Well, it’s Tuesday again and time to head out to find another WHAT candidate! Today we wandered to the edge of town to the north and found 1810 Merrill Avenue! Most recently it has been Newch’s Eatery & Bar.
This building was built in about 1890. It has some neat details including the caps over the windows and arched windows.
It’s early history has been a bit difficult to nail down. After searching City Directories, Marathon County land records, Sanborn Maps, and plat maps we are pretty sure it was a farm house for many years, possibly belonging to F.W. Garske.
The Nein’s started Little Bavaria in 1946, having bought the place from the previous owner. But because of where the building sits, the city directory is not clear what the name of the business was at the time they purchased it. We have included the menu from Little Bavaria below (courtesy of Marathon County Historical Society). Be sure to check out the offerings.
In 1961 it was still listed as Little Bavaria, but it had been noted that Joseph Nein had died several years earlier and the restaurant had closed.
In 1965 the city directory notes two taverns in the area, but the address is not specific enough to know which it was for sure (if you know please let us know!): Misty Moon Tavern (Genevieve Wagner) or Shirley’s Bar (Shirley Flowers).
From about 1969 until the mid-80s it was known as Here ‘Tis Tavern (Gladys Haferman).
By about 1990 it became Chapter Two or Wanda’s Chapter Two.
In 2012 it was listed as Hubert’s Legacy Bar.
