top of page

JULIUS C. HAHN

Ownership Date: 1909 - ????

Property Name: Saloon & Confectionary

​

Julius C. Hahn:

  • Birth: July 3, 1854

  • Death: Sept 27, 1925 (aged 71)

​

In 1909 Julius Hahn made renovations to the building and it was a Saloon and Confectionery. We have no specific date when Hahn sold the property, so more research is needed.

Per census records, Julius Hahn was born in Brandenburgh Germany in 1854 and immigrated to the United States in 1870 (port of arrival unknown atm).

 

He and Dora married in Waukesha, WI on HALLOWEEN! October 31, 1880 was the date of their nuptials. As many know, current owners Matt and Elizabeth also have a Halloween Wedding Anniversary. It’s very appropriate given our location!

Julius and Dora then moved to Cleveland, WI, Augusta, WI, and finally set roots here in Humbird by 1887, prior to the birth of their youngest son William.

Per the 1900 census, Julius was employed as a grain buyer. We're still unsure exactly when he took ownership of the property, however, per the 1905 census, Julius owned this property for the full year prior to the census, and his son William worked in his employ as a bartender at the ripe old age of 17! It was originally believed Julius took ownership in 1909 when the news of the building renovation being completed hit the local newspapers, but this census data lets us know he was here and in operation by at least 1904.

William continued living and working with his father and mother for many years while the other children pursued their own endeavors. Per these photos retrieved from Ancestry.com, it appears William also was in a band, however his instrument of choice is in question from the photograph. The photo of him and his brother Albert sharing a drink together is endearing. Between being a bartender and musician, William was deeply embedded into the day to day operations of the saloon aspect of the business. We also uncovered an article stating that Julius and his son grew a world record breaking pumpkin together in 1911. They definitely had a close father/son relationship.

In 1912 tragedy struck when William passed at the young age of 25. We have uploaded his obituary which explains the illness he suffered from. This obit also contains some very important information from a paranormal standpoint. It states clearly in the obit that William’s remains were brought back here to the property before burial. We have gotten the name William on our ghost hunting devices many times since owning the property. It may be the case that William Hahn is one of our permanent residents. We will be inquiring with our spirits in future ghost hunts.

On the 1920 census, JC Hahn is listed as a “Pool Owner.” This tracks with the enactment of prohibition at the start of 1920. The business at that time was listed as a “Hotel and Pool Room.” We believe the enactment of prohibition is what spurned Hahn to sell the property later in 1920 to Iffland, however JC Hahn’s obit highlights the death of William to have weighed heavily on him and most likely hastened his desire to retire.

​

We have also uncovered that Julius’s daughter Martha married a man who eventually became a hardware shop owner. It’s possible that he owned the hardware store that was a few doors up, next to the bank.next door to us long ago, but is now buried in our beer garden. TBD.

​

*Edit - the hardware store was up the street from us. We believe it's an old department store that's under our beer garden.*

​

To summarize, the Hahns were prominient figures in Humbird from 1887-1925 when Julius passed. They owned our building from at least 1904-1920. They ran the business as a family and it’s possible that their son William is still here with us in the building.

1909 Humbird Enterprise Newspaper.png

News article regarding the renovations in the Humbird Enterprise Newspaper, dated 1909.

391611180_628706616106844_3249789505997480335_n.jpg

Whilst doing an online search for information on J.C. Hahn, we stumbled across this trade token on an auction website.

Julius Hahn lived out his days in Humbird and passed away on September 27, 1925. Below is an obituary which shows what a well loved and hard working man he was. He is buried on a family plot in Mentor Cemetery located just 1.4 miles outside of Humbird.

J. C. Hahn Grave 2 (Bill Hart) (2).jpg

J.C. Hahn headstone in Mentor Cemetery, Humbird, Clark County, WI. Photo Bill Hart.

​This community was shocked last Friday morning by the news that J. C. Hahn had died suddenly while getting ice from his icehouse to put in the refrigerator at his home. Mr. Hahn's absence longer than usual at the task caused Mrs. Hahn to go to the ice house, where she found him seated and leaning against the wall as though resting. Death was due by heart failure, probably induced by the extra exertion. Dr. Hotvedt was called and said that he had expired less than half an hour when found.

 

Funeral services were held at the Reformed church Tuesday afternoon and a large congregation assembled to pay the final tribute, and nearly all business places in the village were closed as a token of respect. The sermon by the pastor, Rev. D. Grether, was a most appropriate one. Filled with condolences to those who mourn, he spoke feelingly of Mr. Hahn's attendance at the church, his interest in the services, and his participating at its communion table. A beautiful mass of flowers and floral emblems, gifts of friends and relatives, was placed about the altar and casket. At the close of the services, the remains were conveyed to Mentor cemetery and interred in the family lot beside his son.

 

Relatives and friends from away present at the burial, were: Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Feuerhelm, Waukesha; Reinhard, Edward and Mrs. Ludwig Heidtke, Chippewa Falls; John Hahn and wife, Hartland; Henry and William Hahn, Eau Claire; Mrs. Lena Haas, Merton; Mrs. H. E. Prouty, Mrs. Sophia Schultz, Madison; Mrs. Mary Thur, Wausau; Mrs. Emma Theil, Augusta; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Thur, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Thur, Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Thur, Mrs, Alma Gruehlke, Mr. and Mrs. William Gruehlke, Miss Tilda Neuman, John Gruehlke, Mrs. Elizabeth Bremer, Fairchild; John Verkuilen and wife, Thrope; John Cesnik, Hillsboro; Mrs. Etta Babler, Belleville; Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Sliter, B.R. Falls; Mrs. G. E. Stanley, Altoona; Mr. and Mrs. Orrin Terrell, Alma Center.

​

The following is the obituary of Mr. Hahn which was read at the funeral services Tuesday afternoon:

 

Julius C. Hahn, one of a family of four children, was born to William and Henrietta Hahn, in Brandenburgh, Germany, July 3, 1854, and died in Humbird, Wisconsin, Sept. 27, 1925.

​

(missing part and picks up here) assist his parents, he engaged in agricultural work in that locality and remained until 1880, in which year he was united in marriage to Dora Schultz at Waukesha. Before the close of that year the newly married couple journeyed to the central portion of the state to build their first home, their choice of location falling to a farm situated between Humbird and Fairchild. On this farm they stayed for two years; then, in 1882, they moved to Fairchild, where Mr. Hahn engaged in business until 1884; they then moved to Altoona where they remained until 1886, when they moved to Humbird; and with the exception of one year, 1900, spent at Merton, Humbird has since been their home.

​

To this union were born three children, Albert F., Martha (now Mrs. A. F. Simons), and Will (deceased).

 

In 1912, the first great sorrow came into his life, when his younger son, Will, a most promising young man, was summoned to the Great Beyond. That great sorrow, which tinged his life with sadness, always hovered over his later years, and no doubt, hastened his retirement to private life. In 1920 he disposed of his business property and interests and purchased a home in the village where his declining years were spent in well-earned peace and quiet.

 

Besides the members of his immediate family, Mr. Hahn is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Amelia Feuerhelm, Waukesha, and Mrs. Augusta Heidtke, Eagleton. An only brother, William, passed away three years ago. Mr. Hahn's father and mother maintained their residence in southern Wisconsin and attained to advanced years. They were laid at rest in the years 1895 and 1912 respectively.

 

Our deceased citizen was a man of wide acquaintance, a man of many friendships, one who enjoyed the highest respect from all those with whom he came in contact. He possessed many commendable characteristics, among the most outstanding of which was a true conception and resolute practice of the precepts of integrity. When Mr. Hahn gave his word it was always as good as his bond. Endowed with an orderly trend of mind and habit, far beyond that of the average man, his property was constantly a model for neatness and his business affairs were dispatched with clock-like precision.

​

Today we mourn the loss of one of our best and strongest citizens, the wife and family a kind and indulgent husband and father. But as long as memory shall last he will be revered for an upright life, a monument more highly to be prized than the accumulation of worldly goods. The heart of the entire community has been touched with sadness by the death of Mr. Hahn, and to his stricken loved ones, those nearest and dearest to him, there goes a united message of heartfelt sympathy. ~ The Humbird Enterprise (Humbird, Clark County, Wis.) October 3, 1925

J.C. Hahn Grave (Bill Hart) (1).jpg

J.C. Hahn headstone in Mentor Cemetery, Humbird, Clark County, WI. Photo Bill Hart.

© 2023 - 2025 Team H LLC 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
bottom of page