Out in the sidewalk in front of what is now Batson's Drug store (Used to be Red Door Gifts) just south of the Old Waldo's Barber Shop is this -W.M.C. 1872. Does anyone know or remember what this stands for? Everyone asks me and I would love to be able to tell them.
The building or buildings prior to the Batson Drug store and the Gift Shop were built by William Crooks in 1883 according to the Elk County History Book. There is no Crooks bio in the book so do not know what the M might stand for.
1872 would seem to be a big error.
1872 was Howard City in Howard County and they did not have concrete sidewalks back then.
The town was only a blip back then--Three years later, Howard City had only 17 houses.
Howard City became Howard in 1877.
There use to be a photograph on this forum that showed Howard in 1879. The same photo is in the Benson Museum.
It seemed to have been taken from the east side of Wabash at Randolph looking north and might have showed your corner, I cannot recall.
My memory is hazy but I have read before when Howard started putting in sidewalks and I do not think it was 1883. It was some time after 1900. But I also seem to recall the original sidewalks replacing boards were "sidewalk size" rock slabs brought in from the quarry.
This is interesting and I have a theory that when someone put that particular sidewalk in with concrete they were commemorating the erection of the buildings and guessing 1872. If so, they missed by ten years or so.
Thank you, I knew you would probably know. It is not actually in the sidewalk but rather in the footings of the building which then connects to the sidewalk. So it must be the original building from the starting of Howard? Wow, quite interesting! I'll have to see if I can find that picture on the forum. Thanks again!
I just noticed that in the three or four places the history book refers to him they have Wm Crooks--I took that to be William.
I also noticed that the photo is in the book.
There is a rinky dink single story wood building on the first lot, which appears to be on your corner.
The lot to the north is empty and then there is another one story rinky dink followed by two more vacant lots.
At the end of Wabash is a two story wood hotel with a hip roof.
One of the next two buildings is the first courthouse.
I will revive this since I came across something that pertains.
Among the business listings for Howard in the Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, R. L. Polk & Co., and A. C. Danser Date: 1884-1885, is the following:
On the second of six pages for Howard is "Crooks Wm, plasterer" and "Crooks and Steel (Wm M Crooks, A W Steel), carpenters"
Link to the exact page: http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/200088/page/638 (http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/200088/page/638)
Link to the KSHS page where you can access this directory, and five others from the same publisher:
http://www.kansasmemory.org/locate.php?query=Kansas+state+gazetteer+and+business+directory (http://www.kansasmemory.org/locate.php?query=Kansas+state+gazetteer+and+business+directory)
Mr. Crooks does not show up in the 1878 or 1880 versions of this directory, though that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't in business.
I think II was the one that posted the picture of those buildings or the area you are discussing. I have the Hottinger pictures that were of early day Howard. Julie, I think I sent you a copy of that. My Fathers grocery store and Meat market were where the 2 north areas of Julie's businesses are.
According to Blackmar's Kansas Cyclopedia of 1912 ( http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/h/howard.html (http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/h/howard.html) ), William Crooks was the first treasurer of the City of Howard, being elected to that post shortly after incorporation in 1877. This fact is also mentioned in Cutler's 1883 History of Kansas: ]http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/elk/elk-co-p2.html#HOWARD_CITY] (http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/elk/elk-co-p2.html#HOWARD_CITY)
The 1895 Davy Atlas of Elk County, lists among its patrons W. M. Crooks of Howard with Southern Kansas Land Co. as his business, Lincoln co., N.C. as his nativity, and April '72 as his date of settlement in the county.
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223994/page/5 (http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223994/page/5)
And he's buried in Howard's Grace Lawn Cemetery: http://www.ksgennet.org/ks/ek/cem/gracecd.html#C (http://www.ksgennet.org/ks/ek/cem/gracecd.html#C)
A picture of his grave: http://www.ksgennet.org/ks/ek/cem/grace/CrooksWilliamM.jpg (http://www.ksgennet.org/ks/ek/cem/grace/CrooksWilliamM.jpg)