Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-03-12
an OLD LANDMARK.
Maj. A. n. Hamilton Relates Stories
Called UP by Old Elawley Home.

NeaJ' ~ IT. F1aHilitofl r.S's'sSS SeS'iSS
Called Up by Old Hawley Home.
The purchase of the Hawley estate.
one of the old landmarks of the city,
| by the government and its compare
tive neglect since that time, brings
memories to the older residents OF the
| time when the Hawley home was one
of the beautiful and hospitable homes
CT Ottumwa. Major A. H. Hamilton,
who for almost half century has
| been a resident of the city, writes in
lterestingly for the Courier OF his rec
objections of the home and OF the
hospitable host, James HaWley, VINO
passed away thirty years ago, and ms
wife, Juliette Hawley, who died but
little over a year ago at the advanced
age of 80 years. Major hamilton
writes as follows:
awakened Memories as ] Pass BY"
Almost daily for the past lew
months i have walked by the old James
Hawley two story brick residence az
the northeast corner of the pupiic
square in this city Again and again,
as my eyes rested upon 1t, clotned III
the habiliments of neglect and decay
silent as the grave, its outer walls
succeed with theatrical advertise.
ments, it's picket fence, neatly erected
some forty years ago, in lean-to con
dition or lying PROSTATE upon the
ground, it's plat of flower peds ana
shrubbery trampled under foot, niue
spot of waste painful to the eye OF the
observant beholder. Memories OF a
little over forty-eight years last past
since first | saw that place and knew
Its occupants come Involuntary troop
ing along upon the panorama OF my
recollections. Those two maple trees
in front of the house, whose MASSIVE
| trunks are now thirty inches in diam
eter, were stables when first sa"
them. The house then stood above
the surrounding streets, but the march
of Improvement made sad lnroads upon
the relative position of house and
streets, and the digging about the
roots of those trees and the paving
have brought to them premature de-
cay.
when came here as young man.
among my first acquaintance were
James and Juliette Hawley. They
were prominent members of society
among the first in influence. Mr.. Haw
Eley was one of the three or four lead
ling merchants, and Mrs. Hawley was
the life of every gathering in the little
/ village. remarkable woman indeed
i was she, Intelligent, kind, amiable, she
4 seemed never to grow old to the
young, nor to abate one whit in he1
delight for and active participation III
, all the loyal pleasures of life. Though
| Mr.. Hawley was quarter of century
my senior our coming together soor
Iripened into a warm friendship. Oul
social likes and dislikes were congen
ial, our politics was the same and oul
religious thought in harmony. AS a
young lawyer and stranger Mr.. Haw
i ley took me in, as the saying is, and
were helpful and kind to me. Many
leisure hours for eighteen years Will
ed away in his company, and many were
the pleasant gatherings l enjoyed in
that comfortable and joyous home
now standing grim, silent monitor
to me of the past. ~
quite a number were the Journeys
l took with Mr.. Hawley, but the mos
extended and eventful one occurred
in August, 1858, of which l will write
because it recalls to the new genera
: ton some of the features Of those ear
ly days, and is a vivid memory to me
: iof my association with my fatherly
: friend. is
) .In the summer of 1858 Mrs. Haw
ley had gone on visit to heE oil
home in the state of New York, an,
my wife was on a visit to my oil
home in Ohio. That was the wet sun
mer here. The Des Moines river wa
5 in good boating stage a large part 0
the season. The o. railroad had no
reached us by some forty miles, an
) the stage roads wer next to impas
: sable, steamboats, ran up the river t
, Des Moines. Mr.. Hawley and mysel
!, were DESTROYS of going east to ac
company our wives home, so we ar
ranged to make the trip together an
packed our grips that we might b
! ready to board the first steamer con
. ing down the river. 1t was Sunda
] morning on the first day of August
. sun about a half hour high, when W
! heard the whistle of the steamer "a
y Hine" about Turkey Island and ha:
: tened our preparations to board hel
, She ran her nose against the bank a
the rear door of DR.. Warden's store
: which was wooden structure abou
, sixty feet deep and stood on tn
ground now occupied by the Haw re
tail hardware store. The water lacl
ed about two feet of coming int
Front street, and the bottom land o
the South Side was largely covere
!, with water.
'The object in going by the rive
was to reach Quincy, ILL.,, by waite
and there take the o. road. The lov
lands in the valley were all inundated
and of course no crop was raised o
them. We reached Bentonsport abo,
r noon, the steamer passing right owe
e the dam without any difficulty. I'll
v Des Moines Valley road had then bee
completed to Bentonsport, and we es
pected to go on to Keollull by raj
but after dinner we learned that I
train ran on Sunday and we could NJ
= get a train to Keokuk until 8 o'cloo
y p. m. on Monday There were about
- dozen gentlemen aboard going ca
% from various points in Iowa, and tt
restless spirit of the western men r.
y belled at once at the delay, and tt
u captain of the steamer was induced
loan his large yawl boat to go dow
IL l. oh 1N0