2021 Fall Newsletter

A STEP BACK IN TIME Book information can tell us a lot about many differ ent things. We can learn about finance, sports, how things work, and historical facts. One of the best ways to learn about history is to hear it by word of mouth. When you can sit down with a parent, grandparent, or if you are lucky a great grandparent, and hear about their experiences in the past, it makes things more personal and you can relate to it better. The following information about Paola was a story published in The Republican newspaper in the 1930s. This is information provided by Mrs. James S. Neylon (Margaret Shannon before her marriage). She came to Paola in 1861 and lived here for 71 years. These are her historical rec ollections of Paola. Names and places have changed, but you might recognize some facts, places, or people (maybe relatives) in this story. This is her story. “Thinking back, my first recollection of Paola was the square with a low rail fence around it to keep out roving animals. This was soon replaced by a board fence built by the efforts of the women of Paola. On the east side of the square were two buildings. On the corner, the first floor was a general store owned by Jake Snyder, brother-in-law to Walter Buck. The second story was the city hall. The other building on the east side was a saloon. There was nothing on the south side of the square. On the west side was a two- story stone building used as a court house. On the corner was a small dwelling. On the west was another saloon, then the Union Hotel. On the northwest corner was a long one- story hotel called Torrey House. It was owned and run by Mr. and Mrs. Torrey and the latter’s sister, Miss Augusta Redfield (Mrs. B.F. Simpson). Later this was sold to Thomas Krutz. The Torreys moved to their claim now known as the Wagstaff farm. Mr.Torrey soon died and his wife married Judge Wagstaff .Mr. Krutz soon built a three

By: Vincent Thorpe

type Gallery. Mr. Brown practiced medicine between taking pictures. On the northeast corner of the square were two two- story buildings occupied by Mr. Mitchler, who carried a general stock of goods. Across the street to the east (for merly Peoples Bank and Metzler Furniture Company) in the middle of the block was a small dwelling occupied by Judge Hiram Stevens who was Mrs. D. O. Sellers father. The house was occupied by Uncle Cy and Auntie Shaw. Across the street north lived Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Shannon, my parents. Opposite in the house known as the Doc Curtis property lived the Mitchlers, with Frank, Dick, Ed, and Charlie; a lively bunch. Going on north was a log house owned by a carpen ter known as Thomas Akers. Across Piankishaw, on the east side lived Cyril Taylor the village blacksmith. What is now known as McNelley property was built and occupied by Ezra Robinson. The old two- story house on the west side of the street was built by Mr. Totten who later moved to Missouri. That house was then occupied by government men sent to arrange allotments for the Indians. Later it was the home of army officers who boarded with Mrs. Robinson, across the street, at this time owned by Tom Hedges, whose wife was a daughter of Grandma Baptiste. The spring across the street was the city waterworks. The stone building over it was ordered built by Captain Hubbel, the first mayor, with Ezra Robinson, contractor, at a cost of $100 for building and ground. I can still see Wal ter Buck sitting on a barrel of water, which was fastened to a two- wheel cart hitched to a pony. Those needing water listened for Walter’s whistle, as he was a famous whistler.

story brick building on the corner, the St. Charles Ho tel which extended to the Koehler bakery. It was occupied by stores on the first floor, offices on the second, and the I.O.O. F. and masonic lodge rooms on the third. A stone building occupied by Dave Morris’ barber shop adjoined on the east. The second floor of this build ing was occupied Brown’s Photographic and Ambro

The Spring House on Pearl street

Baptiste Peoria was born in 1800 in Kaskaskia, Illinois. He was not an educated man, but by natural force of intellect acquired several Indian languages. Paola, first known as Peoria village, is situated two miles west of the geographi cal center of Miami county, first called Lykins County after a medical missionary. The name was changed by the first state legislature in 1861. It is between Bull creek on the west and south and Big and Little Wea on the east.

Vincent Thorpe

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