When Fred Eberlein, wife Katharine, and his family of eleven children moved from the farm in Herman to the city of Shawano in 1879, the family needed new ways to generate income.

Eberlein house on Main Street, located across from the Court House, 1907.

In 1882, Fred Eberlein purchased the old court house and had it moved across the street next to his house on Main Street. He then opened a hotel and saloon. During this time period he also opened a dance hall — Eberlein’s Lake Shore Hall — and served as the town’s Superintendent of Streets

At some point, however, the Main street business shifted to being a boarding house that domiciled Shawano county paupers. Perhaps this occurred after Fred’s death in 1896, or perhaps even earlier as his health began to wane. In any case, this operation was in full swing when the census taker came by in 1900.

In 1900, the following people were listed as residents:

William Reichel (age 33, boarding-house operator) and family (7)
wife Katherine, daughter of Fred (age 33)
child Katherine (age 14), at school
child Herman (age 12), at school
child William (age 10), at school
child Frederick (age 8), at school
child Emil (age 5)

Catherine Eberlein (age 59) and family (3)
son Frederick (age 25), lawyer
son Michael (age 19), school teacher

Servant (1)
Amanda Dingledine (age 20)

County paupers (10)
Charles Schroeder (age 83), widower, German
Michael Cavanaugh (age 55), widower, Irish
Henry Giese (age 77), widower, German
Frank Debush (age 80), widower, French
Rudolph Dolritzberger (age 42), single, German
John Turner (age 40), single, Swiss
Charley Beltcher (age 54), married for a year, German
Fredericka Dallman (age 69), widowed, German
Josie Van Brocklin (age 32), single, Wisconsin-born Indian

Other boarders (3)
Andrew Monroe (age 28), single, born in Michigan, painter
Morris Woodman (age 29), single, peddler, German
Emil Bertram (age 49), married, carpenter, German

I’m hoping that future research using the Shawano County Journal and Shawano town records will give me more information:

• When did the Eberlein hotel change to a boarding house?
• When did it begin to take in the county paupers?
• How did someone become a county pauper? What did it mean to be a county pauper?
• How much did the county pay for each pauper?

More to come here in the future!

Sources:

• 1900 U.S. Federal Census record for William Reichel, Shawano, Wisconsin. Roll: T623_1817; page: 5B; enumeration district: 173
• Shawano County Sesquicentennial, 1853-2003, Shawano County: Shawano, Wisconsin, 2002.