The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-10-29
MARION HOTEL
| LOT BOUGHT IN
1855 FOR $500
Historian for the Bulletin Recalls
How Real Estate Has In
creased in Value.
CREDIT IS DUE c. D. AFTER
He Built the First Brick House
Ever Used in Cairo on
Commercial.
CREDIT IS DUE c. D. AFTER

Following is fhe fourth and last
installment of old time Cairo notes
contributed by Michael j, Howley,
for The Bulletin. and published
every other day. beginning October
20.
Charles D.. After, on May 80, 1883
purchased the lot on the southwest
corner Of Commercial ave. and Sixth
street for $500, and on the 10th day
Of July following, Samuel wilson
bought the lot nearly opposite, now
occupied by the Marion Hotel, for
which he paid $500. without much
DELAY. Mr.. AFTER began the erection
Of brick building on his corner
| (Which building still stands and ISL
known as 5l5 Commercial Ave.)
Referring to Mr.. Arters building,
the Cairo Times in July, 1855, said
1.-THE brick store of Charles d, After
on Commercial Ave, is nearly COM
pleted and makes fine appearance
To Mr.. After is due the credit for
having built the first brick house in
Cairo"
While Mr.. Arter's building was
nearing completion, work was COM
menced on Samuel Wilson's brick
building on the lot across the street,
above mentioned and on the large
double brick building on Ohio Levee.
owned by VIM, Stevens & Co This
building is still standing and is oc-
cupied by R. Smyth & Co. The Times
CT August 18th, 1855, noted that
both these brick buildingsSwere then
in course of construction. In Oc-
tober. the Times stated that S. Will
son & Bro. had opened a grocery
store in their new building and that
the Stevens building was nearly
completed AS soon as his building
was completed Mr.. AFTER put in
stock of general merchandise and
conducted the store for several years
Government Rented Building.
About the beginning OF the civil
war the Government renter the
building for post-office purposes II
was occupied as a postoffice until the
summer of 1872 when the handsome
new postoffice and custom house on
Washington Avenue between 14th
and 18th streets was opened. In
February. 1862, there was high
water scare in Cairo, and as a pre-
caution postmaster Linegar had the
books and papers Of the office re-
moved to rooms on the second floor
of the City Bank Building, on Ohio
Ilevee, then General Grants head
quarters, until the scare was over.
John Shechan was a clerk in the
postoffice at that time and assisted
his fellow clerks in removing the
hooks and papers to the bank build
ing. General Grant had temporari-
" left the rooms and was then busy
at the attack and capture of Fort
Henry and Fort Donelson. Mr. Shee-
han tells Of the finding of couple OF
Jugs of whiskey left behind in the
Generals headquarters, which stun
tasted so good to one of the clerks
that he imbibed too freely and be-
came SO wabbly on his return to the
postoffice that he fell into deep
mud hole at the northeast corner
of Sixth street and Commercial
Avenue, and his companions had diff
fl1culty In getting him out again
St.Patrick's Corner.
Another noted conveyance OF cor
ner lots in early days was that of the
st. Patrick's church lots on the
northwest corner of Washington
Avenue and Ninth street The deed
from Taylor &c Davis, trustees, was
dated April IS, 1854 and conveyed
lots /, 3 and in block 40. Rev
Patrick McCabe was then in charge
of the spiritual interests Of the Cath
olics of Cairo. He purchased lots 3
and 4. adjoining the church lots, on
April TO- 1854 for $500 Recently
LOT was sold to the church, by the
owners. for $4,000 The late VIM
I.onergan told the writer some years
ago that he was on the ground
squirrel hunting, when the engineer
and his assistants arrived there to
survey the church lots. Father Nc
Cabe began without deley to erect
church and pushed the work
along SO rapidly that the first ser