DEVELOPMENT OF TOWNSITE

Rev. L. Newcomb built the first house in the colony. It was a small house located one mile east and one-fourth mile north of the townsite. This would be where Whitman's live now. It was built some time in 1868. Alfred Jones built the first house on the townsite. This was a one and one-half story frame house with about six rooms located at the east edge of town on the south side of Franklin Street. This house has been torn down, and the Jim Hogues live on the location at the present time.

The first business building was erected by Rev. L. Ricksecker in 1869 and was occupied by him as a general store, drug store, and post office. It was located at about the west side of the present bank building. A store was operated there for many years. It was torn down along with a livery stable when the present bank building was built.

A. H. Stanton built the next business building a little north of the corner of Franklin and Main Streets on the east side of Main Street. It was later remodeled and made into a hotel called the Pomona Hotel. By 1883 it was operated by T. J. Harrah. He advertised "Day Boarding and Meals." Patronage from the traveling public was solicited. Some residents remember calling this hotel the Harrah House. It had about eleven guest rooms, an office, a sample room where salesmen brought their trunks of goods to display. The merchants came here to make their selections of merchandise. The proprietor had living quarters also. The hotel was dismantled in 1934, and Mr. T. A. Love built a modern bungalow out of some of the lumber. he built just north of the original site. His house was destroyed by an explosion in 1957. The site is vacant at present.

Some of the early settlers here in 1869 were: E. A. Mott, Marvin Jenkins, George Hoopes, Luther Newcomb, John Kraus, John Baldwin, Alfred Jones, J. Parkinson, Rev. L. Ricksecker, A. H. Stanton, and William Hayes.

John Kraus & Sons erected a furniture factory in 1870 on the east side of Main Street and south of Franklin, a little south of where Frank Hughes now resides. By 1883, they built another large building for a sale room by the side of the factory. They had a reputation for making good, solid furniture mostly of walnut. An ad in a booklet printed in 1883 listed them as undertakers with coffins of all sizes kept constantly on hand. They also built a three-story, ten room house which later became a hotel and rooming house for transcients. It was operated for many years by Mrs. Katherine Kraus and daughter, Kate.

Around 1870, Nelson Reynolds erected a stone blacksmith shop. McCord & Wilson added a wagon shop. These buildings were located on the corner of Franklin and East A Street where Dusin's Dairy Bar now stands. Some of the original building materials were used in the construction of later buildings.

Whetstone and J. L. Hawkins started a large sorghum and sugar mill at the north edge of town in 1877. This building can be seen in the picture which shows an overall view of the town about 1900. This business was not very successful and was abandoned. Later Mr. Whetstone acquired this building and built two more and started up quite a successful dried and fresh apple business. He used one of the buildings as a cold storage and the other two for drying apples. He also had a cider mill. About 25 people were employed in this business. This Mr. Whetstone was very versatile. By 1883, he and Maxey had opened a retail store carrying farmers' supplies and a general assortment of goods in the latest styles. Their ad in 1883 said their stock was "sweet and clean throughout". He organized the Farmers' Exchange in 1898 which was the forerunner of the Farmers Union Mercantile Co., now called the Farmers Union Co-op.

Another early landmark was the flour mill erected by H. O. Kelsey in 1870. It was two stories high and made of native limestone. It was propelled by steam, had the most approved machinery, and three runs of 4-foot burrs. The building and machinery cost about $25,000. Mr. Acker was the first miller, and J. C. Baker the engineer. An ad of this firm in 1883 listed E. H. Topping as the proprietor. The flour brand was GOLDEN SHEAF, "XXX A." and "XX B." Franklin County. It further stated, "The proprietor has recently secured the services of a miller of 23 years experience in France, who is giving immense satisfaction". Fremont Curry replaced the burrs with a patent roller process in 1886. The mill burned during the winter of 1899. The remains of it can be seen in the overall picture of Pomona.

A livery stable was established on the west side of Main street, a little north of the corner of Franklin sometime in the 1880s. Mr. Frank Hughes worked there as a boy in his early teens. The owners were George Parker and Sam Combs. Mr. Hughes has told about taking care of the traveling salesmen when they came to town. He would take their trunks over to the hotel sample room. To this room came Abel Hensley and others to buy their merchandise. Then Hughes would take the salesman to Quenemo and Williamsburg, using a team and wagon.

Later, about 1893, Millard Lawrence owned and operated this livery stable. It was from here that he provided the "Hack" to take passengers and the mail to and from the depots. He had a dray wagon and spring wagon for hauling express and frieght. The Cheneworth Undertaking establishment of Ottawa kept a horse-drawn hearse in the stable for use at funerals in Pomona. Ewing Lawrence tells that it was his job to clean up the hearse when he worked there. He did a lot of other work around the place while going to school and before entering the service in World War I.

By 1899 Abel Hensley was one of the oldest merchants of Pomona. He was the senior member of the mercantile house of A. Hensley & Son. He came to Pomona in December of 1876 and formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, J. L. Hatfield. Later the title of the firm was changed to Paul & Hensley. In 1888, Mr. Hatfield again became interested in the business, and the firm of Hensley & Hatfield continued until 1893 when Mr. Hensley purchased his partner's interest and carried on alone. In 1896 he took his son, Frank J., into partnership. Abel Hensley operated a corn and feed mill and carried on an exchange bank for the accomodation of his customers and friends. For some years he conducted a tannery and engaged in the manufacture of harness and collars on an extensive scale. In 1899 he was the proprietor of a harness shop and a large livery business. In 1896 he erected a business block on Main Street. He built several dwellings, stores, and the livery barn.

At one time there was a Jewish man by the name of Mindlin who owned a store here. Residents recall his unusual methods of attracting attention when he advertised. Once he put a hypnotized man in the store window. His store was on the corner of Main and Franklin and was destroyed by fire.

In 1900 E. G. Swayze built a lumber yard and rebuilt the old mill of Kelsey and Curry on its original foundation. This was on the corner of Franklin and East A Streets.

The first restaurant was on the south side of Franklin Street west of Main about where the Farmers Union service station now stands. It was built in 1870 by William A. Jenkins. After the early death of Mr. Jenkins, it was operated for many years by Mrs. Eunice Jenkins and her daughter, Sylvia. Some of the native sawed lathes in it were of oak and walnut. They were used by Fannie Kraus, a granddaughter of Mr. Jenkins, in the remodeling of her house.

Another thriving business in the early days was the Pomona Fruit Co. It was organized in 1898 by J. J. Whetstone when Mrs. Whetstone and Mrs. Jessie Maxey began as an experiment at home to put up fruits, jellies, and extracts for market. They met with such success that the company was started. They went into it on a large scale and installed twelve gasoline stoves and one large coal stove to use for boiling the juices. At the peak of their business, they made from 1,600 to 1,800 glasses of jelly per day from many different kinds of fruit, both tame and wild. The business employed about fifteen people. At one time, they shipped a car of apple cores and peelings to Paris, France, for brandy making. Later they made toilet goods and bluing. Once they shipped out two carloads of bluing in a shipment. Catsup was another product made in quantity. Mrs. Mabel Hudelson can tell about her experiences while working with the catsup. Miss Fannie Kraus worked in the jelly part. This industry was located on the west side of Main Street at the corner of Fourt Street, somewhat west of the old Whetstone sandstone house where Dexters now live. All of these industries were discontinued by 1910.

Some of the early settlers here in 1869 and shortly thereafter as have been found in records and have not been mentioned, included: E. A. Mott, house, sign and carriage painter; Marvin Jenkins; George Hoopes; Luther Newcomb; John Baldwin, owner of land where Hooks live.