#37: 2093 North Division Street
Austin McCracken built the first building on this lot in 1836- a long structure that was the first licensed public inn in Walworth County. In 1842 ownership passed to Emery Thayer, who built the present building. A part of this building is the old Catholic Church, purchased by Roger and Clark, who moved the building to the West Side of the inn. Various people have operated the East Troy House: Emery Thayer, Jim Jude, E.L. Brooks, William Wood, George Shields, Bill Tess, Wenzel Jude, and Jake Austin. Carol Umbright, Karon Shayer, Carol Semrod, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Christison, and Heidi Spangenberg and also leased the business at one time.
From 1941 to 1982 there was a bowling alley in the rear. In 1982 the bowing gutters were shifted over to make a dance floor for a ballroom and banquet facility. The hardwood floor is made up of one-inch wide by two-inch thick boards- a very sturdy dance floor indeed!
The middle of this building was the first site of East Troy Basketry Company, which took over the offices of Dr. Wanezek D.D.S when he moved up to the Alpine shopping Center in 1998.
In the mid-1940’s Fred Lieber moved out of Zinn’s (where he spent WWII) and established Lieber’s Drug Store here. Before Dr. Wanezek opened his office in 1982 two different doctors had already occupied the spaced: Dr. Slattery and Dr. Voskuil.
The door next to the shop has a walkway to the back room of the East Troy House, called the “Sample Room”. Traveling salesmen brought in their trucks and displayed their wares on the tables for the local merchants to see. At one time this was the Eagle Telephone Company Offices, which later moved upstairs next door. It then became David Mitchell’s Watch Repair shop. It is now a private residential apartment.
#38: 2093 North Division Street
The original building was a wooden frame structure built by F. Besch as a tailor shop. Then it became F. Zinn’s shoe shop. Later, the original building was moved to the back of the Cobblestone Hotel and a dry goods and grocery store was built in its place. Built by the Zinns, you can still see their name at the brick gable in the front of the building. Rob and Otto Zinn, followed by Rob and Charles Zinn operated the store. The building had an elevator that one could stand in. The next occupants were: a shoe shop, Christie’s Women’s Clothes, Delores Cash’s Floral Shop, a hardware store, and an auto store. The East Troy House converted this space into a dining room, recently known as Ivan’s on the Square.
The upper floor was once a telephone exchange office. There were four to six customers on a line and you answered on either one, two or three rights; having to be careful of what was said when the other parties on your line frequently listen in. When the office moved out some dentists made their offices here- maly Dr. Hassold and Dr. L. Roach. It has now been converted into apartments.