#FlashbackFriday with the Historical Society: The Busy Bee “Hangout,” c.1940’s

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

This week’s image was beloved by late Whitewater Historian Fred Kraege. It is a photo of the crowded Busy Bee restaurant, probably in the 1940s. Fred remembered the Busy Bee as the local “hangout” for many of Whitewater’s mostly male residents. This photo supports this memory.

The Busy Bee was, at that time, operated by Floyd Jolliffe, who purchased the restaurant in 1919 with a partner. In 1947, Jolliffe sold the business, but while he owned it, he was a well-liked member of Whitewater’s downtown business community. Jolliffe was a veteran of World War I, an active member of the American Legion, and during the 1940s, the Busy Bee was an important location for trading and discussing World War II news.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(3711P, Whitewater Historical Society)

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