Mons Anderson's Doorknob

Image Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Ivy King

Catalog Number: 1948.003.01

Norwegian immigrant Mons Anderson came to La Crosse in his early 20s in 1851.

After working in the new settlement for a few years, Anderson eventually opened his own dry goods store and by 1861, his wealth had grown immensely.

As the city of La Crosse grew, he began investing in land and buildings and earned the nickname “Merchant Prince of La Crosse.” It was during these years when he purchased his home at 410 Cass St.

When he bought the house, it was a simple stone mansion built about 1854 by Alexander W. Shepard, but Mons Anderson wanted more from the structure. Architect William J.M. Nichols renovated the home and made several additions. The original building was turned into the east wing, and a large expansion was added with a distinctive medieval appearance.

The entire building, which looks like a miniature castle, is built of locally quarried limestone. It was finished in 1878, and owes its appearance to two Victorian architectural fashions, Gothic Revival and Italianate Villas.

The Gothic Revival occurred during the mid-19th century when Anderson was renovating his house. This architectural style reflected the admiration and romanticized views the Victorians held toward the medieval era.

The second half of the 19th century was an era known for its design “revivals,” and not for originality in design. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, and new methods of mass production, past eras became the inspiration for home furnishings as well as buildings themselves.

Not only was the Gothic Revival evident in the outer structure of homes, but it also appeared in the decor. Many Gothic style motifs would typically appear in public rooms for display. Homes of this style contained many ornate motifs, and the Mons Anderson house does as well. The Anderson home contains ornate plasterwork, parquet floors, French plate glass windows, English tiles, imported marble fireplaces and embellished doorknobs.

The face of the lion head on this doorknob is ornate and highly detailed, like many other pieces of the period. It fits perfectly into the style of Anderson’s home and it represents Anderson himself: The lion was his store’s emblem, and appeared on all his advertising.

The doorknob has an intricate lion’s head in the center with a border of small circles around the head. It would have been mounted to a metal plate on the door. The inscription on the back of the doorknob reads “Russell and Erwin Mfg. Co. Pat. June 1870.”

The Russell and Erwin Manufacturing Co. was a metallic compression casting company, which made detailed bronze hardware, including doorknobs, located in Boston, Massachusetts.

Anderson’s business ventures began to turn sour in the early 1900s, and he died of pneumonia on Feb. 3, 1905. After his death, his children were unable to maintain the Anderson house, and they sold it to the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) in 1906. It has been restored and converted into a restaurant, Le Château.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on October 26, 2019.

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

La Crosse Seed Co. Bag

Image Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Haley Gagliano

Catalog Number: 2018.fic.846

This cloth seed bag from La Crosse Seed Co. was once part of a high-demand agricultural business that dates back to the early 1900s.

The La Crosse Seed is an independent company which distributes seed and related products to agriculture and turf dealers across the Midwest and beyond. Now owned by DLF Pickseed, La Crosse Seed Co. is located in the La Crosse Industrial Court.

Although once operating at a much smaller scale, La Crosse Seed has just marked its 100 years as a company, with roots dating back to 1919. That year, three executives from the Salzer Seed Co. incorporated La Crosse Seed Co. The business was located within the Salzer complex at Eighth and Adams streets. Since then it has grown into a nationally recognized specialty seed supplier.

This cloth seed bag dates to about 1950, when hybridized seed had become common because of its vigor and increased yields. After its introduction in the early 1930s, the demand for hybrid corn began to grow because it proved to be superior to other varieties farmers had been planting. Because of this, businesses like the La Crosse Seed Co. began to produce and sell other hybrids, like this “Certified Ranger Alfalfa Seed.”

The product was sold in one-bushel, cotton cloth sacks with The La Crosse Seed Co.’s name and logo printed on the bag. The La Crosse Seed Co. chose bright red and green text, placing focus on its seed that is “Always the Best” to attract buyers. The company also created a slogan to demonstrate its pride to provide “seed you need, when you need it” to its customers.

By the late 1950s, paper sacks replaced the previously used cloth ones, while today seed is packaged in a variety of different materials, including paper and woven-poly blends. Polyester and other tough synthetics were only beginning to be developed when this cotton bag was produced.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on September 26, 2019.

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

Funke's Chocolate Box

Haley Gagliano

Image Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Catalog Number: 2019.045.01

The wooden candy box is from the Joseph B. Funke Chocolate Co., which once sold a premium line of chocolates in La Crosse. It’s a bit different from the disposable paper boxes that chocolate comes in today — this box was meant to be retained and used by the buyer after its contents were consumed.

It’s 12 inches long, 4½ inches wide, and not quite 3½ inches high. Difficult to date with any precision, this candy box was likely made circa 1900 to 1930.

The outside is covered with a thin layer of textured bark from the cork oak tree, framed by narrow strips of harder wood. The lid has a carved wooden inlay of an iris plant. Whoever received this box of chocolates could have used the box for keepsakes, sewing supplies or any number of small items.

Joseph B. Funke was a prominent businessman in La Crosse who owned Funke Chocolate Co. The four-story brick building that housed the Joseph B. Funke Candy Co. until 1933 at 101 State St. is now The Charmant Hotel, named after one of Funke’s premier hand-dipped chocolates.

After moving to La Crosse in 1880 at age 24, Funke purchased an interest in a wholesale candy manufacturing company with Jacob Schreiber.

It’s often said that the German immigrants, being fond of their beer, were responsible for the success of La Crosse’s brewing industry, and that is certainly true. What is not often remembered is that the Germans also were fond of tobacco and candy, and many of those successful businesses were also established or run by German-Americans including Funke and Schreiber.

They shared the business for five years, under the name of Schreiber and Funke, before Funke bought out his partner and made it a family business with his father and two brothers.

While many people recognize the Funke name for its association with candy manufacturing, Joseph deserves recognition for his commitment to his community and the cause of education.

He worked to increase educational opportunities for all, and in 1912 was appointed president of the La Crosse Vocational School’s board of directors. Aside from a two-year hiatus, Funke devoted himself to that office until he died in 1930.

Under his guidance the once single-room school grew into a 40-room institution, and was on its way to becoming what we now know as Western Technical College. Until the time of his death, Funke was still working to improve educational opportunities, and his last phone call was to learn the results of a recent board meeting at the school.

Descendants of the Joseph Funke family saved this box and recently donated it to the La Crosse County Historical Society. 

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on October 19, 2019.

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