One of Many Howard Businesses Destroyed by Fire Over the Years

[W. Gray]

This fire involved several businesses plus the Opera House.

The standing building is the old Post Office building, where the entrance to the Family Market is at now.

From John Abbott's postcards.

[frawin]

Waldo, they built back a meat market with lockers and a grocery store on this spot, my Father bought out Tom Fralick in 1930 at this location.
Frank Winn

[patyrn]

I remember when the Post Office was there and Gray's Barber Shop was down below it.

[W. Gray]

This is a photo of the hardware store that replaced the first Elk County courthouse. It was on the west side of Wabash in the area of the current cabinet shop, Traci's Trends, the former Winn's Cafe, etc. 

After the new, but ill fated, courthouse was built, Sheriff Burchfield traded his farm to the county in return for the old courthouse and set up business.

I believe his former farm became the county poor farm.

Burchfield also had a smaller hardware business across the street in one side of a building that was torn down just within the past five years or so. He may have vacated that small hardware when he took over the larger building.

The hardware in the old courthouse totally burned around 1895.

[W. Gray]

The Kasson Drug store, which burned down at some point.

This store was on the east side of Wabash south of where the vacant lot now sits next to the old bank building.




Kansas Memory

[W. Gray]

Frank,
It looks as though the Yantis meat market was one of the businesses that burned down (in the first photo above).

I never knew anyone in the area by the name of Yantis, but Ethel Yantis was the editor of the Elk County history book.

Patyrn,
The stair well hand rail and the protective railing around the drop off leading down to the barbershop, as I remember, was made of some serious cast iron that had knob like features along the top.

It seems to me (as a little kid, anyway) that if you ran your hand along the railing there was an uncomfortable feeling from those knobs.

Batson tore all that out in 1961?

[frawin]

Waldo, I noticed that in your picture. Ethel Yantis was a Beaty and her husband was Norval "Slim" Yantis, Slim was the town MarshaL, Animal Control officer, overseen the water plant and anything else that needed to be done. The Beatys were an old line family in the area, in fact the Beatys homesteaded the land that my wife's family owns now. My wife's family bought it from the Beatys and the only names ever on the title are Beaty and Buffalow. I will look back in my newspaper clippings and see if I see anything on the Yantis family in the Grocery business. I plan to go back to Topeka and scan some more Howard papers this spring I will make a note to look furter then. Great Picture you posted.
There were three places that had businesses under buildings on main street and now there are none, I think the only basement area that still exists that was a business is under the old Howard National Bank Building. The Building where the cafe was had a big basement area but it was always damp. Your Grandad's Barbershop, Cooleys Barbrshop and Pat Lewis Shoe Shop were all basement businesses, easier to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and my guess the rent was cheaper.

[frawin]

Waldo, I to remember the rough metal scalloped strip that was on the basement railing going down to you Granddads shop, it was rough on the hands. On Saturdays lots of the farmers came to town and they would go to both Barbershops to catch up on the news. My brother had a grocery store in the late 40s and early 50s just South of the old Legion Hall and on Saturday the Farmers would come in , shop and then leave their groceries , go sit on the benches on Main Street and visit until midnite then they would pickup their groceries and head home. There were 4 busy grocery stores on main street then. There were 4 farm implement dealers, 3 car dealers, 2 feed stores 2 clothing stores, 2 doughnut shops/bakerys, a variety store, a furniture store, 4 restaurants , two shore repair shops, Movie theater, 4 Barbers, 2-3 Doctors, 4 service stations in the downtown area, 2 Lumber yards, 3 appliance dealers, 2 liquor stores, 2 pool halls, 2 dry cleaners, if you counted Hottingers there were 2 drugstores, 2 Banks, the PCA the FHA Farm Loan Bank, a Western Auto, 2 Dentists, 3 plumbing shops. It is really disappointing to see all that is gone.