1872 ~ St. Charles Hotel ~ 1st Court

ALLEN, FEATHERSTONE, HARRIS, LONG, MARTIN

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 11/18/2014 at 12:31:07

The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Monday, June 01, 1953
Mason City Centennial Edition, Section 3

1872: ST. CHARLES HOTEL

[Section 3, Page 15] Among the buildings to go up in the boom that followed the coming of the first railroads to Mason City was the St. Charles Hotel, erected in 1872 at Second and N. Federal. The vacant lot in the foreground is the present site of Damon's, Inc. The picture was taken from the top of the Dyer House, the hotel built on the corner north of Central Park by Dr. W. W. Allen. The old hotel was moved from the lot in 1900 by Mike Featherstone, who purchased the building from Mrs. Emily Harris, who erected the present store building on the corner. The hotel was divided in two and the main part moved to 601 Third N. E. and the other part made into a residence near the M and St. L. station.

When Mrs. Harris erected the business block on the corner, friends advised against going so far north. They told her she would always be out of the business section of the city.

* * * * *

LONG HELD FIRST COURT

[Section 3, Page 13] The records do not give an account of the first term of the county court, but, as known, it convened with Judge J. B. Long on the bench and Henry Martin, clerk. As no business presented itself the court adjourned. The judge's minute book A is the earliest record of court proceedings.

St. Charles Hotel Photograph courtesy of Globe-Gazette
Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2014

Cerro Gordo Documents maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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