Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1898 — “The Finest Building1 In Jasper County.” [ARTICLE]

“The Finest Building 1 In Jasper County.”

Now In Process of Demolition The building which the old timers say was the finest building in the county when it was erected, is now in process of demolition. It is the building on the north side of Washington street, lately moved out of by Fendig’s drug* store, and now being removed by its owner, Henry Harris, to make room for a fine modern pressed brick structure. The building was begun in the fall of 1849, and finished in the spring of 1850, for a branch store by James Fowler and Edward L. Penn, composing the firm of Fowler & Penn, at that time prominent and prosperous merchants of Lafayette. The front | of the building was erected first, and the back third two or three years later. Elijah Shriver, from out in Beaver prairie was the head carpenter. The timbers were hewn in the neighboring woods. The shingles were hauled from Lafayette, part of them by our townsman, Jared Benjamin, then a much younger and spryer man than he is now. The poplar lumber in the building was hauled either from Delphi or Lafayette, Uncle Jared thinks the former place. It was a “general store,” the prototype, in variety of goods carried, and a little more so, of the modern department store. James Fowler was a brother of Moses Fowler, the very wealthy resident of Lafayette, whose death occurred in that city a few years ago. This other Fowler died quite a while ago, in some western state, in reduced circumstances, if not actual poverty. Mr. Penn finally moved to Mt. Pleasant, lowa, and was a prominent and prosperous merchant. Fowler and Penn never lived here but left the management to Mr Strode, the resident partner. The firm did the biggest business in town, under the'name of Strode & Co., and Strode at least made lots of money. He built the frame house afterwards bought by Alfred Thompson, and which burned down about 20 years ago, and was replaced by the present Thompson mansion.

Thomas Updegraff, now a member of congress from lowa, was once a clerk in this store. So also was O. B. Cissel, father of the noted Methodist divine, Dr. J. H. Cissel. Still another clerk was our present esteemed townsman, Marion L. Spitler, and the circumstance of his connection with it is interesting. While still a young unmarried man he was about to get into Duvall’s hack one morning to go to “Bradford,” on his way to Indianapolis, where he had a three years job in a wholesale house offered him. Strode saw him, came out of his store and offered him what was then the very liberal salary of $25 per month, and “Curg” accepted at once. Had he not done so, probably his whole career in life would have been changed, and Rensselaer would not have been his home. Finally the firm went out of business, Penn going to lowa, as before stated. Where Strode went we are unable to say, but before going he collected all the accounts due to the firm that he could, and the proceeds disappeared when he did. He was a great sport and gambler. Still another afterwards noted man who was once connected with Strode & Go’s affairs, in that old building, was Robert H. Milroy, afterwards a distinguished major general in the Union army, and as brave a man as ever- sat on a horse. When Strode strode away with all the cash he could collect, Milroy,

then our leading attorney, was given charge to close up the affairs of the firm.