USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 69
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
where he had been murdered and robbed. In 18- Mr. Fowler sold all his real estate to David Stover. and moved to California. To the latter gentleman I am also indebted for much old-time data. Hale and hearty at four score and four, he now resides at his cosy semi- country home near Springbrook. Mr. Fowler had several sons and one or more daughters. One of the daughters was the mother of the Listenberger brothers, Albert and Miner. Alexander, the second son, was a Mexican war veteran. and lost a thumb at the storming of the Heights of Cerro Gordo. He also made an honorable record as a colonel of infantry in the war for the Union.
The building, so long known as Lilly's Tav- ern. according to Judge Turner in his Gazet- teer of the St. Joseph Valley. was moved to Jefferson street. and used as a warehouse for the Studebaker Wagon Works. I know not what became of it afterward, but believe it to be a part of the livery stable on West Jeffer- son street.
The Michigan Hotel was situated on the southwest corner of Michigan and Washington streets, now known as the Coonley drug store corner. It was erected by Peter Johnson. father of Ex-City Councilman Johnson, grandfather of Thad. S. Taylor, and. several years later, an associate judge. Mr. Johnson moved with his family to South Bend from Logansport early in 1831. Ice was still in the Tippecanoe and in Yellow river, but was too rotten for safe crossing ; so that Indian canoes had to be obtained with which to ferry. The trail from the south then swung to the west- ward through what is now Liberty and Greene townships, this county, to avoid the lakes. marshes and heavy timber on the direct route, afterward taken by the Michigan road. Mr. Johnson was a practical carpenter and build- er. and began at once the erection of his hotel and stable. the latter on the alley at the west end of the lot. The main building was a two- story structure, and may still be seen at 215 West Navarre. There was also a wing attach- ed, which fronted on Washington street. The license was granted to commence August 1. that year. The same season Mr. Johnson built the Fairplay. which was the first keel boat to gladden the waters of the St. Joseph. Washington street between Michigan and Main was his shipyard. Here he erected the necessary scaffolding upon which he mounted the largest pirogue available. This he split in two with a whip-saw. Then oak plank of
435
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
the proper length were ripped out in like man- ner and bent to match the contour of boat along the line of its clearage. Now, with the knees. beams, calking, pitching, running- board. enclosing, pike-poles, and rudder- sweep, the boat was launched for service. Mr. Johnson was also the contractor and builder of our first court house.
In 1834, the license for this house was issued in the name of Mr. Wm. L. Earl, father of Mrs. A. B. Merritt, of this city, and Wm. L. and Daniel Earl, of California. Mr. Earl was previously a partner with Alanson M. Hurd in the iron works and town plat of Mishawaka, and was keeping tavern there, says Mrs. Mer- ritt. at the time of the great meteoric shower, in 1833. He alleged that IIurd swindled him out of his interests in that locality. In 1835, when the United States land office was opened at Laporte, the Michigan Hotel did a thriv- ing business. At the September term, 1836, Mr. Earl took out license for Earl's Tavern, a stand which he erected that season at the present site of Lakeville. he having purchased for this purpose a 40 acre tract of Jacob Rec- tor, grandfather of our Attorney J. D. Hen- derson. In the same year Mr. Johnson sold the Michigan Hotel property to one Charles Thrasher, and built a sawmill on the edge of the bluff at the rear of the present residence of Hon. J. B. Stoll. This was the first attempt to employ steam power for manufacturing purposes in St. Joseph county and the experi- ment proved a dismal failure. It cost more for fuel than the mill could earn. Daniel Gephart appears to have kept the hotel for a short time, having taken out license at the September term, 1836. Levi Wills followed; then John Mowry and Isaac M. Baldwin, Sep- tember, 1837 ; several months after Levi Wills again. in January. 1838. Mr. Wills, it may here be stated, afterward kept "Our House" at Mt. Pleasant, this county. In 1850, he crossed the plains to California. He there engaged in supplying some of the Hangtown markets with beef cattle, and soon after was killed by a wild steer. The hotel property was sold December 12. 1837, by Mr. Thrasher to Abram R. and John H. Harper and John N. Smith. On February 27, 1838, a permit was granted these proprietors to occupy for 120 days a part of Michigan street opposite this lot and the one adjoining on the south for making improvements on this property. What these improvements were does not appear : perhaps the erection of the wing to the west
was one of them. It was the Harpers, proba- bly, that changed the name to American Hotel, a name borne on its large swinging sign to the close of its career. In 1838, Renatus N. Koehler came to South Bend from Pennsyl- vania, and elerked in Harper's store for awhile. In January, 1839, he and Thomas Duey, having formed a partnership, rented the hotel and ran it till November, 1840. Now the Harper brothers themselves carried on the business, and later Abram alone took charge. In January, 1845, the smallpox broke out in the village and spread to an alarming extent. From first to last there were about 75 victims and the percentage of fatalities was very great. Some of the patients were quartered in this hotel and Harper, rather than have these taken to the pest house, had the doors closed.
Louis Comparet, brother of Mrs. Alexis Coquillard, and long a noted wit of the town, had a very severe attack of varioloid among the earliest of the attacked. He recovered in season to be of much service in attending other patients, among these our ex-mayor, William Miller, who was at the American. Jacob N. Massey, happening to meet Louis on the street, inquired as to Miller's condition, and was told the case was very serious. Jacob was very pious; and his thoughts turning be- vond things of earth, earthy, he asked Com- paret whether he thought Miller would like to see a preacher. "Oh, yes! Oh. yes!" said Louis, seizing heartily upon the opportunity to perpetrate a joke. Jacob soon found the Rev. Mr. Pratt, the Baptist minister here, and brother of United States Senator Daniel D. Pratt, of Logansport. Both the preacher and the senator were men of giant frames and sten- torian lungs. Preacher Pratt consented to serve without hesitation, though he may have . wondered why Mr. Massey did not see his own preacher, Alfred Bryant, long the Pres- byterian pastor here. Well, Mr. Pratt pre- pared himself for the ordeal as well as he could, covering his face with a bandanna handkerchief. As he opened the door of the scourged chamber, Louis, now happening to be in and expecting a scene, slipped out. Pratt approached the bedside and asked Miller as to whether his services were desired, and was told that no such request had been made. He then inquired whether he should come again, with the reply that there was no necessity for him to thus expose himself. Nor did he. This story with many variations, was for many
436
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
years retailed as the stock joke of the town. I have given Mr. Miller's version of the inei- dent, as he related it to me a few days ago. In 1847. August 25, Koehler & Duey again became the landlords, and now the owners as well. Mr. Koehler was the actual head, as Mr. Duey, for his part, took charge of the farming interests of the firm
Another story was current about the town for many years, happening during this man- agement. One James MeGoggy, a carpenter, who had a terrible impediment of speech from a bad case of hare-lip, came into the bar room one day, in a state, seemingly, of considerable excitement. Elmer Rose was with him. Ad- dressing Mr. Koehler, McGoggy went on to detail that Rose and he had just bet the drinks on a certain dispute between them, and asked whether they could get the grog and pay for it when the wager was decided. Mr. Koehler, with his usual suavity, but by no means his usual sagacity, set out the jug. Both qnaffed down a generous potation. MeGoggy now proceeded to explain. "Well. Mr. Koeh- ler." said he, "Elmer and I were looking at your sign post out there and wondering which way it would fall when it rotted off at the bottom. We got to disputing about it and finally made the bet. I bet it would fall south, and Elmer, the fool, bet it would fall north." Of such, it appears were the wit and humor when the bar room was the social resort of the town. In 1850, Koehler & Duey sold the property to Capt. Samuel L. Cottrell and the furnishings to Col. Adam S. Baker, our now venerable townsman, of 908 South Michigan street. Mr. Baker kept the hotel till the Michigan Southern and Northern In- diana railroad was completed, which I think was in 1851. Daniel Haight and George Clark, his brother-in-law, next became the propriet- ors. They remained as such only abont six months. Sylvanus G. Gaylord then operated it. probably till he and Lot Day, Jr., succeeded to the proprietorship of the St. Joseph hotel, which was on December 28, 1858. This seems to have been the last use made of the so-called American corner as a hotel. Indeed, the lower floor had for some time prior been used for merchandising by Ezekiel French and a Mr. Adams, and perhaps after them others. It was the longest-lived hotel known to South Bend, running as such for about a quarter of a century. The present three-story brick was erected in 1866 by Ex-Sheriff Solomon W. Palmer, Dr. George F. Nevins and James
Bonney, the latter our veteran photographer.
Next in order seems to come the Eagle Hotel. I do not know much of this hostelry. It is one of the three hotels marked on the first map of South Bend, made, as would seem from some of its data, early in 1837. It was a story and a half frame that stood on the southeast corner of Lafayette and Washing- ton streets, across from the present First Pres- byterian church. The lot was purchased of Samuel Hanna by Levi Barnes and Samuel C. Russ, jointly, on November 16, 1835. Both were carpenters and joiners, and doubtless put up the building. Samuel C. Russ was licensed to keep tavern here at the May term, 1836, and again at the September term, 1837. Russ was succeeded by John A. Prestana, who became owner of the property August 24, 1841. Prestana sold to Amable M. Lapierre, April 26, 1843, and moved from here to Chi- cago. Mr. Willis A. Bugbee remembers the family well and visited them in that city, they having a son about his age. Mr. Lapierre was a Frenchman, and withal an ardent Metho- dist, although brought up a Catholic. He was a bricklayer and plasterer by trade, and was the head mason on the first college building put up at Notre Dame. The 'smallpox here in 1845 marked him as one of its victims, and he carried a badly pitted face to his grave. He was also involved in the noted Norris fugi- tive slave case, and I think, as a consequence, lost his property through process of the United States court at Indianapolis. Later, he re- moved to Niles, where he was gathered to his fathers some years ago. John A. M. Lapierre, of 113 East Navarre street, is his nephew. Mr. Bugbee boarded with Russ a while in 1837. His bedchamber was the loft with noth- ing between him and the star-bespangled fir- mament save the shingle roof, through which the snow often filtered with a liberality that did not always evoke joyous apostrophes to "the beautiful." There were flush times then. The Kankakee canalª was in course of con- struction, so was the East race. Judge Gar- rett V. Denniston, who, with "Prince" John Van Buren, Gen. Wm. J. Worth, of Mexican war renown, and others, was pushing the last- named enterprise, was one of the boarders. There were about twenty in all. The current rate was $3.00 for board and lodging; cheap enough, in all conscience, one would think, since most supplies were at that time as high or higher than at the present day. But, a. See Chap. 9, Subd. 1, Sec. 2.
437
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
nevertheless, a dollar looked much larger than it does to our vision. Benj. R. Hall was run- ning the Exchange at the same time. He had syndicate ideas in his head, and organized a combination among the craft to advance the rate to $3.50. At once there arose a loud pro- test. The hotel patrons of the several estab- lishments held a meeting and vigorous resolu- tions were adopted. Mr. Bugbee, backed by those of the Eagle Hotel, presented a series of these fulminations to his landlord. John Milligan, of The Free Press, got out fiery "dodgers" headed "Insurrection." and had them scattered about the streets. The big two- story Collmer building on Vistula avenue, built by Robert Wickersham, was rented and a man named Laribee engaged to take charge of it as a community boarding house for the irate "insurrectionists," as they were pleased to call themselves. The upshot was a back- down on the part of the hotel keepers, a resto- ration of the old rate and the abandonment of the boarding house project. The Eagle Hotel building burned down a few years ago and the site is now graced with the elegant Kizer & Woolverton block occupied by the Eliel drug store.
The Washington Block was the pride of the town in its day. The site was on lot 19, which lies on the north side of Washington street from Main to the first alley east. The lot was purchased February 5, 1833, from State Sen- ator Samuel Hanna, of Fort Wayne, by Samuel Studebaker, who was the original owner of the Martin L. Wenger farm, now embraced within the city limits. March 1, 1836, Mr. Studebaker sold the same to Hiram Rush; but there being some deferred pay- ments the deed was not made till 1840. Mr. Studebaker, dying meantime, the conveyance was executed by the late Judge Thomas S. Stanfield. as commissioner in chancery. Mr. Rush, immediately after the purchase in 1836, subdivided the lot into blocks fronting upon Washington street, about if not exactly, as marked off by the several buildings that oc- cupy the ground today. The purchasers were James and Wm. Wickersham, Charles Egbert. F. J. and E. Townsend, and Wm. M. and John Parker. The building was a frame, 60 feet deep by 145 feet long, the whole three stories above the ground with a basement. Thus extending from Main street east on Washington to within 20 feet of the alley, it was for that day and for so small a village a quite imposing structure. as its front eleva-
tion appeared in its white paint varied with window shutters in green. The two Wicker- shams owned three of the blocks and were the prime movers in the enterprise. Both were carpenters and joiners, as was also their brother Robert. and these three did the bulk of the work. William superintending and doing the laying out. Ralph Staples arrived in the village just as the rafters were being placed, and thereafter was a conspicuous figure on the job. From that time forward for many years there were few buildings re- quiring carpenter work, hereabouts, either in town or county, that Ralph did not have a hand in their construction. Sixty-two feet of the west end of the building in question was planned and fitted up for a hotel and took the name Washington House, which it bore to the end. It was owned by the two Wickershams. James and William. The first license for the tavern, as such called in the official records. was taken out by William and Robert Gep- hart at the September term, 1837; but the establishment was opened Angust 1, the pre- vious month.
Andrew Simmons succeeded the Gepharts. taking out the county license in his name at the March term, 1838, while the town incor- poration license was issued to Alva Simmons, his wife. May 15. following. Simmons was keeping the place as early as February 3, that year, at which date David Scott took break- fast there and had his horse fed, after having foully murdered and robbed his friend Joshua Copeland on Rolling Prairie. Mr. Bugbee at the same time did some repairing on Scott's bridle. Scott was overhauled at Edwards- burg, taken back to Laporte, tried, convicted. and hanged in the presence of an immense concourse of people. Gephart and Richmond were the next proprietors, their license being dated September, 1838. The next license was issued to Robert Gephart at the May term, 1839. The widow of Robert, I may here state, is still living in Niles, at the age of 73. On December 12, the same year, Mary Gephart, widow of Daniel and mother of Robert and William, figures as the proprietress through an advertisement of the hotel furniture and fixtures for sale. From the spring of 1840 for several years the stand seems not to have been occupied. At least, definite data are not at present known. Chauncey S. Fassett and John Hooper each took the station as mine host here for awhile, but exactly when or how long have not been ascertained. I interviewed
438
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
a lady in this city on the subject. She was married in 1844, and at once took rooms in the Washington House, occupying them for a year or more. Mr. Fassett, she said, kept the hotel during that time. From Mr. Bug- bee's abstracts of titles, which he kindly allow- ed me to consult, we learn that Mr. Hooper purchased an interest in the property Febru- ary 13, 1845, and that he sold this interest to Stephen Fields, December 18, 1847. If this period of part ownership affords any chie to Mr. Hooper's occupancy, it is about all I have been able to find. except that the lady to whom I have just referred stated that he was living there at the time of the death of his mother- in-law, Mrs. Jane Smith. Mr. Defrees, the accommodating sexton of the city cemetery, at my request, found the proper inscription on Mrs. Smith's tombstone in the Hooper lot, which gave her death as on May 1, 1845.
I have a distinet personal recollection of seeing Mr. Fassett then. We lived on a farm three to four miles distant from town. He was the customer for the butter we had to spare. paying 10 cents per pound by the year whatever the current price. I was attending school in town, living at home and walking back and fourth for the sake of muscular de- velopment. I sometimes had to carry the dairy product to boot. But I do not recall the date. Nor do I remember even having seen Mr. Hooper about that place. In 1848. "Black" John Rush succeeded to the proprie- torship, his advent as such being duly herald- ed in The Register, in which, under date of February 18, he announces that he has rented the hotel, "refurnished and refitted it up in the most convenient style." This was the first instance after 1832 that any direet reference to any "hotel" in South Bend had been found, and afforded much relief, as the musty pages of The Register and of the few stray copies of The Free Press were being eagerly searched. Mr. Rush kept the place till March 3, 1849, when the ownership passed to John Grannis and John Hammond. Mr. Rush, wife and two daughters crossed the plains to Cali- fornia in 1850, the two former dying of cholera in Sacramento shortly after their ar- rival. The oldest daughter, Julia, married William L. Earle and now lives in Jolon, Cali- fornia. Mr. Hammond became the active manager of the hotel and became its sole own- er till it went into "innocuous desnetude." as Grover Cleveland would say. This was prob- ably in about 1856, when the first St. Joseph
Hotel was opened. The three story brick on the alley east of the hotel, now occupying part of the site, was erected by Joseph G. Bartlett in 1865, T. Wilke Defrees and Elias V. Clark, contractors.
In 1837, Benjamin Wall began tavern keep- ing on the southeast corner of Michigan and Jefferson streets. Upon the great swinging sign, in conspicuons letters, was the alluring seroll, "Traveler's Rest." The license was issned at the November term. Mr. Bngbee was a gnest at the opening spread. Mr. Wall kept the place a number of years. The writer well remembers the guide-board on the tall sign post that. with its index finger, so long pointed the wayfarer to the south, advertising him that it was "65 miles to Logansport."
The property was purchased by Mr. Wall of the writer's father, and, it is believed, did not prove satisfactory as a hotel venture. The building was removed by Alex. Staples to 1221 Laurel street, where it may still be seen.
The Franklin House, on the south side of Washington street, stood on lot 36, on the first alley corner east of Odd Fellows Hall. An oval signboard mounted upon a high post, and inscribed with the name of the house, invited such as were hungered and athirst. It was the property of Henry and Margaret Diehl, both immigrants from Germany. The former was the maternal unele of Charles Vinson, Sr., of this city, and Margaret was the sister of John Bert (or Beard, as generally called), who for many years kept a similar house in Misha- waka. He was the father of Henry Bert, the well-known meat market man, of this city. The first record we have of Henry Diehl in South Bend is that of a license to retail liquor, taken out at the September term, 1837. He then occupied a log house on the east side of Michi- gan street somewhere between Washington and Colfax avenue. The same kind of license was issned to him a year after that date, and also at the May term, 1839. At the September term, 1840, he received his first license for tavern keeping. January 15, 1838, he pur- chased the corner referred to, with 291/2 feet fronting on Washington street and extending back 118 feet along the alley. The building was a two-story frame, covering the Washing- ton street frontage, and extending back 70 feet. His barn was on the rear end of lot 33, on which Edward Fredrickson is now doing business. He could not pay for this lot, and it reverted to the grantor. Samuel Leeper. Mr. Diehl was a baker by trade and the fame
439
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
of his ginger-bread soon became known far and wide. The writer remembers distinctly how tempting it looked, dark-brown from the Orleans molasses, and the top crust deftly cor- rugated. A kind of root beer of his make also drew many customers. But his greatest attraetion, perhaps was his musical clock. Set in motion, a number of antomatic musicians would file out in front and at the signal of the leader the instruments were properly adjust- ed and the melody began to pour forth. At the end to the right was a clown whose antics kept time to the cadence. Mr. Bert had the same kind of a clock at Mishawaka. The writer acknowledges his profound indebted- ness to each of these instruments for sundry free entertainments. The Diehl elock was sold by Mr. Charles Vinson in the settlement of the estate to Edward Buysee, the jeweler, for $20, and Mr. Buysee, in turn, sold it to some Chicago party; so the mock orchestra may still be amusing the unsophisticated some- where.
Mr. Diehl died November 19, 1841, at the age of about 35 years, and the funeral serv- ices were held at the Presbyterian church. IIe is said to have been quite intelligent and comely of person. His wife survived him many years, and, for some time-I do not know how long-continued the business. There were three children, Mrs. Catharine Schreck, Malinda, widow J. George Vinson, and John II., all of whom are still living and residents of this city.
The Lafayette Hotel. afterwards named the National, then the St. James, and now the Windsor Hotel. is situated at the southeast corner of Lafayette and South streets. On July 13, 1865, writes Mr. Leeper. President Whitten, father of William M. Whitten, for many years city civil engineer and county surveyor, purchased of the late George Knob- lock the Lafayette Hotel, a one-story frame on the southeast corner of Lafayette and South streets. He enlarged the building by putting on another story and adding other improve- ments. In the following December, the place was opened as the National Hotel, with Mr. Whitten and Thomas J. Slick, his son-in-law, proprietors. July 28. 1868, Sarah A. Mat- thews, widow of Daniel Matthews, deceased. and daughter of Mr. Whitten, purchased part of the property, at $5.000, and Mr. Slick re- tired. The business was continned in the firm name of Whitten & Matthews till 1874, when L. H. Packard took charge. In 1877. we find
R. Wansbrough thus acting. This is the year the building was partially destroyed by fire; but was soon rehabilitated, making it a three- story, as you see it today, when it was rechrist- ened the St. James. Mrs. Matthews had now become the sole owner.
We shall now have to run over the succeed- ing proprietorships hastily as details would be tedious. 1. HI. Packard, 1879; Matthews & Crawford, 1880; Matthias M. Faulknor, 1881- 2-3-4-5; Clem Crawford, 1885; Byron J. Me- Elrath till May 18, 1888, when the irrepres- sible Louis Pfeiffer stepped upon the scene, purchasing the property, refurnishing the hotel, making certain improvements, and in general instilling new life and a thrifty air into the place. Louis seems to be there to stay, whoever else in that business may come and go as the years roll on.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.