The Cairo bulletin., 1914-10-15
INTERESTING ARE
OLD TIME CAIRO
"REMINISCENCES
Concluded from PAGE 0uo,,

l anu Al AiNNAf ASa wv
| enjoyment of themst Ives aud friends.
| Ne had no aristocracy in Cairo
| then.
| At the time Of my arrival in
Cairo. and for many yeaFs thereafter
a forest OF cottonwood ANA maple
| trees lined nearly all OF the river
front of the town and ali back Of
where is now W. 5hington avenue,
was heavily tiiabsred forest. i'll
| which was a thick underground of
| small cane, that afforded fine graz
| ing for cattle. and, up To 1852, a
| great many large cottonwood trees
stood all about whore is now Eighth
and Commercial.
| AS the old landmarks OF which
Ihay speak, were constructed under
| the regime of the H0l6rook Co, IL
may be in order TO say that that old
| company took possession of The
roint and commenced operations in
the spring of 1897
On the spot where the Winter
block now stands was large, very
| tall ice house. built in the iall of
| 1885 think this building was torn
| down in 1876.
There was a frame church in the
woods, just about where Halliday's
Hour mill now stands This build
ing was some SO feet square, and
was built by the Catholics early in
1898. The bell that used 10 call
the pioneer Cairoites to this sane
tuary, was hung in thu fork of an
elm tree that stood near the front
| door. This tree was cut down by
order of Esq. ShanncFsy, who took
charge cf the bell. and shortly after
ward sold it TO the owner OF store
boat from Pittsburg The old Church
| was demolished in 1874 | will
venture the prediction that Robert
] II. Baird Is the only person in cairo
that can remember anything about
that old. rough, unUaintel church.
the frst house of worship over built
in the town.
A large brick foundry, built by
the Holbrook Co in 1898 stood just
above where the Clark block now
disgraces your city, fronting the
levee. This foundry was furnished
with the best and moot expensive
machinery that could be obtained at
that time. Holbrook or somebody
else sold everything out of that
building, rs ii was entirely vacant
the first time | saw it, in February
lS44 Col. Taylor had the old fOun-
dry RACED. probably in 1882. A
| steamboat was male near this foun-
dry by the old Cairo Co. ana the
engines and machinery were made
in that establishment The boat
carried about 800 tons aud was
called Tennessee Valley.
The old company built an i'm
mense dry dock, that cost over $780,,
600, This broke away from the
| moorines at Cairo III 1871. and was
caught and secured to the bank at
Hickman, KY, and subsequently, at
tached by creditors of the Holbrook
Coz ann sold by the sheriff oe-FuitDn
county for s3,o00t.and taken Thence
t6 Anglers opposite s-nSewrSOrieans,
and may be there yet fer alfgftb /
know or eareav 80 So r. r. -
| About where is. at present the
junction of Twelfth and Levec
streets was q large frame building.
| probably $50 by so feet, In this was
It planning mill, and other machinery
| fine and expensive. Sheriff Ander-
sen of Alexander county, under an
execution sold everything oat of this
establishment in the summer OF
1S47. Miles A. Gilbert, a judgment
creditor bought nearly all the prop
| eTty sold. This house burned down
| lh 4 oOJ. ADohL iiluNd az tVh
the foundry and planning min was a
big saw mill, fronting the levee.-
This. was built early in the year
1887; torn down in 1852 One of
the most interesting of the old land
marks was the immense stone foun-
cation for the Great London Ware
house This was at least 500 feet
square, and was situated just abont
where the Halliday hoHse now
stands The walls Of this founda-
ton were 10 to 8 feet high. No
structure WAS ever built on them.
Some OF the stone from this founda-
ton was used In the construction
of the Bulletin building and Louis
Herbert's two brick houses. at Wash
ington avenue and Twelfth and
Ponlar.
Then there was the Cairo Hotel