It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is also worth a thousand memories. Not only did my ancestors and other relatives live in and around Hiattville from its earliest days, I have fond memories of visiting that very building shown in the photograph.
The Photograph
The photo was taken sometime after A.M. Routh rebuilt his store following the Hiattville fire of 1905, which devastated many of the businesses in town. It was published on a postcard by the Central Postcard Company in Fort Scott, Kansas sometime between 1907 and 1914. And, it was sent to my grandma Nellie Peelle sometime before she married March 4, 1914. I don’t know the exact year as it has no postmark. Since it was sent locally, the postman simply took a pencil and made marks across the stamp. Thus, it was delivered the same day it was sent.
The Store
When I was growing up, this building was Salmon’s Grocery. Imo and Don Salmon ran the store from 1943 until 1973, although it seems their store was in another building in the early days. The building looked very much the same when I was growing up except that it had gas pumps and benches out front. As a kid, my favorite two things about the store were the candy counter and the pop machine. The candy counter was a big display case where a quarter could buy a small bag of candy and gum. I remember the wax teeth, sour apple suckers, bubble gum, big jawbreakers, and the SweeTart necklaces.
In those days, soda pop wasn’t something that people drank regularly. It was a real joy to get a bottle and move it through the tracks, finally getting it out of the machine. I think the anticipation was half the fun. There was nothing better than a strawberry Nehi.
We didn’t do our regular grocery shopping at Salmon’s as their selection was limited, but would stop in if we needed something. In addition, we raised chickens and would sell eggs to them. And, I believe at least one year, we sold strawberries to them.
My funny story about the store . . . One day the phone rang. Mom answered and the person on the other end of the phone said, “I think I left my pot on your bench.” The person was trying to reach the store. She had left a cooking pot on the bench out front of the store.
My Family
I am not aware that any of the people in the photo are my family. However, it is very possible that one of the members of the family ventured into the photograph as numerous of them lived in and near Hiattville from its earliest days.
Early Residents
Hiattville began its official formation in 1872 when the name of the post office was officially changed from Pawnee to Hiattville. I don’t know exactly when Thomas and Ellen D. (Jury) Harnett set foot in what became Hiattville. However, they were both living in Pawnee Township, which includes Hiattville, when they married on February 12, 1873. October 4, 1874, their son, John, was the first child born in Hiattville. Note: Historic Reflections of Bourbon County, Kansas incorrectly gives their last name as Hartwell instead of Hartnett.
The 1880 census is the first census that recognizes Hiattville as a village. Thomas and Ellen’s household was one of five in the new town, which had a total of 35 residents with 10 of them living at Thomas’ home. Thomas and three of their boarders worked for the railroad, which was the primary reason Hiattville existed. Two of the men were from Ireland, Thomas’ birth country. They also had a doctor from Arkansas, a servant from Germany, and two teenage young men from Illinois, who were the telegraph operators.
It was quite a group and I am imagining listening to conversation in the household. The mix of proper English (Ellen was of a very proper English background), Irish brogue, German, and the southern twang of someone from Arkansas must have been quite interesting.
By 1885, my great-grandmother Matilda (Jury) Peelle, Ellen’s niece, had joined the household. She lived with them until she married in 1892. Thomas, Ellen, and their three children lived in or close to Hiattville the remainder of their lives. In 1890, the family moved to their farm two miles north of town.
This story tells you a bit about the Hartnett family.
Read more about the Jury family’s story.
In and Around The Town
Arriving In the Area
In 1879, Passco and Martha (Johnson) Peelle and three of their younger children (William J., Lillie, and Mossie) moved to a farm north of Hiattville. William J. took care of business and arrived in Kansas after his father. He came by train from Indiana arriving at the little Hiattville station. Read more about their move to Kansas.
Moving Into Town
In August of 1891, Passco bought lots in the bustling town of Hiattville, which was rapidly growing. He purchased lots in the area of the original town (pink). That November, William J. (my great-grandfather) purchased lots in the Wallace Addition (green). They moved into Hiattville; however, they continued to own the property north of Hiattville.
William J. later switched two lots with A.M. Routh, owner of the grocery store (orange) in the photo, via each of them doing quit claim deeds the same day. He switched for the lots on the southeast corner of Pine and Broadway. This gave him four lots that were co-located rather than having them a block apart. These lots were a portion of the lots that had earlier been owned by William J.’s wife Matilda (Jury) Peelle’s brother Walter, who had at one time owned six lots on that corner (blue).
Matilda’s brother Wilburt and his wife Susan (Stubberts) Peelle also owned property for a time in Hiattville. However, it was a few blocks away (turquoise).
Busy Bee
Prior to the move, William J. was a popular carpenter and farmer. In Hiattville, he kept even busier. He had a shop and was called on to create many different items in addition to building additions to homes and businesses. Of course, life at home was busy also since William J. had married Matilda soon after moving to Hiattville and they soon had a growing family. Read more about William J.’s life as a carpenter and farmer.
Out To The Country
Hiattville was booming, but for some unknown reason William J. and Passco decided to move their families out of town. So, they sold the properties that they had only purchased three years prior. Although the town was growing, William J.’s property hadn’t increased in value a lot. However, Passco sold his lots in the original town for a whopping $1500. He had purchased them when they moved to town for a mere $650.
The family, all three generations, moved into a house southwest of Hiattville. This house was a big two-story, which sat just feet from where Don and Kay (McCracken) Davis lived for years.
After that they lived in multiple locations within a few miles of Hiattville, including moving back to their first Kansas home. Their last home together was the home southeast of Hiattville that became known as the Homeplace. Read more about the Homeplace.
Hiattville Address
Many others in the family have had a Hiattville address at one time or the other. In the earliest days letters and postcards were simply addressed to the person with an address of Hiattville, Kansas. Later, a route number was added. Eventually, people living in and around Hiattville had a zip code of 66747.
Some of the family members that lived around Hiattville at one time or another include: Joe and Nellie (Peelle) McCracken and all their children, Dewey and Jackie McCracken, Don and Kay (McCracken) Davis and family, Weldon and Ester (McCracken) Fisher, Evaline (Peelle) Farmer and children, Donald and Bernetta (Ellis) Rhoades, and John and Harriett (Warner) Jury and family. And, of course, Mom, Dad, sis, and me. I am sure I missed somebody that should be included in that list.
Until The Post Office Closed
Mom’s uncle, Theo “Bud” Thomas, who lived just outside Hiattvile, was the town’s postmaster for 21 years. However, he wasn’t just the postmaster, he literally owned the building and almost all of the contents. Only one filing cabinet and a mailbox outside belonged the United States Postal Service. Everything else including the post boxes belonged to him. After he retired, he had the post boxes in his home.
Soon after Bud retired, they limited the hours the post office was open each day to two hours in the morning. Those hours didn’t work for people who had employment. Thus, several chose to change to home delivery. On June 30, 1986, they closed the post office claiming that there were concerns about the safety of the old building that stood by the railroad. They did not feel it was economical to come up with another solution as Hiattville was down to 16 people getting their mail at the post office.
The remaining customers were moved to home delivery. To resolve the issue of purchasing stamps, they allowed people to buy them from the postal carrier. A person could leave money in the mail box and the postal carrier would leave stamps if they had them. If not, they would leave them in the mailbox the next day.
Today
Once topping out at around 500 inhabitants, the bustling town of Hiattville has now been reduced to a small collection of houses. The small town once had three or four churches. Today, only the Methodist Church stands. And, the tracks for the railroad, which at one time carried 10-15 freight trains and two passenger trains per day, have been removed. All the businesses have closed, including the store in the photo, the lumberyards, and the bank. Additionally, the days that the school was open are now a distant memory. Besides the church, the main things that remain are the two cemeteries and memories of a different time.
Prompt: Favorite photo
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