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Marcia, I think that is the building just North or Tracis Trends. My parents had the cafe in it for 20 years more or less, they acquired it from Dave and Hazel Knight. I think Dave and Hazel got it from Pop and Sue Allen. Earl Allen the Druggist lived over the Cafe for years. I will ask Pat the next time we stop to see her. I have never heard it referred to as the Bruce Building .
Frank
I found one brief mention of a Bruce--Alexander Bruce--in the Elk County history book.
The county history quotes History of the State of Kansas and says Alexander Bruce was one of the founders of Howard along with John McBee, S. B. Oberlander, C. T. Adams, P. C. topping, Perry and Milton Vinson, and T. A. Dodd.
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Marcia, that explains something I have wondered about regarding the building that was the cafe just North of Traci's Trends. There were 2 buildings between Traci's trends and the Senior Center (Where the Senior center is was the Zeleny Farm Supply, M-M Farm Equipment and Westinghouse Appliance dealers), the 2 buildings had the same red brick front and were obviously built or remodeled by the same party. The 2 buildings were owned by Ralph "Junior" Perkins, the cafe was in the South one next to what is Traci's Trends and Junior Perkins and his Brother-in-Law Ross Gaines had the General Electric Appliance store in the North one. My guess is that these 2 buildings were part of the rebuilding from the Courthouse Fire.
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Marcia, I think that Pop and Sue Allen had the cafe in the building just North of Traci's Trends, I think it is a cabinet shop or someting like that now, my parents had the Cafe in it for 20 years or so.. Have notes on some of those buildings somewhere, I know where Traci's is was the Drugstore and the Building just South of Traci's was the Ford Garage, when the new Ford Garage was built where the First National Bank is now the building where the old one was became the Western Auto, and where the Ford Shop was is where Jack Van Buskirk put his Auto Repair Shop.
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If we are talking about the building on the right, that is the former courthouse but at the time this picture was taken was a hardware that J.C. Burchfield operated. He traded his quarter-section farm for that old courthouse and I think that farm became the poor farm. The stone building burned around 1895 and the exterior walls were torn down for a new building.
That first courthouse was built of stone on a vacant lot donated by the town company. The building itself was built with an unfinished interior with funds donated by the people of Howard City and Howard. It was the county's responsibility to finish the interior. The top floor housing the courtroom was carpeted.
That location for a courthouse was not the first site considered. The first proposed site on Wabash Avenue is where Doug's Place or Penny's Pub or the local watering hole is now.
In the photo, it seems to me that the building on the left is now part of Cooksons where they have the lawn stuff?
"In the photo, it seems to me that the building on the left is now part of Cooksons where they have the lawn stuff?"
Waldo, what do you base that on. There were 2 businesses South of where the Cafe was, between the Cafe and where Cookson's is now.
Marcia, I have some pictures of that side of the street that were taken around 1900, I will dig them out and blow them up and see if I can see anything that would help.
Well, I do not know, that is why I used the word seems and put the question mark on the end.
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The obituary of my husband's great grandfather J. F. "Frank" Hillis from the Howard Courant Vol XXIV Friday, March 23, 1894, pg 3, Column 2 says, "J.F. Hillis of Paw Paw, died at Galena, Wednesday night of this week, the 21st. He started in a wagon for Arkansas several days ago, but was taken sick with fever at Galena. Mr. Hillis built the Bruce Building, the first stone house in Howard in 1876. He was county commissioner in 1887-89 and was a good citizen."
In an interview with Ozella Cox in 1991, she stated that her father, Roy Hillis, told her that her grandfather, J. F. Hillis built the building that housed the bank, located on Washington & Wabash. Does anyone know when it was built? Thanks.
Here is a cut and paste from a November 2009 post.
From the Elk County Ledger (Howard City), May 5, 1877:
"There are entirely too many hogs running at large in town, for the comfort of the people who don't own them. We don't believe any citizen has a right, either legal or moral, to raise hogs at the expense, inconvenience and discomfort of his neighbor."
"All necessary blanks have been received and the Elk County Bank is now prepared to do any and all kinds of banking business. The members of the firm, Messrs. Momma & Eby, are well known to our community as gentlemen of enterprise and good business talent. They will succeed."
The Elk County Bank was located on the first floor below the second story Opera House where Cookson's Hardware is now. The bank eventually became the Elk County State Bank and then the Howard National Bank locating in a new stone building on the southeast corner of Washington and Wabash streets in 1886.