By Dr. Ferrell Miller
Geary County Historical Society Board Member
“A Trip To Downtown Junction City In Early 20th Century” Part I
The information used in this article comes from the book Our Town On The Plains: J.J. Pennell’s Photographs of Junction City, Kansas: 1893-1922 written by James R. Shortridge. This book is available for purchase at the Geary County Historical Society’s Museum located at 530 N. Adams in Junction City. Hours are 1-4:00 PM Tuesdays through Saturdays.
“The retail scene early in the (20th century) was amazingly rich. A typical storefront was only twenty-five feet wide, which allowed as many as twelve different businesses on one side of a single block. It also was not difficult for a budding entrepreneur to get started. With stores so small, inventories could be purchased without much capital. Regulations were lax as well. A drugstore might stock drugs and toilet articles, but also might have wallpaper and even carpets.
An inventory of the stores in Junction City reflected the influence of Fort Riley, especially the unusually large number of laundries, restaurants, and saloons. Three large general-merchandise businesses dominated the downtown district: Hemenway; Wright and Peques; and Rockwell. Other oversized buildings were occupied by four hardware stores. Small, specialized stores were the norm. Eight doctors’ offices were balance by eight drugstores, six dentists by six confectionery shops. Butchers occupied separate quarters from grocery stores, and the importance of the horse was obvious from the presence of three harness shops and three livery stables. Bicycles were fashionable, but not yet automobiles.
Let us assume that our visit to downtown Junction City begins near its southern end on a weekday morning. Rudy Sohn’s barbershop would be busy, because this was a ritualistic stop for many of the men who worked in this part of the business district. Sohn, along with John Fox, had been renting space in the Bartell House since 1897. There were three chairs, a shoe-shine stand, and, through the door, complete bathroom fixtures, including two tubs and a water closet. Barbershops were male worlds, of course, rich with raucous laughter and gossip about crops, sports, and the latest bidding for Fort Riley contracts. Some people would stop by just to visit, others to get a twenty-five-cent haircut. The baths were used primarily by travelers since such conveniences did not exist in most hotels of the time.”
“A Trip To Downtown Junction City In Early 20th Century” Part 2
“Half a block south of the Bartell House and across the street from the city park was the Park Steam Laundry, the largest of five similar operations in Junction City. It was owned by Thomas Dixon, Jr., a man whose father had been an original settler in the region and who still ran a stockyard business from the small frame building next door. The laundry had been at that location since 1893. The building had been rebuilt and was another product of the firm of Ziegler and Dalton, which erected it after a major fire the previous April. People admired the cut-stone front and its decorative “turret top.”
Laundries were patronized by a large portion of the Junction City population. Their equipment was far superior to anything available in the home. However, a laundry’s business was confined largely to men’s apparel. This may be attributed to a traditional male reluctance to do laundry. Beyond this, women were more reluctant to send their garments out – in part from having someone else handle their “unmentionables” and in part from … a fastidiousness about their raiment.
Customers had more choices for their grocery shopping than for any other type of business in town. The Hemenway and Rockwell stores both had large food departments, and at the other extreme, four or five small general stores were scattered throughout the residential areas. G.A. Latham’s store was across the alley from the Bartell House at 616 North Washington and was one of the shortest-lived of this group. It opened in 1901 and lasted only two years. One of the reasons for the short tenure may have been because of the “No Credit” sign he hung at the back of the store.
Having cookies and crackers stored in large boxes; beans, coffee, flour, and sugar in bins; cheese in wheels and pickles and vinegar in barrels produced a blended aroma in grocery stores that was unforgettable. Clerks had to measure, dip, cut and wrap efficiently while choosy customers looked closely over their shoulders.
A grocer dealt not only with bulk products. Canned goods were common. Butter, milk, eggs, and seasonal fruits and vegetables came from local farmers. Customers would ask especially for the products brought in by certain people.”
Another visit to downtown Junction City in the early 20th century is planned in future articles in this space.