We’re starting the 4th with a visit to the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear.
“The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear, a non-profit organization, operates as a Milwaukee history museum in a historic building displaying the late Avrum Chudnow’s (1913-2005) extensive and eclectic collection of early 20th Century Americana. The museum contains various shops and exhibits from his collection, from between the World Wars, chiefly the 1920’s and 1930’s era. Not only will local Milwaukeeans and visitors enjoy the unique and intimate nature of the collection, but local schools will be able to offer their students a curriculum-based and rewarding experience.”
The museum is in and old house that was Abe Chudnow’s law office downstairs and Dr. Eisenberg’s medical practice upstairs. The son of a peddler, Abe loved collecting memorabilia of the 1910-1930s era, especially related to the jobs done by his family members. At first he kept everything in his home basement, then expanded to his office, before finally adding a warehouse. The museum has about 5% of his collection on display at any given time. Most of the house is set up with vignettes of ships or other scenes of the time. As an example, his father-in-law was a grocer. When he retired, Abe took all the fixtures out of the store and has created a mini version of the store in one room of the museum. There is also a soda shop, rail depot, pharmacy, women’s clothing store, doctors office, telephone operators office, and speakeasy.
Milwaukee was obviously a huge beer town and really struggled during prohibition. Apparently many barbershops had speakeasies in their back rooms for customers they knew they could trust. The museum has a speakeasy hidden behind a bookcase. Locals would have secret phrases for how to find alcohol, such as “where can I get my shoelaces ironed”. Another odd fact about barbershops is that men often kept their personal shaving cream mugs and brushes at the shops for sanitary reasons.
The tour guide also mentioned that Milwaukee did quite well during The Great Depression because prohibition had recently ended and the breweries were hiring a ton of people to supply bear all over the country.
This ended up being a nice little museum and definitely worth the $6 entry fee.
Soda Shop
Automatic fire extinguishers. These would hang over an oven and had lead at the bottom that would melt in the event of fire. The melting lead would release a spring loaded pin that would break the bulb and douse the fire with the red fluid inside. The liquid was toxic so you’d need to leave the house immediately.
Bed bug spray, which apparently didn’t kill them, but did get them to leave the bed.
Grocery store display. The box in the case is for mailing eggs!
Unopened Spices
The Pharmacy
Advertisement for “non-addictive” Heroin
Dr. Eisenberg’s Office. He looks a little stiff.
Working Victrola, which the tour guide played for us
We’d never seen Lincoln Bricks! They apparently used mortar to stick them together, which had to be chipped off to rebuild something else. They didn’t sell well.
Toy iron that actually heated so you could get your daughter burning herself while still young
Hat pins. The guide pointed out that at the time, women could also buy sturdier, sharper hat pins, that could be used as a weapon if attaches! This case was in a dress shop display. The museum has Design students at Marquette University design this particular room each semester.
Some of the personal shaving mugs
Fake door to speakeasy directing you to barber (not a real artifact)