History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 69

Author: Durant, Samuel W. comp
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia. Everts & Abbott
Number of Pages: 761

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į This house was also known as the "Indian Chief Hotel."

255

VILLAGE OF KALAMAZOO.

to H. H. Comstock not very long after it went into opera- tion as a hotel. Horace Wilder, who kept it for a number of years, as late as 1839, was a very popular landlord, and under his management it disputed the palm with the Kala- mazoo House and Patrick's Exchange successfully, and " Clipnockie," as the eastern part of the village was called, rose to eminence.

When excavations were being made, it is said a great number of human bones were exhumed, which were uncer- emoniously flung into the river. Quite a number of ket- tles, mostly brass, were also found, and a great number of household articles, which were carried away as mementoes of a vanished race. Some of the kettles are said to have been cleaned and used for domestic purposes.

Among other landlords appear the names of Oziel Wil- cox, Daniel Lothrop, and John Rouse. The building was destroyed by an incendiary fire on the 8th of October, 1859, after having stood nearly a quarter of a century.

The Burdick House was commenced in August, 1850, and completed and opened in the spring of 1853, by Francis Dennison, who owned the premises. Originally, the build- ing was about 100 by 70 feet in dimensions, and four stories in height, constructed of brick. Mr. Dennison says he built it at a very small cost for a house of its size and ap- pearance, it being one of the largest and best-constructed hotels at that time in Western Michigan. But its cost, which was about ten or twelve thousand dollars, does not seem so small when we know that the bricks were delivered on the ground for $2 per thousand, lime at 8 cents per bushel, and that good men could be hired for $1 per day.

When completed, Mr. Dennison leased the house to Messrs. Clapp & Budd, who furnished and opened it as a first-class hotel. In about six months Mr. Budd sold his interest to his partner, and the latter associated with him Mr. Reese as partner. These parties continued to run it until about 1855, when Mr. Dennison became both landlord and proprietor, and kept hotel for one year, when Horace Mower became the owner.

Mower sold in 1858, or thereabouts, to Joseph Miller, but the latter died about 1868, and his widow sold to Mrs. Badger, the present owner. Mr. H. F. Badger, her son, manages the establishment. Horace Mower also died in 1860.

The house has been considerably enlarged in various ways, including a narrow addition on the west, and dining- room, etc., on the north. The property at this date (1880) probably represents an investment of over $50,000. This house was known for a time as the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

The landlords succeeding Mr. Dennison were Messrs. Acker & Lacey in the fall of 1855, who suffered a heavy loss on furniture by a fire which burned out the wooden block to the west of the hotel, and caused serious damage to the property by water, removal, etc. These gentlemen continued for some four or five years, when they were suc- ceeded by a Mr. Parker, who kept it for about the same length of time, when he was followed by H. F. Pickering, he in turn by Mr. Riley, and the latter by Mr. Badger, who still continues.

The Burdick ranks among the best hotels of the region, and its accommodations and management are all that can be desired.

EARLY MILLS, ETC.

River Mills .- The first grist-mill erected in the village of Kalamazoo stood at the foot of Main Street, on the site occupied by the present " River Mills." As there is much dispute concerning the names of parties interested in its construction, the following items and correspondence, pub- lished in the Kalamazoo Gazette of Feb. 4, 1837, will undoubtedly prove interesting :

" During the recess in our newspaper department many changes and improvements took place in Kalamazoo. One of the most im- portant of these was the mill lately erected by Mr. E. Bailey, of New York. It is on a new construction, and the wheel is a perfect curi- osity. Wheels on this plan depend for their motion more on the head than on the fall of water, and there is no stream hardly in our State which cannot be made useful to our wants. The mill in our village has but twelve inches' fall of water, yet it is amply sufficient to keep in constant and effective operation three or four run of stone. The preceding remarks will enable our readers to understand the sub- joined correspondence, which has been politely furnished to us by the committee. The proceedings preparatory to it took place at a public meeting of the citizens whereof the Hon. E. Ransom was chair- man, and Thomas S. At Lee Secretary.

" KALAMAZOO, Dec. 6, 1836.

"'SIR,-The undersigned have been appointed a committee to convey to you the thanks of the citizens of Kalamazoo for the energy, ingenu- ity, and industry which you have so signally displayed in the construc- tion of the mill now in operation in this village. It is with great pleasure, sir, that we proceed to fulfill the duty assigned to us, and, on behalf of our fellow-citizens, gratefully acknowledge the important benefits which you have conferred on us,-benefits which materially increase our domestic comforts, and of which, heretofore, we have been entirely deprived. We regret that your sudden departure pre- cludes the public manifestation of our regard and gratitude which was intended to have been offered, but respectfully entreat you to re- ceive the present poor testimony of gratitude and respect with the same cordiality which prompted us to offer it; and whithersoever Providence may hereafter direct your course, be assured that you will always retain a distinguished place in the grateful remembrance of

"' Yours very respectfully, "'SAMUEL YORKE AT LEE, "' JOHN HASCALL, "'IRA BURDICK, "' DAVID HUBBARD, "' NATHAN L. STOUT, "' Committee.' "' KALAMAZOO, Dec. 7, 1836.

"' GENTLEMEN : It is with the deepest gratitude and pleasure I ac- knowledge to you, and through you to the citizens of Kalamazoo, the honor conferred on me by the kind notice you have been pleased to take of my humble effort in erecting the mill in your village.

"' My sudden departure renders it impossible for me to express to you in a suitable manner the great satisfaction I entertain in being, in some small degree, instrumental in advancing the interests and pros- perity of your place ; and were I in the least deserving of the appro- bation you have so generously bestowed, I certainly should consider myself truly fortunate.

"' I dare not claim the commendation you have given me, yet I will most ardently aspire to deserve it. I thank you for the kind sentiments you have offered, and also for the kind manner in which you have expressed them. Believe me, sirs, when I say it is highly gratifying to me to have my name associated with the growing inter- ests of so enlighted and intelligent a community as the citizens of Kalamazoo.

"' And while I look upon the approbation you have so publicly be- stowed, it has more than a hundred fold recompensed for the wounded feelings I have so often suffered from self- conceited and self-sufficient men while building the mill.

"' With great respect I receive the sentiments you have offered me, and trust it will be a sufficient incentive to more efficient and untiring effort. If anything I may have done while with you shall stimulate to action and manly effort the young men of your country, I shall feel myself more than doubly blessed.

256

HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

"'Gentlemen, my own tribute is too poor to offer you, but I pray God to bless you, individually and collectively.

"' Accept of my best wishes for your health, your interests, and final prosperity, while I desire to remain truly,

"' Your most humble servant,

""'E. BAILEY.

"'SAMUEL YORKE AT LEE,

"' JOHN HASCALL,

"'IRA BURDICK,

"' DAVID HUBBARD,

"'NATHAN L. STOUT.' "

Having perused the foregoing, the reader's attention is asked to the following facts. The grist-mill was built by Messrs. Anthony Cooley and Erastus Bailey in 1836, the site having been sold to them January 11th of that year for the sum of $1000,* by Thomas C. Sheldon and wife, of Detroit. In liber D (2d) of Deed Records, page 316, is recorded the sale of Bailey's interest in the property, the parties to the transaction being Erastus Bailey, of Leroy, Genesee Co., N. Y., and Weltha, his wife, and Anthony Cooley, of Kala- mazoo County, State of Michigan. The price paid was $4200, and the property is described as follows :

" All the equal and undivided moiety or half part of all the follow- ing described lands, tenements, and privileges, being all my interest therein, which interest I, the said Bailey, have heretofore owned, in common with the said Cooley, by a warranty deed from Thomas C. Sheldon and wife, dated January eleventh, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, which deed describes the premises as follows, viz. : 'All that certain tract or parcel of land and water privilege, situate in the county of Kalamazoo and territory of Michigan, and described as follows, viz. : Commencing on the east side of the Kalamazoo River, opposite the village of Bronson, in said county, on the north side of the Territorial road, passing through said village of Bronson to the mouth of St. Joseph, at low-water mark of said Kalamazoo River; thence east, on the line of said road, one hundred and fifty feet ; thence north, parallel with said river, three hundred feet; thence west, parallel with said south line, to the river; also the privilege of excavating or making a race or canal sufficiently wide to carry all the water of Kalamazoo River across the lands now owned by the said Thomas C. Sheldon to a point upon said river anywhere between the land now owned by Ira W. Bird and the above demised premises; also the privilege of erecting a dam across said river upon the lands of said Thomas C. Sheldon, at any place between the above-bargained premises and the said land owned by the said Ira W. Bird, so as to raise the water one foot where the upper end of the canal connects with said river, together with the privilege of at all times using and repairing said canal and dam at their pleasure for hydraulic purposes, etc."

Before the deed from which the above is quoted was duly acknowledged Mr. Bailey had returned to New York, and the acknowledgment was made before " Charles Dan- forth, a judge of the Genesee County court and counselor- at-law in the Supreme Court."

The mill in time became the property of the Whitcomb brothers,-Elias (who was the first of the three to arrive in the village), Luke, and Leverett. A distillery, which was built by a man named Clark and stood on the west side of the river, a short distance above the present "lower bridge," was also purchased by the Whitcombs, who operated it until it was destroyed by fire, about 1841. A new one was built for them the same year, a little north of the grist- mill, by Martin Turner, and next north of the distillery was also erected a saw-mill. A shed was subsequently built connecting the grist-mill and distillery, and in October,

1859,f the entire establishment was burned. The present grist-mill was erected on the old site in 1861, by Le Grand Whitcomb (son of Leverett), and is now owned by Gustav Granjean.

Luke Whitcomb was wont to advertise the whisky made at the distillery as " Luke's Best." Martin and Jesse Turner, brothers, who worked for the Whitcombs at dif- ferent times, building and repairing, had come to Kalamazoo from Niagara Co., N. Y .; Jesse settled in August, 1832, and Martin, who first visited the place in the fall of 1833, removed to it in the spring of 1834.

Erastus Bailey, one of the original proprietors of the mill, and a millwright by trade, planned the first wheel, which was the same in principle as the one now in use, and known as a "current" or "flood" wheel, the buckets passing around it in spiral shape, and the wheel lying horizontally, working on the principle of the screw, and performing all the work required. The material used in the construction of the old mill was manufactured in the village, the lumber coming from Gen. Burdick's saw-mill on the Portage, west of the fair-grounds.

The saw-mill above mentioned was built probably in 1831, for Titus Bronson, by Marcus B. Hounsom, and after a short time sold to Gen. Justus Burdick, who oper- ated it in 1832. It is possible Bronson retained an interest in it, as it is found, in a deed from Bronson to Burdick in October, 1831, that the former transferred to the latter an equal undivided half of the west half of the southeast quarter of section 22, upon some part of which land-as a whole-the saw-mill was located.

Rodney Seymour attended this mill for several years, beginning in the fall of 1832, and sawed the lumber used in the construction of many of the earlier buildings in the village. Another small saw-mill was built by a man named Northrup, near the Portage Creek, at nearly the same time, about where Gates' tannery was many years afterwards burned, and Mr. Seymour is quite positive it was run by water brought from Arcadia Creek in a raceway across the point between the two streams. It was in operation but a short time, and a turning-shop occupied nearly the same site afterwards. Probably about the time the grist-mill was built, a small tannery was erected upon or near the site of the last-named saw-mill, by Abraham Cahill. Mr. Cahill was assisted by one man for a time. This tannery was finally abandoned and torn away, and the unlucky site was chosen as the place for another one, the lone chimney of which now stands as a monument to another man's industry and enterprise, and a sentinel over the ruins of his estab- lishment. 1

Rodney Seymour, previously mentioned, is a native of Hartford, Conn., but lived for a considerable period in Genesee Co., N. Y. He came from the latter to Michigan in 1830, reaching Detroit in May. He was at the time unmarried. Pushing towards the interior as far as Ypsi- lanti, he stopped and worked a few months at brick-making. His sister, Mrs. David S. Dillie, was then living with her husband on Gull Prairie, in what is now Richland, Kala- mazoo Co. In September, 1830, Mr. Seymour continued

* See Liber D, of Deed Records, pp. 329, 330.

t Authority of Le Grand Whitcomb. The date is given by others as some time in September, 1858, and by some still earlier.

VILLAGE OF KALAMAZOO.

257

his journey, and visited the site of Kalamazoo when the only building in the region (aside from the trading-post) was a log shanty, covered with poles and marsh grass, which had been erected by William Harris, who occupied it. It stood, so says Mr. Seymour, about where Mr. Kel- logg's present residence is, on West Street. Mr. Seymour proceeded from here to Prairie Ronde, thence back to Ypsilanti, but returned in the winter following (1830-31), and located on Prairie Ronde, in the township now known as Schoolcraft. During a part of the winter he attended Beadle's mill, at Flowerfield, St. Joseph Co., visiting also on Gull Prairie. In the late summer or early fall of 1832 he removed to Bronson and burned a kiln of brick, near the site of the present residence of Hon. Charles E. Stuart, having erected a board shanty in which to live. The Bronson-Burdick saw-mill, which he began to work in during the fall of 1832, as elsewhere stated, has long been removed.

Among other projects in the early days of Kalamazoo was one to manufacture sugar from beets, and George O'Brien manufactured a small amount of molasses and hoped to make sugar, but from the various records at our disposal it cannot be determined that he ever did so.

PRESENT MANUFACTURERS AND PROMINENT BUSINESS MEN OF KALAMAZOO.

A description of most of the leading manufactories and business houses of the village was published in the Kala- mazoo Weekly Gazette, July 5, 1878, and as but few changes have since been made, items from the article in question are here given, with additional information as ob- tained from various sources.

L. Egleston & Co .- Prominent among the manufactur- ing establishments of Kalamazoo is the steel-spring factory of L. Egleston & Co., located on Portage Street. The establishment was started in 1870, by Kimberly, Austin & Co, and in May, 1874, the company was reorganized and the name " Kalamazoo Spring-Works" adopted. The fac- tory was located at the corner of Eleanor and Park Streets. In December, 1878, the institution became the property of Lorenzo Egleston. The present extensive building on Por- tage Street was begun in May, 1878, and finished and occupied in December of the same year. The entire build- ing is 322 feet long, and consists of a front or upright, 50 by 100 feet, and a workshop, 50 by 272 feet, both of brick. The boiler-room is 20 by 30 feet, and contains 2 boilers, each 5 feet in diameter, 16 feet long, and having 72 flues. The engine in use is a fine one manufactured at the Bath Foundry and Machine-Shops, Fort Wayne, Ind .; its ca- pacity is 125 horse-power. About 100 men are employed in the spring-works, and an annual business of nearly $150,000 is done. The weight of carriage-springs manu- factured by Mr. Egleston in 1879 was 2,000,000 pounds, and these are the sole products of the factory at present. The market for these goods is a general one, though per- haps the greatest amount is shipped to Cincinnati. Mr. Egleston is a native of Genesee Co., N. Y., and when twenty-two years of age removed to Akron, Ohio. In 1851 he went to La Salle, Ill., where he was interested in coal-mining. In 1868 he removed to Chicago, and in May,

1870, came to Kalamazoo and engaged in the lumber busi- ness, which he still continues.

Lawrence & Chapin, manufacturers of Diamond Iron Plows, steam-engines, saw-mills, mill machinery, and agri- cultural implements, are located at the corner of North Rose and Water Streets. Their buildings are of brick, the main structure being 68 by 188 feet, four stories in height. Each department is complete, and all the rooms commodi- ous. The specialty of this firm is their Diamond Iron Plow, which has a very extensive reputation for lightness of draft, durability, and extra scouring qualities. This plow is sold in large numbers throughout numerous States East and West. Messrs. Lawrence & Chapin have acquired a reputation for reliable and first-class work, and their boilers, engines, mills, and mill machinery are well and favorably known among the classes of men who use such articles. About 100 hands are employed, and an annual business of $250,000 is transacted. The members of the firm are among the leading citizens of the place.

D. Lilienfeld & Brother established their business as wholesale liquor-dealers here in 1861, and are now located at 112 Main Street. The senior partner, David Lilienfeld, came to the village in 1859, and his brother, William, in 1860. The former established the business in 1861, and was joined by his brother in 1863, at which time they added the business of manufacturing tobacco. Their cigar manufacture amounts to about 2,000,000 annually. The fine store occupied by this firm was built in 1874. Twenty- five men are employed.

N. Chase, manufacturer of the "Michigan Fanning- Mill," first settled in Kalamazoo in 1860, but has been a resident of the State since early boyhood. He was en- gaged in the fanning-mill business for years, before setting up for himself, which he did in 1861, and is now one of the largest manufacturers in his line in the country, his annual sales being from 2500 to 3000.

C. H. Bird & Co, founders and machinists, began busi- ness in January, 1878, in a building on Church Street, immediately north of the Michigan Central Railway. Thomas Clarage, who had been superintendent for Law- rence & Chapin for ten years, was admitted as a partner soon after,-Mr. Bird having commenced alone. Building machinery is manufactured of all kinds, and from 25 to 30 hands are employed.

A. Chase & Co., who also manufacture the Michigan Fanning-Mill, began business in 1874, and do a large busi- ness, selling principally in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky.

D. C. & H. C. Reed & Co. make the celebrated Kala- mazoo Spring-Tooth Harrow or Cultivator, a pulverizer not excelled by any in the market.

Cahill & Co., at the corner of Church and Willard Streets, manufacture the Triumph Sulky, with cultivator attachment, and have an extensive sale for the article throughout Illinois and Indiana.

Kalamazoo Knitting-Factory .*- As it may be of inter- est to our many readers, and that our business men may understand the advantages of having so large and growing

# Article in Telegraph, Oct. 22, 1879.

258

HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

an institution among us, we give the following facts in re- gard to the progress of the company up to the present time. In the year 1873, Mr. Carl Freschl, having sold out his business of dealing in fancy goods, looked about for some- thing that could be started, in a small way, in the manufac- turing line, which he thought would be more to his liking, and hit upon the knitting business. He first purchased a single family machine, and himself and father commenced experi- menting in a small way for the retail trade. Succeeding in a small way, it was decided to try wholesale orders, and the first one obtained was for fifty dozen from Messrs. Field, Leiter & Co., of Chicago. About this time the machine for knitting seamless socks was invented, and, for the en- largement of the business and an increase of capital, Messrs. Desenberg & Co. were induced to become interested in the business, and continued in it until bought out by Mr. Freschl last spring. From this small beginning, with one knitter and all spooling done by hand, the factory now has 47 im- proved knitting-machines, 2 steam-power spoolers, employs 72 operatives, and is turning out 26,000 dozen socks per annum, besides a proportionate amount of leggings, scarfs, etc. The trade, built up all over the United States, is with the largest wholesale houses, such as A. T. Stewart & Co., H. B. Claflin & Co., Field, Leiter & Co .; and the " Kala- mazoo sock" is now almost as well and favorably known throughout the trade as " Merrimac prints," or many other well-known brands of goods. We noticed on the order- books of the company many hundred dozens for the trade of San Francisco, Denver, and other remote cities, as well as those nearer home.

What is of special interest to this place is the fact that the large number employed are girls and old ladies, who are enabled to earn so much extra, that could be obtained in no other way were the factory to be moved away. Already the pay-roll exceeds $1000 per month, all of which is brought in from abroad and distributed in our midst regu- larly.

Grain Dealers, Millers, etc .- J. L. Sebring & Co., one of the most extensive grain-buying firms in the State, be- gan business as a firm in 1864. The partners, Messrs. Se- bring and Ranney, had been residents of the village respect- ively since 1862 and 1855, Mr. Ranney having been for about nine years engaged in the grocery trade. The ele- vator owned by this firm, located at the Michigan Southern depot, has a capacity of 40,000 bushels. In 1870 the business of the firm aggregated $500,000, and since then it has steadily increased to upwards of $2,000,000. A number of clerks are constantly employed in book-keeping, and buyers and salesmen are kept " on the road."

Dudgeon & Cobb, grain and commission merchants, have their warehouse on North Burdick Street, near the Michi- gan Central Railroad depot. Mr. Dudgeon has been in the business since 1848, and a citizen of the village since 1845. A reference to the list of village officers will inform the reader that Mr. Dudgeon has held the executive office of the place and been otherwise prominent. Mr. Cobb has also been a member of the board. This partnership has existed a number of years.

Merrill & Mc Courtie, merchant millers and dealers in grain, wool, and pork, have their office on South Burdick

Street, nearly opposite the post-office. Mr. Merrill arrived in Kalamazoo in 1838, and Mr. McCourtie in 1858, and their business as a firm dates from 1862-63. They oper- ate four first-class flouring-mills : the " Cold Stream Mills," the large steam-mill at the Central Depot, another three miles south of Kalamazoo, and a fourth at Plainwell, Barry Co. Their annual business amounts to about $1,000,000. About 100 men are constantly employed, and 75,000 bar- rels of flour are manufactured annually.

Alcott's Mill, on the Portage, in the southeast part of the corporation, was built in 1859. Mr. Alcott had previously owned and operated a steam mill near the Michigan Central depot, but it was destroyed by fire, December 15, 1858. The mill on the Portage is now the property of Breese & Sheldon.

The Spring Brook Mill is located just outside and north- east of the corporation, on a small stream fed by numerous lakes. It was built by Caleb Sherman, about 1869-70, and is principally a custom mill. It contains two runs of stone, and has a raceway one-fourth of a mile in length. Its present proprietors are Messrs. Whitcomb & Williams. This mill is located near the site of the blast-furnace, which was built by a Mr. Wilder in the summer of 1847, and destroyed by fire on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1851. At that time the furnace was the property of Woodbury & Potter. The loss was about $8000; the fire was occasioned by an explosion of gas in the stack. Excellent iron had been manufactured from ore found in the vicinity. Plenty of evidence still exists to mark the spot where the old furnace stood, in the shape of charcoal, slag, etc.

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History of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Part 69

Author: Durant, Samuel W. comp Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia. Everts & Abbott Number of Pages: 761

Author: Durant, Samuel W. comp
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia. Everts & Abbott
Number of Pages: 761