The Farnam Echo

This building was moved to Farnam from Keystone and was the first general store in Farnam. Castile & Anderson conducted the business here until May, 1887, when Patrick Wrin, bought the business and continued in the business for several years. The picture was taken undoubtedly shortly before after 1900. The people standing in front of the team of horses are Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Martin and children. Mr. Martin run the store at that time. The man standing in the foreground was John Ballard, who was marshall at that time.

These three buildings stood where the Postoffice, Hines and the bakery are now. The center building was the first drug store built in Farnam and was built in 1886. This building later was used by Buss & Divoll as a general merchandise store and the drug store moved across the street on the same lots where the McElmoil drug store now is. Just when the other two buildings were built is not known for certain.

All of the above buildings were destroyed by fire, in 1907, when a fire swept through the entire block on the east side of main street and caused more than $30,000 damage. At the time of the fire there was a frame building on nearly every lot on the east side of the street from where the Standard station is, south to the Farnam theatre, where there was a livery barn at that time.

1886

1936