SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI AND SURROUNDINGS • 1889


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(previous page) city, for organized effort in its advancement. The Board of Trade was organized in 1886, with $10,000 capital and a membership of 100. It owns a fine three-story brick building, from which is derived a good revenue, and embraces in its official roster W. A. Hall, President; C. A. McCann, Vice-president; J. R. Ferguson, Secretary, and T. B. Holland, Treasurer. The Secretary is an energetic, public-spirited worker, and has recently published an admirable report of the commerce and industries of the city. THE MERCHANT EXCHANGE lately organized,—with A. W. Ollis, President; E. D. Parce, 1st Vice-president; A. R. Sprague, 2d Vice-president; J. T. Gray, Treasurer; and L. T. Hunt, Secretary; who with Messrs. C. B. Sperry, G. A. Ramsey. C. P. Ollis, A. Otterson jr., W. H. Fink, P. H. Martin, A. W. Lincoln, and J. P. Hubble, constitute the directory;—is a live organization, which has taken hold of the work of advertising the city, pushing public improvements, and attracting new industries, with a vigor and practical turn that promise grand results for the future.

The organization embraces some of the finest working talent in the city, and through its committees on finance, emigration, advertising, manufactures, city extension, etc., etc., has already made good progress in gathering valuable information, attracting the attention of investors and manufacturers, and furthering local improvements.

They have pleasant quarters in the Merchants Exchange Building, and through their weekly meetings and active committee work, are attracting general attention to the necessity for more vigorous and united work in behalf of the city. The Exchange has a warm welcome for all worthy new comers and enterprises, and will doubtless be found in harness among the potent working forces of the city, when it shall have a population of 75,000 people. The HOTEL FACILITIES are quite equal to its present needs, first-class in character, and are being steadily extended and improved. THE METROPOLITAN, located upon the south side, within half a block of the public square, is a large, handsome, finely built and admirably equipped hotelry, lighted by electricity, heated with hot air, supplied with hot and cold water, and other modern improvements, and under the new management of Col. J. W. Hall, is one of the most popular and largely patronized hotels in the Southwest. THE OZARK is centrally located on the north side, and is one of the largest and finest new hotels in this region. It is handsomely furnished, has all the modern improvements, including the electric light, hot and cold water and steam heat, and has capital management at the hands of Mr. A. L. Knight, who has largely increased its patronage and popularity. The Central, Southern, Denton and Arlington are all good hotels, and enjoy a liberal patronage. The STREET RAILWAY SYSTEM, under the management of the Citizens Street Railway Company, embraces a capital stock of $120,000.00, six miles of railway, mostly double track, and employs in its service about 30 hands, 100 horses and mules, and 20 cars. It has expended about $7,000.00 in improvements during the last year, and has immediate extensions projected, involving several miles of new track. THE TELEPHONE SYSTEM, owned and operated by the Missouri and Kansas Telephone Co., have about 200 instruments in service, employ half a dozen hands, and will double their capacity during the present year. THE ELECTRIC LIGHT AND GAS PLANTS are among the finest and most complete in the Western country. They employ a dozen men, do an aggregate yearly business of nearly $40,000, and report an annual increase of 20 per cent. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ARCHITECTURE have undergone a marked improvement in the last few years. Some of the newer churches, the Perkins Grand Opera House, the Central National Bank, Bank of Springfield, the Baker Block, the Ullman and Fern buildings, with many other fine business blocks, are quite near to models of their kind.

Hundreds of beautiful homes adorn the finer residence quarters of the city, both on the north and south sides; many of them representing the best modern types of home architecture. The stone chapel of Drury College, named in honor of the lady whose generous endowment made its erection possible, is one of the finest public buildings in the State, and a model of church architecture. THE NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS for which Congress has recently made an appropriation of $150,000, will very soon be in process of construction, after one of the latest and most perfect designs in use by the Treasury Department. THE CITY JOURNALS are square up to the dignity of their social, material and intellectual surroundings.

The Springfield Republican, published by the Springfield Republican Co., and edited by Mr. Tomlinson, issues morning daily and weekly (next page)


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