Waupun Historical Society

04/25/2026

A great bit of local Americana from a recent digital donation. Shown is Esther Braun in front of the Braun's new 1948 Pontiac. Ambrose and Esther Braun ran Braun's Restaurant at 435 E Main St. from 1941-1971.

The Waupun Historical Society is always on the lookout for images of Waupun to add to our collection. If you have film or slides scans you would like to donate, we'd love to have them. We can also scan prints, slides and 8mm movie film.

04/21/2026

Tonight! Waupun Public Library, 6 pm. It'll be as "wet" as this last week's weather.

03/16/2026

How are the roads to Fond du Lac you ask? During the Great Blizzard of 1936 they were a lot worse. From a local farmer putting up 30 people enroute to Fond du Lac to coal and fuel oil shortages due to trains not running, it was much harder going 90 years ago. These articles and more are available to search on our patron access computer during open hours and by appointment.

03/16/2026

Now that's a blizzard! While it's true the area did see significantly more snow in years past, we'll get through this one as well. The first image by Stanley Johnson shows Main Street looking west from Madison in 1918. The second shows a crew trying to clear snow on Hwy 151 north of Waupun in 1936. This would be North Fond du Lac St. at the time. The blizzard of 1936 was rated as one of the worst in recorded history, lasting over several days with below zero temperatures following.

03/05/2026

Presenting “Make it a Double, with a twist” Waupun during Prohibition Prairie Ridge Assisted Living!

03/03/2026

Hello followers. We had a phone call at the museum from a gentleman who graduated WHS in 1978. He was looking for pictures of a men’s class ring from that year, specifically the sides and top. He contacted Jostens but their records, surprisingly, don’t go back that far. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

02/28/2026

This coming Thursday, March 5th at 2pm we will giving a preview of our Prohibition in Waupun presentation at Prairie Ridge for our seniors who might not be able to attend the presentation at the Waupun Public Library on April 21st. March 5, 1926, 100 years ago, happens to be the last appearance in Waupun of a controversial group with ties to the Temperance movement. Curious? Join us on March 5th, or wait until the April 21st library presentation.

Send a message to learn more

02/24/2026

She would have used rivets that came from Waupun, winning the war from the Homefront. Thank you Lila and the countless women who went to work when their men went to fight.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19rrTVXnqF/

BAILEIGH RADAR ALERT 🚨 Our hearts break as we bid farewell to “Rosie the Riveter” Lila Tomek, who has passed at 101, a quiet giant of the Greatest Generation, a woman whose courage echoed far beyond the factory walls she once stood within. At just 19, while others clung to comfort, Lila stepped into history. She left behind her office job in Pawnee City, Nebraska, as her two younger brothers marched toward war, one to the battlefields of Europe, the other into the vast uncertainty of the Pacific. She could not carry a rifle, but she carried something just as powerful: resolve. And so she chose her battlefield, the roaring production lines of the Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant near Omaha.🕊️🇺🇸

Amid thunderous machinery and the constant hum of urgency, her steady hands helped build the B-26 Marauder and the B-29 Superfortress, aircraft that bore the weight of hope for a world desperate for peace. Each rivet she fastened was an act of defiance against tyranny. Each shift she worked was a prayer for her brothers’ safe return.

As victory crept closer, Lila was entrusted with a mission cloaked in secrecy, preparing aircraft for a purpose history would later reveal. She asked no questions. She sought no praise. She simply served. Because true bravery does not always stand on the front lines. Sometimes, it stands at a workbench, sleeves rolled, heart steadfast.

When the war finally fell silent, she returned home not as someone seeking recognition, but as someone ready to build again, this time a family, a marriage with her beloved Rudy Tomek, and a lifetime of service to her community. Her strength was never loud. Her humility never wavered. Her legacy never needed applause.

Today, we do more than remember her, we honor her. A woman who helped forge victory with her bare hands. A sister who carried fear and faith in equal measure. A hero who proved that sacrifice wears many faces.

02/22/2026

Albert Honer started his custard stand in 1948 at 901 W. Main St. He ran it until his death in 1958 when his widow sold the business to Gordon Rens who ran it as the Ren House from 1958 until 1971. In 1971 Al Blau bought the structure and constructed an addition and ran it as Waupun Burger until 1989 when it became Old Town Inn. From about 1994 onward it changed hands several times becoming Donatello's, Sassy's and finally Station ?? before being razed for Homan's Chrysler/Dodge lot.

02/11/2026

Bird Trucking came to Waupun in 1956, purchased by local truckers. The original location was the site of Aalsma Implement on the east side of Hwy 151/FdL St. Their new building on the west side of FdL St. was built by Westra Construction in 1961. Bird filed for bankruptcy in early 1986 citing degegulation, high fuel and tax rates and an economic recession. Approximately 200 people lost their jobs.

01/26/2026

We would like to announce that the Waupun Historical Society is now part of Alter Metal Recycling's non-profit program. Any small quantities of miscellaneous scrap metals (or larger too) that you recycle, the proceeds can go to support the Waupun Historical Society or any of the other non-profits on their list of local organizations. Simply drive up to the overhead door on the south side of their building at 402 Industrial Drive, drive in and unload onto the scale.

01/18/2026

Oops, missed it by a day. Jan. 17, 1920 marked the day the nation would go dry under the Volstead Act. Prohibition would now be the law of the land for the next 13 plus years. And where there are laws there are law breakers and Waupun had its share willing to keep the beer and liquor flowing. Join us on April 21 at the Waupun Public Library for a presentation on just such a topic