The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-10-24
PIONEER CONTINUES
HIS DAILY ARTICLE
ON CAIRO HISTORY

| Extensive advertising sooI
brought investors from the sur
rounding country. among these
we're two friends, worthy citizens Of
| Union county, Peter Neff and Chris
ian Hanny These shrewd gentle.
men looked the town over. and
| while Eighth street was then quite
a distance "up town." they decided
10 purchase the corner lots on that
street facing Commercial avenue
Chris Hanny told his friend Neff
that he preferred the lot on the
north side of Eighth street. Mr.
Neff the. efore. had to content him
self with the lot on the southwest
corner. Each lot cost $500 These
purchases were made on Feb. 9.
1854, A frame building was erect
cd upon each lot shortly afterward.
Mr.. Neff occupying his house for
merchant tailoring. He remained
there perhaps three or four years
when he leased lot on Ohio Lcvee
and built business house upon it.
The site is now known as 705 Ohio
street. This was some months prior
to the inundation of June IL, 1868.
In May 1858, the late Judge John
II. Robinson, who had shortly before
arrived from New Orleans. rented
the Neff Eighth street corner and
occupied 1t as a cigar and tobacco
store. He had got fairly started in
business when the levee broke. He
'aved all his stock. except a lot of
fine Havana cigars, which he over
'ooked in the haste of moving. A
photograph of that section of the
own taken in 1859. a copy of which
IS in the Cairo Public Library, shows
he Neff building as we'll as a small
building on the Hanny lot. On the
light OF Sept. ID, 1864, a destruc-
i've fire. which started on the Han
~ corner, consumed all the build
'ngs on the west side of Commercial
venue, south of Eighth street, as
sar as Winter (Buder) Block, whose
strong brick wall successfully re-
listed the flames. The fire also ex-
ended north on Commercial to
Ninth street, destroying everything
"A its path This fire was probably
the most destructive that had ever
Cairo, up TO that time
Shortly after this fire frame blild-
ing was erected on the Neff lot, and
was occupied by John Check as a
Try goods store. This new build
ng, as we'll as adjoining new build
ngs erected %nce the September
ire, was wiped out in a $4,000 fire
IN the night Of January Goth, 1865,
Mr.. Cheek, holding a lease on the
OF, soon after this last disaster,
quilt the structure which still
stands and is now occupied by FIack
K May, On the opposite (Hanny)
,orner, Rittenhouse & Hanny, (the |
after son OF the original purchas-
'r OF the lot) in 1865 erected the |
three story brick build |
ng now owned and occupied by the
Alexander County National Bank
n Sept. 1875. the property was sold |
~ the Master-in-Chancery, at
'ublic sale, and was purchased by |
he same Peter Neff. who wanted
o buy that corner quarter of
century before. Mr.. Neff subse-
Iuently conveyed the property to the
'ank.
The late Michael Kobler, tailor,
nd companion, a baker, left
louisville in the summer of 1854, in
skiff, intending to go down the
'hio to New Orleans. When they
cached Cairo. they landed at the
'harf and the baker went up town
D purchase a supply of food to re-
lenish their larder, leaving Mr.
.obler in charge of the skiff AS
he baker failed to return within a
easonable length of time, Mr.. Kob-
sr grew uneasy for the safety OF
is companion and went up town"
, find him. On approaching sa-
ION he heard the familiar voice of
he baker and went In to find the
liter singing German song and
lrrounded by a cornwall crowd of
ativcs. On representing the baker
'r his failure to return to the skiff, |