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Photos # |
Notes & Memories |
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9 |
All Seasons Sports & Archery 111 W. 5th St. |
9 - All Season’s Sports and Archery - 450 Hewett Street This building was Neillsville’s , and likely Clark County’s, first brick commercial building. It was constructed in 1872 by the logging concern of “Hewett & Woods” as a company store for their logging crews and as a general merchandise store for other area residents. In 1888, the building was acquired by the Marsh Brothers who continued to operate a general merchandise firm out of the location. By 1938, when W.J. Marsh closed the store, the business was known as Marsh’s Clothing Store to locals. After passing out of the Marsh family, the building became part of the “J.C. Penney “ chain of stores followed by “McCain’s, another area chain of clothing stores. By the 1960s, Jerry & Fay Opelt were operating a “Skogmos” clothing store in this location. (“Skogmos” was the clothing division of the Gamble’s Corporation.) After Jerry Opelt closed “Skogmos”, the building housed various businesses over the next 25 years, some of which included the Black River Country Shopper, various real estate offices, a gift shop called “Serendipity”, owned by Chris Wachtendonk, and a photography studio. The building was purchased in the late 1990s by Diane Murphy whose son, Mike currently operates a sporting goods business in the front of the building while Diane runs her accounting business, “MPC Accounting”, in the back.
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| 10 |
Floral Creations 508 Hewett St. |
10 - Floral Creations and More - 508 Hewett Street Information is currently unavailable about the early history of this building. However: this c. 1890 building was home to Kearn’s Drug store from the 1930s through the 1960s. Dennis Koula ran his Rexall Pharmacy in the building during the 1970s and 1980s after which the building was purchased by Cindy and Larry Strangfeld for Cindy’s business, “Floral Creations & More”. Currently, the building is home to “Flavors of Life, a coffee shop/book store.
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11 |
M & M Catering on the Main 510 Hewett St. |
11 - M&M Catering on the Main - 510 Hewett Street During the early part of the 20th century, 1900 to 1920, this building was home to “Bast’s Bakery”. In the 1920s, the building was purchased by Art Dern who continued operating a bakery out of the location. Art Dern’s untimely death in the 1940s left the business in the hands of his widow, Ruth who ran “Dern’s Bakery until the late 1960s. Over the next 20 years the building had several owners who also operated bakeries there. During the 1990s, the building was purchased by Mark & Merrill Brunette to house “M&M Meats and Seafood“. The Brunettes still own the building and use the former “Bast’s Bakery as a base of operations for their catering business: “M&M on the Main”.
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| 12 |
Christie's Goodies 518 Hewett St.
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12 - Christie’s Goodies/empty building - 518 Hewett Street At the turn of the 20th century, this building was home to Victor Woelffer’s Drug Store. By the 1930s, the building housed Holum’s “Red Owl” Grocery Store. Around 1960, the building was purchased and remodeled by Gary Corey for his jewelry store: “Corey’s Jewelry”. When Gary Corey retired, the business was sold and the building became home to “Wickersham’s Jewelry” for several years in the early 1990s. After “Wickersham Jewelry closed it’s doors in Neillsville, the building was purchased by the Christie family and has remained vacant since.
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13 |
Allied Health Advanced Chiropractor 522 Hewett St.
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| 14 |
Sniteman's Pharmacy 528 Hewett St.
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14 - Sniteman’s Pharmacy - 528 Hewett Street This building was built in 1895 by one of Neillsville’s greatest “citizen philanthropists”, C.C. Sniteman. Sniteman came to Neillsville in 1879 intending to stay one night at the “O’Neill House” and ended up staying the remainder of his lifetime! His first job upon deciding to remain in Neillsville was working for Myer’s Drug Store. Within a few years, he purchased the store from the Myer brothers and began a legacy of business ownership that would continue until his death on October 28, 1940. This brick building -- a monument to Mr. Sniteman-- was constructed entirely around the former small, wooden Myer Drug Store. When the new brick building was completed, the stock from the little, old, wooden building which was to be put back on the new building’s shelves was pulled out into Hewett Street. This maneuver was talked about far and wide by other druggists! The “new” building soon gained the nickname “Silver Mammoth Drug Store” due to the impressive silver painted cornice that Sniteman chose to crown the building’s façade. After Mr. Sniteman’s death, his long time business partners, George Sontag and Dave Parry continued to operate the pharmacy. Upon Mr. Parry’s death, Leroy and Isabelle John purchased the business and ran it many years during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Currently, Sniteman Pharmacy is owned by Bill Weiler and Dave Klieforth. It is interesting to note that Sniteman’s Pharmacy is the longest continuously operated business on Hewett Street - a fact that would have made Mr. Sniteman proud!
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| 15 |
Dreams of Joy Photography & Sunrise Realty 532 Hewett St.
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| 16 |
Clark Co. Press & Print Shop 610 Hewett St.
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