Tour of downtown businesses continues

In my last column, we followed a tour of the south side of Gallatin Street provided by the late Esther Mabry Hausmann Buckley.  
Written at the request of Charles Mills for The Leader-Union newspaper, Mrs. Buckley was pleasantly surprised that editor Mills found her writings interesting and published them in the pages of the newspaper.
This week, our tour again starts near the Kaskaskia River, but this time it follows the north side of Gallatin Street westward to Sixth Street.
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“I will again start at Second and Gallatin streets and go west up the hill. First, we have the Garland Troxel house, which is still there, then Sallie Stillman’s home. She was a first-grade teacher for many years in Central School. A beer agency is there now. Then the home of Minnie Gilmore and her sister, Addie Brown, who taught music and was the organist for the First Methodist Church for many years.
“On the corner of Third and Gallatin was quite a large two-story brick building,  known as the Blackwell Building. Both it and the Addie Brown home made way for a Standard station.
“Across the street west is our beautiful former Statehouse. Its classic lines much superior to the ornate gingerbread state house we now have in Springfield.  
“For years, there was a pagoda or band stand on the Statehouse lawn, where speeches were made on the Fourth of July and at election time by the candidates. Also, for years, we had band concerts on Saturday night, with Fred Emmel directing the band.
“The Statehouse was built by Vandalia citizens in a futile effort to keep the capital in Vandalia. For many years, it was used as a courthouse by the county, and when my father was sheriff, when court was in session, I had the job of page at $1 a day. My work was to run errands if a lawyer needed anything from his office. I was sent for it, and how I did love to listen to those court cases, especially when Marion Guinn and Bill Albert opposed each other. From all the vitriol hurled back and forth, you would think they never again would be on speaking terms, but then they would talk out of the building after court was over, side by side.
“Across Fourth and Gallatin was the old Charter Hotel. When the legislature was in session, it lodged many of its members. Later purchased by Ludwig Hausmann, who came to the country from Germany in 1842, he operated it as a tavern, hotel and later a restaurant.
“Later, a restaurant was there for many years; in my recollection, at one time it was operated by Si Locke. For many years, it was referred to as Hausmann’s Corner. Eventually, it was torn down to make way for the Evans Hotel, which we all were so proud of, with its fourth-floor dance hall.  
“Next was Frier’s Barber Shop, then next a very small lunch room operated by Jeff Freeman’s son. Later, Mrs. Perryman had a small millinery there. Next was my father’s (Harry Mabry) meat market, which I posted the books, collected and had my chariot deal to deliver the meat. Then, all groceries and meat markets had a delivery service, and there was a great deal of credit business.  How well I know.
“Next was a small real estate office, where my father held forth with his first venture into politics as county supervisor. There was no welfare, but occasionally a family would come in for a food order. At that time, that was our only welfare, and that was charged to the county, not the federal or state – so different than now.
“On the corner was Mr. LeDoux’s saloon, later Mr. Burtschi’s Commercial Bank. Across the alley was Dr. Morey’s building with the porch extending out over the sidewalk. His office was there, then Max Hermann’s tobacco store with the wooden Indian out in front.  Next was the Evans Hardware, with Charlie Evans as the proprietor. Later, he was in the garage business, where Craycroft is now, then built the hotel and gave us (the town) the library and the Scout House.
“Next to the hardware was Mr. Barclay’s furniture store and undertaking. At that time, those two businesses were combined.  Next was the Leader Store, then Jim Locke’s Restaurant, where I delivered milk each morning and scandalized my sister by working there. Next on the corner, where the Farmers and Merchants Bank now is, was first Abner Tinker’s saloon, then Zeke Roe’s until we had a local option somewhere around 1912 or 1914.
“Across Fifth and Gallatin was Pitkin’s Department Store consisting of four rooms, the grocery to the back, and  how often we did stop there after school to buy a nickel’s-worth of brown sugar to make our homemade taffy or fudge. The east room facing Gallatin was for dry goods and the next room was ready-to-wear for men.
“Then the merchandise was purchased and was run for two or three years by the Carps, two Jewish boys whose father bought bankrupt stores and sold the goods.  Afterwards, Polk Atkinson and Charlie Stout had the store until they dissolved partnership and all the merchandise was sold over in the Armory Hall. I worked as a sales person and made $1.25 a day. That was during the Depression.
“It might be hard for you to believe this,  but the next building west, where Fashion Lane now is, was the Farmers & Merchants Bank. Later, probably when we had local option, they moved into their present building.
“Then, or sometime later, Joe Goodbrake had a meat market there. Next was Capps Drug Store, with the wonderful soda fountain, over which Thurman Rutledge presided for many years. Sodas and sundaes were five cents.
“Across the alley was the telephone building, now occupied by a ladies ready-to-wear,  and next to the last store on that block was the lower meat market, our competitors, owned by the Brodbeck brothers. Del Edwards, Ralston’s father, was the delivery boy.”

This view of Gallatin Street was taken looking east from the intersection of Sixth and Gallatin streets. This week’s column takes a walk from the river westward through the downtown to the area shown in the picture. The original account was written by Esther Mabry Hausmann Buckley.