Caledonia Argus

Top of the Rock in Brownsville ñ new additions to an old tradition

Posted: 12/23/02

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

For what was eventually to become a storage garage, Top of the Rock tavern in Brownsville has come a long way since its construction in 1947. Having catered to multiple generations of local bar-goers, it is now a symbol of longevity for rural business, a hometown watering hole that has weathered over a half century of change.

Ownership of the tavern has changed hands nine times in its history, and present owner Brent Conlon, like many before him, has revamped the buildingís interior, giving it a whole new look.

Conlon acquired the bar in September 2001, and remodeled it in October 2002. The ceiling was raised, walls were covered with pine paneling, and windows were installed on the buildingís east face, giving patrons a panoramic view of the lush river valley that serves as the boundary between Brownsville and Wisconsin.

Someone who frequented the tavern when it was opened in the late 1940s by John Rohrer might not recognize the interior at the present day. There is, most strikingly, the altered decor, but also, the absence of big guns. Rohrer partitioned the building into halvesñ on the right side of the building, one could procure strong drink and engage in good cheer, and on the left, one could buy or trade firearms.

ìWinchesters, Remingtons, Browningsñ heíd sell new guns and heíd trade old ones,î said Don Rohrer, who worked at and helped build his fatherís bar, then known as Rohrerís Tavern.

Don Rohrer was just 15 when his dad moved the tavern to its present location on Second Street in Brownsville, atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi. This was initially conceived as just a temporary spot for the bar, a place to keep shop while the business was moved from a spot along Highway 26, which the state bought in 1947, to where the RiverView Inn now stands at the corner of Main Street and Hwy. 26. But the land deal fell through, and atop it has remained for the past 52 years.

Don Rohrer assisted with the construction, working with his brother Ron, Elmer Koeing, and Carl and Bill Kuecker. Part of the structure was designed as a garage to store beer, an addition to what theyíd had earlier, because at the original location, beer was stored in cellars carved into the bluff, where it kept cool naturally.

When construction had been completed, John and wife Dorothy opened the newly located Rohrerís Tavern in September 1948. Rohrerís childrenñ Don, Ron, Eillen, and Marcelin helped run the establishment.

In addition to selling firearms, John barbered on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and also sold home appliances out of the gun shop. It was sort of a one-stop, all-purpose service center in Brownsville at the timeñ a fellow could get his hair cut, relax with a cold beverageñ Hammís was a house favorite at the timeñ and, if the need arose, buy a gun, a washing machine, or a stove.

What Rohrerís Tavern became famous for, though, was its Saturday night suppers. For $1.25, you could get a colossal helping of walleye, chicken, or shrimp, served with fries, bread, and salad.

ìThat was a big attraction, and some nights it was so busy they had to turn people away,î Don Rohrer recalled. ìPeople came from all overñ from New Albin, Caledonia, Hokah, La Crosse, Eitzenñ and it got to be pretty well known.î

When the bar was situated down on Hwy. 26, it was a family-run operation, and when the Rohrerís moved it to Second Street, it stayed that way. Except for an additional bartender on hectic Saturday nights, John, Dorothy, and their children ran the bar by themselves. The food on Saturdays was prepared by them, and done mostly from scratchñ for the fries, Dorothy bought 100-pound bags of potatoes, had her kids peel them, and then cut the fries herself.

Family-run, Rohrerís Tavern was also family-oriented. It was common for parents to bring their kids along when they went out for a drink. It was a safe environmentñ Don pointed out that his father didnít tolerate fightingñ and kids were welcome, provided they were accompanied by their parents.

ìIt was very much a family place,î said Eillen Holzwarth, John Rohrerís daughter. ìWe used to have euchre tournaments, and the kids could drink pop. Now you donít take your children to bars, but bars used to be different. Itís a different world now.î

John Rohrer retired in 1968 and sold the bar to Dorothy and Red Anderson, who renamed the bar Redís Roost; he continued to barber there until the Andersonís sold it to Jerry and Esther Gilbertson in 1971, at which point John began cutting hair in a trailer outside his residence, three doors down from The Roost.

The Gilbertsons, seeing the need for more space, knocked out the back wall and expanded the building back to the bluff. The retaining wall on the bluff, built by Don and Ron Rohrer, was literally inside the bar. A long bar, purchased from Alibi Taverns in La Crosse, was added, which utilized some of the space made available by the buildingís expansion.

Though the festive Saturday dinners had ended when the Rohrers relinquished ownership, the Gilbertsons still served chicken and fish, as had the Andersons, and eventually switched to just spaghetti dinners. A popular drink at the time, Esther Gilbertson recalled, was the Harvey Wallbangerñ a mix of orange juice, vodka, and Galliano.

The bar was sold in 1977, and came under the ownership of Duane Covey, who operated it with his wife Linda until 1989. The Coveys are credited with naming the tavern Top of the Rockñ up until this time, it had been Rohrerís Tavern and The Roost. The name was painted onto a boulder and situated in front of the building, where it still sits. The Coveys also added the U-shaped bar that remains there today.

Jim and Wendy Noel acquired Top of the Rock in 1989, and sold it to Julie Thompson in 1993. She renamed it Tootsieís, the childhood nickname of her daughter Laurie, with whom she ran the bar. She sold it on a land contract to Gary and Connie Plude, who held shop there for two years, but sold it back to Thompson, who owned it until 1998.

Like the Gilbertsons, Thompson also made structural changes, adding the front deck, as well as a kitchen, which was subsequently removed when she re-acquired the property from the Pludes.

ìOne of the little idiosyncrasies that was kind of passed along,î Thompson noted, is the Wyaconda sign on the west wall of the building. During her tenure as owner, river workers brought the sign to the bar ìas kind of a joke,î and patrons frequently made attempts to decipher what Wyaconda meant. Itís meaning, she said with a laugh, was something she still wonít reveal.

Looking back on her years there, Thompson said she feels great gratitude to the people of Brownsville, whose support, she remarked, made her time there a very positive experience. Running a bar alone as a woman, she added, can be very difficult, but Brownsville residents lessened the burden with their support.

ìThe people of Brownsville were probably the nicest people youíd ever want to meet,î she said. ìI wasnít a local, but they were really good to Laurie and I. Theyíd bring up homemade pie for Laurie when she was working, and to this day she and I both feel they were very supportive of usñ we were very lucky for those years. I canít say enough good about the people that supported the bar; some of us remain friends to this day.î

In March 1998, Steve Wiedman became owner, and renamed it Top of the Rock. He made no changes to the interior, but removed the front of the oak cooler, which will be used in his new bar, in a building he is currently renovating on Main Street in Brownsville. Top of the Rock, he said, has been a Brownsville fixture since before he could walk.

ìI went in there as a little kid, I got my hair cut there,î he said.

In order to focus on his renovation project, Wiedman sold it to Conlon in September 2001.

Considering the history behind Top of the Rock, itís no surprise that, for Conlon, the tavern often takes on the appearance of an anecdote clearinghouse, where clientele past and present will occasionally swap stories and wax nostalgic about the barís bygone days.

ìItís interesting, because thereís a lot of reminiscing,î Conlon noted. ìReminiscing about when there used to be a barber shop, or when changes were made. Itís really fun and enjoyable.î

didnít tolerate fightingñ and kids were welcome, provided they were accompanied by their parents.

Like the Gilbertsons, Thompson also made structural changes, adding the front deck, as well as a kitchen, which was subsequently removed when she re-acquired the property from the Pludes.

ìI went in there as a little kid, I got my hair cut there,î he said.

In order to focus on his renovation project, Wiedman sold it to Conlon in September 2001.

ìItís interesting, because thereís a lot of reminiscing,î Conlon noted. ìReminiscing about when there used to be a barber shop, or when changes were made. Itís really fun and enjoyable.î

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