Mautz's Tavern- A Historical Commentary

Tavern Tables Tavern Tables with Drink Shelves Underneath My great grandfather, Englebert Mautz, was a woodworker by trade when he emigrated here from Germany.  Deep in a corner of the upstairs of the tavern, we found the trunk that sailed along with him from Germany with all of his woodworking tools. Englebert Mautz Woodworking Tool Chest Woodworking Tools have come a long way since the 1800s I don't know if he ever made a living off of this trade once he arrived here in the U.S. or before he became a tavern owner, but he did make the tavern tables that have sat inside Mautz's Tavern for many years.  They are still in amazing condition. Mary Ann did take measure to preserve them by keeping a plastic covering over the table top.  The glossy varnish makes them look almost brand new. Neighborhood taverns were quite common back when transportation wasn't as easy and fast as it is now. These taverns were central to a community and serve...

Exactly How Long Does a Christmas Cactus Live? While spending time with Mary Ann in the year before she passed, she told us on more than one occasion that when she was gone, she wanted someone to be sure to keep the Christmas cactus that was in the tavern. It was really old and she wanted to be sure that someone would continue to care for it.  My sister, Traci, obediently agreed to take it, not having gotten a really good visual of it since there were a lot of items stored in front of it at the time. Once all the stuff was cleared away, and we got a good look at this plant in all its sprawling enormity, well, let's just say Traci was having some regrets about her promise.  This thing may require its own bedroom. Browsing through old photo albums, I came across a photo of the plant back in its early days.  This photo was taken circa 1950s.  That would put this plant at darn near 70 years old, possibly older since I don't know exactly when they first acq...

A Look Inside - Then and Now All cleaned up and ready and ready to serve - June 2019 I do have a few memories of being inside the tavern as a kid in the 1970s.  At that time, it was still open for business, not closing its doors for good until 1979 after both of my grandparents passed away. Although Mary Ann still continued to live there, we just inexplicably didn't go over there anymore after my grandparents died.  My first time back in the tavern was in 2018 when we would stop to help Mary Ann as her health was getting worse.  I knew before walking in there that much likely hadn't changed since 1979, yet it still didn't prepare me for that step back into the past. On June 6, 2019, we decided to host a celebration of Mary Ann's life inside the tavern after her funeral service. After quite a bit of cleaning up and clearing out, Mautz's Tavern started to come back to life. Yes, the floor had sloped slightly and the keg that was still on tap was no lon...

Breweries Found New Markets During Prohibition What's interesting to remember is that Mautz's Tavern was open for business during prohibition, so I guess it shouldn't be too surprising to uncover some artifacts representing that period of American history. What was a brewery to do when it was now illegal to manufacture and sell alcohol? You found new and creative ways to stay in business.  Some made cheese (aka, Pabst-ett).  Others made malted milk, near beer, soft drinks, and even cement among other things. We uncovered this really cool prohibition-era piece inside the tavern - a Blatz chewing gum display.  Chewing gum was one of the items the Milwaukee brewery manufactured and sold when it could no longer legally be in the beer business. Blatz is still around today (although now it's owned and brewed by Miller). The chewing gum however, did not stand the test of time. Thankfully, neither did Prohibition. Blatz grape and mint chewing gum display, ci...

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Memorabilia This post is a nod to a famous Milwaukee beer that for some reason has managed to stand the test of time, Pabst Blue Ribbon. Just how has a mediocre tasting beer (okay, just my opinion, stand down all you PBR die-hards) managed to remain so relevant? What is now considered a hipster beer, is instead to many of us, a nostalgic beer. Traci and Staci Mautz, circa 1973 It was the brew of our fathers and grandfathers. It filled their coolers on fishing trips and stocked their fridges for football games. The pull tabs ripped off from its pre-aluminum cans were scattered throughout parking lots and campsites, left behind like land mines for the barefooted. It was our first sips of beer. It was cheap, easy-drinking, and felt patriotic with its red, white and blue packaging. So with that, I give you a collection of Pabst memorabilia. These are all items that were uncovered inside the tavern - none of which would be any newer than 1978. May y...

Beer and Cheese Run Deep in my Family So I have one great grandfather that was the proprietor of Mautz's Tavern and then my other great grandfather on the paternal side of the family tree - my grandma's dad - he was an award-winning cheesemaker. So the roots of beer and cheese run deep and intense on that side of the family! Makes me so proud (sniff, sniff). That's him in the pic below.  He was a good-looking man, his stache was on point, and he looked so familiar to me because of the strong resemblance to my dad. From left to right - Antonia Sutter (my grandma), Martha Sutter, Caroline Sutter, Anton Sutter, Anton Sutter, Jr., and in the middle is Emma Sutter. The S. S. Hamburg My great grandfather, Anton Sutter, came to the U.S. in 1905.  According to Ancestry.com, this is a picture of the boat he traveled on to New York.  The passenger list shows him arriving in December 1905. From New York, they went to Milwaukee, WI.  They then moved to a...