"Places like this are special:" Family-owned tavern that opened in 1906 donated to historical society
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Home that housed Wittnebel Tavern
OCONOMOWOC -- State historians say preserving the contents of a Dodge County bar goes far beyond celebrating the state's beer culture. The Wittnebel Tavern north of Oconomowoc was the focal point of a small community for 80 years.
Tucked away not far from where Dodge and Washington County meet is an old tavern where a small community met for 80 years. Wittnebel Tavern opened in 1906 along Highway 67 just north of County Highway O.
Barbara Lund wasn't around back then, but her grandparents were.
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Barbara Lund
"This is where people gathered. Not just where husband's escape their wives, but to check in with each other," Lund said.
Inside the wood-framed home, the bar was downstairs and the dance hall was upstairs. Lund grew up in both.
"My siblings and I had an opportunity to tend the bar," Lund said.
It's tenure as a watering hole and gathering place for a few hundred people lasted decades.
"Places like this are special. Wisconsin is a tavern state and tavern-going is such an important part of our culture. They aren't just places to drink. They are community centers," Jim Draeger, state historic preservation officer said.
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Wittnebel Tavern
This tavern, community center and dance hall closed in 1987, but starting now, its story will live on.
"When the family was asked about it, it was not a hard decision," Lund said.
Earlier this year Lund's mother passed away, and the home is for sale. The bar does not come with it.
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Wittnebel Tavern
"Original marked handles. They're made in Wisconsin, used in Wisconsin. Just an excellent piece," Draeger said.
The third-generation owners have gifted items from the century-old bar -- with all the wonderful wear and tear you would expect.
"I think what is remarkable is it's all here, yet it hasn't really been touched in 100 years," Draeger said.
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Wittnebel Tavern
For a place that's been closed for decades, its owners have found a way to open it up and tell this Wisconsin story.
"To have the legacy of this continue in a new venue is wonderful," Lund said.