Conrad Wiesler Hotel

This next building is another interesting addition here in Cedarburg. But it's not just the building, it is Conrad Wiesler's expressive life that gives glow to this building. Knowing what political affiliations Wiesler ascribed himself to, we can see how he got into the business of owning a hotel and opening up a restaurant while being in a heavily hostile political environment.

Conrad Wiesler opened this building in 1885, mainly as a hotel business for those who wanted to rest in town. On the other hand, Conrad Wiesler has a much deeper story than that, however. Wiesler would come to the United States around 1851 to establish a business for himself. He would officially come and settle in Cedarburg in 1876, where he would start to put his hands into farming and the saloon business that was starting to grow in Cedarburg. He got these skills from farming in Illinois until 1864, when he moved to Chicago to operate in the express business there for six years until moving to Cedarburg years later. On the other hand, his political affiliations were considered radical for his time; he was a Republican, which meant that he was opposed to slavery and possibly voted for Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 Presidential Election during the Civil War. 

For context, before the twenty-first century, where Ozaukee County is now solidly Republican in each election, Ozaukee County, along with Cedarburg, consisted of working-class immigrants who voted for the Democratic party because of the particular war-weariness that was spreading throughout the Northern United States (The Union). This was also because some immigrants were fearful of free Black-Americans taking their jobs and not being able to pay a substitute for the 1862 and 1863 National Drafts for men to serve the military. In addition, because of the high fees for substitutes, many poor immigrants resented the rich who could pay for a substitute. As a result, draft riots would occur in cities across the North, most notably in New York City in July of 1863 after the Battle of Gettysburg.

But before the New York City draft riots, draft riots would occur in Wisconsin as well. Again, for context, in November of 1862. Three hundred people formed a mob in Port Washington; as a result, they attacked the draft office there and vandalized homes of those who supported the Union or had sons, husbands, cousins, or any other soldier serving in the Army or Navy. Troops would be ordered to Port Washington; the troops would restore order. The same thing would happen in West Bend in Washington County, but troops would also be sent there to restore order. Once the war ended, Wisconsin would become a vast Republican state. In the 1876 Presidential Election, during Reconstruction, the state voted for Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes. But Ozaukee County would vote Democrat because of the supposed rumors that Ulysses S. Grant's presidency was filled with scandal and the North becoming weary in sending troops down South to restore order from race riots and upholding and defending the rights of former slaves. For Wiesler to come to Cedarburg in a heavily Democratic Ozaukee County was a huge risk because of the hostility toward the Republican Party in the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Wiesler's personal life doesn't show the personality of Charles Wirth's personal life. He would marry Dora Hachfield while in Chicago and would have six children together as a result. The hotel, on the other hand, is another exciting design. It is from a Queen Anne Victorian style, with an entire front still original to the building. The two floors of the building are made out of cream city brick, and its topmost level with beautiful dormers are there. Dormers on the North and Southside of the building's third story also match, making it even more original. It is still being used as a restaurant and saloon today, which has some lovely foods that make it unique to Cedarburg. This detail, along with Wiesler's expressive life, shows how he has influenced this part of the town. 

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