FERGUSON BLOCK.

(Where stands the 1899 Brady Building)

1853-1857



© Bancroft Library.

(1856)
Northeast side of Fulton & Main Street

1851 Mullenhauer and Schultz own the lot.

1852 November - they sell to Peter G. Ferguson and S. H. Ingersol. They operate a saloon. Ferguson's Saloon.

1854 William O'Hara opens the Jenny Lind restaurant at the back of the saloon. (Billy O'Hara is a popular black cook living here with his wife, Charlotte.)

1854 July - all the buildings burn. They were replaced with more wood buildings: the saloon is 2 stories high and has 12 bedrooms upstairs. (See image above)

1854 July - On the day of the fire Billy (William O'Hara) put up a tent on the south side of the Ferguson lot fronting Main Street and made a hole in the ground, and furnished fodder for the inner man to about 250 persons. (Columbia Gazette, July 11, 1854) He frequently supplied catering services of special occasions and was generally respected and liked. (Barbara Eastman letter - 1970)

1855 Ingersol leaves partnership.


© Bancroft Library.
The fancy sign attached to large lamp that states; "Jenny Lind Restaurant."

1856 William O'Hara runs an ad in the Weekly Columbian newpaper.

1857 April - Ferguson advertises the building for sale: 2 stories high, 50 ft wide, 75 ft deep, 12 bedrooms upstairs.

1857 August - Again the building burns. P. G. Ferguson does not intend to rebuild. The lot sells to William Daegener who leases it to Isaac Shotwell. Shotwell builds a 1 story frame building, "The City Hotel" which is operated by his son, S. W. Shotwell. Isaac builds a small 1 story building for himself.

1859 O'Hara sold his restaurant and retired (or moved to Aurora). The restaurant was removed to State St. and continued for a few years.

1861 March - W. O. Sleeper buys the hotel and sells it to Westley, Wilder and Wheeler who remodel the building and change the name to "The Post Office Building" and open a bookstore and stationery in addition to the post office. The small store is rented to DuBois and Tally, (black?) barbers.

1862 Sells to William Eakin who in turn sells to D. S. Turner. Turner and John Hurd run a retail store.

1864 Shotwell's son sells the small store to Turner. Hurd drops out of the partnership.

1865 Hutchinson and Gilman take over the business.

1865 December - Horace Butler leases the larger building and operates the Union Restaurant.

1871 August - Dallum has Block 11, Lot 176. This area is the majority of he Ferguson lot. It takes up a space called Cooks Alley to the east and connects to Fulton Street. A smaller section to this Block north of the alley is Koch Block 11, Lot 177 - Deputy County Surveyor map by John P. Dart

1874 Butler leaves.

1875 The town trustees grant the lot to Guy S. Turner, a minor.

1876 The building collapses in a wind storm.

1880 Siebert purchases the wreckage. Charles Koch and Herman Schmidt own the lot.

1894 Schmidt sells his 1/3 interest to Tom Conlin.



© GORILLAS DON'T BLOG - Major Pepperidge
The Columbia Shop - c1950s


1899 Matthew F. Brady buys the lot from Koch and Conlin and constructs the building now standing. On the site of Bassett’s first location (May 1850) on the south east corner of Main and Fulton. (Close up of Brady's name)

1939/40 Lutie (V. Burkholder) and Lou (Louis Wright) Osborne own the lot and building.

1947 The state purchase the building from the Osbornes. (The Columbia Shop?)


1953 Ansel Adams did an image of the Ferguson building with it's side porch.

1959 Concession purchased by Howard Van Kessel for $2700.


1963 Preston Birdwell took a similat image of Ansel Adams Columbia image.

1962 Lutie's niece, Virginia Van Kassel-Thiel, runs the business.

1973 Prospector's Trading Post (per "Columbia Memories" by Lee Roddy) An ad in a 1970's publication.


© Ron Stout.
Drawing of the Brady Building - 1981


1986-87 Building restored by office of the state architect.

1987 May 15 - concession purchased by Candy Camin. Known as the Prospector's Trading Post.

1997 May - Mary Ann Brown opens the Pioneer Emporium.



© Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.
Brady Building - 2007

2011 April 1 - The Brown's close the Pioneer Emporium.

2011 July 1 - Megan Collier and Doreen Kwasnicki open the Pioneer Emporium.


© Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.
Brady Foundation of "rubble" - 2012

2014 December 28 - The Pioneer Emporium closes it's doors.

2016 September 3 - Angela & Jacob Matulich open the Columbia Clothiers & Emporium.




Columbia Clothiers & Emporium
22711 Main Street
1 (858) 220-9352




This page is created for the benefit of the public by
Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.

Email contact:
fdpoyde3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
A WORK IN PROGRESS,
created for the visitors to the Columbia State Historic park.
© Columbia State Historic Park & Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.