This Week in Waukesha

He came to Waukesha to become a middle school art teacher. A chance encounter with a local telephone book inspired him to become a detective of our city's history and the foremost expert on Waukesha's Springs Era. On this episode, John Schoenknecht shares precious gems from his treasure of Waukesha history that he transformed into many published books, including a collection of columns he wrote for The Waukesha Freeman called "From Prairieville to Waukesha." And in honor of Irish-American History month, John tells of a "rough" Irish neighborhood that existed in the bluffs of Waukesha's north side, as well a few golden nuggets on JFK's visits to Waukesha and Milwaukee that were captured by The Freeman. John also sheds new light on the first forward pass ever thrown in all of football history at Carroll University's original field at what is now Saratoga Park, and the ongoing search for the authentic story behind Waukesha South's "Blackshirt" nickname.