Posted by: Joe @ 1:56 pm
Last week I received my copy of Confluence, newsletter of the Beloit Historical Society. A regular feature of the newsletter is a section called “Ads of Old” where copies of long-forgotten advertisements from past newspapers, directories, yearbooks, and other historical sources are featured.
On page two of the latest issue there were some ads from the 1954
The printed picture is a little dark, but you can view a fast-loading JPG image of just that page by CLICKING HERE. You should be able to enlarge the page on your display by clicking on the image.
The complete online newsletter in PDF can be downloaded at: http://www.beloithistoricalsociety.com/newsletter/january2008.pdf
(It will take a while to download because it’s a large file.)
While you’re there at the website, you might want to consider joining the Society or renewing your membership.
Here’s some other trivia I researched about the photo. A few Christmas greeting cards can be seen hanging from the ceiling. Also visible on the wall to the right are a couple of small posters. One is a picture of Gene Knutson, a 1950 BHS graduate who played football for the University of Michigan Wolverines and then for the Green Bay Packers in 1954 and 1956. The other is a photo of the Wolverine team on which Knutson played along with a newspaper clipping about him tacked below it. Barely visible but stuck on the refrigerator doors are pictures of two major league pitchers, Bob Rush and Warren Hacker. Both played for the Chicago Cubs in the late 1940s to mid 1950s. Rush also played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1958 to 1960. On the counter to the right you can see the vintage Rochester Root Beer dispenser. The dispenser was probably red with brown and black labels, two on each side and one on the back. The handle pulled for dispensing root beer which was mixed from separate syrup and soda compartments.
The original picture used in the Beloiter ad is one of nearly 200 photos that will be featured in the book, Beloit’s Club Pop House. Below is another “ad of old.” This one is from the 1954
(Courtesy of the Beloit College Archives)