Snapshot of History with Mike Avitt
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North side of the Mount Ayr square about 1910.
BY MIKE AVITT
We continue around the square with a look at 104-110 W. Madison. In this week’s picture, you can see 104-108 W. Madison all have the same brick facade. These three storefronts were built by Sellards and Merrill in 1893. I believe Sellards owned the two buildings on the west and Merrill owned the one at 104 W. Madison.
Dr. J. T. Merrill moved to Mt. Ayr from the Ringgold City area about 1865. He operated a drug store in Mt. Ayr for many years before building his new drug store here. Dr. Merrill’s wife, Martha, was a pioneer in women’s clothing retail in Mt. Ayr and operated millineries for decades. Dr. Merrill’s building operated as a drug store until 2001.
I believe the Sellards mentioned is Joseph W. Sellards, son of Dr. D. F. Sellards of Mount Ayr. Joseph later became a doctor, married a woman from Clarinda, and located there about 1905. I believe he is responsible for 106-108 W. Madison.
A fire in April 1890 burned out the buildings that previously occupied these lots. Brick buildings replaced the wood-frame buildings that burned and all are still standing today.
The building at 110 W. Madison is the oldest one on the north side of the square. It was built the same year as the Timby building, but, because it was smaller, it was finished in July 1890. J. H. Seevers and Jacob Rabb owned the meat market that burned and they rebuilt as a meat market. Jacob Rabb’s daughter married local physician Dr. F. C. Smith. The Smiths built the house at 104 W. Jefferson in Mt. Ayr in 1905.
The building at 110 W. Madison ceased being a meat market in 1934. Grocery stores began adding refrigerated meat cases in the early 1930s and that knocked out most butcher shops. The Smith building, as it was called now, housed a dress shop, cafe, and bakery before the Real Style Shop moved in about November 1941. They stayed until 1962 and Matt and Carolyn Bevington opened Bev’s Pantry in 1963. This was followed by Patty-Lynn’s Cafe and DanDee Cafe. The Fabric Shop opened here in 1977.
First Federal Savings & Loan opened its doors here in 1981. This institution was reorganized in 1991 and by 1992 was called First Federal Savings Bank. The name changed again in 2013, this time to Page County Savings Bank. PCSB moved to the highway in June 2015. The Shay Company opened at 110 W. Madison early in 2017 and still occupy the oldest building on the north side of the square.
Next week, we’ll look at the history of 112 and 114 West Madison. Many well-known businesses were located here.
