This morning I’d like to continue with discussion of the Updegraff and Small Families by posting some excepts from the Maple Hill News Items that appeared in Wabaunsee County Papers. You’ll recall from yesterday’s postings, that Russell T. Updegraff, Sr. was married to Adelaide “Addie” Small, thus uniting their two families. Addie (Small) Updegraff was the daughter of William Baldwin and Adelaide “Addie” (Warner) Small.
February 18, 1888 – Messers Williams and Updegraff of Topeka will establish a lumberyard here. It will be east of the elevator and they will use the elevator switch track.
March 15, 1888 – A Maple Hill Township Republican Club was organized with R. T. Updegraff as president, Frederick L. Raymond, vice-president, Dr. W. D. Barber as secretary, and Mr. William Baldwin Small as treasurer.
August 23, 1888 – Dr. Barber and Russell T. Updegraff, two excellent young men and Republicans too, are as yet unmarried.
A list of businesses in Maple Hill 1888
William B. Small 35 room hotel with gas lights
Russell T. Updegraff Lumberyard
John H. Verity General Merchant
Romick Brothers Livery Stable
George Fowler & Company Ranch and grain elevator
Joseph N. Dolley General Merchant
Gilbert Stewart Meat Market
J. M. Kemper Doctor
Mrs. Mary C. Beaubien Boarding House
John W. Clark Harness Maker
R. W. Smith & Company Hardware
John Turnbull Blacksmith
A. L. Bouchey Meat Market
George Smith Drug Store
Oliver Brothers Wagon Makers
Dr. W. D. Baker Physician
January 3, 1889 – Russell T. Updegraff entertained a party at the beautiful new Windler Hotel followed by a wolf hunt.
August 26, 1896 – August 28 the ball game of the season will come off at Maple Hill on Saturday between the Fat and Lean men of that place and we give the names and positions of the players:
Fats: Gilbert Stewart, Capt. Leans: William Oliver, Capt.
H. R. Kirk R.F. John Turnbull, R. F.
George Veale L.F. T. Oliver, L. F.
Frank Look, C. F. Bud Jones, C. F.
G. Smith, 3rd Base R. T. Updegraff, 3rd Base
Frank McClelland, 2nd Base John Scott, 2nd Base
Julius Goddard, 1st Base Ed Sturdy, 1st Base
Ed Pratt, S. S. Jim Hodson, S.S.
Jim Taylor, Pitcher Ed Worsley, Pitcher
George Curtis, Catcher Edward Adams, Catcher
July 27, 1897 – Thomas Oliver is pap of an eleven pound boy and he and Mr. Updegraff both wear broad grins.
May 23, 1902 – The present board of directors of the Eliot Congregational Church consisting of Frederick L. Raymond, H. R. Williams, Albert F. Thayer, John Turnbull, Sr., and Franklin Adams have begun to solicit funds for the new church in town. We deeply regret the abandonment of the Old Stone Church, but transportation for services is difficult for many living in the town. These gentlemen will be assisted by an advisory committee of Joseph N. Dolley, Russell T. Updegraff, W. John Tod and Rev. W. S. Crouch. Lots have been secured directly across the street from Dr. Kempers house on Main Street. [The lots spoken of are where Leslie and Loren Justice presently live.]
Maple Hill Businesses in 1907
Stockgrowers State Bank – Franklin Adams, Sr.
Maple Hill State Bank – Russell T. Updegraff
Frank Stevens Barber
H. R. Williams Coal Dealer
David Stewart General Store
Ormbee and Updegraff General Store
Fowler and Tod Livestock Feeders
Charles P. Banker Hardware
Windler Hotel – William B. Small
Rufus A. King Livery Stable
The Star Lumber Company
J. Thomas and Son Lumber
Mercantile Meat Market
Dr. J. M. Kemper
Dr. C. E. Yates
Charles E. Greaser Restaurant
John Clark – Harness Shop [Not related to any of the
Maple Hill or Snokomo Clarks.]
December 15, 1916 – Probably no town in the county has had more fire losses during its existence than Maple Hill and the blaze of Saturday night was one of the worst in its history. Five buildings on the west side of Main Street burned to the ground and only the most heroic efforts by a determined bucket brigade prevented that whole side of the street from being reduced to ashes.
The fire was first seen at 2:30am by Shelby Oliver and his wife who live directly west of where it started. She phoned to central and Mr. Oliver ran over to the Central Office to give the alarm. Jim Clark and others were soon there. The fire evidently started in the rear of the butcher shop. How it started is a mystery unless it was set. There was no fire in the shop when Monty Lemon left for the night. The men at the club room next door left about 10:00pm because their fire had gone out.
There was no wind and the fire spread both ways and the adjoining buildings were soon in flames. The space south of Dr. Silverthornes office saved the Updegraffs store, but that building was on fire several times. Also the space north of the hardware store allowed the fire fighters to stop it there, but Dr. Kempers office was burned on the south side. The roof was all on fire and it even got inside the doctors office but it was put out. It was splendid work by those who aided in putting the fire out. Even the women and children were carrying water and the bucket line worked like a machine.
The estimate of the losses as nearly as they can be learned are as follows:
Dr. Kempers loss came from taking everything out of his office, even the linoleum, and moving it back again. Many tings were broken and damaged but he is again doing business at the old stand.
Dr. Silverthorne and Dr. Kings office got out nearly everything and figure their losses at about $100. They have moved into the south half of Herrons barbershop.
Charles F. Payne was the heaviest loser. His drug stock was worth $2,000 or more and he has $1,250 in insurance. He will resume business in the west room of the bank and has some new stock on the way. Payne is a splendid druggist and citizen and the town cannot afford to lose him.
The Business Mens Club had a pool table and other furniture probably worth $150 with $100 insurance.
T. Monty Lemons butcher shop had around $500 in stock and fixtures, with $350 in insurance. He is doing business down with T. A. Rutledge in the feed store.
Harry R. Williams, who has just been in the hardware store a week, had written an insurance policy on his stock and fixtures on December 4th. He had $2,500 on his stock and $400 on his fixtures. Out of this, he saved $600. He had $2,000 insurance which has been adjusted and allowed.
The building Williams has belongs to William Romick and is valued at $1,200 with $800 insurance. Charles P. Banker had $500 or $600 worth of tools and material in the building which burned and there was no insurance.
Harry Williams has moved into the old shop that was back of his store and has new goods ordered that will be here this week and he will resume business. He plans on putting up a good building in the spring and has bought the lot where the store stood.
Jersey Garton, who owned the office occupied by Dr. Kemper, got $175 from the insurance for the damage to his building and his pool hall.
The buildings where Dr.s Silverthrone and King, Paynes drug store, the Club and the meat market were located were all of frame and owned by George A. Fowler and were all a total loss. Their combined value was $2,000 and there was $1,500 in insurance.
One of the lamentable losses was that of the city records. Mr. Payne who was city clerk, kept the records at the drug store. No one got there in time to save them and every record the city had was lost.
The city council took time by the forelock and called a public meeting on Monday night which was attended by 25 or more citizens. At that time it was voted to allow no more frame buildings to be erected on Main Street between 2nd and 3rd streets or on the alleys thereof. There was not a vote in favor of any more frame buildings.
W. J. Tod will not rebuild but he will sell the lots at a low price to parties who will erect good business buildings.
The Rock Island Railroad brought a switch engine down from McFarland to take some cars of hay off the track but their fears were groundless.
When a keg of black powder blew up in the hardware store, many thought the war had reached America. About 100 autos were in town Sunday to view the remains, coming from as far as Alma and Topeka.
January 21, 1916 – The Windler Hotel is being torn down. Russell T. Updegraff, owner, will build a modern bungalow in its place this spring. The hotel was built in 1888 by William Baldwin Small, father of Mrs. Updegraff and has served the community many years.
October 15, 1916 – October 6 R. T. Updegraffs store burned Thursday morning. He had ample fire insurance. [R. T. Updegraff was burned out twice in one year.]
April 4, 1924 – Russell T. Updegraff has sold out. Dave Stewart bought the groceries and McPherson the hardware goods.
March 18, 1938 – A fire company in Kansas City sent a man out to Maple Hill to demonstrate a new fire engine. It had a perfectly beautiful whistle and was up to date in every detail. But no fire whistle ever could summon the old timers as quickly as the cry of fire from one of the neighbors around here.
If our memory serves us right, Russell T. Updegraff was usually among the early arrivals at a fire. He would start down Main Street yelling, Fire-re! Fire-re! Someone on the east side would take it up. John Turnbull on our street always yelled as he passed the Dave Stewart home, Fire Dave, Comeon! Then another yell or scream on the west side. By this time all the women in town were awake and helped spread the alarm. However they did not stop with crying fire but worked side-by-sie pumping or carrying furniture from houses.
It seemed that for more than 25 years, the cry of fire was like a nightmare here to many of us. Many beautiful homes and all the business buildings on the west side of Main Street had been destroyed by fire.
It was later found most of the businesses were robbed before being set on fire.
The guilty parties were found and requested to leave town and it was a real tragedy it took to find them. [The authors great grandfather was town marshall at the time of this inquiry. He took blood hounds after one of the fires around 1920 and the hounds tracked scent from the fire to the home of a black man in Maple Hill. He was given 24 hours to leave town and told never to return.]
July 8, 1938 – Russell T. Updegraff has sold their beautiful home and they have moved to Topeka.
June 16, 1939 – Howard Adams was married to Mrs. Marian Brown of Topeka in Kansas City on Tuesday. About 300 attended a reception in the beautifully redecorated Updegraff home on Main Street, which will be their residence.
June 10, 1942 – June 10 Friends in Maple Hill were saddened by the death of Russell T. Updegraff, aged 79, at his home 535 Horne in Topeka. He was born at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio on November 28, 1862. He lived at Maple Hill for 47 years and three in Topeka. He owned and operated several businesses in Maple Hill. He attended Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana and was married to Miss Addie Mae Small on June 22, 1892 in the old Windler Hotel. He was a member of the Quaker Church at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio.
He is survived by three daughters: Mrs. Adelaide Groves of Spartanburg, South Carolina; Mrs. Wilma Gassman of Plattsburg, Missouri and Miss Alice Updegraff at home and one son, Russell at home. A brother, O. P. Updegraff of Topeka and one sister, Mrs. A. E.U. Hilles of Glendale, California.
He will be buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Topeka, Kansas.