USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of the city of Omaha, Nebraska > Part 39
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The bar in the last few years has received many notable accessions from lowa, in the persons of Jolin P. Breen, D. D. Gregory, E. R. Duffie, W. S. Strawn, W. W. Mors- man, A. S. Churchill, M. V. Gannon, Judge I. II. Macomber, and E. G. Thomas; from Illi- nois: John C. Wharton, William Baird, Jacob Fawcett, Louis D. Holmes, and L. II. Bradley; from Kentucky: Judge Charles II. Breck and Charles Offutt. All these gentle- men brought with them reputations as good lawyers, which have been fully sustained, and are each and all of them considered ex- pert in the various branches to which they devote themselves.
The bar of Omaha has been exceedingly
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
blessed in its officers. In the more than a quarter of a century, there has been no officer connected with the courts against whom there has been the slighest suspicion of dishonesty. The sheriffs of Douglas County have been uniformly able and hon- orable gentlemen, never shirking their duty, and among those who have filled that office the writer can not refrain from men- tioning the name of Henry Grebe. He was first elected sheriff in November, 1869, which office he held for four years, and has been for the last eleven years deputy sheriff under the gentlemen who have at various times held that office, making a continued service of fifteen years. Henry (irebe is a well educated man of German descent, and is one of the pioneers of Ne- braska. He is by trade a mechanic. IJe served in the constitutional convention of 1875. During his term in the sheriff's office, there never was a jar or discrepancy in the service of process by him, and the courts of Douglas County will be very barren when he shall cease to be a participant in the administration of justice; and the writer knows that he but echoes the universal voice of this bar, when he says, "May Henry Grebe's German accent sound in our ears for many years yet to come."
In the clerk's office, we have had, in the
United States Courts, Watson B. Smith, who died an untimely deathı, whether by accident or by murder, never yet has been deter- mined, which occurred in November, 1881. He was a conscientious and faithful officer, and was succeeded by Elmer D. Frank, the present elerk of the circuit court. Elmer D. Frank is an affable gentleman, enjoys the taxing up of costs, as well as the hunting of bear.
In the District Court of Douglas County, we have had Armstrong and Ijams, and now Frank E. Moores, who is an abbreviated edition of the Star Spangled Banner, and who keeps himself very busy in his polite attention to the seven courts, enjoying the large revenue he derives from his office. Ile makes a good clerk, and always has a salutation for everybody.
This chapter has not been written as a homily upon what the profession should be, nor as an eulogy of the few who have been mentioned. We speak of the orators of ancient Greece, but there were no orators in Greece except at Athens. Not so here; there are orators at this bar who have not been mentioned as such.
My work is done. It is submitted to the candid judgment of the profession, hoping that it may be considered in some slight degree meritorious.
Harry 7. Cetation.
CHAPTER XXV.
HOTELS OF EARLY AND MODERN DAYS -CHANGES OF MANAGEMENT AT THE IIERNDON - HOW THE GRAND CENTRAL WAS NAMED.
Omaha's first hotel was a log building, sixteen by eighteen feet, one story, bearing the high-sounding title of " The St. Nicho- las." It was put up by the Nebraska & Council Bluffs Ferry Company, and was occupied first by the family of William P. Snowden (afterwards city marshal). It was located on the corner of Twelfth and Jack- son Streets.
The City Hotel, a small frame structure at the southwest corner of Harney and Eleventh, was built in 1854.
The Douglas House, a large two-story frame structure, at the southwest corner of Thirteenth and Harney Streets, was built in 1855. The rear portion was made of cotton- wood slabs, set up and down, and Mr. A. J. Poppleton, who was a boarder at the Doug- las at that time, says the building was a very cold one in winter. For several years it was a leading hotel, however, and maintained a high tariff as to prices. Wells Brothers were the first proprietors.
The Farnham House, recently torn down to give place to the brick block on the north side of Harney between Thirteenth and Fourteenth, was built by W. A. Gwyer, in 1858. St. John Goodrich, father of ex-City Comptroller Goodrich, was one of the early proprietors.
The Tremont was built in 1856, on the south side of Douglas Street, between Thir- teenth and Fourteenth, and was opened for 'business in October of that year by Wm. F. Sweesy and Aaron Root, who were the pro- prietors until 1865, when the building was moved to the southeast corner of Sixteenth and Capitol Avenue.
The Union Hotel was built in 1860 by William G. Florkee. It was a two-story frame house, on the northwest corner of Dodge and Fifteenth Streets.
The Pacific Ilouse, a frame building on Tenthi between Capitol Avenue and Daven- port, was built in 1866, by David T. Mount.
The Metropolitan Hotel, Douglas Street, near Twelfth, was built in 1868 by D. A. Van Namee.
The Wyoming and the Cozzens were built in 1867, the former by Dr. Isaac Edwards and the latter by George Francis Train. Senator Paddock was the proprietor of the Wyoming for several years. When first opened, this house was called the Edwards House. The cost of erection was $21,000, and the first proprietor was Mr. Godfrey, who afterwards platted Godfrey's Addition. The building was framed in Chicago. While owned by Dr. Edwards, Messrs. Davis and Nicholas were at one time in charge of the hotel, both of whom were drowned in 1889, at the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood. In 1869 the name of the house was changed to the Casement, in honor of the contractors who built the Union Pacific, and in 1870 was again changed and for many years was known as the Wyoming. Then as the Canfield House it built up a great custom, under the management of George Canfield. Recently the name was changed to Hotel Faris, S. J. Faris, proprietor. S. II. H. Clark is the present owner of the property.
The Herndon House, built in 1856-7 by Dr. George L. Miller and Lyman Richardson. now a portion of the building used as gen- eral offices by the Union Pacific Railroad
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
Company, was the first hotel of any size erected in Omaha. The first landlord was Mr. M. W. Keith, and he was succeeded by two or three others until finally it fell into the management of Mr. James T. Allan, by whom it was first conducted as a high-toned boarding house, and afterwards as a hotel. Meanwhile it became the property of Dr. G. C. Monell, and he leased it to Mrs. Bronson. Mr. Allan was disposed to hold on to the possession, and considerable difficulty fol- lowed, which Mr. Silas Seymour, engineer of the Union Pacific, thus refers to in a letter written in October, 1866: " We found that the Herndon, of Omaha, was in a sort of transition state, and its guests, as farmers say, ' between hay and grass.' Our long- time friend and distinguished host, Mr. Allan, had been called upon by Dr. Monell, the landlord, to surrender its use and occu- pation into the hands of Mrs. Bronson, who had recently leased it and stood ready to enter upon the duties of hostess as soon as Mr. Allan could find it convenient to vacate the premises, all of which the said Mr. Allan seemed in no haste to do. An entire week had been spent by the parties in strategy and legal skirmishing, during which it was not unusual for Mr. Allan to visit the kitclien in the morning and find Mrs. Bronson's cooking stove standing in the place of his own, which had been thrown over the ad- joining fence during the night, and not in- frequently were the guests of the house stopped in the middle of a meal (while wait- ing, perhaps, for more warm cakes) by the intelligence that the stove had just been thrown out of the kitchen. Fortunately for us, however, Mrs. Bronson's stove was out- side the fence when we arrived, and remained there during the following day and Sunday." The Omaha Times, of February 4, 1859, gives this account of " A Pleasant Occasion," which occurred the week previous:
" At dinner last Thursday the guests of the Herndon House, at the invitation of llon. Win. A. West, prolonged their sitting
for the purpose of testing the quality of a couple of baskets of excellent champagne. A number of toasts were proposed, among which were the following, quoted from mem- ory :
"' Our Entertainer, Marshal West; may a long time elapse before his official connec- tion with the people of Nebraska shall be severed.' Drunk with all the honors.
"'Our Hosts of the Herndon.' Response by Doctor Miller, in a few feeling and ap- propriate remarks.
"' The Ladies of Omaha.' Responded to by Sydney Paddock, with his usual suavity of manner, in the course of which he paid a graceful compliment to the ladies of Omaha, so well represented by the brilliant array at the table.
"' The Judiciary of Nebraska.' Response by Judge Wakeley, whose neat and well- turned remarks were received with applause; "' The Veterans of the Fontenelle War; they who shed their blood in the defense of their country deserve well of that country in the time of security.' To loud calls, Captain Moore responded in some forcible remarks, giving some striking reminiscences of those ' times that tried men's souls.'
"' The Lady of the Present Day ; she wants but little on her head, but much below to make a spread.' To this toast Mr. McConi- hie was called upon to respond, and volun- teered a song, which was rendered with effect and received with applause.
"""The Bar.' Jonas Seely was loudly called for, and responded very briefly.
(By a lady guest) "' The Omaha Bache- lors; there is but one thing needful-take unto yourselves wives.' Responded to by J. W. Paddock, in behalf of the brotherhood of which he was so lately a member, and ex- horting them to 'be wise in time, 'tis mad- ness to defer.'
"' The Navy of the United States.' Re- sponded to by Captain Curtis, of the Ferry Company's Steamer, Nebraska.
"Woman; in view of the space she occu-
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HOTELS OF EARLY AND MODERN DAYS.
pies, with truth may she say: 'No pent up sidewalk can control our powers, but the boundless street we claim for ours." Re- sponse by Joseph Millard, with song, ' I See Them on Their Winding Way.'"
The Hamilton House, a brick building still standing, in a re-organized shape, on the south side of Douglas, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth, was built in 1856, by C. B. Smith and C. W. Hamilton, H. M. Judson and - - Burnham being the first proprie- tors, who opened the honse for business in August 1856. Mr. Judson bought the fur- niture in St. Louis, and on his return brought up on the steamboat half a dozen colored people as servants. Among the early boarders at the house were United States Marshal B. P. Rankin, Governor Cuming, Governor Richardson, John M. Thayer, and other well-known people. The upper part of the house was one large bed- room, filled with bedsteads ranged against the walls, and about once a week this room was cleaned out for ball-room purposes. On these gala occasions the music was furnished by Byron Reed, Aaron Cahn, Frederick A. Schneider and Washington Griffith, the last named a resident of Council Bluffs.
'Referring to the hotel accommodations of that period, Mr. James M. Woolworth, in a pamphlet entitled " Omaha City, the Capitol of Nebraska," which he published in 1857, says: " A company of twelve gentlemen, largely interested in the town, have recently purchased, for $15,000, a steamboat of the first-class-the Washington City-which is moored at the landing and used as a hotel. Cheap and comfortable accommodations are thus afforded to 250 persons. The necessity of large hotel accommodations may be in- ferred from the fact that there are now one thousand people in Omaha over our popula- tion of last March. It is reasonable to ex- pect this number will be considerably in- creased in two months."
The Grand Central was the first large hotel built in Omaha. It occupied a quarter
of a block, 132x132 feet, at the southwest corner of Farnam and Fourteenth Streets. The building was of brick, four stories high. It was commenced in 1871, the money being raised by stock subscriptions representing about a hundred different individuals and firms. The outlay exceeded the anticipa- tions of these contributors, the work dragged and many discouragements were met with. The house was completed in the fall of 1873, receiving its first guests in October. About this time there was a lively discussion with respect to the name of the hotel. The name, "Grand Central," had been generally agreed upon but a change was made and the build- ing was called the Pullman House. This change did not meet with public favor, and the newspapers were filled with protests and suggestions. One writer, disguising his per- sonality under the classic nom de plume of " Hash," inquired: "Why not name it the "Buchu llouse?'" and added, " certainly Ilembold has done as much for Omaha as Pullman. Or why not name it the ‘ George- francistrain House?' There is a name whose owner has advertised Omaha more than any other man." Then L. M. Bennett, superin- tendent of the Pullman Palace Car Com- pany, called attention to the fact that in 1863 Mr. Pullman had built a very fine car and christened it " Omaha," which commun- ication was followed by one signed “ Mod- esty," who suggested that there might be objections to specially honoring Mr. Pull- man in the way proposed, but there could be none with regard to the local superintendent of the Pullman Company, and that the title, " The Bennett House," would just about fill the bill. The Omaha Herald thought that it would be a very neat thing to name the new hotel in honor of Mr. Duff, of the Union Pacific Road, which suggestion was endorsed by a correspondent who added that his first preference as to a name was " The Credit Mobilier." Thereupon Mr. George P. Bemis stated, through the public prints, that as early as 1871 George Francis Train had, in
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
his publication styled the " Train Ligue," christened the building the "Omaha House." It was finally agreed the hotel should be called " The Grand Central;" and, it may be, the fact that a number of persons who had subscribed to a fund for the formal opening declared that they would not pay their sub- scriptions, if the name "Pullman House " was insisted upon, had some bearing in settling the question. There was much litigation in the courts in connection with the erection of the building, many of the stockholders re- fusing to pay their subscriptions, for various reasons. A loan of $100,000 was made the company by Messrs. Edward Creighton, A. J. Poppleton, and others, who took a mort- gage on the property as security; and this mortgage it was found necessary to foreclose in 1878. April 18th, of that year, the sale took place, and the property was purchased by Augustus Kountze for $120,000, the total indebtedness at that time being $190,000, no interest having been paid on the loan since March 2, 1872. There was also due With- nell Brothers and McCafferty, the builders, the sum of $10,000 principal, and 85,000 interest. Mr. George Thrall was the success- ful bidder for the lease of the hotel, and con- ducted the business in a manner profitable to himself and satisfactory to the public un- til the spring of 1878, when he gave up the hotel to go into other business. It was then leased by the Kitchen Brothers -- Charles W., James B. and Richard Kitchen. They im- mediately began extensive improvements, including the putting in of an elevator. A large sum was expended for furniture, which was being delivered at the house when at half past six o'clock on the evening of Sep- tember 24, 1878, fire was discovered in the elevator shaft in which workmen were em- ployed that day up to six P. M., and it is the general belief that the flames caught from a lighted candle they had been using in their work. There was a story circulated at the time to the effect that one of these men was eating supper at a restaurant when the fire
alarm sounded and the announcement was made that the Grand Central was burning, and that he jumped up and rushed out, ex- claiming: "And I left a burning candle in the elevator shaft!" The building was en- tirely consumed, and with it were burned to death five brave firemen-Lewis Wilson, Alonzo Randall, John A. Lee, William MeNamara and Henry Lockfield, who had succeeded in gaining an entrance to the third floor of the building with a hose, when the floors all gave way and were instantly a mass of flames. The disaster was keenly felt by the people of Omaha, for the Grand Cen- tral had been the boast of the city from the time of its completion, and the prospect for its rebuilding was then exceedingly doubt- ful. The house had been closed for three months and was to have been re-opened five days later. The Kitchen Brothers secured the building at the southwest corner of Fif- teenth and Harney Streets, owned by the Withnell Brothers, and formerly occupied as headquarters for the military of the Depart- ment of the Platte. (This property was after- wards purchased by Miller & Richardson, for the Herald newspaper and job offices.) The building was fitted up for hotel purposes, christened the Withnell, and here the Kitch- ens received their patrons and made them as comfortable as circumstances permitted, un- til October, 1882.
The Paxton Hotel, now occupying the ground on which the Grand Central formerly stood, was built by the Kitchen Brothers, the former lessees of the Grand Central, at a cost of $275,000. The ground, 132 feet square, cost them $30,000; it is now worth a quarter of a million. The building, five sto- ries, is solidly built of brick and iron, lighted by an electric plant which cost $10,000, and is fitted with all the requirements for a first- class hotel. The property is owned by the Kitchen Brothers Hotel Company, and is leased. On the night of April 12, 1891, this building also caught fire, inflicting a damage of about $25,000, and causing the death of
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HOTELS OF EARLY AND MODERN DAYS.
Michael Carter, captain of No. 2 Hose Com- pany, who with pipemen Martin Mulvihill, Peter McGuire and Thomas Downs, was crushed by the falling of a brick wall upon them as they were ascending a long ladder, the accident occurring upon almost the same spot where the five firemen were killed, in September, 1878, when the Grand Central was destroyed. The three pipemen were all severely bruised, but escaped with their lives.
The Paxton had been Ieased to different parties for several years, but, after consider- able litigation, the proprietors regained pos- session in May, 1892, and are at this time conducting it.
The Millard Hotel, occupying an area of 132 by 200 feet at the northeast corner of Douglas and Thirteenth, was built in 1882 by a syndicate, composed of Samuel Sheavs, J. E. Markel, Thomas Swobe, Ezra Millard, J. H. Millard and George Giacomini. It is a substantial brick structure, five stories high, and, with improvements made at vari- ous times, cost over 8200,000. For many years the business was conducted by Messrs. Markel & Swobe, but the former retired in March, 1891, leaving the latter as sole man- ager.
For a quarter of a century Thomas Mur- ray devoted a lot, 66 x 132 feet, which he owned at the northwest corner of Harney and Fourteenth, to a variety of purposes, re- sulting in a general collection of all sorts of worthless "plunder." The ground is now of great value, and thereon he erected a hotel building which was first opened for business under the name of the Murray, in September, 1888. It is a substantial brick structure, six stories high, 60 x 132 feet, located at the northwest corner of Harney and Fourteenth, and cost, with the furniture, $140,000. The hotel has achieved great popularity under the management of Mr. Benton Silloway.
The Mercer is a new six-story hotel which was completed and opened in June 1892. It
is located on the corner of Howard and Twelfth Streets, and was built and is owned by Dr. S. D. Mercer. It contains 150 rooms and is under the management of Don II. Porter, a well-known and experienced hotel man. It cost $200,000. It deservedly stands well up in the list of Omaha's first- class hotels. Mr. G. S. Erb, of Salt Lake City, has leased this hotel for five years from the first day of August, 1892.
The Hotel Brunswick was opened in 1892 by Hon. W. F. Sweesy, who had built it in the fall of 1891. It is located on the corner of Sixteenth and Jackson, and is one of the handsome buildings on that thoroughfare.
The Hotel Dellone recently completed by Mr. Andrew Dellone, at the southwest cor- ner of Capitol Avenue and Fourteenth, at an expense of $100,000, Chauncy Reed lessee and manager, is one of the handsomest and most substantial buildings in the city.
The Barker, on Thirteenth and Jones, Mr. George Van Oman, proprietor; the Mer- chants', on Farnam, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth, Nat. Brown, proprietor; Ilotel Casey, 1213, 1215, 1217, Douglas, J. Casey, proprietor; the Grand Central Hotel, Fif-
teenth and Jackson, Peterson & Son, propri- etors; Hotel Esmond, Drexel & Ilart, propri- etors; the Metropolitan, 1122, 1124, Douglas, Gay & Hoar, proprietors; the Windsor, Tenth and Jackson, Schlank & Prince, pro- prietors; Union Depot Hotel, Mason and Eleventh, W. M. Walker, proprietor, with many others of lesser note, now afford excel- lent accommodations for the traveling public.
Probably there are more historical facts connected with the hotel now known as the Jennings House than with any other building now used as a hotel in Omaha. It was built by George Francis Train, in 1867, being erected in sixty days, and was opened by the Cozzens, of West Point, New York, who con- ducted it for a year. Mr. Philo Rumsey took it then, and had charge of it for three years, closing out in the fall of 1871. It
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAILA.
then stood vacant for a number of years, be- ing opened about 1880, and conducted by different persons, but not successfully. Later Mr. Philo Rumsey again returned to the city, took hold of the house, and was doing a very good business when, in trying to save the life of a little girl in a hotel fire in Buffalo, New York, he lost his life. The late Dr. J. W. McMenamy purchased the property and used it for a medical institute until his death, after which time it was run by a Mr. A. T. Mclaughlin as a medical institute; but, by reason of the attacks of newspapers because of some questionable transactions, its repu- tation failed, and the house was again closed. After remaining closed for some months it was again named, this time the Jennings, and is now doing a fair business under the management of Mr. Edwin Jennings.
In concluding this chapter it may not be
out of place to refer to some of the hotel schemes which have originated. been can- vassed among the people, and then, just as everyone expected to see reared skyward the towering buildings, there has been a hitch, and the scheme collapsed. At differ- ent times there were to be hotels on the cor- ner of Teuth and Farnam, where the exca- vation was made; on the corner of Farnam and Twentieth; on Sixteenth and Harney; and at various other places. The probabil- ities are that most of these schemes were more in the nature of real estate specula- tions, with a view of benefitting surround- ing property, than for the purpose of meet- ing the demands for hotel accommodations. There are, at the present time, prospects that at least one more large hotel will be erected in Omaha, and that a start will be made this summer (1892) on the work.
CHAPTER XXVI.
LIBRARIES- EARLY EFFORTS IN THIS DIRECTION -THE GREAT PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF TO-DAY -PRIVATE COLLECTIONS OF BOOKS - BYRON REED'S BEQUEST -THE LIBRARY BUILDING.
To Mrs. Mary Allan Bock, who was for several years the efficient librarian of the public library, the editors of this work are indebted for the following very interesting chapter.
The libraries of Omaha, both public and private, are institutions to which her citi- zens may point with pride.
Not until 1871 was there any movement to establish a circulating library. In the latter part of that year, as the result of the efforts of John T. Edgar, Nathan Shelton and A. M. Henry, articles of incorporation of the Omaha Library Association were adopted and signed by the following: T. E. Sickles, St. A. D. Balcombe, H. W. Yates, Herman Kountze, George L. Miller, J. T. Edgar, Ezra Millard, Albert Swartzlander, Nathan Shelton, C. II. Brown, P. II. Allen and A. M. Ilenry.
The first meeting of the stockholders was held at the rooms of the Board of Trade, December 30th. The first board of direc- tors was then chosen, as follows: A. J. Poppleton, St. A. D. Balcombe, H. W. Yates, J. T. Edgar, J. Patrick, A. Swartzlander, S. S. Caldwell, G. L. Miller, J. W. Gannett, N. Shelton and A. M. Henry. January 3, 1872, the election of officers took place, the result being: president, A. J. Poppleton; vice president, N. Shelton; treasurer, S. S. Caldwell; secretary, A. Swartzlander; corres- ponding secretary, A. M. Henry. At the same meeting steps were taken toward the collection of books. The donation by John T. Edgar of one thousand volumes, and the
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