1876 New Palmerton Block

In the early spring of 1876, two new buildings were highlighted in The Fowlerville Review, and the editor followed the progress; for the second building to stand at the corner of West Grand River and North Grand (the first wooden building having burned previously) and for the Spencer House (originally called the Spencer Exchange) that formerly stood at the northeast corner of North Second Street and East Grand River. Following are the progress reports (each new paragraph indicates a new update found in the Local News section) for the Palmerton block, as well as a description of the finished building and a picture:

Last Monday morning the excavations for Geo. W. Palmerton’s new brick block were commenced on the corner of Grand River street and Grand avenue. The building is to be 40x80 feet on the ground, three stories high and a basement. The building will be not only a credit to the proprietor but will add materially to the improvements of our town.

The stone laying on the foundation of Palmerton’s new block has been commenced.

A brick kiln has been started on the Charley Fowler farm, a mile west of the village where brick of a good quality are being made with which to build the new Palmerton block.

The walls of the Palmerton block have reached the top of the ground and the bricklaying will soon be commenced.

The foundation is now completed and bricklaying has commenced on the Palmerton block.

Geo. W. Palmerton is putting in a vault in the room to be occupied by the bank which will cost over $1,000.

The doors for the new bank vault arrived on Wednesday and are being put in place.

The Palmerton block has reached the second story.

The brick work on the Palmerton block is about completed and ready for the roof.

The floors are being laid in the Palmerton block and the work of painting the exterior has been commenced.

The new Palmerton block which is now fast nearing completion will soon be ready for occupancy and is one of the finest in the county.

A new sidewalk graces the street in front of the new Palmerton block.

The painting of the new Palmerton block is about completed, and the magnificent structure will now be ready for occupancy in a few weeks. The storeroom is to be heated with hot air, and the furnace for this purpose, has already been placed in the basement. The finishing touches to the room to be occupied by the bank are being put on, the vault of which alone has cost about $2,000 and is yet to contain a burglar-proof chest which can only be unlocked one time. Just the lock of this little affair can be purchased for three hundred dollars. Messrs. Gay & Ellsworth are indeed enterprising gentlemen and we doubt not when they are fully settled in their new quarters will have as neat a banking house as can be found in any town of twice the size of Fowlerville in Michigan.

Mrs. C.T. Powers has removed her millinery establishment to the north room of the Palmerton block where she will cordially greet her customers. See her advertisement found elsewhere.

E.E. Walton, dentist, A.S. Austin, physician, and A.D. Cruickshank, attorney, have taken up their abode on the second floor of the new Palmerton block.

By Christmas, Palmerton will occupy his new block some time next month.

The new Masonic hall in the Palmerton block is now ready for occupancy and is said to be one of the finest in this section of the state. It will be occupied jointly by the Masons and Odd Fellows.

In January, 1877, Palmerton is moving into his new block.

On New Year’s evening, every window of the new Palmerton block was illuminated, presenting a very handsome appearance.

And then a complete description was written up in The Fowlerville Review:

The New Palmerton Block~~One of the Most Imposing Structures in Livingston County~~Now that the Palmerton block is completed, it becomes our duty as the editor of the local paper to give a description of the building and a little history of its proprietor and occupants. Mr. Geo. W. Palmerton, the proprietor, we have spoken of before as having been one of the business men of Fowlerville at an early day in its history. He first commenced business as a notion dealer in the small building just east of the Review office, sometime during the year 18~~ and from that time to the present day by a strict attention to business, has been steadily rising and growing into favor with the public. Though Mr. Palmerton commenced on a very small scale, by his earnestness and untiring efforts, he has managed during these years to bear out one of the finest pieces of property in the county.

The new building is built of brick manufactured in Fowlerville, is three stories high and fronts 44 feet on Grand River Avenue, 82 feet with two fronts on the latter named street, and a fine basement under the whole, half of which is reserved by Mr. Palmerton for his own use. The first floor is divided into three rooms. One, in the southeast corner, 22x34 is occupied by the private and enterprising banking firm of Gay & Ellsworth, and which for completeness in every point of taste and convenience cannot be beaten, being provided with a modern fire-proof vault and a burglar-proof, time-lock chest. Next on Grand avenue comes the east entrance to Mr. Palmerton’s general merchandise establishment, which also has an entrance from the south on Grand River street. In this spacious apartment of the building, we find Mr. Palmerton located with a very large and varied assortment of dry goods, clothing, piece goods, hats and caps, boots and shoes, groceries, Queensware and notions. The counters are very tastily built and finished up with black walnut tops, white fronts and cherry paneling with black walnut mouldings. All the counters, except in the grocery department, have sunken showcases, the tops of which form the tops of the counters and prove to be a very tasty and convenient arrangement. The boot and shoe department occupies the space at the right of the east entrance and the dry goods the left as you pass around toward the south entrance, the storeroom being the shape of a T, while the south half of the west side is occupied by the hat, cap, clothing and piece goods department and the north half by the grocery department and between the two last-named departments, immediately opposite the east entrance is a very neat and conveniently arranged office, which is occupied by Mr. Frank Palmerton as bookkeeper and teller. Frank has only recently risen to the dignity of this position and is fast coming into favor as a young man of promise into whose hands a good share of the business of his father’s establishment is already entrusted.

Off the northeast corner is a neat room, 20x22, which is occupied by Mrs. C.T. Power as a millinery and dress-making establishment, which is fitted up in such a neat and attractive style as to attract the passer’s eye at once. The stock in this establishment is quite extensive and needs no comment from us to commend it to ladies of our village as a location where their wants can be satisfied to a T.

Access is gained to the second story by a spacious stairway leading up from Grand avenue between the bank and the east entrance to Mr. Palmerton’s store. The east half of this floor is divided into four fine offices, each about 20-foot square, the one in the southeast corner, over the bank, being occupied by Dr. Walton’s dental parlor. Another is occupied by Drs. A.S. and Geo. O. Austin and another by Prosecuting Attorney Cruickshank. The other remains unoccupied. The south room in the west half of the building will probably be reserved by Mr. Palmerton for his own use, and the one in the rear is now used by him as a Queensware room. These rooms are each about 20x35 feet with a woodroom between the two. The third story is divided into three rooms, the two in the east half being each 22x35 feet. The one in the southeast corner is designed to be used as a public library room and the other remains yet unoccupied. The west half of this story which is reached by a separate stairway is fitted up and used by the Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities as a hall and is one of the finest in this section of the state. The drafting and architectural work was done by Mr. J.V. Smith of Detroit. The carpenter work was superintended by Mr. L.H. Beebe of Pinckney, assisted by his son Adelbert, R.H. Fowler, S.S. Abbott (note: see yesterday's squint shot for Mr. Abbott's obituary by clicking here) and brother, G.F. Harman and others of this village, all first-class workmen. The mason work, carpenter work and painting was done by the day and overseen by Mr. Palmerton himself, and shows an excellent exhibition of taste.

The cost of the building is estimated by Mr. Palmerton to be about $13,000.

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Following is a picture of the Palmerton block, dated ca. 1877-78. In a few short years, unfortunately, a second fire would visit this location and the building would need to be reconstructed. There is so much more about this building in my book, The Fowlerville Chronicles, of the fire of 1891 that would do so much damage.