Predating Anheuser-Busch by more than ten years, the Weston Brewing Company was first established in 1842 by German immigrant John Georgian. Upon Georgian's death in 1857, the brewery was acquired by August Kunz. The Kunz family, Joseph and Charles, were active in the brewery business in Leavenworth, KS, during the same time period. Kunz rebuilt the brewery after it was destroyed by fire in 1860, and continued to operate it until 1872, when he closed it due to financial problems. The brewery remained in an inactive status until 1885 when another Leavenworth brewer, John Brandon, an English immigrant and engineer by trade, teamed with fellow Leavenworth resident, George Mack, to reopen the brewery. As respective Manager and Superintendent of the brewery, Brandon and Mack negotiated a deal with famous Lawrence, KS brewer, John Walruff. Walruff with his son August, acquired the brewery in 1887. Walruff, a native of Cologne, Prussia and machinist by trade, dabbled in politics and banking in Ottawa, KS, before opening a large brewery and beer garden in Lawrence, KS. When the Kansas Legislature passed a prohibition law in 1880, Walruff spent six years and many thousands of dollars trying to circumvent the law by claiming his products were 'medical beer' that cured stomach and other intestinal ailments. A United States Supreme Court decision in 1887 against Salina, KS brewer, Peter Mugler and the United States Brewers' Association, concerning a States' right to close down a brewery if the State felt it would prevent injurious use of its product was the final blow to Walruff. Walruff soon gave up his fight and relocated his brewery to Weston, MO. Walruff and son August spent $50,000 to refurbish the Plant. August even took courses in Cincinnati to become a master brewer. The elder Walruff spent only one and a half years in Weston, moving to Kansas City in 1890. By 1894, it was rumored that he had piled up over $40,000 in debt. August stayed in Weston and was elected Mayor; a position he held for a good many years. The brewery made 12,000 barrels of pale lager annually, had 20 employees, and was worth $80,000. Weston offices were located at 15th and Hickorv in Kansas City, MO and the Leavenworth Depot at 319 Shawnee. In 1901, a new corporation was formed called the Royal Brewing Co., of Kansas City with a net worth of $50,000. The incorporators were listed as Benjamin J. Joffee, Benjamin F. Wollman, Morton WolIman, August F. Walruff and John Walruff. A branch office was established at 1111-1114 Grand Avenue in Kansas City, MO. In 1904 it moved to 1912 Grand Avenue. In 1907, the old corporation was replaced by a new one with capital stock listed at $200,000. The new incorporators were Dan Danciger, Jack Danciger and Abe Danciger. The Kansas City branch office was moved to 308 West 6th Street and later changed to 310 W. 6th Street, A few years before prohibition, the brewery like many others in the country began producing a 'near beer'. Promoted as the "oldest brewery West of the Hudson River," the brewery sponsored the first Kansas City Royals baseball team in the early 1900's. The Weston Royal label was well known throughout the Midwest and even Europe in its heyday. In the early 1900's, the brewery was the largest manufacturing plant in Platte County and was producing 20,000 barrels a year. Popular brands produced by the brewery were a Royal Pilsener advertised as "the beer that made Milwaukee jealous;" Rip Van Winkle, "the world's richest bottle of beer;" and Vivatone, "a family beverage for all ailments."
Five stone cellars that were dug in the 1840's were used
to lager and chill the beer in solid oaken tanks. Two
cellars are currently in operation as O'Malley's Irish
Pub.
The Weston Country Store & Antiques, at 18260 Highway 45, is located in a 1900's tobacco curing barn. Tobacco was grown in the surrounding farm fields and brought into the barn to hang and cure each fall. A small concrete block annex on the west side of the barn was used as a heated "stripping room" where tobacco leaves were stripped from the stalks, sorted into grades, and baled for market. The United States patent for this site was issued to Richard Meek on March 12, 1846, at that time a 160 acres adjoining the City of Weston. This property had a series of owners during the 1800's and early 1900's. The present, seventy-plus years of family ownership began on March 4, 1924 when W. B., (Bernard), Pepper purchased it from Alberta and Harry Rixey. The barn was believed built in the 1900's on the site of a previous barn of similar construction. Foundation remnants of the earlier building are now covered by the present floor. This barn is the last remaining farmstead building of a complex of smaller buildings that housed horses, livestock, poultry, hay, grain, and also included an "ice house" for storing blocks of ice, harvested from lakes and ponds, for summer use.
The construction of Highway 45, in the 1930's, bisected the former 28 acre
farm, then adjacent to the city limits of Weston. The barn had surrounding
pastures with ponds and many huge, spreading oak trees. The shaded pastures
were visited by townspeople to picnic and there was a croquet court situated
on the farm near what is today the corner of Fifth and Blackhawk streets.
Weston was founded on this spot in 1837 when the Platte Purchase opened for settlement. Joel (Joseph) Moore built the first cabin at Market & Main streets, then called Water & Market Streets (Market Street later became Main Street). Joseph (or Joel) Moore, a discharged Dragoon, purchased the site later to become Weston from an Indian trader named McPherson's for a barrel of whiskey. Having concluded to lay out a town he employed one Tom E. Weston, First Sergeant of Corn. D., First Dragoons. Captain Hunter was the company commander and Col. Kearney commander of the Regiment. In a letter owned by the late Maud Barton Poss, Weston wrote: "I had erected a small log shanty on Main Street for an office and was employed in surveying the town when two strangers rode up to introduce themselves. One was Bela M. Hughes, the other his cousin, Ben Holladay. They had come from Liberty to examine the site, study the maps and assess the general outlook. Holladay asked me what I would take for the shanty. I told him $25. He closed the deal by handing me the money. The town I named Weston, as it was at that time the farthermost town west in trade. The town grew fast; men came in to erect stores for business ventures. Bela Hughes built on Main Street and put in a large stock of dry goods. Mr. Holladay made some money, put up a 2-story frame house, bought some drugs from a friend named Marshal in St. Louis and opened a store."
The building built in 1839 was a hotel and tavern
during Weston's river port days. In 1885 it became
the new home of the Weston Chronicle Newspaper owned
by B. J Bless and remained in the family for five
generations and 98 years until it sold in 1983.
Sebus Brothers Hardware, located at 405 Main Street, is one of the oldest Family owned business in downtown Weston. Started by Grandpa Sebus around the turn of the century, the building first housed dry goods. During the Depression, Grandpa Sebus rented out the building and went to work down the block for his cousin, Mr. Rumple, as he needed a good bookkeeper for his store. In 1947, Grandpa Sebus' sons, Charles and Ed moved back into the buildings. One side was a paint store, while the other was a meat locker. Along with the paint, the Sebus Brothers provided electrical services and soon added TVs and appliances to their inventory.
The Charles Sebus family lived in the apartment
above the store, and their oldest son Chuck was born
there and remembers playing out front. The meat
locker was closed in the 1970's and the store
expanded to include more hardware. Charles and his
Uncle Ed have retired from the business, and now the
2nd generation "Sebus Brothers", Chuck and Bill,
currently run the store. From nuts and bolts,
electrical wire and plumbing supplies, to crayons,
pink flamingos and that piece that you broke off of
Aunt Edna's most prized possession (which you're now
trying to fix before she notices), the locals
proudly say that if you can't find it at Sebus', you
really don't need it. And if you don't see it, just
ask - it's probably in the basement!
This building spent its early Weston years as an alley, and is the only known building in the historic downtown area not to have "a brick to its name." The common construction practice of the day was for each building owner to build his brick walls up against that of the neighbor's -- most of the brick walls between buildings in Weston are at least 2 (and a lot are 3) bricks thick. The first owner of the lot also owned the building next to it. When Mr. Murdock decided he needed an extension of his lumberyard, he simply attached all of the supports to the outsides of the neighboring buildings' walls. The deed on the property today still grants the use of the outside walls of 409 & 413 for 411 Main's inside use! The front and back of the building were made of wood. The second story exterior front is unique because it is actually metal pressed to look like brick, so that it blends in with its all-brick neighbors. Unfortunately, the building has been severely burned several times in its history, and besides the original joists in the floor, has only one original wood-planked wall remaining on the second floor. During the Depression, the Murdock building housed Weston's first cash-only grocery store. It was also equipped with a creamery. Farmers would trade their produce and milk for other supplies that were needed. In those days, the customer would bring in their grocery list in the morning and leave it so that the grocer could gather the requested supplies together and pack it all up. After the customers finished up their other errands around town, they would return to pick up their groceries on the way home. The grocer had to stay until the last parcels were claimed -- sometimes well into the evening! The building at 413 Main was being used as a bar/restaurant at the time and there was a window in the wall between the grocery and bar so that whenever a customer in the bar ordered a steak, the freshly-cut meat simply was handed through from the grocer to the cook! The grandson of the grocer also remembers that 2 skunks were kept in the cellar to keep the grocery store free of rats and other rodents -- and most importantly -- the skunks were de-scented so they were lots of fun to play with! There was also a pulley-type elevator that allowed the second floor to be used as storage.
The Murdock building will be remembered by several
generations of Westonians as the pool hall and local
tavern, as it has operated as some variation on that
theme since the mid 1940's. The first proprietors
were George and Veulah Zanders. Veulah was widowed in 1955 and continued to run the business until 1971. She was known to "run a tight ship " and never "took guff" from anyone. During the day, the Caldwell's and Kottman's lunch counter was known for its
favorite delicacy -- brain sandwiches! The second
story housed two apartments until the last fire in
the early 1990's swept through the building. When
rebuilt, it was left as storage space for the bar
below.
In 1866, B.F. Freeland opened the first of a long line of grocery stores at the building at 420 Main Street, which continued until 1996, when McCormick Distilling Company took over the space for their Country Store. Between 1886 and 1996, seven different grocery markets operated in the space. The only interruption to the grocery store legacy was in 1886 when A.H. O'Dowd, who served as Weston's postmaster for four years, opened his Furniture & Undertaking business. This combination may seem bizarre now, but was actually fairly commonplace during this period.
A period newspaper article describes the stock of
Mr. O'Dowd's store as "...thoroughly up-to-date in
every particular, including an immense and carefully
selected line of furniture; in suites or single
pieces; wall paper, picture and room molding, window
shades, rugs, oil cloth, matting and kindred
supplies, in connection with which repairing and
upholstering is done". The article goes on to
describe Mr. O'Dowd's qualifications as an
undertaker, relating that he was a "...practical
funeral director and embalmer, a graduate in the
science from the Oriental School of Embalming under
Prof. F.A. Sullivan of Boston, and a licentiate
under the State Board. He is a member of the State
Funeral Directors Association, and in connection
with this department of his business, he handles a
fine stock of goods, including all grades and styles
of caskets, cases, robes, suits and slippers, also
being prepared to furnish a hearse".
While exploring the American west by way of the Missouri River in the early 1800s, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark discovered natural limestone springs in the rolling hills of northwest Missouri. By 1830, these pure springs were supplying water to wagon trains preparing for the long westward trek across the prairies on the Santa Fe and Overland Trails. Years later, Ben Holladay, an enterprising businessman living in Weston, Missouri, saw these springs and knew they provided an ideal ingredient for making great whiskey; limestone water. In addition, after arriving in Missouri from Kentucky, Ben recognized that the vast majority of wagon trains were passing west through Weston. The wagon train volume and a desire for good whiskey prompted him to start his distillery in 1856. The distillery remained in the Holladay family until 1895, when it was sold to George Shawhan. After Prohibition, it was purchased by Isadore Singer, who also bought the McCormick label which had been used for a whiskey marketed at nearby Waldron, Missouri. In 1950, McCormick Distilling Company was acquired by Midwest Grain Products, Inc. The acquisition was made primarily to accommodate warehousing needs for alcohol being produced in Atchison, Kansas. In 1976, during America's Bicentennial, McCormick became one of only two distilleries in the nation to be listed on the national Register of Historic Sites. It received this distinction as the oldest distillery in the United States operating at its original site.
In 1993, the distillery was purchased by a group of
private investors. Today, McCormick offers products
in more than a dozen categories to markets in all 50
states and over 47 countries.
The Bank of Weston building has been landmark in Weston since 1893 and has occupied the building on Main Street since 1895 when there were dirt streets and gas lights. In a special edition of The Weston Chronicle published in 1914, the building was described as: "The building, which is located on the Southwest comer of Main and Thomas streets, is a handsome two story brick structure with a frontage of twenty feet on Main street and extending back along Thomas Street sixty feet. The interior is divided into a main lobby, counting room and private office, all beautifully furnished in pleasing designs. The walls and ceiling are of steel paneling, the floor of the main lobby is of a mosaic tiling in colors, and the counter extensions are furnished in natural wood with bases of polished marble and are surmounted with rich panels of fronted glass. To the rear of the business is a large, comfortable room containing writing table and easy chairs which is open to the public at all times during business hours. No significant structural changes were made in the building until 1937 when the original storefront look was replaced with an exterior of black and white plate glass. At that time, the semicircular teller's cages were replaced with modern walnut counters. The building placed the Bank of Weston in a class all its own for a banking institution in a rural community. After many years the building remained one of the most modern for its size in the country. The next major change in the building occurred in 1961 when the banking quarters were enlarged from 1200 square feet to 3200 with the addition of one half of the Doppler building on the South. Great efforts were made to give the structure a modern look. Upon completion of the remodeling on June 30, 1961, The Weston Chronicle reported: "Bank of Weston opens new doors, an all glass front shows an interior beautifully done in shades of blue and beige with natural wood office accessories. A new feature is the walk-up window that may be used for after hours service, and also a night depository. A new exterior sign in blue has been placed on the front of the building. It is set off by gray stucco and a natural stone front." In October, 1985, a decision was made by the Bank of Weston to restore the Main Street Bank building and demolition work on the exterior was commenced. The modern look of the sixties was completely removed and replaced with old brick with the appearance of that used in Weston at the turn of the century. Windows were returned to their original locations, and the ceiling in the lobby was raised to the height of fifteen feet and covered with an old molded tin ceiling which came from the second floor. An antique teller's cage with glass and iron decorations was installed and the floor was covered with small white hexagon shaped tiles.
The Doppler building was restored to its original
storefront look with the high ceiling that had
remained in that building through various
remodelings. The Doppler building is now occupied as
a gift shop. The furnishings in the bank include an
oak bench and captain's chairs and an oak board of
directors table which were used by the bank for many
years. An old cannonball safe and a rolltop desk
along with antique records from the bank's vault
create the feeling of another time. Brick sidewalks
and stained glass windows were used to attract
visitors to the original home of the Bank of Weston
on Main Street, Weston, Missouri.
The St. George Hotel, built in 1845-6, was one of
three hotels in Weston during its heyday. The St.
George is the only hotel building remaining. It was
a working man's hotel and consisted of 47 rooms on
the top two floors. On the first floor were a
saloon, sample rooms (rooms behind the saloon that
traveling salesmen rented to show their wares) a
lobby/tobacco shop, a restaurant, and two retail
spaces. It was a full three story brick structure.
A fire in December, 1890, as reported in the Weston Chronicle, left the building in ruins. We now know that the two street side brick walls were left standing. With an added brick facade, those two walls are part of the current building which dates to 1891. The building is now ten feet shorter than the original building and has a mansard roof. Except for the time between the fire and the reconstruction, the hotel was run continuously until 1984 when a small fire occurred in one of the three apartments on the first floor.
The hotel has had several owners and has been called
the Weston Hotel, The Exchange Hotel, the Ryan Hotel
as well as the St. George Hotel (St. George is the
patron saint of rest).
Freemasonry formally came to Weston in December of 1841 when several Freemasons who belonged to lodges in Missouri and other states were given permission to meet as a lodge "Under Dispensation" This permission came from the Grand lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Missouri. The Grand Lodge -- governing body for the fraternity in Missouri -- had been chartered and set to work on May 4, 1821, more than three months before Missouri officially became a state on August 10, 1821. Weston Lodge, Under Dispensation, held its meetings in a two-story frame building on this same site. The lodge met on the second floor. And from December of 1841 until October of 1842, this proposed lodge was regularly visited by representatives of the Grand Lodge to observe and review their ritual proficiency, their observance of the traditions and laws of the fraternity, and their individual and collective ability to administer the business and charitable affairs of the lodge. On October 11,1842, Benj. Holladay signed the official register of the Grand Lodge meeting in St. Louis as "Jr. Warden of Weston lodge, U.D." Later that same day, Holladay was on hand when the Committee on lodges U.D. recommended "That Charters be granted to the above named lodges (which included Weston), bearing even date with this report, and that their representatives be permitted to take their seats in this Grand lodge and be entitled to all the rights and privileges of members!" The lodge was formally Chartered as Weston lodge No. 53 on October 11, 1842. Fires virtually destroyed large segments of the business district in Weston in 1855, 1859 and 1884. The building on this site where the lodge met was destroyed each time but the Freemasons quickly rebuilt. The third fire occurred on November 1, 1884 and on November 29 the lodge met in a special communication in the Odd Fellows Hall "for the purpose of receiving bids for the rebuilding of the Masonic Hall. The Secretary was then ordered to open and announce the bids, which was done, and Shell & Brene being the lowest bidders, $3,193.00, their bid was accepted:
"Work on this, our present home, began in December
of 1884. It was completed in the first week of
September, 1885 and on September 11, Grand Master
R.E Stevenson opened a Specific Communication of the
Grand lodge of Missouri for the purpose of
"dedicating the new hall to Universal Masonic
Benevolence!"
In 1844, Wilson G. Nobel, or "Boss" Nobel as many referred to him, established and operated one of Weston's first businesses; "W. G. Nobel Saddlery". "Boss" Nobel was one of Weston's earliest pioneers being registered in the Annuls of Platte County as early as 1838. The early Weston Chronicle quoted John Doniphan as saying ÒNobel saw Weston when its site was covered with forest trees and hazel brush; he helped bury the first man who died with his boots on. He saw the great flood of 1844, he witnessed the flood of '58 that washed away bridges and kept business men away from their homes until the next day. He fashioned a bridle for the great Kickapoo Chief Medora, that had a looking glass fitted to the forehead of the horse." For 34 years, "Boss" Nobel owned and operated the saddle shop until he sold it to Julian Baker on April 8,1878. Julian Baker owned and operated the saddle shop for ten years in this location then he moved across the street staying in business for a total of 52 years. In the late 1800's, at least two of the buildings caught on fire. The buildings were rebuilt out of the remaining structure. Part of the first building that was two stories is now one story. Thus the appearance of the buildings changed significantly. From 1911 to 1920 the Brill Furniture Company occupied the building alongside Brill's Mortuary. Later, in 1927, the Furniture Company was sold and the Mortuary then resided in two of the three buildings. J.H. Brill and his wife owned Brill's Mortuary, they both secured embalmer's licenses and were both members of the State and National Funeral Directors' Association. Mrs. Brill was one of the first few lady embalmers in the state of Missouri. The first unit of the mortuary was bought in 1920. Later a garage and office building were added. The garage was located in the back of the building. The office was located upstairs along with a second floor suite of five rooms and a bath, the reception room was also located upstairs serving as a chapel upon request. In 1942, the Brills rented the Funeral home to Walter and Billy Vaughn, who operated Vaughn's Funeral home. They later bought the building in 1946. The Vaughns' lived on the second floor of the funeral home in a spacious two-bedroom apartment, which was formerly used as an office and reception room. In July of 1962, the Vaughn's added the third building, buying it From Dr. L. C. Calvert who owned and operated a medical office for many years.
The Vaughn's owned and operated the funeral home in
this location until they built a new funeral home
located on 45 Highway. Anne Bollin purchased two of
the three buildings in 1993 to expand her growing
business, Missouri Bluffs
Boutique, which now occupies all three
buildings.
The Mettier Building was built in 1847 by Jacob and Anna Mettier. Their business was a Confectionery and Ice Cream shoppe with a Ladies Saloon. The ovens for the bakery were in the basement, the shop was on the first floor , Jacob and Anna lived on the second floor. The third floor was a ballroom, utilized by the Officers and their ladies from Fort Leavenworth. For a long time there was no written proof that could be found that balls were actually held on the third floor, although word of mouth had carried the existence of them. Then, in recent years, when a old house was torn down in Weston a invitation was found in the rafters. The date of the invitation is April 2nd, 1877, and shows the committee that planned the dance and the band that played. A copy of the ticket is on display in the Mettier Building and is shown here. One of the unique effects on the third floor is that it had perfect acoustics so the music required no amplification of any kind.
The Mettier building went through many more changes
during the 1900's. It was owned by the Bless trust
and was used as a post office from 1907-1937, and
later the Missouri Public Service Office. The
upstairs floors were used for various club meetings.
During the 1930's the second and third floor were
convert to apartments. During the 1980's, the
building was purchased from the Bless trust and the
first and second floors were refurbished for retail
shops.
The Kaufmann building, located at 518-520 Main Street, began its life as a grocery and provision store in 1854. At that time the two story structure was brick with a cast iron facade on the first floor. A. G. Bell operated a restaurant on the first floor in 1886 and Mrs. M. Bell had an ice cream parlor there in 1896. H. H. Hedges married Mary Bell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. Bell, specializing in baked goods and providing catering services at the location around 1909. In 1919, the building housed the Gould Battery Company, which was owned by George Parrish who is best known as the 'father of electricity' for Weston and most of Platte County. Even though Parrish was an expert electrician, due to overwork and days without sleep, he was electrocuted while repairing a line to a building on Market Street.
The Kaufmann Building was purchased in 1996 by Cathy
A. and Phelps D. Murdock, Jr. The exterior was
repaired, improved and painted in authentic historic
colors. The first floor portion, known as 518 Main,
and the entire second floor, known as 518-520 Main,
were substantially repaired, redecorated and
integrated into a single retail establishment to
accommodate Currant
Cottage, a home furnishings and antique store,
operated by the Murdocks.
Built in an alleyway in approximately 1879, this nicely restored example of Georgian Colonial Revival architecture hosts the beautiful arched windows that were very popular after the Civil War. The building still features hard wood floors, 12' ceilings, 18" to 24" thick brick walls, as do almost all of the buildings on Main Street Weston. The building was originally built by Jacob Mettier to house Mettier's Billiard Saloon. The building was remodeled into Baker's Harness Shop in 1882 and remained such for 45 years. His black smith's forge was in the rear of the building. To quote a newspaper article from that era, "The Julian M. Baker Company occupies its own building a 20 by 63 foot, three story brick above a basement, on the west side of Main street. The upper floor is used for storage of raw material, while the lower story contains the main sales room and a well-equipped workshop. The goods carried embrace a fine stock of high-grade buggy and team harness, saddles, blankets robes, fly nets, whips and other horse furnishings. Mr. Baker does all classes of repair work and carriage trimmings, makes practically all of his harness supplies from the raw material, guarantees everything that he puts out, and has built up a creditable enterprise that has become one of the business standbys of Platte County," Telephone #57. George Graham purchased the building around 1927 and used the building as a home and had a dry cleaning business across the street. The apartments have been continuously occupied since their construction in 1870, with the exception of a brief period in the late 1800's when the "Owls Club" used the second floor as a meeting hall. This was a congenial business and professional men's club.
William H. (Bill) Murphy owned and occupied the
building from 1953 to 1973. His brother Chester &
wife Alberta Murphy owned and occupied the building
from 1973 to 1987. Most of the "locals" refer to
this as the Murphy Building. We believe one reason
this building is in such good condition is because
Edith Rose Murphy & Henretta Burnstein-Voss who
lived on the second floor consecutively were both
immaculate housekeepers. As one of the nieces told
us about her aunt Edith, who lived in the second
floor apartment, "Children were not allowed in the
apartment until they were in their teens." We
understand her china and furnishings were absolutely
beautiful, and the bridge games were quite elegant.
In 1987, the first two levels of the building were
converted into retail space. The two apartments were
redecorated, but left very close to their original
construction.
523 Main originally housed the How Boot and Shoe
store. Constructed in 1848, from handmade brick with
metal standing seam roof, this was one of the few
buildings that survived the fires of 1853.
Survivor of two fires and several floods, the Corner Building is one of the oldest buildings within the Weston Historic District. It was built in 1845, at the corner of Main and Short Street, shortly after the initial settlement of Weston. The building, with its original tin roof and ornamental tin ceiling, conveys the simplicity and functionalism typical of the earliest commercial buildings. The original owner of the building was Balthazar How. According to Bertha Bless's book, Weston Queen of the Plate Purchase, Mr. How was the proprietor of a very 'popular' boot shop. He and his family lived below in the walk-out basement. The 500 square foot basement with its thick stone walls had a dirt floor. In 1849 Mr. How bought a second boot shop, just down the street, for his son.
After World War II, the building housed the
Foley-Yeaman Insurance Agency. It was then purchased
by Roger Wilson, president of the Bank of Weston,
and his wife Margaret. They opened the Weston
Agency, handling insurance and real estate. In 1982
the Weston Agency moved down Main Street and Susi
Harris opened The Town Mouse gift shop.
In 1845, a gentleman named Benjamin Wood acquired a piece of land from the town of Weston and built a beautiful, two-story, federal style home. Through the years the home changed hands several times. One of its owners was David Holladay, brother of Ben Holladay the "stagecoach king". He occupied the house until the late 1800's and ran the McCormick Distillery while his brother Ben ventured farther West to pursue other enterprises. In the 1930's the Wood's home was converted to a boarding house. Quite often, due to the inexpensive rent, newly-weds and young married couples occupied the apartments. As time passed, many of these young couples conceived and had their children while residing there. Consequently, the townspeople coined the phrase "The Hatchery" for the "hatching" of babies. In the late 1980's, the building was purchased by Glen and Jolene Payne. They began renovations to restore the "Hatchery" to its original form. After several years of hard work and determination, their work and dream was completed. They opened the home to the public in the form of a bed and breakfast.
The structure boasts six completely operational
fireplaces, two of which have the original mantel
pieces. The walls are constructed to a thickness of
three bricks and the original hardwood flooring,
windows and trim remain today.
The Hatchery sits
1\2 block off of Main Street in downtown Weston and
is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places.
The Benner House Bed & Breakfast was built in 1898 by Mr. George Shawhan, owner of the Shawhan Distillery, known today as McCormick Distillery. Listed on the National Register of Historic places, this lovely Victorian home is a fine example of steamboat Gothic architecture. In the 1900's the home was purchased by Mr. Charles Benner, a gentlemen farmer, who preferred to live in the "cityÓ. The home remained in the Benner family until 1986 when it was purchased by Ken and Karen West and converted into a bed and breakfast. The present owners, John and Julie Pasley, have continued the traditions of the early 1900's. The home is beautifully decorated with antiques and turn of the century pieces.
Upon entering the home, one immediately steps back
in time. The double wrap around porches,
gingerbread detail and large windows over looking
the verandas enhance the spaciousness of this lovely
old home. Original hand carved oak and beveled
glass grace the front doorway along with brass
lightning fixtures leading the way up the hand
carved oak staircase. All the rooms have ten-foot
ceilings, six foot windows, oak woodwork and pine
floors.
|
On the outside of the building you can see what
appears to be shutter hinges. They are not, but are
the cast iron holders for bars that were on the
windows during the Civil War. This building held
Confederate prisoners until the end of the war.
There are still the original bars on the windows on
the first floor on the back side of the building.
In the 1940s, the first floor was used as a dentist
office and in the 1950s and 1960s both floors were
apartments owned by B. J. Bless, Jr. In 1973, the
second floor was converted to a modern apartment. In
recent years, the apartment area was used for
storage and left to deteriorate as water poured
through a decaying roof. From the 1970s through the
1990s, the '518 Main' portion housed a variety of
antique dealers and retailers.
Julian M. Baker (left), workshop in lower level.
In 1886, the building became the home of The Weston
Chronicle when B. J. Bless Sr. purchased the
newspaper from John Mundy. The newspaper was
published on Fridays and the terms in advance were
$.15 per month or $1.50 per year. According to
Paxton's Annals of Platte County, Mr. Bless took
some time off to go to Excelsior Springs and after
using the Keelcy cure for intemperance came back
restored and resumed his editorial work. When the
newspaper moved to larger quarters, the building
became a doctor's office and then a shoe repair. In
1926, the front of the building was redone. The
windows and door were changed and a facade added to
the front.
