Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 57

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > Butler > Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th > Part 57

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

tion are Howard Reiber, president ; and William Kirkpatrick, secretary.

The Butler Chamber of Commerce is a new organization of business men that had its inception in the fall of 1908. The offi- vers elected in January, 1909, were A. M. Christley, president ; D. K. Albright, vice- president ; Daniel Younkins, vice-presi- dent; Newton T. MeCollough, secretary; and D. A. Sutton, treasurer. Ward com- mittees were appointed, and the new soci- ety started out with a membership of over one hundred. The new organization does not conflict with the old Board of Trade, and hopes to accomplish a great deal for the town along lines which the old organi- zation was not able to pursue.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

The first public building erected in the borough was the Court House of 1807, which was followed by a new court house in 1853, and the present edifice, which was erected in 1884. A history of these various edifices and views of the same appear in another chapter. The Butler County Gen- eral Hospital, the County Home, and Pub- lie School Buildings and the various churches are also elsewhere described. The first steps towards procuring a city build- ing have been taken by the town council in the purchase of a lot on West North Street, and the proposition to issue bonds for the purpose of erecting a suitable building will soon be submitted to the citi- zens of the town. In 1902 the government purchased a lot on the corner of Washing- ton and West Jefferson Streets to be used as the site for a federal building.

In the early days public meetings were held in the court house or in some one of the churches. Public places of amusement were out of the question, as only a few halls could be found in the town and they were not suited for theatrical purposes. About 1881 I. J. MeCandless, W. C. Thompson, and others, secured the old Lu- theran church property on the corner of

East Wayne and South MeKean Streets, now occupied by the Evans Manufacturing Company and the MeDowell Steam Laun- dry, and remodeled the building for theat- rical purposes. This answered the pur- poses of the town until September, 1891, when it was destroyed by fire. In the meantime it had passed through several hands and at the time it was burned the property was owned by Andrew Root of Butler.

The Armory Building, also known as Park Theater, had its inception March 11. 1891, when the Armory Building Associa- tion was incorporated by John W. Brown, president, W. T. Mechling, secretary, S. H. Huselton, treasurer, and Ira MeJunkin. The building was erected the same year, but before its completion the old opera house on Mckean Street was burned and the company converted the new Armory building into a theater. This was accom- plished by the erection of an addition to the rear and placing the armory on the third floor, thus serving the double pur- pose of an armory and an opera house. The opera house was on the first floor, the second floor was used for offices, and the third floor was occupied by Company E, Fifteenth Regiment, and later by Com- pany L, Sixteenth Regiment. On July 30, 1894, the Park Theater Company of But- ler were granted a charter with a capital stock of $45,000. The officers of the com- pany were Jno. W. Brown, president ;

George Schenck, vice-president; W. T. Mechling, secretary; Peter Schenck, treas- urer; Ira McJunkin, George Ketterer and William H. O'Brien, directors. November 20, 1903, the Park Theater building was destroyed by fire and for the year follow- ing the town was without a public place of amusement or a large ball in which to hold public meetings other than the court house.

The Majestic Theater Company was in- corporated by George A. Troutman, Jacob Keck, T. C. H. Keck, George Burkhalter, and P. L. King, in January, 1904, and the

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same month the Byerly and Krug proper- ties on the corner of East Cunningham and McKean Streets were purchased and prep- arations were commenced for the erection of a theater. The plans for the building were prepared by Porter & Gaisford of Butler, and the contract awarded to the Builders' Supply Company. The work was rushed as rapidly as possible, and the theater part of the building was formally opened on the 16th of November, the same year. The building is 64x123 feet, and in addition to the theater, which is on the ground floor, has a large hall that is used as an armory by the local military com- pany and for public assemblies. The build- ing is an imposing-looking structure, mod- ern in architecture, thoroughly equipped, and represents an investment of about $85,000.00. The present officers of the company are George A. Troutman, presi- dent; T. C. H. Keck, secretary and treas- urer ; and George Burkhalter, manager.

TAVERNS AND HOTELS.

In the winter of 1803-4 there were only two taverns in the village of Butler. At the February session of court held in 1804 ·by Judge Moore, licenses were granted to William Ayres and James Thompson to keep public houses. As the granting of a license implied the right to sell liquor, it is to be inferred that these two were the first regularly authorized landlords in the town. At the May term of court in 1804, tavern licenses were granted to John Moser, Robert Graham, George Bowers and William Brown. Thus within one year from the building of the first houses, But- ler had six taverns. From that time to the present many persons have been engaged in the business.

Among the oldest was Adam Funk, who kept a log tavern facing the Diamond, for which he got a license in 1805. This house stood on the present site of the Nixon Hotel, and is said to have been the build- ing in which the first courts were held.

"The Buck" was a famous old tavern that occupied the present site of the Park Hotel. Its proprietor was Patrick Kelley, who was famous as a landlord. A stately buck with branching antlers was painted on the sign of this hotel, and it was from this sign that the tavern got its name. This tavern was the favorite resort of the local militia on muster days, and also a place for holding political meetings.

The sign of " The Rising Sun" on South Main Street was a noted hotel kept by David Scott. This hotel occupied the site of the present Arlington Hotel, and was erected at an early date, previous to 1820. Scott was a man noted for kindness of heart, and his guests often took advantage of him. He was succeeded by Abraham M. Neyman. The latter, with his son Thomas, was killed by the falling of a tree April 12, 1827. This accident was one of the tragedies of the early days. Neyman and his wife and two children, one an in- fant in its mother's arms, were returning from the country in a wagon when they were overtaken by a storm. A tree fell across the road, crashing into the wagon and killing Mr. Neyman and his son. The mother and the infant escaped miracu- lously. The infant grew to manhood, and is known today as the venerable Dr. A. M. Neyman, living in retirement on Oak Street.

"The Rising Sun" afterwards passed through several hands, in 1848 William Vogeley becoming the proprietor. The name was changed to the Vogeley House. In 1867 Mr. Vogeley retired and William H. Ensminger became the lessee to the property. He was succeeded in turn by Jacob Fiedler, Geo. W. Campbell, Beck & Faubel and C. Snodgrass. In July, 1892, the house was purchased by Capt. Herman Leibold from the Vogeley heirs, and he conducted the hotel until 1907, when the property was purchased by A. Rocken- stein, who is the present proprietor. The present brick building was erected in 1833.

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

The Mansion House .- Soon after the period. He was succeeded by several oth town was laid out, Abraham Brinker, who was one of the notable pioneers, erected a log building which stood on the site of the old Citizen and Record offices on South Diamond, facing the court house. He was granted a hotel license in 1805, and con- tinued as proprietor of "The Mansion House" until 1809, when he sold the prop- erty to Jacob Mechling, one of the leading citizens of the town. Under the latter's administration this hotel obtained a wide reputation, and was a stopping place for many distinguished citizens of the country travelling on their way from Pittsburg to Erie. It was at this house that Gen. La- fayette was entertained on June 1, 1825, while enroute from Pittsburg to Erie and Canada.

Andrew Burns was the successor of Jacob Mechling as proprietor of the Man- sion House, He conducted the place for a number of years, when it was closed as a place of public entertainment.

First Temperance House .- One of the first taverns of the town was built by Will- iam Brown on the site of Miss Sarah Mc- Quistion's residence on South Main Street, recently purchased by the Masonic order. The house now standing was the rear part of the old hotel building. Brown was granted a license in May, 1804, and ran the business until succeeded by Samuel Mar- quis, Rudolph Kelker and John M. Zim- merman. Bennett Dobbs came later and converted it into a temperance house, the first in the town. The old building came into possession of the late John Negley about 1850, when the front part of it was torn down.

The Willard Hotel .- A log building was erected on the site of the present Willard Hotel at an early date, which was used for tavern purposes, but the early proprietors are not now known. Jacob Brinker, a son of Abraham Brinker, erected the first brick building about 1834 or 1835, and car- ried on the hotel business for a long

ers, among them W. J. Reihing, who re- modeled the building and enlarged it to its present capacity. He conducted the house until his death in 1890, after which his widow continued the business for a short time. George W. Campbell purchased the property and conducted the hotel for two or three years, when Mrs. Mattie Reihing again became the owner. Kemp and Kline were the lessees until 1903, when Mrs. Reihing took charge, remodeled the build- ing, and is at present conducting the busi- ness.

The Black Horse .- One of the noted hotels previous to the Civil War was "The Black Horse," which stood on the corner of Cunningham and Main Streets, and was owned by Patrick Haggerty previous to 1826. Haggerty was succeeded by his sons William and Alexander, and after the Civil War a hotel was conducted at this place by Patrick Kelley, until 1872 or 73, when John Hackett became the lessee and con- ducted the business until 1884. The prop- erty was then sold to A. & H. Reiber, who erected the Reiber block.

The Beatty House .- Another famous tavern that existed about the middle of the last century was "The Beatty House," which stood on the site now occupied by the Troutman Block and J. G. & W. Camp- bell's store. The sign was an American eagle with extended wings surrounded by thirteen stars. In some respects the "Eagle" was the leading public house of its day. It was in successful operation as early as 1828 and continued to be one of the leading hotels until after the advent of the railroads and the old stage line from Butler to Erie had been abandoned. Mr. Beatty, the first proprietor, was a man of dignity and high integrity, who would al- low no disorderly characters about the premises. In 1848 he sold the hotel prop- erty to Jacob Reiber, and in 1850 Col. Alexander Lowry became the owner and conducted the house until 1863, when he

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sold the property to Benjamin Jack, who conducted it for a few years, and then dis- continued the business.

The Lowry Hotel .- Previous to 1820 a log building was erected on Jefferson Street near the corner of Main, which was afterwards clapboarded and given the ap- pearance of a frame house. In 1820 Col. Francis McBride opened the place as a tavern, and gave it the name of the "United States." Subsequently a frame addition was built on the corner. In 1849 the property was purchased by H. Julius Klinger, who, in 1852, re- moved the old log and frame build- ing and erected the first three-story brick hotel building in the borough. Plum- mer Jack became the owner in 1864, and he in turn sold the property to Col. Alexander Lowry, who changed the name of the hotel to the Lowry House. Col. Lowry and his son, John F. Lowry, carried on the busi- ness until 1890, with the exception of a few years that Cross & McOmber were the pro- prietors. In the latter year the property was sold to Thompson & Brown, after building an addition to the Jefferson Street side of the building. The new own- ers built another addition to the Main Street side of the building, involving an expenditure of about $20,000, and conduct- ed the business until August, 1894, when W. J. McCafferty and D. W. McCrea be- came the lessees of the property. Morgan and Phillip Davis next became the owners of the property and the lessees under them were Louis Weisberg and W. A. Kemp. Charles H. Hosford purchased the prop- erty from the Davis brothers in 1904 and conducted the business until February, 1907, when Ralph Gregg, the present owner and proprietor, took charge.

The Butler Hotel on South Main Street dates back to 1840, when it was known as the Swaney House. At this period Chris- tian Otto was the proprietor, and contin- ued to run the place for a number of years. Subsequently the building was converted

into offices and a dwelling, and was used for that purpose until about 1887, when Henry Eitenmiller established a hotel. He was succeeded by Harry Faubel and An- drew Root, and they in turn by the present proprietor, D. F. McCrea.

Park Hotel .- The building now occupied as the Park Hotel was originally the dwelling house of Maurice Bredin, who also conducted a store in the same building. It was converted into a hotel by Henry Eiten- miller in 1873, who conducted it for a num- ber of years and then sold it to James Sellers. Sellers was succeeded by Frank Clark, and he in turn by T. B. Humes, Jo- seph Shirley, Ralph Gregg, William Ken- nedy, and Louis Weisberg, the latter being the present proprietor.

The old Schreiber House on North Main Street, kept by Adam Schreiber, was one of the well known taverns in the days of the early oil excitement at the beginning of the seventies. William Boyd erected a large hotel Building at the corner of Zeig- ler Avenue and Center Avenue on the Southside, which was used for a hotel in the seventies, but after the decline of the Greece City oil boom the building was con- verted into a dwelling.

The Rowe House was one of the old time taverns that existed in the days of the stage coach, but went out of business with the advent of the railroad. The building is still standing at the foot of South Main Street, opposite the hospital.

Nixon's Home was a place of public en- tertainment that had a wide reputation in the last decade of the nineteenth century. The building was located on the site of the Methodist Episcopal parsonage on North McKean Street, and the proprietor of the place for years was Simeon Nixon.

The name tavern is no longer applied to public houses, and such places are now known only as hotels. In their equipment and style the modern hotel is far superior to the tavern of seventy-five years ago, and it is doubtful if there is any more good

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cheer dispensed today or a guest received with more genuine cordiality than he was by the inn-keepers of the fifties. Butler has not suffered from the transition from the tavern to the modern hotel. The hotels of today have kept pace with the improve- ments of the town, and take rank with the cities of larger and more pretentious con- ditions and surroundings. The old time taverns and hotels above enumerated are all the creations of the past century. The beginning of the new century has marked a number of modern hotel buildings which are in keeping with the new conditions and surroundings of the town. In enumerat- ing the hotels of 1909, the Lowry, Willard, Arlington, Park and Butler Houses may be said to belong to the past decades, but their proprietors have kept pace with the times, and these hotels are numbered among the leading places of public enter- tainment in this section. The following list comprises hotels that have been erect- ed in the present decade, and mark a new era in hotel building in Butler.

The New Nixon faces the public square from the south, and occupies the site of one of the first taverns of the town-the Adam Funk house. Subsequently the property was occupied by a dwelling house until 1892, when the Park Theater and Armory were erected. The fire of Novem- ber 20, 1903, destroyed the theater and Ar- mory and the following year Nixon Broth- ers bought the plot of ground fronting 65 feet on Diamond street and running through to the alley in the rear, 200 feet. The present hotel building is a buff brick structure, five stories high, including the basement, and covers the entire plat 200x 65 feet. One of the features is the roof garden, overlooking the Park and giving an excellent view of the town. The build- ing is equipped with steam heat, elevators, private baths in each of the 125 bed rooms, telephones and all of the conveniences of the modern hotels of the big cities.

The new hotel is the successor of the

Central Hotel, which was established by Mrs. Jennie Nixon on the southside of the Diamond about 1896. Subsequently the business was conducted by her sons, Sim- con and J. B. Nixon, until the new hotel was completed in 1906. The New Nixon is at the present time under the management of Simeon Nixon.

The Hotel Bowman is the only public house on the Southside. It is located on Center Avenue and was erected in 1898 by Jacob Bowman, who conducted the busi- ness for several years, when G. C. Ha- worth became the proprietor. The hotel is a three-story brick structure, containing thirty rooms with all modern improve- ments. Mr. Haworth conducted the busi- ness until October, 1907, when C. C. Reeder, the present proprietor, took charge.

The New Monroe Hotel on East Jeffer- son Street opposite the West Penn Depot, occupies the site of the old West Penn House, which was a noted place of public entertainment during the palmy days of the oil excitement in Greece City and Chicora. The new hotel is a three-story pressed brick building, containing fifty- two bed rooms, and represents an invest- ment of about $80,000. It is equipped with electric lights, gas and steam heat, tele- phone service, and is in every way modern in all its appointments. The property is owned by J. H. Harvey, who for five years was proprietor of the old Monroe Hotel on the corner of Monroe and East Jefferson Streets. The new hotel was erected in 1908, and was opened to the public the first of March, 1909.

The Atlas Hotel at the corner of Center Avenue and Mckean Street was erected by C. H. Geis and Joseph Franklin in 1907. It is a splendid brick building con- taining twenty-two bed rooms, a commo- dious dining room, and is equipped with gas and electric lights, steam heat, tele- phone service, and baths. The present proprietor of the hotel under lease is ex-

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Sheriff A. M. Campbell, who took charge in January, 1909.

The Keystone Hotel at the corner of Center Avenue and Cliff Street, was erected in 1906, by Hugh A. McNamee, who is the present proprietor. It is a three-story brick building, containing forty-five bed rooms, and all of the modern conveniences. It has been run as a tem- perance house since it was opened.

The Hotel Clinton on the corner of Race Street and First Avenue was erected in 1906 by Earl D. Clinton, who previous to that time had conducted the Standard Ho- tel on Fairground Avenue. The building is three stories high, constructed of Shaw- nee mottled brick, and brown stone trim- mings. It contains thirty-five bed rooms, and is equipped with steam heat, gas and electric lights, telephone service, and baths. The interior is finished in hard wood, and the floor of the office is laid in tile. This hotel is conveniently located to the P. H. B. & N. C. and P. & B. Electric Railways, and besides caring for a liberal transient trade, makes a specialty of ban- quets and receptions.

The Commercial Hotel on West Jeffer- son Street was established in 1906 by J. C. Moser, who purchased during that year the Steelsmith building and the property of John Lefevre. The buildings on the Lefevre property were torn down, and an addition was built to the three-story brick building on the Steelsmith lot. The hotel was opened to the public about January 1, 1906, and has since that time enjoyed a large share of the public patronage. It is equipped with all modern conveniences, and is noted for the excellence of its table. This hotel is much patronized by the thea- trical profession.

The Lyndora Hotel, located at the junc- tion of Pierce Avenue and the lower But- Jer Road in the edge of Lyndora, was erected during the summer of 1902, by C. H. Geis, P. A. McCool and F. X. Kohler. The building is a frame structure three

stories high, containing twenty-five bed rooms, a large dining room, and a bar in the basement. The first proprietor of the hotel was Charles Geis, who operated it under a lease. Subsequently the property was purchased by P. A. McCool, and in 1907, C. D. Shreiner became the owner of the property, and has since conducted the hotel business.

The Waldron. The building occupied by the Waldron Hotel in Lyndora was first erected in 1903 and occupied for a short time as a theater. In 1906 the building was remodeled and constructed into a ho- tel by J. Brown Nixon, who is the pres- ent proprietor. The building is two and a half stories high, contains fifteen bed rooms, steam heat, gas and electric lights, and baths on each floor. The hotel has a large dining room on the first floor, and a bar in the basement.

The Wick House, the Waverly and the Williams House are well known public houses run on the temperance plan, that have a large share of the public patronage.

EARLY MANUFACTURES.

The first manufactory in the present limits of Butler Borough is what is now known as the Walter Mill on the Conno- quenessing Creek, at the foot of Wash- ington Street. The original mill was a log building erected in 1802 by Samuel and John Cunningham, and it may be mentioned as a historical fact that the title to the land can be traced back to Rob- ert Morris, of Revolutionary fame. The Cunninghams had a cabin near the mill called the mill-house on the early maps of the town and it was at this cabin that the commissioners were entertained who came to Butler tolocate the county seat. The Cunningham brothers sold the mill to John Negley, one of Butler's pioneers, who in later years was the promoter of a num- ber of the industries of the town. At the time of this purchase the mill property was in Butler Township outside of the

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limits of the borough. Mr. Negley owned and carried on the mill for nearly thirty years. During this time he added to it a large woolen mill which was operated by his brother-in-law, Malachi Richardson. A cabinet-making shop was also one of the enterprises promoted by Mr. Negley, and in 1832 he established a salt manufactur- ing plant between the mill site and South Main Street, which was operated for a number of years. Between 1816 and 1826 Mr. Negley lived in the log house near the mill which had been built by the Cun- ninghams. The primitive mill was operat- ed by water power and was rudely equipped, the machinery consisting of a set of old-fashioned stone buhrs which served the settlers well at that time. In 1833 Mr. Negley sold the mill to Robert McNair and Brothers, who carried it on for fifteen years. The old building was torn down and a new mill erected in 1840, which was operated by steam. In 1842 a fire destroyed the entire plant, but the flouring part of it was immediately re- built and is a part of the present struc- ture. In 1848 it became the property of William Beatty, who in turn sold it to John McCarnes, who carried it on until 1856. In 1857 the interests of MeCarnes and Beatty were conveyed to Jacob Wal- ter and John C. Grohman, who carried it on until the death of Mr. Walter in 1865. At this time the mill had a capacity of about forty barrels of flour per day. Mr. Walter was succeeded by his son, George Walter, and the firm became Walter & Grohman. Jacob Boos bought the inter- ests of John C. Grohman in 1872, and the firm then became Walter & Boos. In 1890 Mr. Walter became the sole owner, and as- sociated with him his sons, J. A. and C. E. Walter, the firm becoming George Wal- ter & Sons. The present building is 44x 60 feet, four stories in height and operated entirely by steam. The old mill dam, which was a feature of the town for almost a cen- tury, has been abandoned. The roller sys-

tem is now in use in the mill, which has a capacity of sixty barrels of wheat flour, three hundred bushels of buckwheat per day, and two tons of chop per hour. Mr. Walter remained in charge until his death in 1902, and since that time the business has been carried on by the sons under the old firm name. This firm has an extensive country trade and also does a large busi- ness in builders' supplies. Buckwheat flour from this mill is shipped all over the United States.

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 57

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1526

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526