by George A. Nye
The tearing down of the old Pierce Hotel, later known as the Central
Hotel on South Buffalo street last week removes from that locality
one of the old landmarks of the town. John W. Whiteneck, owner
of the Warsaw Laundry Co. is rebuilding the front of his establishment
on the old site. Just when the old building was built is not known,
but we have some evidence that it had stood there for three-quarters
of a century, if not longer. If Jake Thralls were living he could
no doubt enlighten us on the subject, for he always said that
when he first came to Warsaw they were just starting the excavation
for Center lake.
The abstract for this property shows that Lot No. 39, which includes
all ground 66 feet from the alley, used to exchange hands for
a fixed price of $300. In the early forties the lot was owned
by George Moon. He sold it to Nelson Nutt, and he in turn to George
Boydston in 1845. George Boydston was a great-uncle of the late
N. N. Boydston. In 1854, the Boydston heirs sold the lot to Rowland
Willard and we have evidence that the Willards built the hotel.
The Willards in 1870 sold it back to George Moon, who in 1874
sold it to Hattie M. Pierce.
In the seventies, when Warsaw was going good as a booming town
on two railroads, the Pierce Hotel was a well-known stopping place.
Other hotels were the Wright House and Kirtley House, the former
being on the north east corner of Buffalo and Center and the other
east of this corner where the new Eagles' building is today. Chapin
Pierce, however, was a well-known character about town in 1862
and had a livery barn here during the Civil war. Before the Warsaw,
Goshen and White Pigeon Railroad came in 1870, Pierce had the
contract for hauling the mails to Goshen and return. The barn
was in the rear of the hotel.
Dave Breading who was a boy around Warsaw in the late sixties
remembers that Lash Pegg, a big burly sandy complexioned man,
used to drive the four-horse stage coach for Pierce. Chained in
the lobby of the hotel at this time was a bear which attracted
the attention of all the school childdren who passed the building.
The boys would tease the bear. One day Pegg lengthened the chain
several feet unbeknown to the boys. When they came to tease the
bear that day they got a wonderful surprise, and some of them
were scared out of a year's growth.
The writer happen along in front of the old building the night
before workmen tore it down and overheard its valedictory monologue.
I give it to you about as I heard it:
"Well, this is my last night in this place. Tomorrow night
I will be kindling wood and debris. I have been here a long, long
time watching the things that took place on this street. I was
just new when the railroad was being built through town from the
east. Some of the workmen used to stay under my roof. The whole
uptown district, then was of frames like me except for two brick
buildings up on the corner of Center and Buffalo. Except for these
two I have seen all of the brick store buildings go up about me,
beginning with the Phoenix block across the street about 1858.
I never will forget the cluster of frame store buildings that
used to be down here on South Buffalo street. One used to be just
across the alley from me and Peter Marvin had a grocery in it.
Seems to me it burned, and Sam Oldfather built the brick which
replaced it. John R. Nye built the next one south of it. Nye had
a grocery there all during the seventies. Chipman, Funk and Company
were then across in the Phoenix block and so was Cal Hossler.
Bennetts used to have a grocery near here.
On the corner over there where the Boss building (old State Bank)
is now there used to be a big frame building. After the Empire
block fire in 1871, Foster's moved their drug store into it and
Harvey Beazel had his harness shop there. Honest John Evers had
a harness shop down here too about that time.
"In 1863, in a frame building across the street The First
National Bank was started by Billy Graves and the Chipmans. I
remember well when George Moon built this big brick north of me
on the corner. It was in 1868, just after the war. John Lane's
little jewelry store used to be there and Lane lived in a house
just south of the corner. During the early part of the sixties
the postoffice used to be in a little frame building just north
of me. Peter L. Runyan, Sr., was then the postmaster. My! I have
seen this end of town improve. The old barn back of me was torn
down about 1910. I saw the first paving brick laid in Warsaw.
It was down there at Mr. Davis' crossing at the railroad in February,
1903. I used to have two frame companions just north of me, but
they were torn down about 1905 to made room for Mr. Ringle's room
and the one north of it. I regret to leave my old companion across
the street where Dr. Siders' office is. It is an old-timer and
used to be Frank Place's photo gallery. Later Dr. Eggleston, dentist,
was there.
"Well, I am old and ready to go. Mr. Whiteneck wants to build
a modern laundry office here. He has been here several years in
the laundry business. Before the laundry moved over here I was
used as the American Express office with George H. Jordon in charge.
In the nineties I quit being a hotel and was a bicycle store.
They were quite numerous then, for everybody rode bicycles. In
my north room about this time Joe Campfield had his gun store.
Henry Mansfield used to be his clerk and mechanic. You know I
feel somehow that I belong to Warsaw of an earlier day. I don't
feel quite at home with all these new fangled things such as airplanes,
radios and even automobiles. I have sort of a longing for the
old horse-drawn vehicles that I watched go up and down this street
for fifty years. I felt at home with cobblestone gutters, gravel
streets, hitchracks and wooden sidewalks. The old gas lights on
the corners too, bring back memories to me. Well do I remember
the old kerosene lamps. Mr. Pierce had about his hotel and the
lanterns at the barn. Once in a while I used to see ox teams go
through town, pulling covered wagons or loads of logs, but I have
not seen any for years. I remember too, the political rallies,
we used to have in this town when delegations would come from
all parts of the county and some big speaker such as Will Cumback
or Schuyler Colfax would hold the people spellbound for two hours
on the courthouse lawn. These were the good old days, the days
of the long ago, and I feel that since they have gone I must be
going too.
"Good-bye, old town. Farewell, old site. Replace me with
a good, substantial brick building that will be a credit to the
town, and a treasure to the owner. Look forward, not backward.
Build for security and a great future, but in memory's golden
casket bestow a thought for me. When the winter winds whistle
about this corner and the snow king writes his name in frost upon
the window panes, then may the passerby see a spirit seeking shelter.
The ghost of the old Pierce House will be seeking the hotel fireside
of the long ago."
Warsaw Daily Times April 22, 1931
[hand written note probably by Geo. Nye. "Pierce was father
of Alice Pierce, later Morgan Manley's wife. Pierce lived out
on Clunette road. Built the brick house where Marcus Mote lives.
Used to have a brick yard. Hattie used to be some character &
Chapin left town with a Wm. Sullivan between two days. Pierce's
white bull dog & Perry Brown's used to fight. A man disappeared
at the Pierce House once and nobody ever found out what became
of him. It used to be a pretty tough place."]
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