Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

occupied for the first time in the fall of 1914. I have
been asked to give my remembrances of Main Street.
and the business places as they existed in 1915.
The most westerly business establishment on the
north side of Main Street. as I now recall, was a livery
stable about opposite the street, which was then called
Jail Street.
East of the stable was the Dumont Garage, bordered
on its east by an alley. On the other side of the alley to
the east. was the Nick Schwirtz blacksmith shop, and
then a building which was called the Gawley Building.
which had been used as a doctor's office and residence.
but which was occupied as apartments in my earliest
recall. In fact, Don Goodman, one of my oldest and best
loved friends. lived there with his parents. A large lawn
bordered the Gawley Building on the east and an alley
was east of the lawn.
Next to the alley was the R.W. Johnson building
housing the Anamosa Bottling Co. The Snow White
Bakery was next, then the New York Store. a large
clothing firm. In the narrow building next to the east.
was a sign-painter's shop, operated by a chap who
called himself ‘Tic-Tic‘ Waterbury. In the corner
building, Mrs. Warren operated her Variety store.
To the east. across Garnaviilo Street, was the Gillen
House; later called the Holden Hotel and afterward the
Iowan. Next east was Lee Sanner's Kleanall. which was
opened in 1914. Next door was Skinner's Drug Store.
and the Vendome Cafe and Hotel. Across the alley was
Lazio's fruit store and pool hall. Next was a store run by
a Mr. Heyen, which seemed to be somewhat like the
present day surplus stores. The Express ofiice came
next and beside it was the double building of J.W.
Conmey on the comer of Ford Street.
There were two blacksmith shops north of the
Conmey store, and a large dwelling which was later
moved to North Cleveland or Davis street, and
occupied by Henry and Lena Morey. On the east side of
north Ford Street was a garage and the Anamosa
Creamery. Ford Street was lined with hitching racks
where the farmers tied their teams.
The J.K. Hale grocery store was on the northeast
corner of Main and Ford streets. East of it was the Harry
Clarke Jewelry store. and then a shoe store. Next to it
was the Niles and Watters Savings Bank. and then the
McMickle Drug Store. Next came the Scott Hardware
Co.. then Tyler 81 Downing grocery and meat market.
Then. in a double building, was the Gildner Bros. and
Hanson Clothing and Shoe Store, then the A.L. Remley
grocery, next to the Citizens Savings Bank, then
another shoe store, and then the Candy Kitchen. Then,
in turn, the Crispin-Hartman Department store, the
G.H. Monroe Hardware Store and The Anamosa
National Bank.
North of the National Bank was O.H. Sherman's
Harness shop, the elevator, and Anamosa Lumber Co.
Across from the lumber yard was the Boss Tile and
Spade Co.. a couple of carpenter shops, and the L.W.
Russell Livery and Stable, which bumed in a big fire in
1915 or 1916.
The old courthouse occupied the corner of Main and
Huber streets, and, on its east side. was the Grill Cafe
bakery, grocery and Crockery store. The dentist's office
was a more recent addition, as was the western portion
of the next building. A building further east was a
garage. operated, I believe. by a man named Killinger.
The rest of the north side of Main Street was vacant,
except for a storage shed of the Eclipse Lumber Co.
This stood where the Family Foods Store is now
located. There were no commercial enterprises east of
the lumber yard shed. The C 8! N. W. Freight House was
north of this shed, and the Union Depot was west and
across the street. The Brown's Hotel stood where the
telephone building now stands— the hotel was taken
down in 1957.
Turning our attention to the south side of Main
Street, the most easterly business enterprise was the
Metropolitan Supply Co.. on the east side of Scott
Street. On the opposite corner, where the Wayne Hall
business is now situated, Morris Ginsburg was engaged
in buying hides, furs and ‘junk’. Dwellings occupied the
rest of that block, and the Eclipse Lumber Co. took up
all of the next block west. On the corner across from the
lumber company was a brick building in which a Mr.
Craig operated a laundry. which very shortly went out
of business, and the building was taken over by the
Anamosa Produce Company. A large, sunken lot was to
the west, and remained unoccupied for years.
On the present bank corner was Ristine‘s Garage and
then a row of ‘small buildings. In one was the Ladies
Exchange, which sold baked goods, fancy work. etc..
sort of on a consignment basis. Mellecker and Benadom
had a barber shop in one of the little buildings, and
George C. Lawrence had a law office in one of them.
There was a little gap between a couple of the small
buildings, and there Charlie Barker operated a
hamburger stand and lunch counter. One of the
buildings accommodated the office of the Silo
Company, the justice of the peace, and other
businesses. Also. the Chaplin Brothers had a dwelling
just west of the Ristine Garage. In the building recently
occupied by the tavern, now a part of the Remley,
Heiserman & Willems Law Office, was Earl Yount's
Grocery. then the Carpenter Barber Shop and Pool Hall.
The upstairs, over the barber shop, was occupied by
McCarn Abstract Co.. which later was owned and
operated by my brother. Babe, who moved to a new
building he built west ofthe present courthouse.
The building next to the barber shop had been used
for a dining room by the Easterly Hotel, but when the
hotel went out of the food business, it was rented to the
Jones County Farm Bureau as its first office. The hotel
took up the balance of the block.
The corner building to the west, across Booth Street,
was the site of the Post Ofilce. and to the west was A.S.
Gibbons Drug Store, later sold to Frank Stoughton.
West of this was a second express office. (Both Wells-
Fargo and American Railway Express Company served
the town then.) The Racket Store. a quiet little variety
shop, was next door to the express office, with Josh
Hartman on the east side of the alley operating a feed
and implement business.
West of the alley was another drug store. operated, I
think, by Harry Beam, and later acquired by A.S.
Gibbons. after he had sold to Stoughton. and having
waited out the time he had agreed not to compete.
Access to the Grand Opera House-later the Niles and
Evans Theater- was afforded by a wide staircase west of
the Beam drug store. Drs. Erb and Erb (no relation).
dentists, maintained their offices on the second floor.
To the west of the staircase was located the E.S. Stone
Jewelry Store, and west of it was Mrs. Bagley's
Millinery Shop. Then came the Princess Theater.
operated, in my best recollection, by Mr. Ristine. On the
comer, Meek & Beam operated a furntiure store and
funeral parlor.
On the southwest corner of the intersection of Main
and Ford streets. was a barber shop. then operated by
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