Untitled Document

WETHERSFIELD BUSINESSES

The Blue Goose Restaurant

The Blue Goose restaurant at the corner of. Church and Tenney streets was erected in 1924. This restaurant serves hot meals and quick Punches at all hours. It also carries all lines of confectionery. Mrs. Carrie Richter is the proprietor.

Huffman Motor Company

The Huffman Motor Company is situated in the Baker building, 336 Tenney street. This company is distributor of Buick sales and service.

Barber Shop

After George H. Rice sold out, Joseph Selph ran a shop about 1906, but for a few years only. The first permanent barber shop was established by Edward Watson in 1914. He is still doing business in the shop built by Verne Nobiling and now owned by H. R. Radford.

The Store on Lot 65

The store on lot 65 was erected by C. F. Kurbat in 1903. Mr. Kurbat was in the grocery business here until about 1920 when his son, C. A. Kurbat, bought his father's property. He continued the grocery business until 1924 and then rented the store room to N. F. Fischer who continued the grocery business.

The south room of the building is occupied by Will Arnold who carries all lines of confectionery as well as beauty and barber supplies.

A. C. Taylor & Co.

The A. C. Taylor Company was started at 105-09 Church street in 1900. At that time the store building covered 400 square feet of space. The business now occupies three buildings with a total floor space of 49,000 square feet. The average number of employees is eighteen.

In 1924 the business was incorporated under the name of A. C. Taylor & Son Company with A. C. Taylor, president, and E. G. Taylor, treasurer and general manager. The principal lines of goods handled are automobiles, hardware, implements, furnaces, radios, Oil-O-Matic burners, etc. Garage work and blacksmithing is also done.

The Store on Lot 64

This lot was bought of Simon Bennett on July 27, 1897, by George H. Rice. Mr. Rice built the present store and used it for a time as a barber shop and confectionery store. The store became the property of Fred E. Terry, April 1, 1901, who sold it to Verne Nobiling April 11, 1908. It is now owned by H. R. Radford. It is rented to T. M. Lowry who conducts a grocery store.

Wiley's Shop

The James Wiley, Sr., carriage shop at the corner of Church and Tenney streets on Lot 48 was established in 1852. Mr. Wiley manufactured carriages and wagons besides doing general blacksmith work.

At one time there were four woodworkers, five blacksmiths, three painters and three carriage trimmers at work in this shop. The wagons and carriages made here had a wide sale over the surrounding territory. Many medals were taken by Mr. Wiley at county and state fairs.

In 1921 A. W. Tharp bought the property. The old building was demolished and a modern oil station erected on its site.

Brewery

Once upon a time the village of Wethersfield had a brewery. It is said upon good authority that it had plenty of customers even beyond the village limits. The building was erected by Henry Meier on Lot 39 in the year 1870. G. Zeigler also ran the establishment for a time.

On October 10, 1878, the building was bought by H. Clay Merritt who turned the brewery into an ice house. The ice was obtained from a pond made by a dam across the slough south of Mill street and between Payson and Hollis streets. The building and land were sold by Mr. Merritt in 1891 and it was soon afterward torn down.

History of Henry County

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Illinois Ancestors

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