The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-09-02
How Schloer
Grew With
Hammond:

Tairty-e eight years cgo. Hammond
was a sorry looking place. Yet a
Number OF men law a great futur.
ahead % the Michigan Contra, nag
station and determined u grow up wt.a.
the Town End help make It amount 10
something.
one OF these was Jacob schloer
whose business IS Hammond's oldest
II point 81 Years q continuous oper-
suon. II was th!rty-etcht years ago
tcday-September ,. 1SSe-that Mr..
Schloer came to Hammond and opened
a shoe shop.
Mr Schloer had had his eve on Ham
nlond for several years and on that
cay 10 found a business room for rent.
grabbed It and put in his stock.
Then the business district ~straggled
from the Michigan Central railroad
down Holman street. 10 S.5ley street.
though wac pretty near out IN the
country Neither the Erie or Monon
railroads we're built We. so the pres
ent dat-iron Block at the northeast
corner of state and Holman SITS. was
a full sized block from the Michigan
Central to State street. II was ia
tRis block that the chloe store was
started. the room renting for $40 per
month.
N NJ Towle. ST, then ran a gener-
a store here asd Anton Tapper's faith
er alsc had e store There were a
number OF other smaller ones who have
been gone for years" said Mr. Schloer
this morning. Everybody knew ev-
eryoody else then and we all called
each other by our first names"
There were about 1000 people in
Hammond in 1882 and the residence dis
trict was confined between Siblev st.
and Plummer ave, the majority of the
houses being west OF Holman street.
This was due 10 the fact that il was
nearer TO the cd G. H. Hammond
PachinS plant which employed about
6oo people then and was ten towns
only industry.
The city's present business district
vas a series OF sand ridges and sloughs!
such as are found still in the outlying |
aistricts. here the First National
bank now stands was a big sand pile
where YOU would sink TO your knees
and on down at the corner where the
Hammond building stands was a big
swamp" aid tibet old-timer. = There
we're no sidewalks and the streets
we're awful after a rain. Many's the |
time after I moved onto state St. that
+ - OAL 10 the Hl1Q4G OF the
street with hip boots and stuck IN the
Sign south Water ST just for fun"
He moved onto State street two years
atter he landed in Hammond. The
change was occasioned bv a fire which |
occurred the day before Christmas II
was zero weather and the old hand
pumps did little good in combating the .
flames SchloeF's place and several
others in mis- own block. together with
the old Central Block" which stood
where the old Heintz building now is.
were wiped out. The Holman block /
At the southwest corner Of state and
Hohman SITS was then nearing com
pletion. and was slightly damager By
the fire.
Mr.. schloer had a frame building
PUT Up hastily on the site Of his pres
emit state street store and was selling
SHOES again in six weeks. His bust
ness has grown with Hammond. At
first h had a small stock. costing
PROBABLY 500 with a repair shop in
connection. He continued TO work
at the bench making and repairing
footgear with three and four other men
until the business grew and his time
was required in the salesroom. Now
he has one OF the most complete high F,
grade stocks in Lake county. I've
always made it my rule to carry the
best grade Of shoes for the money that !
could be bought" he says and his bus
mess indicates that the policy meets
the approval Of the public
IN addition 10 MS regular work, Mr.. !
Schloer has had time to take an i'm I
portant part in the advancement Of
Hammond. He served for years on the
town and city council. He helped
70 pass the ordinance which resulted
{ rthe frst saver and first permanent
sidewalk. My. how they stormed