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Hartselle Enquirer

Hartselle Square Buildings and Occupancy in 1901

Fire of 1901: Burned all buildings from Cooper Hotel (No. 5) through Burleson Livery Stable (No. 13) 

 

Fire of 1916: Burned all buildings on south side and all on west side, south of vacant lot (No. 16-26) 

  1. Doctor’s office: Dr. Scott L. Rountree
  2. Dr. Turney built the first three story building in town on these lots. The top floor of the frame building housed Dr. Turney’s dental office and living quarters. The second floor was used as a hotel, called the Cain Hotel, with J.P. Cain listed as proprietor in 1890. In 1901 it was listed as the New Hotel with Mrs. Trannie Hutcheson the proprietor. The first floor of the building was divided into two stores with a wide stairwell in the center. This stairway led to the second and third floors, which also housed business offices.
  3. Moore’s Store, owned and operated by Hugh D. Moore and his wife, Mary Ann. In 1891, John T. Tarver operated his jewelry store from one of the buildings on this corner.
  4. Lindsey Boarding House
     4ABy 1885 Joseph B. Britnell constructed a livery stable on this 50-by175-foot lot. Behind the livery stable was another barn, where Mr. Britnell kept cotton gin equipment that he sold to the public.
  5. In 1901 this was the location of the Hartselle Hotel, which was operated by Mr. C. H. Cooper. It was also known as the Cooper Hotel.
  6. A long and wide wooden porch extended across the front of the Hartselle Hotel and the four buildings to the south.
  7. In 1901 Lawrence O. Waldsmith operated a grocery store in this building, which was one of the first business “houses” constructed in town.
  8. One of the oldest buildings in Hartselle, it housed the post office in 1901.
  9. This building was vacant in 1901. Maj. Daniel L. Downs operated a general store and saloon in the building right after it was built in 1873.
  10. Another one of the first buildings to be built on the square, this structure housed the Jonathan Orr Burleson feed store in 19001901.
  11. In 1901 this building and lot were owned by Oliver J. Moore. He and Mr. W. F. Stinson were in business together, making and selling marble gravestones and tablets.
  12. This was the fenced display area in front of Mr. Moore’s and Mr. Stinson’s business, used to showcase their marble and granite work.
  13. Jonathan Orr Burleson operated a livery stable on this lot in 19001901. 
  14. In 1901 the building on this lot is shown as a single-family residence. Later it was used as the printing office of the Hartselle Enquirer. 
  15. In 1901 this building was used as a store, and in 1911 Howard L. Burleson had a pressing shop there.
    15A. This 40-by-48-foot lot on the south side of Hickory Street was the location of one of the first undertakers in Hartselle, Mr. S. W. Shackelford. 
  16.  From 1885 to about 1894 or 1895 the lower floor of building 16 was the post office. The post office moved to the east side of the tracks in either 1894 or 1895 and was caught in the 1901 fire. After the fire it moved back into the Hickory Street building. The post office had left by around 1906, and James E. Haynes, the photographer, moved in. A stairway between buildings 16 and 17 led to second floor offices that were a favored location for the town’s doctors. These offices formed the entire second floor of buildings number 16, 17 and 18. Some of tenants included J. G. Greene, a jeweler and watch maker, who was there in 1885; J. S. Miller, insurance agent, who was there in 1895; Dr. Scott L. Rountree, who was there in 1890; William B. Woodall and W. S. Bean, dentists, who had an office there in 1890; Arthur L. Brown, attorney, who was there in 1890; and Dr. Eugene Sample, a dentist, who was there in 1901. Buildings number 16, 17 and 18 were collectively called the “Orr Building” in early newspaper advertisements.
  17.  This building housed the Albert S. Britnell Drug Store in 1901. 
  18. Little is known about this section of the building in 1901. Previously it could have housed some of the above-mentioned businesses for building 17. There is evidence that in 1885 David W. Day had his drugstore in one of the three buildings, and Dr. Charles D. Smith, a dentist, had his office over the drugstore. In 1888 this was possibly the location of A. M. Lee’s grocery store. When the Citizens Bank of Athens opened a branch here in 1903, it was at this location. 

 18A. This building was owned by John C. Orr and was used as a livery stable.  

 

  1. In 1901 the J.C. Hartselle & Son General Store was located on this lot.The rear ofthe building was split level, with hardware on top and groceries below.  

 

  1. Sharpley and Masterson Dry Goods store was located here in 1901. Partners were E. H. Sharpley and Absolum H. Masterson. This could have been the location of the Sharpley & Puckett Farmers Emporium store in the late 1880s.
  2.  Dr. David Walker Day had his drugstore on this site in 1901. He was a druggist who manufactured and sold his own medicines.
  3. Marsh Brothers Dry Goods store was located here in 1901. 
  4. James H. Corsbie Hardware and Furniture store was located here in 1901.
  5. In 1901 Rountree Drugs was located on this site. Owner was Joe L. Rountree, son of Dr. Scott Rountree. Prior to that it was the location of the Brewer Hotel and was owned by John B. Brewer. 
  6. Nichols Barber Shop was in this building in 1901. A stairway between Rountree Drugs and Nichols led to a second story over both stores. In 1901 the upstairs housed the offices of Judge Lindsey, the Justice of the Peace and the dentist, Dr. Charles D. Smith.
  7. Abe Polytinsky operated a general store here in 1901. 
  8. An 1890 photograph of Front Street shows a two-story frame building on this site. The 1901 map shows this as a vacant lot. The original deed record for this lot, or what businesses were located there, has been lost to history. Records indicate a one-story brick building was located here in 1916, and it housed the Crescent Café.
  9. This building and the No. 29 building each occupy one half of the 25by90-foot fraction lot No. 3 of Block 22 of “The Stuart Plan of Hartsell. Each building was 12 feet, 6 inches wide. This building was J.T. Tarver’s jewelry store and gun repair shop in 1901. 
  10. This half of the lot was occupied by Doss Grocery Store in 1901. Owner was C.C. Doss. Today, William H. Puckett has his CPA office in the building, and during recent renovations, evidence was found that this building at one time had been divided into two units. 
  11. William V. Echols and James H. Hargrove operated a hardware and furniture store on this site prior to 1901. 
  12. By about 1896, Albert S. Britnell and Marvin Pattillo opened a drug store on this corner lot. Pattillo had charge of the prescription department. Mr. Britnell kept his other drugstore in operation, building No. 17. By about 1898, Pattillo bought out Britnell’s interest and became the sole owner. The frame building was replaced by a two-story brick building around 1912. At that time Pattillo Drugs moved, and this location became Puckett and Orr Drug Store. 31A. This property is located off the square; however, it warrants mentioning because it was the location Pattillo Drugs moved to in 1912.   31B. This property is also off the square; however, its history is related. Sept. 1, 1882, John B. Stuart sold this 25by150-foot lot to James F. Parker for $75. He operated a livery stable on the site until July 1905, when he sold the property to Citizens Bank so they could construct a new, brick office building. It was built during the year 1905, and the Citizens Bank moved from offices in the Barclift Building, No. 18Jan. 1, 1906. This is believed to be the first brick building constructed in Hartselle.  
  13. The Railroad Park – grassed with flower beds and, at one time, enclosed by a wooden fence and later by an iron pipe fence and later by no fence at all. 
  14. The latticed bandstand. In 1901 it was located at the southwest corner of the park. The bandstand can be seen in the background of an 1892 photograph of the park. It appears to have been torn down before 1920. 
  15. African American waiting room of Depot in 1901.
  16. White waiting room of Depot in 1901. The two waiting rooms were on a lower level than the office and loading platform area. The Depot was split level. The depot located here in 1901 was the third on the site. Early histories tell us the first depot was a converted boxcar, and within a short time a wooden frame building was constructed. A photograph from around 1890 shows the building to have boardandbatten siding, and it appears to be smaller than the later depot. It is unknown when it was replaced – probably sometime in the early to mid-1890s. The brick depot there today was built in 1914. 
  17. Freight and passenger offices were located on the same level as the loading platform.
  18. This is the loading platform where cotton bales and timber products were loaded and shipped out and where finished goods were unloaded when brought in on the train. 
  19. The town well. It waa located in middle of Front Street – now Railroad Street – in front of where William H. Puckett’s CPA office is located today. The fires of 1901 and 1916 were fought with water drawn from the well. 
  20. Location of the railroad baggage room was on the east side of the railroad tracks. It was a small wood frame building. Use of it was probably discontinued when the passenger depot was constructed in 1914.  

 

Many thanks to David Burleson for sharing this map and information, compiled by his uncle, Howard Burleson.  

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