Martin Friedrich Peetz
Stone Mason • 1866-1942
Stone mason Martin F. Peetz was a native of Germany. He came to the U.S. in 1884, from Hamburg to New York, in steerage aboard the SS Hammonia.
After spending some years in Illinois, where he married Louise Banks (1860-1941) in 1895, Peetz came to Helena in 1900, to work on the construction of the Montana Capitol building.
On 1905, he and his crew worked on the construction of the Yellowstone County Courthouse in Billings. It was demolished in 1958.
Peetz also worked on the east and west wings additions to the Capitol building in 1911, the reconstruction of the Ming Opera house into the Consistory Shrine Temple in 1916, and the Billings Deaconess hospital in 1924.
At some point, Peetz added the stone archway gate to the front of 1706 Walnut. It appears likely that he also added elements of the stone gate and decorative wall to the front of 1712, although it is known that Werner "Whitey" Weber (1935-2010) at least elaborated on or repaired that work in 2006-2007. The true extent of the Weber's work is not known. |
Work Being Done on the Wall by Werner Weber, 2007
Stone Workers, Montana Capitol Additions, 1911
| A verified photograph of Martin Peetz was not found, but the senior man on this crew of Capitol stone workers, at far left, may be him. Below is an AI-enhanced rendtion of the man's features. |
Concrete(?) Bird Atop Gateway of 1706 Walnut
Date Unknown
MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO 954-135
USED WITH PERMISSION
| The origin of the bird sculpture was not found, but it was present in the 1950s. It was apparently taken down in the mid-1980s by the then-owners of the house, and given to a neighbor who displayed it in their yard for some time. The whereabouts of the bird are currently unknown. |
Hap's Beer Parlor Connection
Martin Peetz's daughter, Lillian (1896-1976), married George "Happy" Schneider (1893-1941) in 1929. George was a known local bootlegger during Prohibition, operating out of 1505 Railroad Avenue.
In 1935, Schneider bought William J. Schrock's establishment at that address, and opened Hap's Beer Parlor... |
"Hap" Found Bruised and Dead
George "Hap" Schneider was found dead in his home at 1331 Lewis St. on Feb. 21 1941. Bruised in several places, he died of a traumatic intracranial hemorrhage caused by a blow to the head.
Lillian Peetz Schneider, Martin's daughter, was suspected of having struck and killed her husband George, but a coroner's jury was unable to definitively establish the means of death. County Attorney J. Miller Smith subsequently declined to prosecute Lillian, citing lack of evidence.
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