The Temperance Hall and the Temperance Society

written by Lillian Leum

The Temperance Society was called “Coon Prairie Afholdsforening” and had a Constitution which was written in Norwegian. The purpose of the Society was to avoid and shun all places where liquor was sold, and its members were not to taste liquor or to give liquor to others. They were to be temperance.

The building itself was about the size of a country school house about 14’ x 18’. It had a kitchen for serving lunch. It had a pot-bellied stove for heat. For many years there was a pump outdoors for water. A railing was built outdoors on the north side where the horses could be tied and covered with blankets when the weather was was cold.

In 1892, the Society asked Our Savior’s to buy some land on the south side of the church to enlarge the Temperance Hall. In 1893, the church sold them a 10-foot strip of land. At this time there was not a street between the two buildings.

The Temperance Hall was used for very many meetings of the Our Savior’s church. When the Ladies Aid was first organized, and the membership was too large to continue meeting in the homes, they met at the Temperance Hall. The Lutheran Brotherhood Society held its meetings there. Since this building had tables and chairs, dishes and a kitchen with a stove for cooking coffee, it was a very special place for meetings.

Although the Hall was built for the Temperance Society, it was used for many other things. At one time it was used for the Westby Library, the public school used it to remedy overcrowding before the new school was built and for manual training classes after the new high school was built.

The Temperance Society was a very active group. Delegates from the Westby Society would even walk to Brush Creek, which is between Cashton and Ontario, to attend their meetings. They even sent delegates to Racine, Wisc. to a National Temperance meeting.

At their meetings they had elected officers to lead the meetings and had speakers. After the meeting, the tables and chairs would be moved aside for the youth to play games. They especially enjoyed the Grand March.

In 1905, there were 52 adults and nine youth members who met each month. At one meeting there was a basket social in which baskets of lunch were auctioned off to the highest bidder. The youth group was probably called “Th Cold Water Society”.

In 1907, delegates were sent to Eau Claire to a meeting. In 1908, the total value of the building, wood shed, lot, dishes and such was $1,220.85.

In 1909, the building was moved a few feet in order that a vestibule could be built onto the building again as it was too small to hold all the people who came there for various functions. A basement was built and by this time the village of Westby had a public water supply so water was put into the basement and electric lights were installed.

There were four lights put in the basement, three lights on each side of the main part of the building, one light in the kitchen and one in the vestibule. They also bought a cook stove for the basement and heater for the main room upstairs. After the church split with the Coon Prairie congregation, church services were held in the Temperance Hall. If they had night meetings, they were held in the Hall because of the electric lights. This was continued until the new church was completed completed in 1922.

After the new church was completed they still continued to use the hall for Ladies Aid, Scouts and other group meetings. Many other groups and worthwhile organizations continued to use the building. Then more meeting and entertainment places became available in Westby.

As the years went on and travel conditions improved, new events were started so the interest in the use of the Temperance Hall deceased and attendance at meetings dropped.

After this lack of interest, the building was sold to Bennie and Josie Johnson for $1,250 on May 15, 1922. A stipulation of the sale was that the property was never to be used for liquor, dance, pool hall or for public games. So Bennie tore down the building and used the lumber to build the house that now stands on the corner lot. After the sale the Temperance Society gave $500 to each of the three churches in Westby. They continued meeting until September 1929. After the society discontinued, the $64.42 in the treasury was given to church and missions.

Send all inquires, letters, questions or answers, and photos to Hans c/o the Westby Times or Hans at westby.times@gmail.com.