Excerpts from the 1975 Clear Lake Centennial book:
Copies of the second edition of the Centennial book (now with Table of Contents and Index) are available for purchase. For more information: clearlakemuseum.com
2023 Marks the 100th year since Bill Sadler built the Clear Lake Bandstand. This summer we will celebrate with a Summer Music Series, with six dates of music, food, fun and a classic car show at the bandstand.
To fully appreciate the bandstand turning 100, we should reflect on the genius who designed and built it, Mr. Bill Sadler.
An outstanding figure in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, primarily because of his building capabilities which have left their mark on almost every building in the entire town, is Bill Sadler, 93 year-old veteran of the woodworking trade and also an early pioneer of the village.
Bill, as he's known to everyone in town, was born in 1881 in the Township of Lincoln (Amery). When he was one year old, he moved to Richardson where his father had a mill. At the age of 11 years, in 1892, Bill and his family moved to Clear Lake.
- 1975 Clear Lake Centennial Book
After a few brief stints out West, Bill Sadler partnered with Charlie Peirson and began doing “all kinds of construction work” around town. Additionally, he was Village Clerk for seven years and a Village Board Member for four years.
Not long after the construction of the dam, in 1923, Sadler & Peirson Construction built the cobblestone bandstand that still stands in Clear Lake. With leftover stones they had collected from local farmers, they also built a cobblestone wall around Ray Church's home in the village (you can see the wall at 660 3rd Street, next to ATR Auto Body).
In all, Peirson and Bill built nine homes, Booth and Bill built one and Bill built at least seven on his own, most of them in Clear Lake.
Story reprinted from April 2023 Clear Lake Chronicle newspaper.
