Caldwell County MO Archives History .....EARLY MEMORIES OF OLD HAMILTON 
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 8, 2008, 4:04 pm

EARLY MEMORIES OF OLD HAMILTON
	Narrator:  Mrs. Maud Harlow

     Mrs. Harlow is the daughter of Capt. Marcus Morton who began as a 
merchant 1865 "home from the wars" as he and his brother John advertised in 
the paper.  He was a tinner and John a hardware man.  The Charley Morton 
family settled in Daviess county 1854, so the family is among the oldest in 
this section.  She mentions many of the buildings recalled by other old 
timers, but often give details omitted by them.
     She knew the old Claypool hotel on the site of the north end of the 
present Johnson store.  They were the grandparents of Mollie Wines and Walter 
Whitt, now of middle age and past.  To the north was the building known in the 
80s as the Jordan building but in the 70s as the Kelso building, Mr. Kelso 
being the father of Mrs. W.J. Ervin.  This was the home of the big Wm. Rhoades 
dry goods store in the UPs, and today the same site is the home of the Mo. Dry 
Goods Co., but of course the old frame has given way to brick.  To the north 
was Black Doddridge's drug store (father of George D. of the Harrison 
district).  On the corner was the first bank in Hamilton the Cochran Bank, 
later the Spratt, Houston and Menefee bank.  This site is the south half of 
the Johnson store.  Across the street was the site of the second bank, the 
Hamilton Savings Bank where the McPherson building now is.  This bank opened 
1878.  Where the Farmer's store now is, there was a three story frame built in 
the latter sixties by Dr. McAdoo the druggist for his store.  His sister, Mrs. 
Beard, had a millinery store above, assisted by Mrs. McAdoo.  Later, Wm. D. 
Patterson used the room for furniture.  Sam F. Martin also had a furniture 
store in that section and Mr. Harper after him.  Mr. Hiram Tilley's furniture 
store was in the same store as the two previous merchants.
     She recalled her uncle, John Morton as keeping a hardware store in an old 
log building on the lot where the north side lumber yard is.  In his second 
location, he was on the corner now used by the post office.  She remembers 
the "old brown school house" when it stood on its original site on the lot of 
the present M.E. parsonage.  She remembers when the old north side brick was 
being built and the bell, which had her uncle's name on it because he was a 
member of the school board then.
     Then there was the old Kemper store on the present Bram corner which gave 
way to the brick block of the Rohrbaugh family with the firm name of Rohrbaugh 
and Moore (Moore was a son-on-law).  Down the row on that east side of Main 
was Ervin drugs, C.B. Franke dry goods (first location), a saloon, a jewelry 
store, a barber shop, all frames till the side burnt.  At the south end was 
the Paxton livery barn.  After the fire, Dr. Tiffin of Knoxville, helped build 
up the burnt space with the Tiffin block.
     On the opposite side, down in the hotel site was the Harvey store before 
they moved a block north.  In the so called Parrish building was Dan 
Whiteside, jeweller and watch repairer.  Harry Dickinson, the tailor, was 
above the Harvey store.  The Davis store was then on the present Penney store 
site.  Joe and Albert Davis ran it.  This was sold to O'Neil and Wilson.  This 
frame was afterwards moved down the street to south Main.
     On the east side of south Main, was Love and Low the elevator men, a 
saloon, lunch room, Grigsby's hardware, White's grocery and an empty lot.
     Across the street to the south, was a empty lot and then the McBrayer 
livery stable, covering most all the block.
     On the west side of south Main at the S.E. corner was the Witwer wagon 
yard.  Mrs. Witwer was a sister of the Studebaker men in South Bend Ind. so 
this yard was a Studebaker yard.  The family lived at the south end of 
Broadway.  The house is still used.
 
     To the north of the Studebaker-Witwer wagon yard were the Platter 
millinery shop - which later was the Hughes restaurant and Alma Howard 
millinery shop.  Still later, it was the Sanderson shoe shop.  Then was the 
tiny shoe repair shop of James Lunn (that lot is now open).  Then on the 
corner in the 70s was the office of Squire A.G. Davis and later of Lawyer 
Holliday.  This corner was built into brick by Mr. Manning and is the site of 
present First Bank.  
     Broadway contained O.O. Brown's dry goods store (double), Harry House 
(Davis Motor co.) corner.  On the west side were Nash Produce on S.W. Corner 
and going north - A.G. Howard drugs and George Hastings Grocer.  Across the 
tracks was Thornton Livery stable.  Down on the Hawk filling station site was 
Mr. Dwight milliner and to the west was McCoys store.
     There was Whiteley's store across from the park on Kingston street, and a 
produce store near by.  The business was scattered all over town for a few 
years.
     Interview  1935.


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