PULASKI - DOWNTOWN AREA IN 1927
Up until the removal of the courthouse to Pulaski, a very
great proportion of the business of the town was done within a
short radius of the old railroad water-tank, and a very large
majority of the population of the town lived over in that section.
To illustrate: Within a block in any direction from the intersection
of Valley Street and Commerce Street were concentrated most of
the businesses of the town. Take for instance, the square between
the railroad and First Street, south. Located in that block were
the following:
The grocery store conducted by J. M. MOELICK under the firm name
of Moelick, Robinson & company. "Jim" MOELICK, as
he was familiarly called, was one of the most widely known merchants
who ever did business here. He did a strictly high-grade grocery
business. With him later was associated E. T. HOWARD. The business
was subsequently moved to the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Main
Street, and, since the death of Mr. MOELICK, has been owned and
conducted by E. T. HOWARD.
Next door to Moelick's grocery, and in the same building, was
the Pulaski Hardware Co., the manager and senior member of which
firm was the late W. F. Howard, a man noted for his rugged honesty,
bluff speech, and shrewd business capacity. In the same block,
on the same side of the Street and within seventy-five feet of
each other, were the two drug stores of the town, J. W. Keister
& company and J. T. Darst & company. J. W. Keister is
still in the business. He enjoys the distinction of being the
oldest druggist here and also of having telephone No. 1. A number
of years ago the business was moved to Main Street, opposite the
court house, and a son, V. A. KEISTER, came into the partnership
which has since been conducted under the style of J. W. Keister
& Son. In recent years, from a formula developed by V. A.
Keister, there is manufactured a proprietary remedy called "Bludlife,"
which has enormous sales.
There is a remarkable co-incidence in the history of two men formerly
connected with these two drugstores-J.T. DARST (a brother of Superintendent
E. L. DARST) and D. C. HUFFORD, formerly a member of the firm
of J. W. Keister & company. Each of them was married and had
a wife and little daughter; each had just completed a new home;
each had a spell of typhoid fever; each came out to his business
too soon after convalescence and had a relapse and died. The circumstances
were identical in each case, though separated by several years.
After the death of J. T. DARST his brother-in-law, A. M. JORDAN,
took over the management of the business, the style being changed
to A. H. Jordan & company. It was conducted for some years
at the old stand and then moved to the corner of Jefferson Avenue
and Commerce Street. The recent death of A. H. JORDAN has again
dissolved the firm.
In this same block were also the stores of L. S. CALFEE, of Calfee
Bros., composed of M. H. and G. A. CALFEE; of Phelps Bros., composed
of Eugene and W. A. PHELPS; the jewelry store of Theodore DILFER;
the general store of Calfee & Gemmell, in the brick storehouse
at the corner of Valley Street and First Street, south, later
occupied by the Wallace Grocery company, and now by R. A. WHITTAKER.
Adjoining this storehouse was a small frame hotel, locally known
as the "Knot House" from the very great number of knots
in the weatherboarding.
In this block was also the clothing store of Bell & Hatcher,
which was later moved to the stone building on Commerce Street,
J. D. ASKEW coming in as a partner, and the business being known
since then as Hatcher, Askew & company, who have for some
years past occupied the store room in the Elks' building, at the
corner of Main Street and Washington Avenue.
In the block across the railroad were the stores of N. A. SAYERS,
of T. L. LYONS, of J. E. KABRICH, of McNew Bros. and the meat
market of G. W. COREY. Across the bridge was the furniture and
undertaking store of Stone & Stevens. It was in a frame building
that was once a carriage and buggy factory; was then occupied
by Stone & Stevens; later was used as an armory; and in it
now is the store of a colored man, named C. A. CLARK. On the corner
opposite were several stores and restaurants; also the Knights
of Labor Building, in which they conducted a store and above which
was a public hall where various entertainments were given.
The firm of Stone & Stevens was dissolved by the death of
S. H. STONE. It then became M. W. Stevens & company, and eventually
moved into what is known as the Starck building, at the corner
of Washington Avenue and Third Street, north. Since the death
of M. W. STEVENS the business has been conducted by his son, B.
S. STEVENS, under the name of M. W. STEVENS' Estate.
A few blocks south on Valley Street was what was known as the
"Factory Building," in which there was at first a spoke
and handle factory, which did not prosper. This building was used
years ago for public meetings and political debates. Latterly
it was the site of the first steam laundry here, operated by W.
H. NEWLEY. This laundry was acquired by J. C. SASHER and in later
years has been moved to his commodious plant, constructed of concrete
blocks, near the corner of Main Street and Randolph Avenue.
Just south of the Valley Street bridge over Peak Creek was the
old opera house, which for many years was the only regular place
of amusement here. It adjoined the property of Captain Charles
L. TEANEY, where he resided and he and his wife, nearly fifty
years ago, conducted there the first hotel.
Source: SW Times Newspaper: Tuesday, February 22, 1927, reprinted
for 21st anniversary edition Feb 22, 1966, transcribed by Teresa
Ferrell