John Esch's House of Representatives Chair

Emily Patwell

Catalog Number: 2001.031.01

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

The Great War, known now as World War I, was a tumultuous time for many in Wisconsin. Founded in large part by German immigrants and their descendants, the state found itself torn between its country and its people. Almost unanimously anti-war, Wisconsinites worried over how fighting against Germany would affect their treatment during and after the war, as well as neutral rights and war taxes.

John Jacob Esch, a Wisconsin congressman from the La Crosse area, sympathized with the concerns of his fellow Wisconsinites. The son of a German immigrant himself, he listened to the pleas of his constituents to stay out of the war, reading and even keeping many of their letters to him. Esch himself had concerns about President Woodrow Wilson’s eagerness for war, and according to his constituents’ wishes, voted against the 1917 war resolution.

Though the war resolution passed, Esch remained a patriot. He directed his efforts as congressman to quickly end the war, voting to initiate a draft to swiftly built an army and for other legislation to aid the war effort, such as the public use of railroads for the war.

Before his 22-year tenure in Congress, Esch was a local Wisconsinite like many of his constituents. Born in Norwalk in 1861, his family moved to Milwaukee in 1865, and then to Sparta in 1871. He attended the University of Wisconsin, earning his law degree and passing the bar in 1887 before settling in La Crosse to practice law with the firm Winter, Morris, Esch, and Holmes.

Esch was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1898, and held his position as congressman until he was succeeded by Joseph Beck on March 3, 1921. At the time, he was one of the first Wisconsin congressmen to serve for more than 20 years, and both Democrats and Republicans cheered for him as he retired from the House. His interest in his constituents’ concerns, hard work and patriotism were well-reflected in his work as a congressman and his later work with the Interstate Commerce Commission and American Peace Society.

This wooden swivel chair with leather padding is believed to be one of the chairs Esch used during his career as a congressman. He later took the chair with him, likely after a remodel, and kept it until his death in 1941. Esch’s granddaughter, Ann Cline, bequeathed the chair to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 2001. Accompanying the chair was a letter from the Architect of the Capitol, George M. White. White validated that this chair came from the House of Representatives.

John and Anna Esch are going to be portrayed in this year’s Discover the Silent City: “1918: The Great War and La Crosse.”

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 25, 2018.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Col. Polleys' Pipe

Claire Trussoni

Catalog Number: 1925.022.02

La Crosse County Historical Society

This pipe is admittedly not the prettiest thing to look at. The Historical Society had to put it back together when we found it. There’s a piece in the middle missing. The bowl of the pipe — made out of a root, possibly bamboo — is an unflattering shade of brown and looks like a misshapen lump. However, just because something isn’t pretty doesn’t mean that it isn’t interesting.

This pipe once belonged to Col. James Polleys, a Civil War veteran and one of La Crosse’s early sheriffs.

Polleys was born in Nova Scotia in 1825. At age 18, he moved to Maine to work at a lumber camp before marrying his first wife, Margaret Huff. The couple eventually made their way to La Crosse, where James worked as a stonemason before being elected sheriff in 1853. He won re-election in 1857.

Being sheriff at that time could not have been easy, as the town only became officially incorporated within its present limits in 1856. Before then, with few laws and little enforcement, people were used to settling disputes on their own. When two parties came into conflict, firearms and fisticuffs could easily become involved.

In 1859, in the midst of a trial over a property dispute, the defendant made a disparaging remark about the plaintiff. The plaintiff responded by accusing the man of lying about the terms of a land contract. The defendant punched the plaintiff in the face, knocking him to the floor. A wild fight ensued, and the judge ordered Sheriff Polleys to “remove the men to an open field where they can have a free fight.”

Breaking up fist fights in a small town courthouse was only the beginning, though, as the U.S. was about to have a knock-down, drag-out of its own.

In 1861, Polleys enlisted in the U.S. Army and received his commission as captain of Company D of the 14th Regiment of the Wisconsin Infantry. He served through the entire Civil War, at one point fighting under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Vicksburg. He was promoted to colonel after distinguishing himself during the Battle of Shiloh.

Polleys only sustained one injury, when a cannon ball struck a nearby tree and sent a large splinter into his leg.

After the war, Polleys returned to La Crosse and was re-elected sheriff in 1867. A few years later, he retired to Wells, Minn. He died after suffering a stroke in 1896.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 18, 2018.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Leinfelder Tray

Claire Trussoni

Catalog Number: 2018.fic.672

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

“Artistic creations beautiful to behold ... a manufacturing process not easy to imagine, basically all done by hand.” Those are the words John Leinfelder used to describe the work done by his grandfather and uncles. His grandfather was Joseph Leinfelder, founder of Joseph J. Leinfelder & Sons Inc.

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

What started as a sheet metal business grew into a major maker of wrought iron furniture.

This metal tray depicts a scene of a masquerade ball, with men and women in fantasy versions of historic dress, dancing and socializing under a cherry tree by the light of paper lanterns. The label on the back says “hand wrought by Leinfelder & Sons.” While they may have produced the plate, they probably had another company apply the image, which is a lithograph. The tray was possibly used as a centerpiece for a furniture display.

Leinfelder & Sons was an exclusively wholesale business. Its furniture went to sales rooms in New York City and the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. The sales rooms were open for dealers only, not the general public. The furniture was sold to retail outlets that sold to the general public.

The 1936 Leinfelder catalogue told buyers that white garden furniture in particular was a good investment and was expected to sell even better than it had the year before. One wonders just how sound this business advice was in the midst of the Great Depression.

The Leinfelder catalogues were put together by Mary Ryan, the manufacturer’s sales representative and the person who actually ran the sales rooms. The sales catalogues were not too different from ones in publication today, with pictures showcasing products and prices. One upholstered settee in the 1934 catalogue was priced at $38 — $720 in today’s currency.

This La Crosse-made furniture went out far into the world, with buyers in Dallas, San Francisco, Australia and even a shipment to the Presidential Palace in Havana, Cuba. John Leinfelder also recalled going to the Rivoli Theater to see a Marx Brothers movie that had some of his wrought iron furniture in a garden scene. (The Marx Brothers were a popular comedic team active during the first half of the 20th century).

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on August 11, 2018.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.