USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of the city of Omaha, Nebraska > Part 70
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T. J. Beard & Brother are interior decora- tors and dealers in paper hangings, at 1410 Douglas Street. T. J. Beard's residence in Omaha dates from 1869, when he began the business of painting and decorating. In 1879 the firm of Beard Brothers put in a stock of paper, and became the first exclusive wall paper house in this city, and absorbed this trade, which previously had been carried on in connection with other lines of business. This firm now occupies a large, two-story building, employs from twelve to fifty men and does a business of fifty thousand dollars annually.
Henry Lehmann does a large business in paper hangings, window shades and art mouldings, at 1508 Douglas Street.
Henry A. Kosters, 109 South Fourteenth Street, is one of the old landmarks in the commercial history of Omaha. Ile is now engaged in the business of decorator and dealer in paper hangings, in which he has had many years' experience, having first started here in this line in 1856, and after an intermission of some years, taken it up again.
Henry Osthoff deals in wall paper and win- dow shades, and does house and sign paint- ing, at 519 North Sixteenth Street. The business is managed by Charles L. Ilunt.
ART GOODS.
A. Hospe, Jr., is a wholesale and retail dealer in art and musical goods, at 1513 Douglas Street. He began business in 1874, in a little room ten by eighteen feet in size, with a small stock of pictures, mouldings and looking glasses. The first year's sales amounted to about $1,200. From such a
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
beginning the business has grown to its present proportions, occupying now four floors at No. 1513 and two floors in No. 1515, requiring the services of twenty-two persons, and amounts to $100,000 annually.
Rose's Art Store, J. M. Rose, proprietor, dates from October, 1880. This enterprise was also instituted on a limited capital, and has enlarged with the growth of the city until now a handsome stock is carried.
HI. P. Whitmore is the successor in busi- ness of Iloglen & Whitmore, dealers in fine art goods and importers of works of art in oil and water colors, who entered this busi- ness in 1889, occupying four floors at 1519 Dodge Street. The second floor of the es- tablishment is used as a gallery for the exhi- bition of pictures of all kinds, many of which are fine works of art imported by the firm from England and the countries of continental Europe. The number of em- ployes is eight, and the value of the stock carried is $15,000.
The Ileyn Photo-Supply Company is suc- cessor to S. Ileyn, jobber in supplies, mould- ings, pictures and frames. The business was initiated in 1884, and the company was in- corporated in January, 1891.
The increased demand for art goods in Omaha is probably due to the growth in population mainly, but the change from cheap chromos and prints to statuary, fine oil paintings and the most expensive and artistic frames, indicates a vastly greater appreciation of the beautiful in art on the part of purchasers, as well as a greatly aug- mented ability to buy them.
CROCKERY AND GLASSWARE.
The crockery, glass and chinaware trade is in the hands of the following named par- ties: Samuel Burns, at 1318 Farnam, the oldest dealer in the city in this line, whose business dates back to 1861. His store is large and the display of goods is costly and handsome.
M. H. Bliss is successor to Bliss & Isaacs,
importers and jobbers, whose business was established in 1875, as Brown & Bliss, and became Bliss & Isaacs in 1878. Three years ago, on the retirement of Mr. Isaacs, MI. H. Bliss became sole proprietor. His business now covers Nebraska, Wyoming, Dakota, Idaho, and requires two or three commercial travelers.
W. L. Wright is a wholesale dealer, at 1207 Iloward Street.
A. A. Stewart & Co. deal in bar glassware, at 1405 Jackson Street.
Gatch & Lauman, wholesale and retail dealers in china and glassware, are the suc- cessors of the firm of Perkins, Gatch & Lauman, which began business in Omaha five years ago. In 1891 Mr. Perkins retired from the firm, and C'. L. Garrison was admit- ted into it. This house occupies No. 1516, in the Paxton Block, on Farnam Street, in addition to which they have a warehouse at Ninth and Jones Streets. All the country between Omaha and Oregon is included in this firm's territory.
Charles A. Harvey's store is located at 1514 Farnam Street, where tiles, terra cotta, mosaics, stained glass, and goods of like character are carried in stock.
BILLIARD MERCHANDISE.
The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, one of the largest dealers in billiard mer- chandise in the world, located one of its thirty-five branches in the United States here about fifteen years ago, with J. C. Sel- den, who has been with the house twenty-seven years as manager. Four years ago the com- pany built a substantial four-story brick building, at 407-109 South Tenth Street, three floors of which it occupies, and does a business of about $85,000 yearly.
The Gate City Billiard Table Company has lately succeeded the Garden City Billiard Table Company, which began business about two years ago. The company does a whole- sale trade, and employs two commercial travelers.
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GUNS AND SPORTING GOODS.
The Cross Gun Company is the successor of Frank Cross and J. W. Dunmire, who con- stituted the Cross & Dunmire Gun Company, at 1512 Donglas Street. J. J. Harden was the originator of the business, in 1886, and was succeeded by Gwin & Dunmire in 1889, which firm, after several changes, retired from the business. The present firm began business in August, 1892, and is managed by W. D. Townsend.
The Collins Gun Company, is the sign under which Frank S. Parmalee does busi- ness. The house was originally Collins & Petty, started in 1878. In 1885, the suc- cessors of Collins & Petty assumed the name of the Collins Gun Company, the partners then being J. S. Collins and F. S. Parmalee. Mr. Collins retired from the firm in 1890. This house does a wholesale and retail busi- ness in firearms, ammunition, etc., at 1312 Douglas Street.
PLUMBERS' SUPPLIES.
J. L. Welshans & Co., 1416-1418 IIarney Street, have been in business as sanitary plumbers and dealers in plumbers' supplies since 1881, and are the successors of Ilamil- ton & MeEwan. The firm has a well-stocked store and employs from fifteen to fifty men.
The Hussey & Day Company, 409-411 South Fifteenth Street, is a corporation, with N. B. Hussey, president; F. B. Il ussey, sec- retary and treasurer; Frederick Arnd, vice president. This house began to do business here in 1887, in steam-heating, gas-fixtures and plumbing, and now has a large trade.
IRON AND HARDWARE.
W. J. Broatch started in the wholesale iron, steel and heavy hardware business, in Omaha, in the spring of 1874, and is there- fore the oldest merchant in the hardware line in the city. The building first occu- pied was a little, old structure, opposite his present location, 1209-1211 Ilarney Street, and his help was a boy. His only competi- tor in business then was J. T. Edgar & Co.
After twice out-growing the buildings he occupied, Mr. Broatch, in 1880, built the commodious four-story brick building lie now occupies. The business has kept pace with the growth of the city and State, and now requires the labor of fifteen persons to carry it on.
The Baum Iron Company was incorporated in 1888, with a paid-up capital of $100,000. This house does a wholesale business in iron, steel and heavy hardware, at 1208 and 1210 Ilarney Street, where it occupies a five story building and employs sixteen people, five of whom are on the road as commercial travel- ers. The trade of this house extends through Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and parts of lowa and Kansas.
The Lee-Clarke- Andreesen Hardware Com- pany does business at 1219 to 1223 Har- ney Street and handles hardware, cutlery, nails and tinware. This company was in- corporated in January, 1888, succeeding Lee, Fried & Co., who had been in busi- ness since 1880. The company has an au- thorized capital $300,000, of which $200,- 000 is paid in. Ten salesmen make freqnent visits to the principal towns in Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, western Iowa, and parts of Colorado and Dakota. The officers of the company are II. T. Clarke, president; II. J. Lee, vice-president; E. M. Andreesen, treasurer; and C. H. Clarke, Secretary.
The Rector & Wilhelmy Co. filed its arti- cles of incorporation in 1884, and is com- posed of the following named persons: P. C. DeVol, president; F. B. Ilochstetler, vice- president; Allen T. Rector, treasurer; W. S. Wright, Secretary; and J. F. Wilhelmy. It has a capital stock of $125,000 fully paid in. The company erected the structure it now occupies, a fine brick establishment sixty-six feet by one hundred feet and four stories high, at the corner of Tenth and Jackson Streets, in 1889, at a cost of 839,000. Thirty persons are employed, eight of whom are commercial travelers.
The James Morton & Son Company is at
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAIIA.
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1511 Dodge Street, where a wholesale and retail hardware trade is carried on. James Morton is president and treasurer and C. W. Morton, secretary.
Lobeek & Linn, successors to E. T. Duke, are wholesale and retail dealers in builders hardware, eutlery and tools, at 1404 Donglas Street, where they have been established sinee May, 1891. As a commercial house this reaches back to quite early times. Mr. Duke, the predecessor of this company, who took charge of the business in 1876 was himself preceded by J. T. Edgar, who, after running the business some years, died while consul at Beirut, Syria.
The Crane Company is a branch of the Chicago house of the same name, dealer in wrought iron pipes, boiler tubes, malleable and cast iron fittings and a multitude of other things of a kindred nature. The of- fice and store is situated at 922-924 Farnam Street and the warehouse on Douglas Street. The business of the past year has crowded a million closely. Twenty persons are in the employ of this branch, five of whom are salesmen on the road. Mr. II. T. Lally, who was the manager of this company several years at Omaha, took charge of the com- pany's business at San Francisco, California, April, 1892, and was sueceeded by H. II. Deane, senior member of the firm of Deane & Horton of Lincoln.
The U. S. Wind Engine and Pump Com- pany, 916-918 Jones Street, is one of the branches of the house whose factory is at Batavia, Illinois. G. F. Ross manages the Omaha business. This branch, which was started here five years ago, now affords em- ployment to four travelers and fifteen other persons.
Previous to removing to this city, in 1886, the Churchill Pump Company had been in business four years at Council Bluffs. In January, 1889, the company became cor- porate with E. V. Lewis, president and trea- surer; W. H. Rayner, vice-president; and A. S. Cost, secretary. The company is a
jobber of steam, water and plumbers' supplies with an authorized capital of fifty-two thou- sand dollars. On account of increase of busi- ness this firm has lately taken enlarged quar- ters at 1014-1016 Douglas Street.
Fairbanks, Morse & Co. have a branch house in Omaha, at 1102-1104 Farnam Street, with a large warehouse and boiler platform on the railroad. They are dealers in seales, engines, steam pumps, boilers and a large list of other things. Five traveling salesmen and fifteen other persons are em- ployed by the firm which does a business of $200,000 annually. F. C. Ayer is manager.
The firm of A. L. Deane & Co. is com- posed of A. L. Deane, J. W. Donnell and M. DeCasky and they handle Hall's patent safes and bank loeks at 321-323 south Tenth Street. This firm succeeded P. Boyer & Co. four years ago. Their trade covers Iowa, Nebraska and the southwest.
PRINTING MATERIAL.
The Great Western Type Foundry, 1114 Howard Street, is a branch of the Chicago house, established here in December, 1887, W. A. Potter, manager. The business oceu- pies six floors and employs fifteen or twenty persons. The trade is mostly retail, but some goods are sold to dealers. This firm does a large electrotype and repair business, and buys and rebuilds machinery.
In 1885, Marder Luse & Co., of the Chi- eago Type Foundry, established a branch of their house here, under the name of the Omaha Type Foundry, which was managed by HI. J. Pickering and II. P. Hallock. In January, 1891, Messrs. Piekering and Hal- loek withdrew, and Mr. IIalloek established the Atlantic-Pacific Type Foundry. In Jan- uary, 1893, most of the type foundries hav- ing been consolidated under the name of the American Type Founders' Company, these two houses were united, with H. P. Hallock in charge. The name is now Marder Luse & Co. Foundry, Omaha Branch, and the place of business is 11.18 Howard Street.
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STOVE STORES.
The firm of Milton Rogers & Sons, dealers in stoves, ranges, mantels, etc., at 1321-1323 Farnam Street, is probably the oldest house of the kind in the State of Nebraska, and was established here by Milton Rogers in June, 1855, as a branch of the tinware and stove store he had opened, some years be- fore, in Council Bluffs. The first building occupied by Mr. Rogers was of one story, twenty feet front and forty feet deep, built of cottonwood, and stood on the north side of Farnam Street between Ninth and Tenth. In 1860 Mr. Rogers bought a lot on the corner of Fourteenth and Farnam Streets, and built a one-story frame, covering the lot. Later he joined the other property holders, when the entire south side of Farnam Street, from Thirteenth to Fourteenth, was built up solid with three-story buildings. He occupied his new store in January, 1868. In the year 1884 the firm became Milton Rogers & Son, by the admission of Thomas J. Rogers to an interest in the business, and in 1884 the present firm name was assumed, when War- ren M. Rogers became a partner in the busi- ness. This house carries a large stock, and employs from fifteen to thirty-five men.
Robert Uhlig is proprietor and C. M. Eaton manager of the Omaha Stove Repair Works, 1207 Douglas Street. This enterprise was started in 1884, but Mr. Uhlig has been con- nected with it only since 1889. This house claims to carry repairs for 40,000 different stoves, and is said to have the most com- plete stock of the kind in the west-having on hand four hundred tons of castings, and doing a business of $75,000 yearly.
The Great Western Stove Company, of Leavenworth, Kansas, has a branch at 909 Jones Street, Omaha, which has been operat- ed since 1888. E. A. Trussell manages the Omaha trade.
Wm. Lyle Dickey & Co. do a large retail business in stoves, ranges and furnaces, at 1403 Douglas Street, where they have been established since 1888 ..
John Ilobrecker, Jr., is western agent for numerous stove manufacturing companies, at 1009-1011 Jones Street, where a large stock of goods is carried. Mr. Hobrecker has been engaged in this line here for the past three years.
FARM MACHINERY, VEHICLES.
As this city is the center of a large agri- cultural district tributary to it, the increased tillage of late years, necessarily causes a greater demand for farm machinery; this being the case, it is easy to judge of the demands of agriculture in this district by the number of agricultural implement houses and the amount of machinery distributed from here.
G. W. Lininger is the oldest implement dealer in Omaha. He came to Council Bluffs in 1868 and together with E. L. Shugert started as a pioneer in this line in that city. In 1873 Mr. Lininger removed from Council Bluffs and began business in Omaha as G. W. Lininger & Co. In 1879 he sold out his busi- ness. Two years later was organized Lin- inger, Metcalf & Co., incorporated with a capital of $100,000, with the following named stockholders : G. W. Lininger, presi- dent; J. M. Metcalf, vice-president; HI. P. Devalon, secretary and treasurer; Thomas Metcalf and Mrs. Lininger. Since then Thomas Metcalf has withdrawn from the business and F. L. Haller has been added to the firm. The history of this house is the same old story of industry, energy and hon- esty that characterize the growth of other successful business ventures. In the first year Messrs. Lininger and Devalon managed to get along very well with the assistance of one helper. Times have changed since then. After occupying. and outgrowing several buildings, the company bought the property formerly occupied by the Bemis Brewing Company on Sixth and Pacific Streets, which was remodelled at a cost of seventeen thou- sand dollars. There the establishment now covers three acres, with sixty-five thousand square feet of flooring under metal roof.
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
This is one of the largest jobbing implement houses in the world, having eighteen branch houses in the State, employing four traveling men and from seventy-five to one hundred other men at headquarters. The business requires an active capital of about a half million dollars.
The Parlin, Orendorff & Martin Company, of Canton, Illinois, does a jobbing business in farm machinery. The business was begun in the fall of 1882, as Parlin, Orendorff & Martin, and incorporated under the present style, in 1887. This company owns and oc- cupies, at the corner of Ninth and Jones Streets, Omaha, a large, five-story brick building, has five traveling salesmen, and does a business of between three and four hundred thousand dollars yearly. Euclid Martin is treasurer and manager.
The Omaha branch of the Avery Planter Company, of Peoria, Illinois, is located at Eighth and Pacific Streets, and is managed by F. P. Day. It was started here in 1882, and now sends out from three to six travel- ing men. Among other things, this branch sells one thousand planters and two thousand cultivators, and does a business of $200,000 annually.
The Aultman & Taylor Company, manu- facturers of threshers and other machinery, is represented here by F. L. Loomis, who is located at Tenth, and Farnam Streets. This company has had a representative here for ten or twelve years.
William Deering & Co., of Chicago, have sold binders, reapers, and other machinery, at their branch house here, since 1880. This branch has twelve traveling men, and occu- pies a building, the property of the company, fifty feet wide, one hundred and twenty feet long, and seven stories high, at 801-803 Capitol Avenue, which was erected in 1890. The last year's business amounted to three- quarters of a million dollars. Thomas Blenk- horn is the general agent.
The McCormick Ilarvesting Machine Com- pany, of Chicago, has had a branch here for
several years. Employment is given to twenty men, and a large amount of machin- ery sold and distributed throughout the State. W. G. Sawyer is general agent, with office and warehouse at 808 to 812 Leaven- worth Street.
The Nebraska Moline Plow Company be- gan business in this city in July, 1892, at the corner of Ninth and Leavenworth Streets. This is a branch of the Moline Plow Com- pany of Moline, Illinois, and is managed by Theo. Starks. This company was formerly represented here by the Moline, Milburn- Stoddard Company.
Kingman & Co. are dealers in farm ma- chinery, buggies and wagons at Ninth and Pacific Streets. A. L. Carson is local man- ager. This is one of several houses cstab- lished by this company in leading cities along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and began business in July, 1892.
T. G. Northwall is general agent for the Skandia Plow Co., Craner, Steel & Austin, and the O. S. Kelly Co., and handles a gen- eral line of farm implements and machinery. The agency was established in 1889.
Major George Armstrong and his son, E. L. Armstrong, as Armstrong & Co., were in the agricultural implement business in this city from January, 1886, to January, 1891. At the latter date E. L. Armstrong became sole proprietor of the business. He occupies a large three story building, and sells, at wholesale, implements and vehicles, the manufacture of more than twenty differ- ent companies. The trade extends west to Wyoming and north to Minnesota. The of- fice and warehouse are at 1308 to 1312 Izard Street.
The Winona Implement Company is an- other enterprise started here in 1886. Lo- cation, Fourteenth and Nicholas Streets. T. O. Eichelberger is general manager.
W. T. Seaman owns and occupies a build- ing of sixty feet front and one hundred and fifty feet depth, five stories high. This is filled with all sorts of vehicles from the heav-
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iest farm wagon to the finest buggies and car- riages, which, as a retail stock, is rarely exceeded in the United States. His place of business is 1331 to 1335 North Sixteenth Street.
The Columbus Buggy Company of Colum- bus, Ohio, has one of its branches at Omaha, which does a wholesale and retail business under the management of G. D. Edwards. One hundred styles of vehicles are displayed. A building five stories high, 66 by 132 feet on the ground, occupying numbers 1610 to 1614 Harney Street, was occupied by this company in January, 1893. The two lower stories will be used for repository or show rooms, and the remainder for storage.
Sutphen & Son, proprietors of the Sutphen Fine Carriage Repository, have been estab- lished in Omaha since March, 1890, and now are located at 2020 Farnam Street, doing a wholesale and retail business.
A. H. Perrigo & Co. are dealers in bicycles and tricycles at 1406 Dodge Street. They have been in business since 1889.
STORAGE.
W. M. Bushman does a storage business and maintains a receiving, forwarding and financial agency, at 1013-1015 Leaven- worth Street, where he has fine trackage. Mr. Bushman also has the government bond- ed warehouse in his building, which is 44x- 128 feet on the ground, with five stories and basement. IIe has been engaged in this line in this city for five years past.
The Western Cold Storage Company occu- pies a large building on Ninth and Daven- port Streets. The officers of the company are: P. A. English, president; C. Murray, vice president; A. E. English, secretary and treasurer.
The Nebraska Cold Storage Company, a receiving and forwarding institution, occu- pying five floors at 815-817 Howard Street, has storage capacity for eighty carloads of produce, forty of which are dry storage. It is well provided with trackage. The officers
of the company are: L. Kirschbraun, pres- ident, and E. Lowenstein, secretary and treasurer.
GROCERS.
" II enry Pundt, teas and groceries; founded 1856," is the legend inscribed on the three- story building, 1218 Farnam. At the be- ginning of its existence this house was Pundt & Koenig, occupying a two-story brick building on Thirteenth and Farnam, where the Merchants National Bank now stands. That store was then one of the finest in the city, and the firm sold great piles of grocer- ies, liquors and provisions, hardware, boots and shoes, to outfitters and emigrants to California, and other points in the West. On the death of Mr. Koenig, in 1863, Mr. Pundt assumed the firm name and style of II. Pundt & Co., the company being nominal. From 1874 to 1879, Pundt, Meyer & Raapke were engaged in the jobbing and retail grocery business. Since the latter date Mr. Pundt has done an extensive business in the retail grocery trade, carrying also a large stock of liquors.
D. M. Steele & Co., are wholesale grocers and importers of teas and cigars. The present firm is the successor of Steele, John- son & Co., who began business in Council Bluffs in 1867, and, attracted by the rapid growth, commanding position and numerous western railway connections, moved to this city in 1872, and occupied a three-story building on the corner of Thirteenth and Harney Streets, having, at that time three or four men in the field. In February, 1885, the firm of D. M. Steele & Co. succeeded the old firm, the new company being composed of Dudley M. Steele, Dudley Smith and John M. Steele. As the trade increased, larger accommodations were demanded, and a five- story building, 132 feet deep, with sixty-six feet front, was erected in 1890, for the firm's special use, at the corner of Twelfth and Jones Streets, which was immediately occu- pied. Into this building tracks run connect- ing with all the railroads entering the city,
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAILA.
making it easy for the employes of the house to load and unload goods without interfer- ence or expense on the part of the railroad companies. All large consignments received or sent out are handled in this way. They import large quantities of tea direct from Yokahama, Japan, and cigars from Cuba. They are also agents for some of the largest cigar manufacturers in the world. The twen- ty-one salesmen employed by this house visit the principal towns in Nebraska, West- ern Iowa, Northern Kansas, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. A branch warehouse for staple goods, is located at Salt Lake City, whiel supplies the far west trade in the district tributary to that point.
The McCord-Brady Company, successor to McCord, Brady & Co., wholesale grocers, was incorporated January 1, 1891, with James McCord, president; William H. Mc- Cord, vice president; John S. Brady, treas- urer; Frank J. Hoel, secretary. The original firm was established here fourteen years ago and built up a trade which now reaches out over Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyo- ming, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and as far west as Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. This company has all the conveniences of store- room and trackage to facilitate and expedite business. The triple five-story brick build- ing now occupied was constructed in 1883.
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