Main Street looking south, Hamilton, Indiana
c1908 postcard view of Hamilton, Indiana. The postcard title refers to “Main Street,” but this must have been Fort Wayne Road, known as Wayne Street today. The photographer was standing at the intersection of Bellefontaine Road (identified as Defiance Road in the 1912 Steuben County atlas.¹). The shadows indicate it was late morning. The Hamilton map in the 1912 atlas shows the Wabash Railroad crossing from west to east at the south edge of town and then turning east-northeast and crossing Richland Township on the way to Ohio. However, the railroad isn’t clearly visible in this view and the map doesn’t show a depot. A small bridge in the distance (above the buggy) must have carried the road over Fish Creek.
The two buildings on the left in this scene are still standing on the southeast corner of the Wayne Street/Bellfontaine Road intersection, but the south half of the second building is gone. The GROCERIES sign advertised the business on that corner, but no other identification of the business name is visible. The word SODA was printed on the folded awning next door and was probably preceded by ICE CREAM. This may have been the location of a drugstore.
The potted tree stood in front of the next store to the south. The two signs above the awning are unclear, but the top sign appears to have a name painted on it. Beyond that tree, the Bell System sign on the utility pole advertised the location of a public telephone. These signs were common across Indiana before personal telephones became commonplace. The J. HARGER MEAT MARKET, CASH FOR HIDES sign appears to be standing in front of the two-story wood frame building. The wagon was parked in front of that building. A barber’s pole is visible farther down the street. It was standing beyond the fourth utility pole on that side of the street, but the shop itself was hidden by tree foliage.
Across the street, the woman with the bonnet was standing on the southwest corner at Church Street next to a small structure that might have been a public water well. The FISHING TACKLE HERE sign appears to be associated with a business on the southwest corner of that intersection. A sign advertising THE HAMILTON HARDWARE COMPANY stood at the curb in front of the building on the northwest corner of the intersection. The shape and format of the lettering on the sign hanging on the corner of that building strongly suggests it is advertising Garland brand stoves and ranges. Many hardware stores across Indiana displayed similar signs back then.
Farther north, another sign advertised RUDD & CO. DRUGGIST. The lower sign advertised ICE CREAM SODA, SOUVENIR POSTALS, FISHING TACKLE. (The souvenir postals were postcards.) A 1905 national druggists directory² included only two druggists at Hamilton. They were Rudd & Co. and Charles E Swift. A 1909 National Association of Retail Druggists publication reported, “… at Hamilton, Rudd & Co. sold out to Waldo Miller….” This photograph must have been taken prior to that sale.
Next door to the drugstore, the awning advertised HAMILTON BANK. A 1910 report³ said the bank received its state Certificate of Authority in 1905. O. H. Taylor was listed as president and cashier.
1. H. W. Morley, Atlas of Steuben County Indiana/i> (Angola, IN, 1912), page 25. Available online at www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/11595/.
2. The Era Druggists Directory, Eleventh Edition (New York, NY: D. O. Haynes & Co., 1905). Available online at books.google.com/books?id=bantAAAAMAAJ&printsec=front....
3. Auditor of the State of Indiana, Annual Report (Indianapolis, IN: William B. Burford, 1910). Available online at books.google.com/books?id=l_dJAAAAMAAJ&printsec=front....
From a private collection.
Selected close-up sections of this postcard image can be seen here, from left to right in the image.
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Copyright 2006-2016 by Hoosier Recollections. All rights reserved. This image is part of a creative package that includes the associated text, geodata and/or other information. Neither this package in its entirety nor any of the individual components may be downloaded, transmitted or reproduced without the prior written permission of Hoosier Recollections.
Main Street looking south, Hamilton, Indiana
c1908 postcard view of Hamilton, Indiana. The postcard title refers to “Main Street,” but this must have been Fort Wayne Road, known as Wayne Street today. The photographer was standing at the intersection of Bellefontaine Road (identified as Defiance Road in the 1912 Steuben County atlas.¹). The shadows indicate it was late morning. The Hamilton map in the 1912 atlas shows the Wabash Railroad crossing from west to east at the south edge of town and then turning east-northeast and crossing Richland Township on the way to Ohio. However, the railroad isn’t clearly visible in this view and the map doesn’t show a depot. A small bridge in the distance (above the buggy) must have carried the road over Fish Creek.
The two buildings on the left in this scene are still standing on the southeast corner of the Wayne Street/Bellfontaine Road intersection, but the south half of the second building is gone. The GROCERIES sign advertised the business on that corner, but no other identification of the business name is visible. The word SODA was printed on the folded awning next door and was probably preceded by ICE CREAM. This may have been the location of a drugstore.
The potted tree stood in front of the next store to the south. The two signs above the awning are unclear, but the top sign appears to have a name painted on it. Beyond that tree, the Bell System sign on the utility pole advertised the location of a public telephone. These signs were common across Indiana before personal telephones became commonplace. The J. HARGER MEAT MARKET, CASH FOR HIDES sign appears to be standing in front of the two-story wood frame building. The wagon was parked in front of that building. A barber’s pole is visible farther down the street. It was standing beyond the fourth utility pole on that side of the street, but the shop itself was hidden by tree foliage.
Across the street, the woman with the bonnet was standing on the southwest corner at Church Street next to a small structure that might have been a public water well. The FISHING TACKLE HERE sign appears to be associated with a business on the southwest corner of that intersection. A sign advertising THE HAMILTON HARDWARE COMPANY stood at the curb in front of the building on the northwest corner of the intersection. The shape and format of the lettering on the sign hanging on the corner of that building strongly suggests it is advertising Garland brand stoves and ranges. Many hardware stores across Indiana displayed similar signs back then.
Farther north, another sign advertised RUDD & CO. DRUGGIST. The lower sign advertised ICE CREAM SODA, SOUVENIR POSTALS, FISHING TACKLE. (The souvenir postals were postcards.) A 1905 national druggists directory² included only two druggists at Hamilton. They were Rudd & Co. and Charles E Swift. A 1909 National Association of Retail Druggists publication reported, “… at Hamilton, Rudd & Co. sold out to Waldo Miller….” This photograph must have been taken prior to that sale.
Next door to the drugstore, the awning advertised HAMILTON BANK. A 1910 report³ said the bank received its state Certificate of Authority in 1905. O. H. Taylor was listed as president and cashier.
1. H. W. Morley, Atlas of Steuben County Indiana/i> (Angola, IN, 1912), page 25. Available online at www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/11595/.
2. The Era Druggists Directory, Eleventh Edition (New York, NY: D. O. Haynes & Co., 1905). Available online at books.google.com/books?id=bantAAAAMAAJ&printsec=front....
3. Auditor of the State of Indiana, Annual Report (Indianapolis, IN: William B. Burford, 1910). Available online at books.google.com/books?id=l_dJAAAAMAAJ&printsec=front....
From a private collection.
Selected close-up sections of this postcard image can be seen here, from left to right in the image.
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/27722364076/i...
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/27722363796/i...
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/27682023051/i...
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/27682022821/i...
Copyright 2006-2016 by Hoosier Recollections. All rights reserved. This image is part of a creative package that includes the associated text, geodata and/or other information. Neither this package in its entirety nor any of the individual components may be downloaded, transmitted or reproduced without the prior written permission of Hoosier Recollections.