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Showboat tavern hides luxury boat

By GEORGE ROGERS
of The Gazette
Some classy boats cruise the Wisconsin River above Stevens Point, but they don't compare with one launched 85 years ago.

For luxury and style, John J. Bukolt's "Nymphea" has never been equaled here.

Bukolt was a business leader and inventor who held a dozen or more patents. After his death an editorial in the Stevens Point Journal said he had met success "only because he earned it. He created his own opportunities."

The "Nymphea" is no longer afloat but it still exists. It's part of the Showboat, a tavern on Highway 10 northwest of Stevens Point. About 70 years ago, give or take a year or two, the "Nymphea's" nautical days ended and it was hauled to its present location.

The Showboat has been closed since July 1, 2000, when owner Roy Churchill and his wife retired. It's for sale, but Churchill isn't pushing it.
It's unclear who the first owners were after the boat was moved from the river. They may have been Jeff and Anna Jones, who bought the land on which the Showboat stands in 1927, according to the property's abstract.

An old photo accompanying this story was supplied by Thomas Becher of Stratford, who said it was taken by his aunt, Magdalen Becher, in 1932.

At that time the Showboat was a restaurant, and signs advertised ice cold drinks and sandwiches (a nickel apiece), ice cream and coffee. If the place also served beer and liquor it wasn't advertised. Prohibition was in effect.
Eventually it became a tavern, and it had several owners before Churchill bought it in 1980. Born and raised in Canada, he came to the United States in 1965, joined the U.S. Navy, served three tours in Vietnam and worked for the Union Oil Co. in Illinois. He said they were moving his job to California and he didn't want to go. He looked around for a bar to buy, saw the Showboat and bought it.

Churchill recalls meeting "a lot of nice people" during his years operating the bar, but it involved long hours and "a tied-down feeling." It was, he said, a neighborhood tavern. "I've seen a couple of generations here."

The Showboat has often been added onto and remodeled. Nothing of the "Nymphea" is visible on the outside today, but some of the woodwork can be seen inside.

Despite being on dry land, the Showboat retained some connections with the Wisconsin River. It isn't far from Second Lake, an arm of the river. With his living quarters behind the tavern, Churchill sold bait, mainly for use on the river, and the Showboat was the headquarters for fishing outings on the Wisconsin sponsored by the 12 Apostles Musky Club. He did some guiding on the river and enjoys fishing there.

The launching of the Nymphea on July 3, 1916, was something of a civic event and was described as follows in the July 5, 1916, edition of the original Gazette:

"The elegant river cruiser, 'Nymphea,' designed and built by John Gaskey for J.J. Bukolt of the Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Co., was launched in the Wisconsin River at the foot of Main Street Monday afternoon. After the boat, which had been gaily decorated with flags, had been lowered into the stream, Assemblyman A.C. Krembs christened it in true maritime fashion with a bottle of champagne, which he broke on its bow."

The previous April the Stevens Point Journal had carried a story announcing that the "Nymphea" would be constructed at the Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Co. plant and that it would be "the largest pleasure boat on these waters." Gaskey, the designer and builder, was identified as a millwright in his 1939 obituary.

The "Nymphea" clearly wasn't designed for pulling water skiers, if there were any at that time, since Bukolt estimated its speed would be only nine miles per hour. It was a more leisurely era.

The Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Co. made self-rocking cradles, invented by Bukolt, which helped mothers get their babies to sleep. One of them ended up in the household of the king of Spain. The company was later renamed Lullabye Furniture, now gone but for years one of Stevens Point's leading industries. Its plant was just north of CenterPoint Marketplace on a now-vacant tract of land.

According to the Gazette story about the christening of the "Nymphea," "Several hundred people saw the launching of the craft, which is the largest and finest pleasure boat on the river at this point. It is 42 feet long, with a beam of nine feet, and has a cabin over all, beautifully finished in oak. It can be used as a houseboat, as its cabin gives ample room for sleeping accommodations and has facilities for cooking.

"Mr. Bukolt intends to maintain it for the pleasure of himself, his family and friends and has spared no expense to make it comfortable and serviceable.
"The boat has a gasoline engine of 20 horsepower, which is also used to generate current for electric lights."

The day after the launching, Bukolt and a group of his friends took the "Nymphea" up to Maple Beach, still a popular destination for boaters. Fifty-four people were aboard.

On July 15, 1916, less than two weeks after the launching, the "Nymphea" caught fire. It was moored off the foot of Main Street and firemen had to spray it with water from a dock until the boat could be pulled closer with a rope. The only casualty was a fire department horse which suffered minor injuries when it slipped and fell en route to the blaze.

Damage to the "Nymphea" was heavy but the hull was intact, and soon the boat was able to carry passengers from the Main Street dock to Waterworks Park, where St. Peter Catholic Church was holding a picnic. (There is no Waterworks Park in Stevens Point today. Since 1936 it's been called Bukolt Park.) The passengers were charged a fee, but it was donated to the parish, which used it to help pay for its new cemetery at the east end of Main Street - today's Guardian Angel Cemetery.

Eventually the rest of the fire damage was repaired, and Bukolt made the "Nymphea" available to local groups, including an orphanage at Polonia and botany classes at the Stevens Point Normal School, now the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Then it became the Showboat and went into permanent drydock.

A picture of the Showboat tavern, dating from the 1940s, appears in "For the Love of Postcards," a book drawn from the late John Anderson's postcard collection. At that time the owners were Mr. and Mrs. John Eder, whose slogan was "A Good Time Every Nite."



	Showboat tavern hides luxury boat By GEORGE ROGERS of The Gazette Some classy boats cruise the Wisconsin River above Stevens Point, but they don't compare with one launched 85 years ago. For luxury and style, John J. Bukolt's "Nymphea" has never been equaled here. Bukolt was a business leader and inventor who held a dozen or more patents. After his death an editorial in the Stevens Point Journal said he had met success "only because he earned it. He created his own opportunities." The "Nymphea" is no longer afloat but it still exists. It's part of the Showboat, a tavern on Highway 10 northwest of Stevens Point. About 70 years ago, give or take a year or two, the "Nymphea's" nautical days ended and it was hauled to its present location. The Showboat has been closed since July 1, 2000, when owner Roy Churchill and his wife retired. It's for sale, but Churchill isn't pushing it. It's unclear who the first owners were after the boat was moved from the river. They may have been Jeff and Anna Jones, who bought the land on which the Showboat stands in 1927, according to the property's abstract. An old photo accompanying this story was supplied by Thomas Becher of Stratford, who said it was taken by his aunt, Magdalen Becher, in 1932. At that time the Showboat was a restaurant, and signs advertised ice cold drinks and sandwiches (a nickel apiece), ice cream and coffee. If the place also served beer and liquor it wasn't advertised. Prohibition was in effect. Eventually it became a tavern, and it had several owners before Churchill bought it in 1980. Born and raised in Canada, he came to the United States in 1965, joined the U.S. Navy, served three tours in Vietnam and worked for the Union Oil Co. in Illinois. He said they were moving his job to California and he didn't want to go. He looked around for a bar to buy, saw the Showboat and bought it. Churchill recalls meeting "a lot of nice people" during his years operating the bar, but it involved long hours and "a tied-down feeling." It was, he said, a neighborhood tavern. "I've seen a couple of generations here." The Showboat has often been added onto and remodeled. Nothing of the "Nymphea" is visible on the outside today, but some of the woodwork can be seen inside. Despite being on dry land, the Showboat retained some connections with the Wisconsin River. It isn't far from Second Lake, an arm of the river. With his living quarters behind the tavern, Churchill sold bait, mainly for use on the river, and the Showboat was the headquarters for fishing outings on the Wisconsin sponsored by the 12 Apostles Musky Club. He did some guiding on the river and enjoys fishing there. The launching of the Nymphea on July 3, 1916, was something of a civic event and was described as follows in the July 5, 1916, edition of the original Gazette: "The elegant river cruiser, 'Nymphea,' designed and built by John Gaskey for J.J. Bukolt of the Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Co., was launched in the Wisconsin River at the foot of Main Street Monday afternoon. After the boat, which had been gaily decorated with flags, had been lowered into the stream, Assemblyman A.C. Krembs christened it in true maritime fashion with a bottle of champagne, which he broke on its bow." The previous April the Stevens Point Journal had carried a story announcing that the "Nymphea" would be constructed at the Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Co. plant and that it would be "the largest pleasure boat on these waters." Gaskey, the designer and builder, was identified as a millwright in his 1939 obituary. The "Nymphea" clearly wasn't designed for pulling water skiers, if there were any at that time, since Bukolt estimated its speed would be only nine miles per hour. It was a more leisurely era. The Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Co. made self-rocking cradles, invented by Bukolt, which helped mothers get their babies to sleep. One of them ended up in the household of the king of Spain. The company was later renamed Lullabye Furniture, now gone but for years one of Stevens Point's leading industries. Its plant was just north of CenterPoint Marketplace on a now-vacant tract of land. According to the Gazette story about the christening of the "Nymphea," "Several hundred people saw the launching of the craft, which is the largest and finest pleasure boat on the river at this point. It is 42 feet long, with a beam of nine feet, and has a cabin over all, beautifully finished in oak. It can be used as a houseboat, as its cabin gives ample room for sleeping accommodations and has facilities for cooking. "Mr. Bukolt intends to maintain it for the pleasure of himself, his family and friends and has spared no expense to make it comfortable and serviceable. "The boat has a gasoline engine of 20 horsepower, which is also used to generate current for electric lights." The day after the launching, Bukolt and a group of his friends took the "Nymphea" up to Maple Beach, still a popular destination for boaters. Fifty-four people were aboard. On July 15, 1916, less than two weeks after the launching, the "Nymphea" caught fire. It was moored off the foot of Main Street and firemen had to spray it with water from a dock until the boat could be pulled closer with a rope. The only casualty was a fire department horse which suffered minor injuries when it slipped and fell en route to the blaze. Damage to the "Nymphea" was heavy but the hull was intact, and soon the boat was able to carry passengers from the Main Street dock to Waterworks Park, where St. Peter Catholic Church was holding a picnic. (There is no Waterworks Park in Stevens Point today. Since 1936 it's been called Bukolt Park.) The passengers were charged a fee, but it was donated to the parish, which used it to help pay for its new cemetery at the east end of Main Street - today's Guardian Angel Cemetery. Eventually the rest of the fire damage was repaired, and Bukolt made the "Nymphea" available to local groups, including an orphanage at Polonia and botany classes at the Stevens Point Normal School, now the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Then it became the Showboat and went into permanent drydock. A picture of the Showboat tavern, dating from the 1940s, appears in "For the Love of Postcards," a book drawn from the late John Anderson's postcard collection. At that time the owners were Mr. and Mrs. John Eder, whose slogan was "A Good Time Every Nite."