849 she
emigrated to the United States, settling here two years later. She was the wife of John Keck, a pioneer
cabinet-maker and furniture dealer in this city, who died in 1891. Two sons and three daughters are left to
mourn the loss of a kind and loving mother, while a host of warm acquaintances
of the deceased will part with a woman who in life was all that could be
desired in a steadfast friend and true Christian person. The children are: Mrs. Bruegger, Williston, N.D.; Albert, St.
Paul, Minn; Anna, Molly and Fred, of this city. Final resting
place in Oak Hill cemetery. WR
1895
05 01 Bold
deed of thievery was perpetrated at Keck's furniture store WR
1897
-- -- RELOCATED TO 110 EAST MAIN
1898
1900
12 06 WATERTOWN’S IDEAL CHRISTMAS HEADQUARTERS
c.1900
1902
Distinctive roofline was made of wood and was
becoming a danger. It was removed in 1923 when the building was expanded and remodeled. George Fred and Bill Keck were architects in
Chicago and added “Chicago style display windows” to highlight the furniture
displays.
-- -- REMODELING
AND 3-STORY ADDITION ON REAR
1910 (appears to be what actually took
place in 1924)
-- -- HYNOTIST PUTS ON A 3-DAY SHOW IN SHOW
WINDOW
Memories of the days when a hypnotist came here
about once a year to demonstrate his powers by selecting some local young woman
to put to sleep for a period of 3 days.
The exhibition usually included the public display in one of the city's
large store windows where the sleeping subject was placed in a bed and allowed
to slumber while under the hypnotic spell.
Many times the Keck Furniture Company donated its
window for this purpose, also furnishing a bedroom set. A crowd would usually gather to witness the
hypnotist do his stuff and then, after the subject was asleep, the public would
keep its eye on whatever window housed the sleeping woman.
On the third day the hypnotist had the woman
transferred to Turner Hall where he would "awaken" her, but not until
a good crowd had collected there and had paid admission to witness the
"awakening" act.
During the three days and nights in the window, no
food was allowed to pass into the store, according to the press agents of the
time and there usually was a special police officer stationed in front of the
store at night just to see to it that nobody got inside to feed the sleeping
woman or to put one over on the public.
The city was pretty certain to have such
a stunt performed at least once every year, or every other year.
1911
04 06 RUGS ADDED TO FURNITURE LINE
04 0 G.B.
LEWIS BOX SEATS . . . at Keck's
At a loss as to what this was but
could be the standard wood and wire boxes made by GBL at
their Bee Hive and Box manufactory.
Boxes-to-use-as-seats, as opposed to box-seats?
c.1912
100 block E Main at night, c1912
1914
10 24 FARE-REFUNDING SALE, full
page Weltburger ad
--- HIGH
CLASS REED FURNITURE
“Linger longer” chairs and
rockers. Ad in 1918 Watertown High School Orbit
-- -- EXPANSION AND REMODEL
Distinctive
roofline was made of wood and was becoming a danger. It was removed in 1923 when the building was
expanded and remodeled. George Fred and
Bill Keck were architects in Chicago and added “Chicago style display windows”
to highlight the furniture displays.
1924
09 09 REBUILD OF KECK
FURNITURE STORE NEARS COMPLETION
The
new front of the F. G. Keck & Co. furniture store at 110-112 Main Street
has been practically completed and now presents a real fine appearance and
being a great addition to the business section of the city.
The
first story is of Indiana limestone and the other two of red pressed brick.
The new
roof, raised high enough to give three full stories, is all finished and the
balance of the work of rebuilding can be made regardless of weather
conditions. At present the contractors
are engaged in interior work on the third floor as well as putting in the show
windows on the ground floor. The show
windows on the second floor have been installed.
Several
weeks additional will be consumed before the repairs are all done and when
finished the building will not only be a source of pride to the owners but a
credit to the city. WDT
1930
02 19 COTTAGE DISPLAY ON
THIRD FLOOR
On the
third floor of Keck's Furniture Store there has been built a complete cottage
which is furnished with furniture from the large stock this store carries. The displays are changed at regular intervals
and people who want to see how furniture is arranged with a taste for beauty as
well as for practical purposes should visit the cottage. It is open to the public at all times.
1941
12 10 KECK'S NOW HAS RECORD
BOOTHS
Keck's
store, which recently took over a Columbia Masterworks and Columbia records
agency, has now added a number of booths where customers may listen to records
and try them out before making a selection.
The booths will be ready within a day or two. They are located on the main floor. The store also has a large assortment of
Columbia Masterworks in albums and also single records. . . .
c.1950
DELIVERY TRUCK
1957
1958
10 03 JUBILEE EVENT
105th jubilee marked by special
anniversary sale. WDT
1961
02 22 OFFICERS ELECTED
At the annual board of directors
meeting of Keck Furniture Company, the board appointed the following
officers: William Keck, president;
George Fred Keck, vice president; Ernest (Pete) Keck, secretary and treasurer;
Jack Stranckmeyer, manager. The Keck
Furniture Company is now in its 107th year of operation in the city of
Watertown and looks forward to 1961 as a year of expansion along with the
city. Several physical changes of the
store are planned as well as several innovations in merchandising in tune with
the needs of the community. WDT
1963
08 09 KEN BEYER NEW MANAGER
Kenneth Beyer is the
new manager of the Keck Furniture Co. store in Watertown, at 110 Main
Street. He is no stranger to the
business or to many of its customers since he was employed at the store from
1948 to 1959 after which he was similarly employed at Jefferson. Mr. Beyer is a native of Lake Mills but came
to live in Watertown at the age of five.
His father was the late Carl Beyer.
His mother still resides here. WDT
1964
01 15 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
APPOINTMENTS
At the annual meeting
of the Keck Furniture Company, Ken Beyer was appointed to the board of
directors, along with George Fred Keck and William Keck of Chicago, and Pete
Keck of Oconomowoc. The Keck brothers
are grandsons of John Keck, the original founder of the retail furniture
business now in its 111th year of operation.
Ken, better known as Kenny to his many friends in this area, took over
the active management of the business in August 1963. He recently returned from a two day buying
trip in Chicago at the American Furniture Mart, where he has selected many new
lines to expand the offerings of home furnishings to the people of this
community. WDT
1965
01 12 KEN BEYER PRES. &
GEN. MGR.
At the annual meeting
of Keck Furniture Co., the board of directors elected the following officers:
Kenneth Beyer, president and general manager, William Keck (Chicago), vice
president, Pete Keck (Oconomowoc), secretary-treasurer. Beyer started as general manager in August
1963 and has made many improvements both in personal service and broadening of
the lines of household furnishings offered to homemakers of Watertown and
vicinity. WDT
1967
10 25 KEN BEYER PURCHASED A
FINANCIAL INTEREST
Pete Keck, secretary of
Keck Furniture Company, Watertown, today announced that Ken Beyer has purchased
a financial interest in the 114 year old firm.
Beyer has been manager since the summer of 1963, and has just completed
the 4th anniversary celebration of his appointment. In 1964, he was elected president and has
served as president and general manager since that time. According to Beyer, he has utmost faith in
the future of Watertown as an important shopping center for the area. The improvements and paving of Main Street,
with its new boulevard-look, will contribute greatly to the success of the
future, he said. WDT
1989
May Keck’s Furniture began its
retail store addition, valued at $312,500.
WDT
2012
Old
stores still going strong, WSJour article, 02 14 2012
2016
02 04 KENNETH
BEYER, 1927-2016
Kenneth
F. Beyer, age 88, of Watertown, passed away on Feb. 4, 2016. Funeral services will be held on Monday at
noon at Trinity Lutheran Church in Watertown with the Rev. Brett Brauer
officiating. Burial, with military
graveside rites performed by the Watertown
American Legion Post No. 189, will take place at Lutheran Cemetery in
Watertown.
Kenneth
Francis Beyer was born on Nov. 9, 1927, in Lake Mills, the son of Carl F. and
Lydia (nee Albrecht) Beyer. He was a 1945 graduate of Watertown High School and
he attended one year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ken served in the
United States Navy during World War II and was company commander of the Army National Guard units in Jefferson and later
in Watertown.
On
Sept. 8, 1951, he married Elaine Hensler at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in
Watertown. Ken owned and operated Keck
Furniture in Watertown. He was a member
of Trinity Lutheran Church and the Watertown American Legion Post No. 189. Ken was a former member and past president of
the Watertown Rotary Club where he received the Paul Harris Fellow
Recognition. He was also a member of the
Watertown Central Business Association and the Watertown Area Chamber of
Commerce.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin