Pioneer History by Richard C. Schmal

The Town of Lowell was recovering from the disastrous fire (1898) in the downtown business area when two blocks of frame business houses were consumed by fire set in at least three places by an arsonist. By order of a town ordinance no frame buildings were to be built to replace the destroyed stores, and in a few months new brick buildings replaced the original business houses in the area from Mill to Fremont Streets on the north side of Commercial Ave.

On Sept. 20, 1898, three couples were celebrating their wedding anniversaries. They were Mr. and Mrs. Horace Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Powell and Mr. and Mrs. Jay Ault; all three couples married at the same time eighteen years before.

The Fourth Regulars passed through Lowell on their way to Fort Sheridan. (The Fourth Division Regular Army was organized in 1792.)

The well for the Lowell waterworks reached a depth of 180 feet and a new pump was expected to arrive soon. A large quantity of broken stone was hauled to the public square where the standpipe would be erected. (Soon after, sulfur water was flowing through the new mains and to the fire plugs in Lowell. The 100 foot 'standpipe' water tower, with a diameter of 10 feet and a capacity of over 59,000 gallons, was torn down in 1957. The circular flower garden at the park was a part of the foundation for the structure which was replaced by the water tower now standing near Liberty Park.)

H. H. Ragon, editor of the Lowell Tibune, was leaving town to attend the reunion of the 144th Ohio Regiment in which he served as Captain. (His regiment was organized in April 1861 at Toledo, Ohio, and was mustered out July 1865.)

The Tribune reported that Lowell's tax levy and poll was very large, amounting to $6.07, the levy being raised 44 cents on the hundred.

The first resident priest at St. Edward's Catholic Church was Father Frederick F. Koenig of Union City, Indiana (1898). A handsome residence was soon erected for his use. (The house still stands on Castle Street west of present Lowell Health Center on Burnham St.)

The Lowell Tribune advertised that they would accept stove wood in subscription payment.

Many female bicyclists were seen on the streets of Lowell, and the paper said that "they all seem to be experts."

A program was to be held at the Gregory Opera House (northeast corner of Mill St. and Commercial Ave.) for the reunion of the 9th and 20th Indiana Volunteer Regiments. A banquet was to be held at Castor's Hall, with entertainment furnished by the Lowell Town Band. (The 9th was organized at LaPorte, Ind., in April 1861, took part in 65 engagements in the Civil War, and was mustered out in Sept. 1865. The 20th Ind. Vol. Inf. Regiment was organized at Lafayette, Ind., in July 1861, and was mustered out at Indianapolis in July 1865. Many from south Lake County served in these two regiments.)

Advertisements in 1898 included George W. Waters' Drug Store (lower level present Colfax Lodge); C.O. Hill Drug Store; Charles Ketcham Dept. Store; Enoch Cox, boot and shoe repair; E.J. Pixley, jeweler and optician; Martin Schur, furniture maker and undertaker; Wilber Lumber, A.T. Cox, manager; Mrs. M. A. Scullin, sewing machines; Burnham Brothers Hardware; H. Gershman, the tailor; Herman Mangold, painter; Spindler & Pletcher Department Store.

Ads were placed for patent medicine, bikes, buggies, saddle coats, harnesses and mustache wax. Men's suits sold for $10, beaver overcoats for $8, beaver hats at 98 cents, dress shirts for 50 cents, shoes for 98 cents and ladies' plush capes for $4.25. Market price for corn was just over 30 cents. Nails were available at George Death's hardware (northwest corner of Clark St. and Commercial Ave.) for 2 cents per pound.

The work of surveying the gravel road had begun in 1899 by E.A. Clark, surveyor. (Perhaps the paper was talking about the dirt Commercial Ave. being changed to a gravel road in 1899.)

An interesting letter was published from the late Howard M. Nichols who was in Uncle Sam's Army in the Philippines. (He was a member of the 1st Washington Regiment during the Spanish-American War. )

The Chicago Market Report of Sept. 22, 1898, showed cattle priced at $1.85 per hundred pounds; prime hogs at $2.10; sheep, $2.00; corn 30¾ cents; oats, 22½ cents; eggs, 12½ cents; butter, 10½ cents, and rye at 44½ cents.

Results of election in 1899: the largest vote to date was cast, 327 voters elected the following (Lowell) town officials --Town Trustees: C.J. Belshaw, Y.C. Vosburg and George Kimmet; M.E. Nafus, Marshal; L.W. Ragon, Clerk-Treasurer. Water Trustees were H.L. Baughman, P.A. McNay and Edgar Hayden. C.J. Belshaw was elected the President of the Board. (It was a large turnout of voters when Lowell's population was about 1000 and only men could vote!)

James Spaulding , the county assessor, gave some interesting statistics of Lake County: In 1890 the population was 28,800 and in 1898 it had increased to 50,000.

Martha Foster Halsted, wife of Lowell's founder Melvin A. Halsted, had passed away. She was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, in 1824, and married Mr. Halsted in 1842. She was buried at West Creek Cemetery.

Graduates from Lowell High School in 1898 were Goldie Nuckels, Emma Miller, Mae Lawrence, Raymond Nelson, Frank Stuppy, Frank Love, Herbert Michael, and Albert Hayden. The 1899 class included Everett Axline, Lucretia Castle, Jessie Deathe, Gretna Norton, Georgia Norton, Bernice Nelson, Calvin Pixley and Morton Northup. These classes attended the 1896 school house now standing empty on Main Street.