By SHYLEE GRAF
Members of the Beloit Historical Society and the wider community gathered around for an event titled “Hometown Conversations: Growing Up Irish American in Beloit” on Thursday. Held in the Impact Beloit classroom on the first floor of the library, the event focused on the story of Mathew Goodwin, a fourth-generation Beloit native.
As people found their way into the room, friendly conversations were intermittently interrupted by laughter. The atmosphere suggested a tight-knit community, everyone coming together for a conversation that emulated those held around barbecues and campfires in the summer months.
Betsy Schmiechen, a member of the BHS Board of Directors, briefly introduced the event and the speaker of the night. She spoke highly of Goodwin, highlighting his talents and charm. Ellen Joyce, associate professor of history at Beloit College and also a member of the BHS Board of Directors, moderated the conversation.
Goodwin started the night by reading from a newspaper article from long ago recounting a riveting story about Thomas Goodwin, the first of Goodwin’s family to arrive from Ireland. The tale went that Thomas Goodwin climbed to the top of a tall flagpole to cut down an effigy of St. Patrick hoisted up by “some town roughs.”
The event quickly moved to an open discussion among attendees. Goodwin shared anecdotes from his childhood and family stories. His father, born in 1916, was not welcome at the YMCA, and according to Goodwin, that discrimination drove his father to work hard.
“[My father] busted his butt for the city of Beloit,” Goodwin shared. His father Jerry served on the Rock County Board of Supervisors for many years.
Goodwin’s uncle Francis owned Goody’s Bar, a staple tavern in Beloit in the 1960s and 70s. Goodwin himself never had the chance to get a drink with his father there, but still remembers his uncle’s business.
“A guy could walk in there hungry and sober as a Baptist church mouse with three dollars in his pocket and come out stuffed and drunk,” Goodwin said. The room erupted in giggles at this statement.
The event was the second of a mini-series hosted by the Beloit Historical Society. Inspired by the PBS documentary aired in October about Beloit’s history, BHS decided to continue the conversation.
“We were seeing people on Facebook saying ‘well they didn’t talk about this group or that group,’ and we thought we could keep talking,” Joyce said in an interview.
Joyce is interested in Beloit’s rich history, and hosting events like this encourages people to have meaningful conversations and remember their commonalities. BHS hopes to host more events like this in the future, she said.
“I just love hearing people’s stories,” Joyce shared. “If you’ve got a story, come tell us.”
The next event in this mini-series will be on May 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Impact Beloit classroom. Special guests Frank Crivello and Tom Polaski will talk about their experiences growing up Italian American in Beloit.
Featured image: Shylee Graf’26
Leave a Reply