The first hotel (Inn) in Warrensburg was built in 1837 by Young E. W. Berry. It was located on the north side of the public square in Old Town and was a small log house of six or seven rooms. He sold it in 1840 to John Mayes, and he in 1842 sold to Joseph McLeary, and he in 1856 to John D. Smith. Smith improved it and called it the Mansion House. At the breaking out of the war. Smith died and the hotel was closed.
| Name | Young E. W. Berry | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Birth | 16 JAN 1814, Lafayette Co. Missouri | |
| Marriage | 31 DEC 1835 to Jane Warnick | |
| Death | 5 AUG 1843 Sunset Hill Cemetery, Warrensburg | |
 |
| 1869 Old Town on the Hill, Warrensburg, MO Bird's Eye View Map Library of Congress |
 |
| Old Town 1869 Warrensburg, MO Bird's Eye View Map by A. Ruger, Courthouse Square |
The second hotel, also log, was opened in 1841 by Zacariah T. Davis on the southeast side of the public square. Davis ran the place for about six or seven years, when he sold it to Y. H. Anderson, who afterward rented it to Daniel Rentch. Anderson finally sold it to Thomas Ingle, who kept hotel here during the war, and was succeeded by Col. J. D. Eads. In 1876 he sold it to the Germania Club.
 |
| Bolton House, Hotel, Warrensburg, MO |
The third hotel was built by James Bolton (Bolton House) in 1857 on the south side of the public square in Old Town. In 1861, it was taken by the soldiers and used for a hospital and guard house all during the war. It practically marked the end of the hotel business in Old Town.
James Douglas Eads, Bolton House, Eads House, Warrensburg, MO
JAMES DOUGLAS EADS
Renaissance Man
Historians have coined the term Renaissance Man to refer to individuals who have possessed amazingly well-rounded talents in a large variety of fields. James Douglas Eads would fit this description. This pastor, physician, politician, hotel proprietor, newspaper editor, and military veteran had lived in West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, before settling permanently in Warrensburg, Missouri. This amazing man, who fathered 8 children including one whose lineage would keep the name James Douglas Eads for four generations, had unlimited talents in all areas of a person's life.
Always on the move, James Douglas Eads was a man of numerous talents. Never satisfied with the status quo, Eads repeatedly sought new fields to master and more people to help. Following is a short summary of Warrensburg's true Renaissance Man.
Born in 1813 in West Virginia, James Douglas Eads would serve the nation in numerous facets and live in as many as five different states (very unusual for his time).
As a man of God, Eads humbly served his congregation of believers in Blandensville, Illinois as their church pastor. He would eventually leave the cloth and pursue medicine, another way of helping and serving his fellow citizen.
Physician
As a licensed physician in at least two states (Illinois and Iowa), he dedicated his life towards helping people recover from illness or disease. As a private in the army, this highly intelligent man would also use his medical ability to help injured troops during his stint in the Mexican-American War (1847 through 1848).
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Between the wars, Eads lived in Iowa and held the highly prestiged title of Iowa State Superintendent of Public Instruction. From 1854 through 1857, Eads made difficult and controversial decisions that could have helped the Iowa school system. After a handful of important decisions turned out sour, Eads would move his family down south into Missouri and into the restful city of Warrensburg.
Militia
However, with the Civil War on the way, Eads couldn't rest for long. During the Civil War, he would serve as Captain of the Missouri State militia for the entire four year conflict. In the early days of the war, Eads used his influence around town gathering people together in forming a militia. During this time period, the disgruntled confederate enemies were so angered at his involvement that they placed a price on his head.
Though during the war, his fighting record is less than would be desired, there is at least one man who is extremely grateful for the courage of Eads. After hearing of an innocent Union Soldier in Lexington who was about to be found guilty for a crime he did not commit, Eads rode horseback through Confederate territory wearing his Yankee uniform in order to stand up for the man's innocence and secure his safe trip home.
Hotel Proprietor
Eads was also an extremely vigilant hotel proprietor and successfully ran the Bolton House (located on the south side of the public square on West Main Street), the Eads House (located on the southeast corner of West Market and North Main Street), and the Allen House (located in Clinton, Missouri). He would also become well known working as a newspaper editor for the Signal (pre-Civil War Warrensburg newspaper) and for the Warrensburg Journal (Daily Star Journal).
Family
Though some people attempt to link James Douglas Eads with the same heritage of James Buchanan Eads (developer of the Eads Bridge in St. Louis and successful inventor of various aquatic and bridge creation patents), nothing in history has been found to place the two together in the same family lineage. However, James Douglas Eads would have 8 children (3 sons and 5 daughters) with 6 of them living beyond infancy. In one family line, Mary Dalton would follow in her father's footsteps and become a successful hotel proprietor. Another line would carry the name James Douglas Eads to the fourth generation. Son James II would own a large farm in the country and a drugstore on the corner of Holden Street and Pine Street. James III (known to many as "little Doug Eads") would perish unexpectantly in some type of an argument following a turkey shoot. Lastly, James IV died tragically as a child while crossing the road near College Street and Railroad Street. Today, traveling through Sunset Hill Cemetery, people may give their last respects to a man and a heritage that meant so much to so many people.
The first hotel in New Town was in 1865, when the Redford House was built south of the Missouri Pacific railroad depot. This was destroyed by fire in 1868 and the Simmons Hotel was built on its site. This was finally bought by Mr. J. N. Christopher and converted into the town's first school dormitory, the Young Women's Christian Association building, and is successfully running now. (Then became the Martin Hotel)
 |
Site of the Redford House (it burned down in 1868 then the Simmons House was built, name changed to the YWCA becoming the first women's dormitory in town, then it was the Commercial Hotel and then later the Martin Hotel.  |
 |
| Missouri Pacific Depot,Warrensburg, MO Commercial Hotel - Martin Hotel in the background |
 |
| Missouri Pacific Depot,Warrensburg, MO Commercial Hotel - Martin Hotel in the background |
In 1870, a building at the southeast corner of Holden and Culton streets was erected for the Cumberland Presbyterian church. In 1875, it was bought by A. W. Ridings & Company and enlarged for a hotel. A little later it was bought by Mrs. J. D. Eads, and became for many years the Eads Hotel and only recently was replaced by Cohn's store. It later became the St. Cloud Hotel
St. Cloud Hotel, SE Corner of Holden and Culton Street,
Old Woolworth's, Sharing Center Today Warrensburg, MO
and owned by W. H. Hartman. (Woolworth's was here, then the Trails Regional Library).
|
Hotel Estes
| Estes Hotel, Warrensburg, Missouri |
 |
Just Below Hotel Estes - Culp Elevator Mills, Warrensburg, MO     |
No comments:
Post a Comment