Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-02-20

earliest corners to the town, owned il
seems two lots of this square. They we :
| Patrick Hagerty, the father, and Alex
1 ander and William, his sons. We have nc
| recollection of the father and but little OF
| the sons. But we well recollect the widow
and family of VIM. Hsgerty keeping hotel
| in the old Black Horse, after, we suppose,
| his death. After they left it was kept by
| the late Samuel Craig. some members OF
| whose family, we believe, are yet living
| about Millerstown. Mr.. A. l.. Craig, late
County Treasurer, is a grandson of said
| Samuel. Our present Mr.. Christian Otto
| lived there and kept the Black Horse al
one time. Mr. Martin Eyth kept It for a
| time, and Others may have occupied 1t, but
about 1858, it became the property Of the
late Patrick Kelley, Jr., who kept the old
Black Horse for number of years. II
| was finally torn away in part by him and
| a frame erected, facing Cunningham ST.,
| ia which Mr.. John Hackett kept some
kind of public house there until happen
| ed, 1878, one of the most extensive tires
| Butler was ever visited with. This fire
swept awav the Hackett house and all
| that remained of the old "Black Horse
| Hotel" besides burning up two small
buildings adjoining on Main Street, and
reaching to and somewhat damaging the
| Rockenstein buildings and also threaten
| ing for a time to consume the Sullivan
residence. This was the last OF the old
| Black Horse Hotel. After Mr.. Kelley
| died. 1885. the present Messrs. Reibers be-
came the owners of the lot and erected the
| fine large business building that now
covers the whole lot. This building at
once afforded convenient rooms for many
Offices and societies and has proven great
benefit to our town. 1t is the largest bust
ness building in the town and renects
great credit upon its builders. :,
Next on Main Street were the two small
shops mentioned as destroyed by the above
| fire one a butchers shop where present
Mr.. Henry Krug, Sr., for long time sold
his meat. and the other the shop heretofore
mentioned as one in which the late Mr..
Isaac Colbert had at one time his hat shop.
The late Edward NJ. Bredin, Esq, had his
| law Office in this for some years. Thomas
B. White Esq. kept the postoffice there
for a short time when he was appointed
postmaster, 1870. The ground upon which
both stood is now covered by the Reiber
| building.
Next to this, on middle lot, and where
now stands the John n. Patterson cloth
ing store and the Miss Rockenstein's mil
linery and ladies furnishing store, stood,
| fifty years ago, a rather large frame, one
ID
white. The late Mr.. Oliver David was the
first owner we recollect of this. The late
Mr.. John Berg, we think, was in it for a
time. The present Mr.. Feigel had his car
penter shop there for some time. Finally,
| 1850. the late Mr. Anthony Rockensteln
became owner and lived and had his shop
there until disastrous fire, 1899, burned 1t
down. Mr.. Rockenstein Immediately after
this fire erected the present brick, part
of which was purchased lately by Mr. John
N. Patterson and where is at present his
clothing and gentleman's furnisl i1s store.
The other part remains in the fanny of Mr..
Rockenstein and is occupied as mentioned
BY daughters of his as millinery store.
Mr.. Anthony Rockenstein came to But
Ier about l841 He was tailor by trade
and for some wears had his shop in the
south end of town in part of the present
residence of Mrs Wm. Aland. He was all
industrious and very quiet man in his ways,
and az honest man as we ever knew. Of
all the old citizens whom we have spoken
of as good and honest none surpassed Nj
Rockenstein in those traits of character.
He died in October 1880, and his worthy
wife followed him only about two months
after.
Next TO the Rockenstein was, fifty years
ago. another frame, first occupied within
our recollection by Mr.. Hecker, shoe
maker. and then by DIR. Dockallere, a
Frenchman. When the fire that burned
down the Rockenstein house took place,
1859, this DR.. Dockaliere lived III this ad-
Joining one, also burned down then, and
there were very strong suspicious that he
was the cause of the fire. He had his
property insured in four or five companies,
AZ appeared after the fire, but failed to
recover any insurance money from any OF
them. He was a desperate Bind Of char
acter and generally dreaded. Varions
stories were told of him in the practice of
bis profession as a doctor. He left here
shortly after this fire. The late Nicholas
and Lewis Miller bought this Dockaliere
lot. about 1860, and built the present brick
upon it. They were butchers by trade and
built it for meat market, for which pur
pose il has been used almost ever since, at
present by the Messrs. Johnston, and late
ly by Messrs. Hale Clark and Wick. Mr..
Lewis Miller, however, lived in part OF 1t,
and died there, about 1871. Messrs
Nicholas and Lewis Miller were brothers
and came to Butler about 1853. When
their property WAS sold it was purchased by
Mr.. John Berg Jr., who is present owner
The Miller brothers had also purchased a
part of the late Joseph MeQuistlon square
in the south end of town, Main ST., where
Mr.. Nicholas Miller removed and was liv-
ing at the time Of his death, 1874 4
daughter Of his, Mrs Christian Harley,
now owns and lives there.
The next lot Of this square Is that upon
which stands the present residence OF Col.
John NJ Sullivan. II was erected by his
father. the late John Sullivan, Esq, in the
year 1912, almost fifty years ago, and hence
we call il BY the name we do. The resi-
n ell. = 81 4sraf and lltr
one that has ever been on this lot. There
fore. we cannot say of it as we have Of
many before. that an cold frame once
stood there" unless indeed, we apply that
term to blacksmith shop. The first
building we rccollect being on this lot was
a blacksmith shop that st0od just about
where the residence of Col. Sullivan stands.
IL was carried on by Andrew Sproul and
John Howe under the firm name OF
Spronl 6 Howe And here il will be OBJ
served that this is the third blacksmith
shop we have spoken Of as being on Main
Street fifty years ago, one OF them on 20
prominent u part as the Diamond. Should
one now be planted upon Main street II
would create general alarm and be dc
clared public nuisance by general con
sent. But times have changed, and 50
have blacksmith shops. Now they are
ordered 10 the rear, to take back seat, a.
the saying il, on the alleys or cross streets.
However, the blacksmith business cannot
be rubbed or squeezed out, az has been the
halter, the tanner, and some other OF the
industries Of the former days of the town.
The blacksmith shop il necessity and it
has come to stay. Hats and leather may
be supplied from abroad, but nothing yet
discovered can supply the horses with
shoes or drive them upon their feet except
the hammer Of the home blacksmith. In
this respect that worthy trade would seem
to have lochl advantage over some
others, in that IL cannot be supplanted or
competed with from outsiders to the same
extent that other trades can.
Mr. Andrew Sproul in his day here Was a
good and useful citizen. After leaving the
Sullivan lot he removed his shop To Water
Street ut foot Of West Wayne, and there
built shop and house where the
family OF the late John +. Nanny now
resides From here he removed to Tarcn-
tum. Allegheny Co, at least 40 years ago,
aud il long since deceased What became
of Mr.. John Howe, his partner, we do not
know.
Feb'y IS, 1891. j. II. N.