Caldwell County MO Archives History .....THE KELSO BLOCK IN EARLY HAMILTON HISTORY 
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 4, 2008, 1:51 pm

THE KELSO BLOCK IN EARLY HAMILTON HISTORY
	Later known as the Phoenix Hotel
	Narrators:  Mrs. Hattie Jordan, 78 and Mrs. Herbert Eldredge

     The Phoenix Hotel which is yet remembered by most middle aged people in 
Hamilton, was not originally built as a hotel, but as a big business house, 
with an amusement hall on the third floor.  It was only in its closing years 
that it became the Phoenix hotel.
     This big frame building was built about 1869 by Edward C. Kelso, an early 
Daviess county pioneer who had come to Hamilton to live with his daughter, 
Mrs. W.J. (Dick) Ervin.  It must have been an unusual building for those days, 
when many of the business places have been described by narrators as "shacks."
     It was known for years as "the Kelso block" and the hall on the third 
floor was "Kelso's Hall" and the Masonic Hall.  Mrs. Edlredge tells of the 
good times that the Masons and their wives had up there.  Her father, the late 
Dr. Tuttle, was a big Mason, and one night at a supper, the doctor carved 75 
turkeys for the crowd.  Mrs. Tuttle and Mrs. Dick Ervin helped in the 
kitchen.  In the seventies, the first floor was occupied by the New York Store 
(under Mr. Rhoads) and old timers say that he had a fine store and did a good 
business for many years.  His store seems to be what one would call a double 
store, the Kelso building, as then called, covering a full lot in frontage.  
There is a picture of it in the old Johnson Atlas of this county 1876.
     It was about 1880 the building was sold to Wm. Jordan, who came to 
Hamilton from Ohio and married Hattie Pickell.  Jordan for a time rented the 
whole building to the Harvey family who were dry goods merchants at the time.  
They used the three floors, the first for their store, the second for living 
rooms, the third for bed rooms.  They soon built a brick directly opposite on 
the west side of Main and went into it.
     Then Mr. Jordan used part of the ground floor for his display room for 
pianos and organs, that being his profession.  Mr. Terry, a buggy man, used 
the rest for his display room.  Then it began to be used as a hotel, called 
the "Phoenix."  For a while in the late eighties, Asa Thompson ran the hotel.  
It was about a third rate hotel, but it had it patrons.  Then it sank quite 
low.  On account of its run down condition and age, it ceased to be profitable 
in rent to its owner.
     William Hemry, 85, tells of its nick name among the "boys" who called it 
the "Buzzard's Roost" largely on account of its unusual height as compared to 
other buildings, partly perhaps on account of its later shady reputation.
     After Mr. Jordan's death, his widow sold it to F.A. Martin who tore it 
down and built two houses out of the lumber.  On the lots, he built the modern 
two story brick store building which now houses the Missouri store, on Main 
(Davis) street, east side, two blocks north of the railroad.  This is a fit 
successor to the early fine dry goods store, the New York store of Mr. Rhoades 
of the seventies.
     Interviews  1933-4.


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