Wisconsin 101

Pabst Whitefish Bay Resort

When Chicago’s population boomed in the 1800s, the newcomers frequently traveled “up north” to Milwaukee for vacations. Several Milwaukee-based companies built resorts in the towns surrounding the city to increase profits from tourists. These “resort towns” attracted visitors from all over Wisconsin…

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October 1, 2014

Read more about the article The West Bend Aluminum Company

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Home Furnishings / West Bend / Industry / Related Stories / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / Washington County / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Penguin Server

The West Bend Aluminum Company

On September 27, 1911, a group of businessmen headed by Bernhard Carl Ziegler founded the West Bend Aluminum Company. Ziegler was the director and president until his death in 1946. As one of the most influential people in the community, he was…

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August 1, 2014

Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1945-1965 / Penguin Server

Cocktail Parties

One of the most dominant functions of the West Bend Penguin Hot and Cold Server was its use as an ice bucket, an important container for cocktail parties. A popular way to entertain, cocktail parties acted as gateways into glamorous evenings. After Prohibition, the…

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August 1, 2014

West Bend / Military History / Industry / Related Stories / Global Connections / Manufacturing & Trade / Washington County / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 8 - South East / Penguin Server

The Aluminum Industry and Wartime Demands

In 1920 the aluminum cookware industry in Wisconsin gained control of over 50 percent of the total national market, after selling less than five percent in 1910. By 1929, West Bend ranked third in the nation in sales of aluminum cookware; however, during the Great…

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August 1, 2014

Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1945-1965 / Penguin Server

Outdoor Grilling

Fueled by the evolution of the middle-class suburban housing market and the modern family, home entertainment, especially outdoor activities, became a popular postwar activity. The Penguin Hot and Cold Server graced many patio and picnic tables during the 1950s and 1960s, but what sparked…

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August 1, 2014

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Port Washington / Related Stories / Ethnicity & Identity / Ozaukee County / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East / Paramount Records 78

Recruiting Talent

With a roster that included Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Ethel Waters, Paramount Records became perhaps the most important blues recording company of the 1920s. Their success was dependent on their ability to recruit black performers and reach a broad Black…

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February 24, 2014