Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-03-23
RETROSPECTIVE AUDUBON
a Glance at the Business Blocks
Built During Six Years.

The following is the text of a letter
written by an Audubon gentleman to
a sister in the east, and gives at a glance
a suggestion of the magic change that
has come over this prosperous town:
Let me see, it is about six years ago
that you were here. Why! that is way
back in the middle ages. TO tell you
of the number of new brick buildings,
etc, that have been built, l must go
over the ground Systematically.
Commencing at the depot OF the Rock
Islano Il. H., the first building is John
WeightOn's lumber office, very neat
affair. Keeping up the south side of
Broadway, the first new building is Is.
L. HOwalds double storerOOm, 90 foot
front and about 100 feet deep, with
plate glass front, each plate OF glass
being 6Xl2 feet. The next is brick
store built by JnO. +. Consigny, and
used as grocery by +. A. Buthweg
Step to the next door and again we have
double front and double room, used
as dry goods and grocery, L. Bllharz
Il Son, owners and proprletOrs. We
now pass several old buildings which
were here when you visited us, all of
them being occupied and the men doing
a good business. The three next build
iugS are new brick blocks; one is res
taurant, the next JnO. Hates clothing
store and upstairs fine *. L. hall. On
the conner is q. b. RusSells, a fine room
down stairs used by Russell and Son,
dry goods and millinery, etc; and the
room upstairs is fitted IL good style as
an opera house, with seating capacity
for about 400. All of these buildings
have been put up since your visit, and
all are in the same block. Each has plate
glass fronts.
Now, this is only one side of the
street; let us cross over opposite Rus
sells. On the corner is drug store, a
good brick built by Dr. Cloughly, which,
If | mistake not, was i'll COuISe of cree
ton when you were here. Its occupied
by James Il Goodrich. Then comes
another block divided into three rooms,
and occupied by Van Scoy Il Son, b. +.
HoWald and Fred Nermllya. Passing
these and also two or three modern
buildings, we come to another good
brick built by Frank Gleason, and used
as a grocery. Then another brick is
John Reinemund's hardware store. Two
or three old buildings and then two
more bricks, one clothing store and
the other, which is on the corner, bank,
but these two were built before your
visit. From the corner of the bank
north and on Washington street is au-
other brick, built expressly for post
office. Opposite the pOStoilicc is Geo.
w. IlOOYer'S brick hardware and imple-
ment store. On the corner of Broad
way and Washington streets is another
fine pressed brick building-the Citizens
Bank. And next west J. NJ McKara-
hans brick hardware store. Leaving
Broadway and going south of the Park
on the corner we find the Commercial
Bank, the upstairs of which is occupied
by Nash, Phelps Il Green as law offices.
Next to the bank is J. W. COquilettes
dry goods store. Two frame buildings
and then comes five brick buildings, oc-
cupied by NJ. a. Templeman, two rooms
by Farmer Il Sons, Geo. Preston, grocer,
and Marshall 4 Sharp's hardware store
A vacant lot and on the corner three
story brick hotel. All these are sub
stantial brick structures and put up in
good taste and style.
have larger contract on my hand
than | bargained for, as | am only done
with the business portion.
There have been over one hundred
| residences built since your visit here
These | cannot describe so infinitely
except few. Mrs. Stuart, now Mrs
! Weighton put up house that cost $40,
600. Mrs. Capt. Stuart built an elegant
pressed brick residence that cost $4,000
The larger part of the others are homes
| costing from $1,000 to 5000, and all
furnished accordingly.
There have been four churches built
| in the same time. First the baptist, a
very neat structure built cruciform, the
| auditorium 36Xi6 and the annex 24Xl2
all finished in good style, costing 81, 600
The Methodists took down their old
building and erected by far the finest
church building IN the town, costing
about $1,000. The German Lutherans
have also a good church building, ant
the Seventh Day Advents have a small
but neat building. The Presbyterian
and Catholic churches had been bull
before your visit here.
| Last summer an electric light plan
was put in by the town, and almost be
fore it was completed second dynamo
was needed to supply the demand. i
is the incandescent light and makes ;
superb light, by which l am writing
this letter.
There is at least 10000 bushels O
I, corn cribbed at this point, about 10000
bushels of oats, about 400 or over ca
loads of fat cattle and hogs shipped
from here every year.
Last fall they wanted a college ant
in very short time 1t was in running
} order, with some sixty students.
. The ladies have a Columbian societ,
to study up the exposition. A shOr
time ago they concluded, Mrs. J. A
, Nash leading, that reading room ant
circulating library would be a gOoC
| thinor for the tnntnI md II u.nS done Ii