Business Improvements in 1879

WALNUT.

Her Improvements and Business Record for the Past Year.  [From The Walnut News, January 2, 1879, page 3]

 

Strangers coming into Walnut are surprised to see the amount of improvements continually being made here.  What was our now beautiful town a few years ago?  Nothing but a railroad station, with a depot and a few scattering houses here and there.  No town on the Rock Island road has made more improvements than Walnut.  Why has it been so?  A trip out into the country in any direction you please to go, will give you good reasons for its improvement.  Nowhere in the state will be found better farms than around Walnut, and no farmers doing better than our farmers.  We have been questioned so much, by strangers coming into the place that we sent out a reporter to look up the improvements of the past year, and get an estimate of the value, which we find are as follows, viz:

BUSINESS HOUSES.

Avery, Spangler & Co, improvements on                elevator                                                $600

1. H. Henry, improvements on elevator 1,000

Henry Ott, improvements on hotel                 300

Dr. W. F. Wiard, on drug store                       400

John Casey, saloon                                          200

Green Bros., hardware store                        1,500

Packard & Spangler, store                              600

Moershell Bros., restaurant                             400

1. G. Green, hotel 300
2. M. Bruce, drug store 400
3. H. Bowman 400
4. B. Slater, printing office 200

Jo. Sankey, McKinny’s store                        1200

Jo. Sankey hotel                                              200

1. H. Motter, furniture store 300

Wm. Burke, grocery store                               300

Henry Kay, shoe shop                                     200

Pat Casey, meat market                                  300

Hans Hansen, stable and grain house          1,500

Total                                     8,900

 

DWELLING HOUSES.

1. F. Lodge 800
2. Moershell 1,500
3. B. S. Case 800

Charles Lebeck                                            1,200

1. B. Slater 2,500
2. H. Lodge 200
3. G. Ruckle 700

Frank Gardner                                                 750

Leander Lodge                                            2,500

Wm. Hall                                                      2,000

___ Scheuster                                                  400

George Hines                                                  400

1. McKinney 400
2. M. Lodge 1,500
3. H. Henry 800
4. B. Marsh 300
5. P. Lewis 1,000

William Hill                                                     500

1. L. Allison 700
2. I. Loomis 450

Dr. F. S. Thomas                                             300

1. P. Gilbreath 200

Cyrus Boiler                                                    600

1. W. Embree 300
2. K. Spencer 400

William Carney                                               600

Mr. Allen                                                         150

Mr. Hughes                                                     300

Jack Hamilton                                                 125

Jasper Strayer                                                  125

Mr. Tinckum                                                   300

Thomas Hutchinson                                        150

John Blackmore                                              200

Reuben Cade                                                  200

Charles Sprouse                                              200

Dr. B. F. Warren                                          1,200

William Bartlett                                              200

Mr. Johnson                                                    200

Total                                 $25,050

Improvement on business houses                9,300

Grand total                                   $34,350

 

KH