The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-10-18

mont, where he started u mercantile
store.
Norfolk Looked Good to Him.
Two years after Mr. McClary drove
up the Elkhorn river to look at the
country Norfolk, lying AT the juno
tlon of the Elkhorn river and It's north
fork had just been started The mill
had been built the previous winter.
There were about twenty-five people
and one storo--that of John Omcy-
here at that time The location looked
good to the stranger and Mr.. MCClary
located in Norfolk. He built store
on the site where now stands the brick
block of II. A. Pascwalk. For years
and years these two stores were the
only mercantile establishments in the
northwest and people drove to Nor.
folk to trade from as far west as
and from the point where Humphrey
Is now built, on the south.
In that store the firm of McClary a
Hayes remained for ten years, when
the brick store building, the McClary
block, now owned by Col Hayes, was
built at the corner of Norfolk avenue
and Third street And this is one OF
the substantial business blocks of Nor
folk today. Here the firm remained
actively engaged in business until
about nine years ago, when both Mr.
McClary and Col. Hayes retired.
Receiver Of Land Office.
j. S. McClary was appointed receiv.
or of the United States land office In
Norfolk in 1875. There was then only
one other land Office In the state, and
that at Lincoln. The Norfolk land Of
flee had come up from Omaha First
| it had stopped at West Point, then II
moved to Norfolk, later It was trans
ferred to Neigh and then it was split
to handle the business of the two val.
leys of which Norfolk Is the junction
one land Office being established at
Niobrara and one at O'Noill.
Mr.. McClary was appointed by Pres.
ident Grant and was reappointed In
1879.
The McClary home, one of the most
spacious anu one Ol JUt nCNJ BnlOH-
didly appointed in all northern Ne
braska even today, was built in 1888
when the only homes west of the rail
road tracks were those OF Deacon"
Cotton, Fred Hardy and Ferdinand
Haase 1t was upon a six-acre tract
that the McClary residence waa To-
Gated, and the property today, running
through an entire block from Norfolk
to Koenigstein avenues. with a broad
bluegrass carpet sloping from the
house to the line of immense trees
that borders the lawn, Is one of the
most imposing residence properties In
all this northwest.
And this massive home has been the
center of many notable social gath
ering in Norfolk. Here church lawn
socials have been held, in these sra
cious parlors high school alumni have
held receptions now and then. and this
home, not so very long ago, was ablags
with the glory and Joy OF Norfolk's
most prominent golden wedding an.
niversary.
In 1900 j. s. McClary was one or
the census enumerators who helped
to count the people living In Norfolk.
He enumerated the First and Second
wards of the city.
Always a republican, j. g. McClary
cast his first vote for Abraham Lin
coin for president.
During his thirty-seven years life In
Norfolk, Mr.. McClary has been a lib.
eral contributor to public improve
ments for the city's benefit, such as
the sugar factory and other enterpris-
es. He has always enjoyed the re-
spect OF his fellowmen and is a promi-
nent Mason.
or his three children, ]. w. McCIary
lives in Norfolk, S. H. McClarv IS ms.
Sistant superintendent of the big
SpfeckIes sugar factory in California
ana his daughter, Mrs. l.. NJ. Keene.
Jr" lives in Fremont.
Inc first house built by I Mo
cary was on the present site of the
OXnard hotel The old building stands
today opposite the Oxnard. on South
Second street.