The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-07-07

This is period OF history writ
ing and publishing, on the part of
the local papers, and we follow the
example, regretting that we have
neither time nor room to go into
details, but must confine ourselves
to outlines
Emporia was located in February,
1857, by Col. p. b. Plumb, of this
city, and Gen. Geo. w. Deitzler,
Lyman Allen, Columbus Hornsby,
and G. w. Brown, of Lawrence.
It was surveyed in june and July
of the same year, by @. #. Oakfield,
who until the war broke out, lived
on the farm cornering with the site
on the northeast.
THE START
From the very fret there settled
here wide-awake and energetic
class OF Inhabitants, men whose de-
termination knew no such word as
fail. OF industry, and pluck they
had good stock, bat capital they
had not. There were towns plenty
aud some of them with more mon
ey and better advantages, bat none
could equal EmpOria in energy and
grit. There was no railroad meet
ing in southern Kansas; no politi-
cal gathering that promised impor-
tant results, where she did not have
her representatives. There was no
mail route or Territorial road that
did not lead to or through Emporia.
She made herself felt and heard
from the very start. This sort of q
feeling for home interests was con.
tagious, and every man and woman
who came here took up the prevail
ing sentiment. The results of this
carly work are abundant on every
hand. To-day we have one Of the
handsomest and best built towns
in the State, and one doing q bust
ness and enjoying 9 prosperity sur
passed by few communities anyWher
of an equal number of inhabitants.
The figure which EmpOria has cutin
the history Of the state is one her
citizens can point to with pride
and satisfaction. She has made g
noise and her influence is not sur
passed by any point OF her size in
KanAas, and the success with
which she has met in the various
fields of human contest is one of
the brightest features of her histo-
ry.
The first building erected In the
city was upon the lot now oceu-
pied by Gov. Eskridge's three sto-
ry building, on the northwest
corner of Commercial street and
Sixth avenue. John Hammond
bnilt 1t for clearinghouse for
his workmen. It was about l2xl4
and was kept by J. H. Clapp and
wife, New-Yorkers. Mrs. Clapp
was the first woman resident of
Emporia. They left here many
years ago, and have since been some-
where in New York. 1t was the
hotel of the town, and was not un-
frequently crowded with visitors.
From twelve to twenty persons
were sometimes crowded into it.
That first building has q history.
The first two.years, besides answer
ing the purpose above described, It
was church, schOol-hOuse, quarters
for county officers, brokers' Office,
etc. 1t was moved from lot to lot,
and its last appearance on CONNER
cial street was on the lot now occu-
pied by the store of e. Beck and |
Miss Miller. Mr.. Bartsch, when he
put up that building, moved it to
the back end of the lot, where in
seeming shame, 1t stood for awhile,
and then retired to his farm in /
Waterloo township. 1t ought to
be brought back and preserved in
one of the parks. The second build
ng was the store Of Hornsby s. |
Flick, on the corner now occupied |
by Dunlap's bank building. It was |
stocked with goods In June, 1857.
Eskridge was head clerk. For ma
ny years 1t did profitable business,
being enlarged at various times, and
finally the store gravitated into the
hands of Mr.. Eskridge, and it was
in that old building that the Cover
nor won his first laurels in the sale |
of "strings and things" The third |
building completed was the town
company's hotel on the first nation |
al bank corner. We find the follow
ing local In The NEWS, June 9Th,
1857: "The new hotel at this place
is now open for the reception of
travellers. Mr.. John Hammond is
the proprietor" Mr.. Hammond's,
we think, was the second family in
the town. His children. May, Mag
gle, Belle, William and Dan were
the frat Juvenile settlers of Empo-
ria. We have q distinct recollec-
ton that the last named pos
sessed some Juvenile qualities no.
laid down IN the book As belonging
to the first Daniel, and made it toler-
ably lively in the village at that
early day. A portion Of the hotel
building, however. had been occu-.
pied by The News Office some
weeks previous to this. This old
building Is yet standing in dilApi-
dated condition in the rear of the
Holderman block. About this time
came Mr.. s. Mrs.StOrrs and Nellie
the latter now Mrs. G. W.Newman. |
Mrs. s. opened store In the fret
building named. Mrs. Storrs and
Mrs. Newman are still esteemed
residents of the city. and though all
the nineteen years here no one has
been more Of blessing to those by
whom she was surrounded, in deeds
of kindness and acts of charity,
than Nha nnhla haaukaA NJ.