Bell Bakery and the I.O.O.F. Building

Every Christmas when I make date filled cookies, I think back to the first year I made them  to take to my grandmother's house for the holidays.  I had never heard of them and was planning on surprising her, assuming that she hadn't heard of them either.  But it was me who was surprised when she said, “Oh!  Filled cookies!  My dad made those at his bakery, and they were so good that people would come from miles around to get them.”   My disappointment about the spoiled surprised was quickly overshadowed by the realization that my great-grandpa Pete had been a baker and had baked the same cookies I just had.   I knew little about him at that time, but that conversation with my grandmother would begin to change that.

Peter Christensen immigrated from Denmark in 1900 at the age of 17, destined for Council Bluffs, Iowa.  He learned the baking trade in Omaha, Nebraska and worked in the trade for several years in Council Bluffs.  He met Clarence Bell, a bakery owner of Missouri Valley, Iowa.  The two men decided to go into business together and for reasons unknown focused on purchasing the City Bakery in Huron, South Dakota.  Neither of the men had any known connection to Huron, but this particular bakery had changed hands several times in the two previous years so perhaps they felt this would be a good investment.  They sealed the deal on City Bakery on September 23, 1908 and immediately began making improvements.

The original wood-frame Bell Bakery shop, just to the left of the Costain Building.  This is the 300 block of Dakota Ave. South.

Clarence Bell and his wife Tilda purchased a home in Huron, and Peter Christensen lived above the bakery until his marriage two years later.  Bell and Christensen made improvements to the wood frame building, including a new oven and an expansion to the building, both in 1910.  Bell handled the business affairs, while Christensen handled the baking operations.

A Bell Bakery advertisement from 1910 in a Huron newspaper

In 1914, plans were made for a new I.O.O.F. building, three stories in height, to be built right where Bell Bakery stood.  The new building was to be built of brown vitrified brick trimmed with cream colored Bedford limestone, 50 feet in width and 115 feet long. The existing bakery building, meanwhile, was moved nearby (behind the Marvin Hughitt Hotel), allowing the business to continue to operate during the construction process.  But the move didn't go smoothly.  “The Bell Bakery is now comfortably located on Fourth street just off the avenue, after a somewhat tempestuous journey across the street and around the corner.  The building held together very well, until nearly in place, when a section of the south wall bulged badly.  This will not, however, be a serious matter, as it was braced up at once,” wrote the local newspaper. Construction of the new building was to begin immediately.

The two-story wood frame Bell Bakery building at its "new" location on Fourth street, west of the Marvin Hughitt.  The building would later be sold and moved again.

By mid-October the I.O.O.F. Building was near completion.  Bell Bakery would occupy the southernmost main floor store front (340 Dakota Ave.), and Mills Grocery the north store front.  Offices and some Odd Fellow reading rooms would occupy the second floor.  A large 50' square lodge hall was to be at the front of the 3rd floor with dining rooms and a kitchen among other things in the remainder of the space.  Bell's new space was completed in early December 1914.  

An addition was constructed to the bakery space, giving it a length of 165 feet.  The front portion of the bakery was a “very handsome” sales room with display cases designed for keeping the baked goods from drying out.  The shop was located to the rear and was outfitted with modern equipment and machinery.

Bell Bakery workers.  Pete Christensen is 2nd from right; to his left is his brother, Soren Christensen, who was learning the baking trade from his brother.

Inside the bakery; Pete Christensen at left.

Pete's handwritten recipe for Cream Puffs, courtesy of Ree Lyons.

In 1920, Pete sold his interest in the bakery to Erwin G. Schmidt and purchased a farm southwest of Huron.  He farmed until 1946 when he retired, sold his farm and moved to Gardena, California.  He passed away in 1960.  

Erwin Schmidt eventually purchased Clarence Bell's interest in the bakery as well and conducted the business until 1950, when it was closed in an involuntary bankruptcy proceeding.  The equipment was sold to a Mitchell restaurant, and the Singer Sewing Machine company then took over the vacant store space.

The Photography of Louise French - Album 3 - Italy

  In an earlier blog post I told the story of the glass lantern slides that Huron College Latin professor Louise French had made.  These lantern slides are the blending of her loves of both travel and photography.

House of the Vettii, Pompeii

The Forum, Rome

Goats on street of Naples in 1922

Beautiful Sorrento from boat on Med.

Wall enclosing temple grounds, Paestum, Italy

Old Roman Theater at Fiesole, Italy

Mediterranean near Capri

Lunch at Temple of Neptune, Paestum, Italy

The Forum, Rome

The Photography of Louise French - Album 2 - Unmounted photos from Rome

  In an earlier blog post I told the story of the glass lantern slides that Huron College Latin professor Louise French had made.  These lantern slides are the blending of her loves of both travel and photography.

Court of the Vestate (?), Rome

Interior of Temple of Neptune

The Photography of Louise French - Album 1

 In an earlier blog post I told the story of the glass lantern slides that Huron College Latin professor Louise French had made.  These lantern slides are the blending of her loves of both travel and photography.

St. Efflam in the Brittany region of Côtes-d'Armor in France.

St. Efflam's box in the Brittany region 

Fishermen in the Dives River in Normandie

Normandy - William the Conqueror of Dives

Normandie  (remainder illegible)

Normandy - Church of William the Conqueror - Names of Knights over door

Normandy - Church of William the Conqueror - Dives

Normandie - Tents of (illegible)

Historical Lantern Slides from Huron College

 

Voorhees Hall

The heart of Huron College, Voorhees Hall, along with other college buildings had their contents auctioned off and were demolished. I loved that building; you could feel the 103 years of history as you walked through it. I always regretted that I was not there for the auction, just to get a small piece of it. I missed it. But my dad didn't.

Recently, he offered me a large collection of glass slides he had purchased at the auction – about 300 of them stored in plastic shoeboxes, with about 70 more in other small boxes.  I happily took them, and quickly discovered they were “Lantern slides” - positive photographic images put onto a piece of glass and covered by a second piece of glass, bound on all sides with black paper tape.  Inside the boxes with the slides were some other items – many pictures of classic art that had been cut out and mounted on pieces of cardboard, some small boxes and an old envelope that had been used as scratch paper.  All in all, these were reminiscent of materials that might have been used by a teacher.  There were a couple of clues as to who these items belonged to and how old they might be – the back of one of the cardboard mountings had some writing referring to an insurance check from 1932, and the envelope had “Louise French, 510 Nebraska SW” written on it. A quick check of the 1930 census showed Louise French as a roomer at this address, along with her occupation of teacher at the college.  Bingo!

Another item I received from my dad was a small cabinet with drawers like a card catalog.  As I was cleaning it up, I noticed most of the drawers were labeled:

I suspect these slides were owned and donated by Miss French to Huron College after her retirement.  Some of the glass slides apparently had been ordered from commercial companies (see catalogs at left).  I suspect that Miss French also made some of these lantern slides herself.  Two of the small cardboard boxes among the slides are labeled, “Thin Cover Glass for Lantern Slides” and  "Eastman Lantern Slide Plates," both ordered from Eastman Kodak company.  For whatever reason, some of her lantern slides were never mounted, and the boxes are labeled as such. 

Louise French was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia on October 29, 1865, to Rev. Charles P. and Mary (Brown) French.  The couple had three children, their son being a president of Huron College, Dr. Calvin French.  Miss French taught at Huron High School for ten years before teaching Latin and fine art at Huron College for twenty-five years after that.  Among her hobbies were travel and photography. 

In 1909 she was one of the winners of a contest put on by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader; the prize was a trip to Colorado, which would be her second trip to the state. She would make a third trip to the area in 1929.  There she took numerous photos that ended up as lantern slides. 

She took a 3 month trip overseas visiting Holland, Austria, Germany, Belgium Switzerland, Italy, France, the British Isles, and Greece.  She departed at the port of New York aboard the S.S. La France on June 29, 1922.  Lantern slides labeled Italy, 1922 are among her collection.  She was able to make two overseas trips in her years at Huron College.

A sampling of Louise French's lantern slides from her travels

Above: Arapahoe glacier (L), Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado

Below: Goats on the street of Naples (L); Fishermen

Outside of her work with the college, she participated in many presentations at various clubs and organizations, usually using her lantern slides to enhance the talks given by local travelers.  She assised with talks for the Fortnightly Club, the P.E.O., the Beadle County Historical Society, the Girl Reserves, the Literary Coterie, and many travelogues, using her “projectoscope.”  She also educated outside of school, giving talks on “Principles of Kodakery,” such as how to enlarge photos, how to tint photos, and how to make “time exposures.” 

In addition to her love of travel and photography, Miss French wrote a song long used for many years during Huron College's Pow Wow Days.  It was still being used at least 11 years later, and she was given a memory book in appreciation.  She also had a poem printed in Pasque Petals, South Dakota's poetry magazine, in 1930.   

On her second tour of Europe, she spent twenty-five days on the Mediterranean sea, a week in Rome, and a visit through north Africa.  She also made stops in Switzerland, Germany and France.  Many of the photographs from this trip were used to illustrate a new edition of “Horace” being published by Dr. John C, Rolfer of the University of Pennsylvania. 

The Eastman Kodak company often used Miss French's photos for their advertising.  The Bureau of University Travel has also used her photos for their circulars.  The Service Bureau for classical teachers in New York procured her negatives to make prints to be used by high school Latin teachers.

At the close of the school year in 1939, Louise French retired from teaching. She had served on the faculty of Huron college for 25 years.  At an August, 1939 meeting of the Huron College Board of Trustees meeting it was noted, “Miss French's resignation was formally accepted.  The committee expressed regret over the veteran instructor's resignation and at the same time voiced sincere appreciation of her excellent services.”  She lived in Demarest, Georgia and with her widowed mother,  in a home operated by Lois Leech, a former Huron College student.  In 1956 she underwent intestinal surgery and passed away shortly thereafter at the age of 90.  She was buried in Grand Ridge, Illinois, with her parents.

SOURCES:

Findagrave.com

“Lantern Slides”  https://www.magiclanternsociety.org/about-magic-lanterns/lantern-slides/

Huron, South Dakota City Directories: 1907, 1909, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1932, 1934, 1938,

The Journal-World, Huron, South Dakota, February 21, 1907.

Dakota Huronite, June 11, 1908; April 29, 1909; July 15, 1909

Evening Huronite, May 10, 1928; July 30, 1929; July 23, 1929; May 12, 1930; June 7, 1930; September 16, 1930; March 11, 1931; March 28, 1931; October 13, 1931; October 16, 1931; October 18, 1932; November 23, 1932; April 14, 1934; September 27, 1934; April 7, 1936; April 16, 1936; September 24, 1936; February 18, 1937; December 10, 1937; July 27, 1939; August 24, 1939

Huronite and Daily Plainsman, June 28, 1955; February 22, 1956; February 26, 1956

Daily Plainsman, July 20, 1960

1920 Federal Census

1930 Federal Census

1922 Passport Application, Louise French

1920 Huron College Wadahupacan Yearbook

1926 Huron College Rubiyat Yearbook

1938 Huron College Alphomega

Woolworths, Ben Franklin stores of Huron, South Dakota

The beginning of Woolworth's in Huron starts with the end of the Weir building. The Weir Building was a small frame building just south of the Costain building on Dakota avenue, between 3rd and 4th streets. Like so many others frame buildings of that era, it was being removed to make way for the more “modern” brick buildings.

Above: The Costain building, with Bell Bakery to the north (left) and the Weir building to the south. The Weir building at that time was occupied by Geo. Mills, Grocer.  

The “New Weir building” erected in its place was a two story structure with a basement, and would be rented out to the F. W. Woolworth company for a new 5 and 10 cent general merchandise store. The basement would be used for storage, and the upper floor would have two living quarters.

The red “X” on the side of the building that housed the Woolworth's store. While it is impossible to read the sign on the storefront, Woolworth's would have been located in this building at this time. Bell Bakery, which was 2 buildings north, was moved to make way for the I.O.O.F. Building.

It was April of 1916 when the “old” Weir building was moved and construction began. By August, the new building was complete and Woolworth's was ready to open its doors to the public.  

Above: The Costain building and, to the south (right), what was the “new" Weir building as they are today.

One-half block to the north, on the southeast corner of 3rd and Dakota, sat a large ornate brick building, known as the “Hills Block.” Myer's Cigar Store, among other businesses, was located in this building about 1940.

Above, from left, on corner of 3^rd and Dakota: Hill's Block; Potter shoe store building, Red Arrow building, small one-story building, I.O.O.F. Building (which housed Bell Bakery), Costain building, Woolworth's, several small buildings, Masonic Temple/Little Zee building on corner.

The Hills Block, a large, ornate building on 3^rd and Dakota, had two smaller frame buildings behind it on 3^rd street east – The Palace Barber Shop and the Nu-Way shop. In 1940, a realty firm from Minneapolis purchased the property and went forward with their intention to erect a new building extending over the sites of those small frame buildings. At the same time, M. A. Myers, proprietor of the Myers Cigar Store in the Hills Block, asked the city for permission to move his business and liquor license to the Root Building, one block north at 252 Dakota S.   

The new building was completed, and Woolworth's moved into it the following year. Just about 21 years later, on July 23, 1960, Woolworth's permanently suspended business at the end of the day. According to the manager at the time, William Fogelstrom, the company closed that location because it was not considered adequate for their operation.

But the building did not sit vacant long. On August 1, crews began the process of remodeling the building with the goal opening a Ben Franklin store.  At that time, Ben Franklin was one of the nation's largest retail merchandising businesses, with over 2400 independently owned stores. James Flynn of Redfield announced he would lease the building and operate the store, hiring 7 salesladies and a stock clerk, hoping to fill these positions from former Woolworth's employees.

Many of us have great memories of the Ben Franklin store. I loved to shop with my grandmother there and while she picked up her magnetic photo albums, Dippity-Do, Aqua-Net hairspray and the likes, I got to go to the back of the store to the pet department. Colorful parakeets, fish of all types, and even monkeys were in stock. The big attraction was a parrot sitting on a perch suspended from the ceiling. One of the highlights of my childhood was getting to hold a monkey while its cage was being cleaned. Browsing through the pet department was a thrill I never outgrew.

In October of 1994, it was announced that the store was under new ownership and would be converted to a craft store. While I had since moved from town, I did visit the store one last time during this era. Luckily, it was during a big sale, and I recall packing my trunk full of various craft goodies. For me, this one last thrill from Ben Franklin was a fitting way to say goodbye.  

SOURCES

Google Earth

Huron City Directories: 1918, 1922, 1930, 1932, 1938 and 1940

Huron Daily Huronite, August 07, 1916, pg. 1
Huron Daily Huronite, April 06, 1916, p. 8
Huron Evening Huronite, Oct. 29, 1940, p. 8
Huron Daily Plainsman, July 24, 1960
Huron Daily Plainsman, Feb. 2, 1964
Huron Daily Plainsman, Oct. 17, 1994
Huron Daily Plainsman, Dec. 14, 1994