Chandelier Ballroom
Currently located on a little more than eight acres on the south side of this warm, welcoming community, the Chandelier Ballroom is a building which cannot be described with only one word.
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​​During World War II, the Town of Hartford's farmers were affected by labor shortages, and in the summer of 1944, the U.S. military tried to remedy the problem by contracting German prisoners of war to work on pea farms. Initially, the prisoners were transported from a requisitioned hotel on Lake Keesus in Waukesha County. In October 1944, the military requisitioned the Schwartz Ballroom in the City of Hartford to serve as a prisoner of war camp for 600
Germans. The prisoners were contracted to work on farms as well as in canneries, hemp mills, dairy facilities, and tanneries. The camp closed in January 1946 and the prisoners were repatriated to Germany.
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Its rich history and the immeasurable number of people who have entered its doors throughout the decades could articulate in many ways, the sights, sounds and feelings they have experienced here.​
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The ballroom holds a special place in the hearts of those whom have attended weddings, reunions, anniversaries, birthday celebrations, leisure events and even funerals here. Many romances and marriages began at the ballroom.
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Others remember sounds from the immense array of musical performances ranging from Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Joe Walsh, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Ricky Nelson, Alabama, Chubby Checker and many, many, many more.
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The captivating story of this unique structure is filled with music, war, laughter and love.
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For more information about the Chandelier Ballroom, click on the following link: