The Boat Works Bon Voyage
Who: White Bear Lake Area Historical Society’s 10th Annual Spring Event
What: Sips and Samples provided by area restaurants, silent and live auctions, live music and a whole lot of fun in a building like none other!
When: Saturday, April 10th 5-11pm
Where: The Historic Boat Works - 4495 South Lake Avenue, White Bear Lake
Why: To raise funds for the ongoing efforts to collect, preserve and share the stories of our community
What you need to know: Purchase tickets early – we expect this to be a sold out event
Cost: $45/ticket for the general public
$40/ticket for WBLAHS Members
$400 to sponsor a reserved table of 8
Tickets are available here via paypal or by phone at 651-407-5327 using Mastercard, Visa or Discover. You may also send a check payable to WBLAHS at PO Box 10543, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Donations of Auction Items are Greatly Appreciated

Click here for Donation Form

The White Bear Lake Area Historical Society’s 10th Annual Spring Event will take on a new twist this year with the event being held at the Historic Boat Works on South Lake Avenue. The building housed the Johnson Boat Works for more than a century before becoming the site of White Bear Boat Works in 1998. Last year the WBBW moved to a new location and while the future of the original building is uncertain, indications are that it will be razed in the not too distant future to make way for new development. This year’s theme, The Boat Works Bon Voyage, was chosen by the Historical Society to celebrate the building and the business that have made such an impact on the White Bear area.
John O. Johnson arrived in Minnesota in 1893 to work with White Bear boat builder, Gus Amundson. Within three years Johnson was building boats on his own and revolutionized the world of inland sailing by designing a flat-bottomed boat known as the scow. The original portion of the Johnson Boat Works building was 55 x 100 and was constructed on the foundation of a saloon that had burned down. The building included a second floor apartment for John and his family. Over the decades several additions were made to the building as the business and the family grew.
This is one you won’t want to miss!

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