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RUTH ANN MONTGOMERY
Researcher and Writer
Hiram G. Spencer, one of five Spencer brothers who located in Evansville in the mid 1840s owned the property on what is today the Coldwell Banker Realty office at 7 West Main Street.
Spencer sold the land described as the "east 6 feet of lot 8 and west 15 feet of lot 9, Block 8, original plat of Evansville," to Daniel Johnson in October 1864 for $95. The land was bounded on the east by a lot Spencer had deeded to Henry C. Millspaugh and was 6 rods, or 99 feet deep. (This property was described in the articles on 5 West Main.)
By the time the 1866 tax assessment rolls were made, Daniel Johnson had built a store valued at $500 on the property he had purchased from Spencer. Occupants of the store before the 1870s are unknown.
Daniel Johnson was one of the earliest settlers in Union township. He had arrived in 1840 with his young bride, Angeline, and they had farmed near the village of Union until 1863 when he retired and turned the farm over to his sons, William H. H. Johnson and David Johnson.
Although he had begun life in rather poor circumstances, he had accumulated sufficient wealth to be able to retire and become active in local politics. In their leisure time, Daniel and his wife, Angeline, traveled throughout the United States.
According to his biography, Daniel Johnson was "an honored pioneer and retired farmer" when he began investing in real estate in Evansville in the 1860s. He owned a farm of 200 acres in Union township, a beautiful home on the southeast corner of Liberty and Third Street, and commercial property on West Main Street.
In his retirement years, Daniel Johnson was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1865. When Evansville was officially incorporated as a village in 1867, Daniel Johnson served as its first President of the Board of Trustees. Johnson served as Rock County Sheriff from 1869 to 1870 and also served on the Rock County Board of Supervisors.
Johnson purchased the property as an investment. However, he had little interest in operating a business on a day-to-day basis. By the 1870s he had rented the building to Ransom Griffin who opened a grocery store.
Griffin had been a resident of Evansville for a number of years. He is listed in the registered voters of the village in 1867.
The earliest ads for R. Griffin's grocery appeared in the Evansville Review in October 1872. Griffin was competing with five other businesses that sold groceries as part or the whole of their business.
His ads read: "R. Griffin deals in cigars, confectionery, soap, tea & shelf groceries, and a great variety of knick knacks, and articles of general household use. All of which I am offering cheap. Call and see."
Griffin is again mentioned the following year in local newspaper accounts. In January 1873, the Evansville Review ran a series called "Our Business Directory". The editor prefaced the first article with the following: "During the interim of our regular publication, we have had an opportunity to look around a little and see what was going on in town, the weather being cold our observations scarcely extended beyond good fires, consequently the stores nearest our office shared our greatest attention."
On his visit through the commercial district, one of the first stores the Review editor entered was the grocery of Ransom Griffin. "In the confectionery, notion and grocery business is RANSOM GRIFFIN, who keep a small but well selected stock." The editor sampled some oysters and crackers at Mr. Griffin's store, but refrained from smoking a cigar offered by the store owner.
The following year, in 1874, Daniel Johnson and his son, David, opened a general grocery in his own store. Their new ad, dated October 14, 1874 read : "New opening, be it known throughout this bailywick that we the subscribers hereof, have opened a comfortable large and well selected stock of groceries at the old stand of Ransom Griffin. We shant advertise to undersell everybody in town; nor have combined with them against the people, but we have got a good article and shall sell as low as we can afford to. Call and See us. Daniel Johnson & Son."
While Daniel's name appeared on the business signs, it is likely that he turned the day-to-day operation of the store over to his son. During this period of time, Daniel Johnson was also a partner with Reuben Winston in a lumberyard on the east side of the railroad tracks near the Evansville Furniture factory.
In 1875, Daniel's son William H. H. Johnson purchased his father's share in the grocery business and the firm became the Johnson Brothers. William had concentrated his activities on running the family farm and waited until the end of the harvest season in 1875 before joining his brother in the grocery business.
William and David decided that the grocery business was not for them. David and William returned to farming near Union. William also purchased a store in the village of Union that burned to the ground in the 1880s. Both brothers later retired from farming to large and comfortable homes in Evansville.
The Johnson Store was once again rented to other parties. By 1879, Ransom Griffin had returned to the Johnson building. His stock of goods had not changed from his earlier ventures. Candies, ice cream, tobacco products and fruit continued to be his stock. In the summer he carried "champagne cider" and the Review editor advised readers to try it. "We did, and it went to the right spot."
Other than his advertisements, Griffin received very little notice in the local news. However, in 1883, a window decoration caught the editor's eye. In his store window, Griffin displayed a large bunch of bananas. One bunch was so impressive that the local press noted that there were over 200 bananas, with a total weight of 100 pounds, hanging in the front of the store.
In the 1880s, Griffin sold groceries and operated an ice cream parlor in his store. "Green fruits and early vegetables always fresh and the best of the market affords.” In the ice cream room, Griffin made and served his own ice cream.
In 1895, the grocery firm of Emery & Searles took over the Johnson store. W. A. Searles and Mr. Emery were the owners. They purchased the grocery stock of Levi Kneppers who was going out of business and advertised their new store in the local newspapers.
Ownership of the property changed in March 1896 when Daniel Johnson died. His wife Agenline and son David inherited the property.
A few months later the store burned to the ground and Angeline Johnson and her son decide to rebuild. The fire destroyed nearly 25% of the local business district and the occupants of the Johnson store, Emery and Searles, lost all of their merchandise.
The Evansville Badger reported the fire loss from the September 1896 blaze that destroyed or damaged 13 buildings. "Emery & Searles in the Johnson building lost about $700 by fire and damage to goods."
The Johnson building was valued at $1,200. Many of the buildings burned in the disastrous fire were not insured or under-insured. In some cases the lots in the prime commercial district were more valuable than the buildings. If a structure was lost, the property was still a valuable asset.
The attached row of wooden buildings was a known fire hazard and insurers charged rates so high that many of the property owners did not carry insurance on the buildings. David Johnson and his mother, Angeline Johnson, carried no insurance on the building, but the occupants, Emery and Searles carried insurance on the stock.
The Johnsons used their own funds to rebuild the store. This time the building was constructed with a firewall to the west with Byron Campbell's building and a firewall to the east, with Dr. Charles Smith's building.
In an unusual purchase agreement, the second story of the building and that of the building next door at 9 West Main was sold to the Leota Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows (the I.O.O.F.) to be used as their hall.
In January 1897, Emery & Searles moved back into the Johnson building, but their stay was short lived. Another grocer had his eye on establishing a business in the new store.
The structure at 5 West Main was barely finished when Mrs. Johnson got a purchase offer for the new store, in February 1897. An agreement was reached and in April 1912, Frank Devendorf, a grocery store operator, and his wife, Hattie, purchased the building from Mrs. Johnson. He paid $2,500 for the structure and made plans to open a grocery, forcing Emery and Searles to seek another location.
For the next 15 years, Devendorf owned the store. He operated his grocery out of the store at 7 West Main. He rented the store to Charles Bartlett for a restaurant who was operating out of the building in 1912 when it was sold. Barlett then moved into the Magee Opera House building.
Devendorf and his wife, Hattie sold the store to Liew Van Wart in April 1912. Van Wart operated the drug store next door to the Devendorf building and rented quarters in Dr. Smith's building at 5 West Main.
After selling the building to Van Wart, Devendorf purchased a farm in Mobile County Alabama. His family moved to the farm located near Citronville.
Van Wart paid the Devendorfs $4,000 for the building and after the purchase, he began immediately to remodel the former grocery and restaurant into a drug store. The new owner had a new tile floor installed, purchased new fixtures, and had the interior repainted. In December 1912, Van Wart moved into his newly purchased and remodeled drug store.
The December 5, 1912 Evansville Review announced the opening of the store. "L. Van Wart has put in a new set of the finest fixtures including the latest design shelving and show cases, together with a modern store front that makes his new store one of the most attractive in the city."
The new owner was the son of David and Ann Jones Van Wart. The Van Warts were early settlers in Union township and David had also gone to California during the gold rush. He was hired to transport gold from Marysville to San Francisco.
David returned to the Evansville area and was the inn keeper of the Ball Tavern. David and Ann's son, Liew, was born at the Ball Tavern, three miles east of Evansville, in 1866.
In 1890, Liew married Rose Clifford. For several years, he clerked in the store of Dr. John M. Evans with Frank Crow. Both became registered pharmacists and each opened his own drug store in the same block of West Main Street in Evansville.
Liew Van Wart was an experienced businessman when he purchased the store from the Devendorfs. He had been a registered pharmacist since 1893 and had operated his own store since 1898. In the new store, he continued to operate as an independent owner with the national company, The Rexall organization.
When Liew Van Wart went into business for himself, the Evansville Tribune noted: "Mr. Van Wart has been so long and favorably known in the Pioneer drug store that he needs no recommend as a business man to this community and to say that he has been one of the most honest, upright accommodating men both in and out of business that we ever knew, is no exaggeration, and we bespeak for him continued prosperity and success." For the next twenty-six years Liew Van War was known as the "West Main Street Druggist".
During World War I, Van Wart also was asked to be the enrolling agent for the United States Merchant Marine. In 1919, Director Henry Howard of the United States Shipping Board Recruiting Service, appointed Van Wart the permanent enrolling agent.
Liew Van Wart owned the building at 7 West Main in the early 1920s. He employed Robert L. Collins as a registered pharmacist.
In December 1923, Grant E. Johnson purchased the pharmacy business of Liew Van Wart and rented the building from him. The sale of the business had been the talk-about-town for a number of weeks. The sale was finalized on the anniversary of Van Wart's twenty-fifth year in business for himself.
At nearly the same time, his employee, Robert Collins, purchased the drug stock of Frank M. Crow, further west on Main Street and opened his own drug store in competition with the new owner of Van Wart's store. In 1923 there were four drug stores operating in Evansville, the Pioneer Drug Store, Johnson's Drug Store, Collins' Drug Store and Groh's Drug Store.
In addition to selling his business to Johnson, Van Wart also rented his home at 144 West Liberty to Grant and Gladys Johnson and their son, Jerry. Liew Van Wart and his wife intended to spend the winter visiting their daughter, Mrs. Fred Howe in Hollywood,
California.
The new owner, Grant Johnson, was an experienced pharmacist. He was a native of Bloomington, Wisconsin and a graduate of the Marquette University school of pharmacy. Johnson had been a registered pharmacist since 1916.
He enlisted and served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Grant's most recent business experience before coming to Evansville was working as a druggist in Viroqua for six years. He had also worked in Hayward and Washburn drug stores. "Grant E. Johnson comes to this city with the best of references, both as a man and a druggist," the Evansville Review noted in its December 13, 1923 issue.
Grant Johnson continued to carry the Rexall brand of pharmaceutical merchandise. He also sold paint and varnish, Kodak cameras and film, perfumes, candy, and chemicals for spraying orchards and gardens.
Five years after Johnson had purchased the merchandise and good will of the business of Liew Van Wart, he purchased the building. On October 19, 1928, Liew Van Wart sold the store at 7 West Main Street to Grant Johnson for $8,000.
Land values for the commercial district had doubled from the time Van Wart purchased the building in 1912 for $4,000. The Evansville Review passed the information about the sale to its readers in the October 25, 1928 issue. The item noted that the drug store was "one of the best appointed stores of its kind in this state."
The City of Evansville was still requiring pharmacists to purchase permits for the sale of intoxicating liquors in the late 1930s. Johnson applied and received a permit during each of the years he was in business.
In September 1938, the Johnson Drug Store, two other Evansville pharmacies, and a grocery became the victims of a team of counterfeiters. At the Johnson store, the counterfeiter purchased 40 cents worth of mineral oil from the clerk, Olive Cain.
The sharp-eyed clerk, recognized immediately that the money was counterfeit and asked Charles Gibson, a customer who happened to be in the store, to get the license number from the counterfeiter's vehicle. Gibson wrote down the number, and notified police officer, Orville Jones, who immediately called the Janesville police. The criminals were arrested in Janesville and turned over to the F.B.I. for prosecution.
For many years, Grant Johnson served as the local Greyhound Bus Company agent in Evansville. He was also an avid baseball fan. In September 1938, Stan Sperry, a local sports hero who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, was to be honored at the White Sox stadium in Chicago. When Philadelphia played the White Sox, there was to be a special "Stan Sperry Day" so that his fans could honor him.
Johnson set up a special display in his store window and asked for contributions for a gift to be presented to Sperry at home plate, prior to the opening of the game. The druggist also made arrangements with the Greyhound Bus line to have a charter bus leave Evansville at a cost of $2.75 for the round trip to the White Sox field.
The Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company also offered a special car and a fare of $3.25, if 20 or more people took the train to Chicago for the game. The promotion was successful. Grant Johnson's fund raiser had made enough to buy an automatic shotgun that was presented to Sperry. More than 100 people from the Evansville area watched their local hero accept the gift at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
Johnson continued to operate his pharmacy until, October 1947 when he Johnson sold the business and the building to William E. Brown. The following year, Grant Johnson and his son, Jim, purchased the Golf Course Tavern, west of the city of Evansville.
The new owner of the store at 7 West Main, William E. Brown, was a native of Whitewater and had worked in pharmacies in Monroe, Sheboygan, Delavan and his hometown before purchasing the Johnson drug store.
To expand the merchandise in the new store, Brown also purchased the stock of the O'Connor Drug Store in Whitewater that was going out of business. Brown began transferring the contents of the O'Connor store to his new store in Evansville.
The O'Connor store had been in one family for more than 100 years and Brown found many treasures that he wanted to save. Brown found old dispensing bottles, patent medicine boxes and antique equipment. Rather than destroy the bits and pieces of pharmacy history he now owned, Brown decided to create a drug store museum in the basement of his home. Brown created an 8 by 10 foot room, installed shelving, glass cases and a crank telephone. The door to the room had a bell that rang whenever the door was opened.
The collection soon became widely known as one of the finest of its kind in the United States. The Smithsonian recognized Brown's private collection in its publication "Old Apothecaries" and listed Brown’s stores as one of the 10 best privately owned collections of drug store antiques.
In his own drug store, Brown carried the usual remedies for people and animals, offering many supplies usually carried by veterinarians. Brown's merchandise also included gift items, such as candy, perfume, and clothing accessories advertised as the Botany brand of neckties and socks.
Brown was active in community affairs. He served as President of the Rock County Pharmaceutical Society. Brown was also an active member of the Evansville Fire Department. From 1950 to 1952, he served as alderman of the City of Evansville.
When Brown sought election as Mayor of the city in 1952, he lost but was elected in 1954 and served one term. During his administration, the City Hall was remodeled. He also recommended that the City begin to explore the possibility of building a new City Hall.
Brown died very suddenly of a heart attack in January 1958. His wife, Isabelle, put the business up for sale. By the Spring of 1958, Arnold Willis was advertising his drug store business in the location of William Brown's store. William's wife, Isabelle Brown, maintained ownership of the building at 7 West Main Street for a number of years.
Willis was no stranger to Evansville. He had worked for the Krebs Drug store from 1948 to 1953. Then he took a job with the Rennebohm drug store chain in Madison and worked as a pharmacist for a few years until he heard of the opportunity of purchasing the Brown business.
The Willis family returned to Evansville and the new owner became joined the Rexall chain of stores, following the tradition that Liew Van Wart had begun in the early 1900s. Willis joined the Lions Club and the Evansville Chamber of Commerce and became an active member of the community once again.
After Arnold Willis purchased the merchandise of the drug store and rented the building, Isabelle Brown allowed him to remodel the store and update the appearance. Light birch paneling was placed on the walls and the prescription department was remodeled.
In 1964, Arnold Willis accepted Larry Lauke as an intern to work in the store. Lauke was studying at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin. After serving his internship, Lauke moved away from Evansville and was hired to work in a drug store at Fond du Lac. Later, he also worked at a pharmacy in Oshkosh.
Larry was interested in becoming a missionary and for a short time, the Lauke's lived in Portland, Oregon where Larry entered a Bible school to prepare for work as a missionary.
Lauke continued to work at a pharmacy. After finishing his course work, the Lauke's were assigned to a mission in Ethiopia. Larry worked in the central pharmacy of the mission, dispensing medical supplies.
When the Lauke's returned to the United States in June 1973, he went into partnership with Arnold Willis. Willis had expanded his store's merchandise in 1969 with the purchase of the Hamacher Pharmacy at 1 West Main Street. The Hamacher store was renamed One East Main and for a short time, Arnold Willis operated at both locations.
With the closing of the Hamacher Pharmacy, the Willis Rexall Drugs was the last remaining drug store in Evansville. Since 1969, there has continued to be just one operating drug store in Evansville.
Willis and his wife, Beth, were also involved in the organization of the Evansville nursing home. Before the construction of the nursing home was started, officers and directors of the Corporation were named. Beth Willis served as secretary of the Continental Manor of Evansville, Inc. in the spring of 1970.
In 1979, the Willis Drug Store moved to the north side of West Main Street, in what had been the old Rex Theater and later an auto parts store. When the Willis Rexall Drug made its moved from 7 West Main, they also changed affiliations with their major supplier. They switched from the Rexall to the Walgreen brands of merchandise.
Lauke, Willis, and the rest of their staff moved the old fixtures and the merchandise across the street. The Walgreen company also offered new fixtures for the new store. The move was made primarily because of the increased business. "We have garagefuls of stuff to move," Lauke told a reporter.
Willis and Lauke rented the building at 7 West Main to Dan Newcomer, a clothing merchant from Brodhead. Newcomer opened a men's clothing store called "Just for Him II". The merchandise included a wide range of styles from work clothes to formal wear.
Newcomer had no other competitors in the men's clothing line. Once Evansville had five or more merchants offering clothing for men. By 1980, there was only one, the Just for Him II store operated by Newcomer. The store also had children's clothing. Through agreements with other businesses, Just for Him II also and offered a dry cleaning service and a tuxedo rental service.
In September 1981, Newcomer sold his business in Evansville. Dobb's Duds, owned by Larry and Marsha Dobbs became the new occupants of the building at 7 West Main Street. They planned to offer many of the same brands of clothing that Just for Him II offered and added the Red Wing line of shoes to their inventory.
After renting the building for our year, Marsha and Larry Dobbs purchased the store from the Adwall Company, the partnership of Arnold Willis and Larry Lauke in 1985
Larry and Marsha Dobbs had been active in the Evansville community for several years. Larry, a teacher in the Evansville School system, had also served as an alderman on the Evansville City Council.
Marsha served as organist and choir director for Saint Paul's Catholic Church and also directed the Ecumenical Choir for the special concert during the holiday season. Both Larry and Marsha had been active in the Jaycees and Jaycettes and the Lions Club.
Their commitment to supporting Evansville business and civic activities continued during the years that the Dobbs owned the store. Working with the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Evansville Chamber of Commerce and local government officials, the Dobbs' promoted a number of studies made to revitalize the commercial district of Evansville.
When Marsha was President of the Evansville Chamber of Commerce, students in the Landscape Architecture department at the University of Wisconsin conducted a study. This final report of the student’s work recommended a walking and bicycle route along Allen's Creek. There were also recommendations for planting trees and creating a pleasant environment along the streets.
Another study conducted with by the University of Wisconsin-Extension in 1986, resulted in models of downtown stores and recommendations for improving the exterior appearance of the buildings. Under the direction of Prof. Bruce Murray, University of Wisconsin students interviewed citizens about improvements in the downtown business district, then drew plans for new store fronts.
The goal was to create an attractive atmosphere to draw people to shop in Evansville. Ideas included uniform street lighting, appropriate signage, new color schemes and face lifts that restored the original beauty of the buildings.
Dobb's Duds at 7 West Main was the first of several businesses to use the recommendations. In 1997, the old aluminum siding was removed from the building, exposing the decorative iron work detail on the I beam between the first and second stories of the building. Restoration to the storefront included awnings, new signs, and other decorative details that enhanced the appearance of the store.
On the interior, tongue and groove flooring was installed and wood wainscoting was added to the interior walls. An old door that was stored in the building was refinished and installed at the front entrance.
After several years in business, Marsha Dobbs returned to teaching and the building was sold to Chris Helgesen for her real estate business. Chris was a veteran real estate agent when she purchased the building. She had worked for Jan Davis and Sandy Shuh at Evansville Realty beginning in 1978. Chris then opened her own agency and became associated with the national real estate firm, as a member of the Coldwell Banker Company. Business continues at the location at 7 West Main Street. The building has served as home to many enterprises in the commercial district of Evansville for more than 100 years.