A glimpse into the city’s past 125 years ago Evansville 1888 A glimpse into the city’s past 125 years ago Joe Engler HistoricEvansville.com

Evansville 1888 Prosperity of the Gilded Age after Civil War/Reconstruction Tremendous growth in population and size City limits were roughly St. Joseph Ave., Garvin St., and Morgan Ave. Street cars provided easy access around town and the suburbs were expanding rapidly. Dirt roads, first paved 1889 Electricity and telephone were becoming more prevalent Prosperity – people had money for construction and time for social activities Street cars pulled by horses, 1892 electric trolleys Most homes used gas though Telephone needed a subscription

Evansville 1888 (cont’d) Civic buildings Railroads Five daily papers Court house (Main St. and 3rd St.); new one under construction City Hall (3rd St. and Walnut St.) Post Office (2nd St between Vine and Sycamore) Railroads Evansville & Terre Haute (E&TH), later Central & Eastern Illinois (C&EI) Peoria Decatur & Evansville (PD&E), later Illinois Central (IC) Louisville & Nashville (L&N) - built Henderson Bridge 1885 Evansville Belt RR Five daily papers Corner saloons and grocery stores anchored city blocks 40+ churches of many denominations Schools were separated by color Courthouse nice but outgrown; new courthouse cornerstone laid Railroads strength of city L & N Shops established the city of Howell E & TH Depot at 8th and Main, PD&E depot at Franklin and Sixth, L&N Fulton near 2nd Like the ones near here Ricks 718 Bar, Sam’s Food Market & Smoke Shop, Kwik Stop Liquors, and one across street where dentist is compared to today’s CVS Columbia School (1875-1979) was just up the street from St. Anthony’s. Third Ave Colored School (1897-1957) was at the north end of the street. Fulton (1870-1973) and Baker Schools (1871-1976) were also nearby.

Big players in town Metal works/foundries Heilman Plow Co. (later Vulcan Plow) George L. Mesker and Co. Orr Iron Co. J. H. Roelker foundry George Koch Sons metalworking Breweries F. W. Cook Brewing Co. Fulton Ave. Brewery (Sterling) Saw/planing mills Jacob Meyers & Bro. planing mill Rechtin Planing Mill Helfrich Saw and Planing Mill Furniture Armstrong Bros. furniture Karges Furniture Evansville Furniture Co. Schelosky & Co tables Banks Old National Bank Citizens National Bank (5/3) National City Bank (Integra) News/print Evansville Courier Evansville Journal Keller-Crescent advertising Smith & Butterfield Other Lensing Wholesale Bernardin Bottle Cap Co. John Ingle coal dealers Igleheart Bros. flour mill Strouse & Bros. fine clothing Boetticher Kellogg & Co. hardware Mention Heilman Plow and Boetticher Kellogg

Lamasco Separate town northwest of Evansville Founded 1836 First Ave. eastward to St. Joseph Ave., from river to Maryland St. Named after founders Law, McCall, and Scott Streets on cardinal directions, as opposed to downtown parallel to the river Merged with Evansville in 1857 Primarily German immigrants John & William Law, James McCall and Lucious Scott Shared similar interests, lost the name war

Lamasco and the “North Side” Growing North Side of town Street cars went up Third and Second Avenues and turned west at Columbia Street Fire station No. 8 built 1878 St. Mary’s Hospital bought property across First Ave in 1885; didn’t build until 1894 Elite homes along First and Fulton Avenues Willard Library recently completed Present fire station built 1908

First Ave Taken from 1888 panoramic map Willard Library Crescent Furniture Emanuel Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, and First Ave. Presbyterian Columbia School Hose House No. 8 Heilman Home / St. Vincent Day Care Reis Home / Future St Anthony Site

Willard Library Begun 1877; opened 1885 Donated by Willard Carpenter Oldest library building in Indiana Downturn in economy delayed construction and scale (originally planned as a college) Carpenter House is now WNIN building

Reis Residence Built 1872 for Anthony Reis Tannery (leather) business located at Fifth and Michigan Designed by Henry Mursinna same architect as Reitz Home Occupied the entire block Died 1884 and land donated by widow 1885 for a church Became St. Anthony rectory c1910 after Mrs. Reis died Relocated from Cincinnati horse collar harness saddle near lewis bakery/fulton school 1104 First Ave old number on steps now 704 N First

Heilman Residence 611 N First Ave, opposite Iowa St Built 1869 for former Evansville mayor William Heilman Heilman Plow and Heilman Machine Works (later Vulcan Plow) 1931 becomes St. Vincent day care

Boetticher Residence Built c1877 for Edward Boetticher 407 N First Ave ne corner Michigan Built c1877 for Edward Boetticher Co-founder of Boetticher Kellogg Converted to Owl’s Home in the 1920s Razed last month

Straub and Blomer Residences 820 N First Ave sw corner of Maryland St 816 W Franklin St se corner Second Ave Fred P. Straub c1872 Hardware dealer on Main St HR Connects office space Frank Blomer c1874 Blomer, Schulte, & Reitman furniture Reich & Assoc insurance

Other First Ave Mansions Other grand homes along First Ave built around the same time Counterclockwise from top left 801 W Virginia – 1891 – William F Hartig 408 N First Ave – 1891 – L F Elmendorf 624 N First Ave – c1905 – Benjamin Bosse (Ziemer’s Funeral Home) 503 N First Ave – 1906 – Dr. Paul C Rietz 419 N First Ave – 1899 – William Boetticher

Crescent Furniture Co Old furniture factory dates back to 1870s NE corner of Franklin St. Used as WPA headquarters c1940 Razed 1968, strip mall now on old site

Melzer Soap Works Soap factory dates back to 1860s Third Ave & Maryland St Closed by 1940 Later miscellaneous companies (laundry, filter plant, and body shop)

Nearby churches Trinity Lutheran 1841/1870 Emanuel Lutheran 1856 Churches predominately Lutheran but some other denominations expanded beyond downtown (mission churches) Trinity Lutheran Illinois St between Third and Fourth Aves – German, rebuilt First Avenue Presbyterian corner of Virginia St – later expanded Emanuel Lutheran Franklin St and First Ave – German, later expanded First Avenue Presbyterian 1875/1876

Catholic Churches Assumption (1836 – 1965) Holy Trinity* (1851) St. Mary* (1866) St. Boniface* (1880) Sacred Heart (1885) St. Anthony* (1888) * - German speaking parish Assumption originally on 2nd St (Grein Building/BMA), new Assumption church built 1872 Trinity burned 1950, rebuilt later St Boniface completed its church 1881 Sacred Heart located near St. Boniface, too far to English-speaking Assumption Sacred Heart’s present church moved 1914 into old school. Church built later 1928

St. Anthony Catholic Established 1888 German-speaking Split from Holy Trinity Present church built 1894