Alfred M. Weborg & Anna Maria Jacobson Weborg

Alfred M. Weborg was born July 7, 1867 in Wisconsin, son of Peter Weborg, born in Norway, and Oluffa Elisebet Wiig, born in Sweden.

Anna Maria Jacobson was born May 29, 1878 in Illinois, daughter of Gustaf Adolf Jacobson (1846 – 1910) and Wilhelmina Ostran (1869 – 1939) who were both born in Sweden.

Alfred and Anna were married on September 10, 1898 in Door County, Wisconsin.

When the 1900 Census was enumerated they were living in Gibraltar, Door County, Wisconsin and Alfred was a fisherman.

Alfred and Maria were still living in Gibraltar in 1905 at the time of the Wisconsin State Census. They were living next door to Alfred’s father and sisters.
Peter Weborg, age 81, b Norway
Johana C. Weborg, age 43, b Wisconsin
Vida P. Weborg, age 40, b Wisconsin
Clenna E. Weborg, age 34, b Wisconsin

The Burton D. Hurd Land Company Sales Schedules for the Collegeport Townsite dated April 6 and May 18, 1910 list the following lots purchased by A. Weborg.
Block 85, Lots 3-4

On April 7, 1910, Alfred and Anna were guests at the Hotel Collegeport and wrote in the register that their  home was Kenashaw, Wisconsin. They were enumerated on the 1910 Collegeport census on April 15^th and Alfred was recorded as a Hotel Keeper. He was the proprietor of the Avenue Hotel which was on Central street south of the Collegeport Pharmacy and Post Office. In 1910, the rates were 25 cents for meals or lodging and accepted boarders. When Collegeport received telephone service, the number for the Avenue was 5. This ad appeared in the August 4, 1910 issue of the Collegeport Chronicle.
 

Anna was a charter member of the Collegeport Woman’s Club which was chartered on May 26, 1910.

A Tarpon, or Silver King, five feet and one inch in length, caught by Weborg and Johnson in the bay with a seine was displayed in front of Avenue hotel Wednesday morning. Weborg and Johnson have their license from the Government to fish in the bays of the country and are now properly in the business. They have many yards of net and seine already ready and it is expected that our market may be well supplied with all kinds of fish as they are men of great experience in this line. –Collegeport Chronicle, November 2, 1911

By November 2, 1911, Mr. Weborg had raised his hotel rate to $1.00 per day.

SHELL FOR SALE .

We have 30 yards of good clean [oyster] shell at north dock suitable for building purposes.
Weborg & Johnson. --Collegeport Chronicle, November 2, 1911

The Drott Brothers, who were building contractors, were located at the Avenue Hotel on November 2, 1911.

A number of the Red Oak [Iowa] band boys went down the bay Tuesday with fishermen Weborg and Johnson. It was a sure treat to those prairie snow diggers from Iowa . They got to see the great Gulf of Mexico, and gathered shells on its beach.--Reprinted in The Palacios Beacon, November 17, 1911

Weborg and Johnson made a catch of red fish and trout Monday of 91 pounds in the Palacios bay just off of Collegeport. A trout line was used.--Reprinted in The Palacios Beacon, November 24, 1911

The Avenue Hotel, in the business part of town, is the very best $1-a-day house to be found in the county. It is well conducted by Mr. A. M. Weborg and family, and of course is well patronized.-- The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, Friday, September 12, 1913

A. M. Weborg butchered a hog Wednesday.—Collegeport New Era, January 8, 1914

Mr. Frank DeFren of Chicago has leased the Avenue Hotel of A. M. Weborg and will take charge in a few days.--Matagorda County Tribune, January 23, 1914

Group of men in front of the Avenue Hotel.
From Mignon Doman's photo album. Courtesy of Matagorda County Museum.
View of the west side of the Avenue Hotel c 1920
Courtesy of Faye Soli

Mrs. Weborg is the fourth woman to the right of the porch post on the top row in this King’s Daughters photo taken c 1922.

Anna’s sister, Amy, was living at Collegeport in 1915 when she married.   
Mr. G. J. Miller of Citrus Grove and Miss Amy Jacobson of Collegeport were united in marriage at the Stockton House this morning [June 9, 1915]. Rev. O. B. Falls, pastor of the Baptist Church officiating. The young couple, who are quite popular, returned to Citrus Grove where they will make their future home. --The Matagorda County Tribune, June 11, 1915

Amy’s husband was Glen J. Miller. Amy had a daughter, Ada Frances Miller, born 1917, who married Louis C. Hirdler.

By 1923, the Weborgs had dismantled their hotel, moved to Houston and rebuilt the structure at 6605 Canal Street. The 1923 Houston city directory listed him as a grocer and in 1925, a seller of general merchandise.

The 1929 Houston directory listed him again as a grocer and in addition to the Canal Street location, one at 8604 Leander was also listed.

Alfred and Anna continued to live at 6605 Canal Street until their deaths. In the Collegeport photo of the Avenue Hotel, there is a small building behind the hotel. A small house is visible in an aerial view of the Canal Street location. It’s possible that the Weborgs lived behind the larger building in both locations.

The 1930 census, listed the value of the Weborg’s home as $7000. Alfred was described as a retail grocery store keeper.

In 1932, Alfred was 65 and Anna was 54. The Houston city directory listed him as a householder without an occupation.

The 1935, 1936 and 1937 directory entries indicated they lived at 6605 Canal in the rear.

In 1940, while the Weborgs lived in the small house, the larger building served as a beauty shop with Bonnie Walker as the proprietor. Eleanor Martin was listed with Walker as a beauty operator. Also living on the property were Earl and Bernice King.

The Weborgs maintained ties to the Collegeport area as evidenced by the following excerpts from Collegeport news columns.

Arnold Franzen was home for the week-end. Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Weborg were also guests in the Franzen home. Many of their old friends were glad to see them back. We hope that they can come back again real soon.-- The Daily Tribune, Wednesday, April 15, 1931

Mrs. Rena Wright spent several days in Houston, the guest of the Weborg family. Old timers will remember that Mr. and Mrs. Weborg operated a nice hotel and general store across the street from the post office. Desirable folk and the community suffered a loss with their removal.--The Matagorda County Tribune, Thursday, November 17, 1932

The town was deserted Thanksgiving Day for nearly every one went to Citrus Grove to attend the twenty-fifth annual community dinner. About one hundred and twenty-five people were present and enjoyed the bountiful well-laden tables and visited with old-time friends. That is the great thing about community dinners, the getting together. From Houston came Mr. and Mrs. Weborg…--Matagorda County Tribune, Thursday, December 8, 1933

Mrs. Glen Miller and Mr. and Mrs. Weborg of Houston, and Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson of Wisconsin, visited Mrs. Amos Johnson, Sunday.--The Daily Tribune, October 4, 1940

Alfred, age 80, died at 6605 Canal Street, Houston, on June 12, 1948. He was buried with his family at Ellison Bay Cemetery, Sister Bay, Door County, Wisconsin. The death certificate indicated he had suffered several years with heart problems.

Anna continued to live at their home until her death on March 1, 1950. She was buried beside Alfred at Ellison Bay Cemetery.

In a 1959 interview with Leon Hale, Hattie Kundinger made the following statement.
The hotels are gone now. Man named Weborg, Albert I think his name was, tore down his hotel, hauled it to Houston and rebuilt it just as it was here.

The first two pictures of the building located at 6605 Canal Street in Houston were taken September 13, 2020. The last one was in 2014. It appears Miss Hattie was right!

Photos above courtesy of Jimmy & Sylvia Huey - taken September 13, 2020

It is used as an insurance office in 2020.
 

Copyright 2014 - Present by Carol Sue Gibbs and source newspapers
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