September 15, 1916 Minor’s Hardware Porch Damaged

Some buildings seem to be destined for close calls. Originally built in the 1820s, the building at the corner of Main and Cayuga Street, most often called the Minor Hardware building, is one of those buildings.

 

Print from an Arch Chadwick Glass Plate negative
Interlaken Historical Society photograph collection #1264
The upper left corner is broken from the original glass plate.

Street work was being done in the village in the fall of 1916. According to the September 15, 1916 Interlaken Review, a close call ensued. “In rounding the corner of Main and Cayuga streets on Wednesday one of the engines used in hauling stone got beyond control and started for Minor’s store. It tore away the corner posts and was against the steps before it stopped.”

The reaction of the neighbors is interesting, “People on Cayuga street wish it had made a clean sweep of the steps on the south side. They are in the highway and a 4-ft. walk should take their place.”

Fast forward to a Friday evening in June 1968. The Interlaken Firemen’s Carnival parade was just finished and traffic was trying to get back to normal. In the April 2005 Interlaken Historical Society newsletter Catherine “Kitty” Ritter wrote an article about that evening and the history of the building.

H. P. Minor Hardware circa 1962
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #479

In her article, “A Few Memories of the H.P. Minor Hardware Store” she quotes from the Interlaken Review dated July 1, 1968, “When the Roof came down.” 

The “Red Hardware with the old fashion porch,” that's what strangers called the Minor Hardware building, later Cronk's Hardware and presently Howard Thompson's School Band Instrument Service. But they will have to find another ‘nom de plume’ in the future because the porch is gone.

Last Friday evening, immediately after the parade, a huge Mayflower moving van, re-routed up Cayuga Street because of the parade, cut too short and hit the overhang on the roof, damaging it beyond repair. The impact tore the roof loose, moving it nearly three feet and broke four windows in the front of the building. Luckily, the roof stayed up, as 15-20 people, who had watched the parade from its shelter, were still beneath it.

Sheriff's men, who were directing traffic here at the time, investigated and reported that the north tum was difficult because of the excessive amount of south-bound traffic.

Mr. Thompson reported that the post that supported the roof had been hit before and had been reinforced, but because of the hazard created by Friday's accident, the roof was removed.

Kitty concluded her story:

I do have a memory of being under the roof at a parade when a tracker trailer took the posts down. I was running with a small child (baby) and many other people. I had walked up to watch the parade with Virginia Crumb, her daughter, and Sharon Eva. There were a lot of children under that roof. Virginia told me Sharon fell and skinned her knee. I've heard from a friend that has called Sharon in Ohio that I was running with her baby, but I didn't remember whose child I had. Just a footnote in history!

The building is another landmark in many old photographs. Arch Chadwick’s glass-plate photograph is one often used.

As part of her article Kitty added a few comments from Webb Rankin about the facets of the building. “Webb Rankin pointed out to me the iron rings in the posts for tying horses & wagons while patrons were in the store. You could see in the picture how the restless horses chewed and rubbed the posts in many places.”

She concluded with a note, “the huge flat stepping stone at the side of the store for descending from your horse or wagon. Oh, for the good old days.”

Clickhere to read more of the history as shared in Kitty’s article.

Dewitt’s Diary, Thursday, September 15, 1966

Temperature 60 degrees.

Edna and I got up at 3 o’clock and took off with Art Horton for Florida. Lula Auten went with us.

We are in a motel in Rowland North Carolina tonight. Over 700 miles. (725 to be correct.)

Heavy rain early this morning and later in the south.

Had a good motel, went to bed early. My eyes very tired. Just a good day to ride.

Cloudy most of the way.

Dewitt would record their Florida trip concluding on Thursday, September 22, when they returned home.