| The Pheasant Inn has been in our family since 1955. The Inn dates back to the late 1840's when it was a log trading post for the Menomonee and Winnebago Indians. The Indians traveled up and down the Neenah Creek, which flowed past the Inn. |
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In 1850 settlers from Vermont came to the area. They dammed the creek and made Lake Mason, flooding the Indian burial grounds. They changed the trading post to accommodate travelers who came by stage coach and called it "The Lake House." The Lake House was also used as the first Town Hall. In 1912 the stable behind the hotel caught on fire from a lantern. The fire burned the entire stable and Hotel to the ground. Ellen Connors, proprietor of The Hotel, cooked in a tent all summer until the new block building, "The Lake House," was built. |
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Ellen owned The Lake House during Prohibition. The liquor and beer was brought in through a secret tunnel in the basement from an adjoining house. A few of the Chicago gangsters stayed at the Lake House when traveling north to Hayward. Some of the names that have been passed down are Roger Tooey and Pretty Boy Floyd. |
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Barroom in the 1930's.
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Our barroom today.
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| Ellen Connors sold the Lake House to the Kell's, in the early 1930's; they in turn sold it to Otto and Marie Beyer in the late 1930's. Below is a flyer from that time period. |
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| Otto was a concert pianist from Chicago. He changed the name from the Lake House to The Pheasant Inn. Otto wanted to make the Inn into an exclusive get-away for the wealthy from Chicago. Otto raised his own birds for the menu and had a great deal to do with starting a conservation program in Wisconsin. He added on a fireplace and another dining room, which was the porch of the original block building. He removed three cottages from the property and built a four unit motel. Otto died in a car accident in 1952. |
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| Marie sold the business to my (Susan's) parents, Laverne and Helen Schaitel, in 1955. At that time, a fish fry could be had for 75 cents. In 1969 they built a motel across the street from the Inn. My parents ran the business until Craig and I took over in 1970. We have added six cottages and have recently renovated the old Inn to include handicapped facilities. We also have an Ice Cream Shoppe in an old building just up the street. |
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