The directory of 1916–17 — Polk's entry transcribed whole

1916–17 · POLK'S INDIANA GAZETTEER, PT. 2, PP. 1073–1074

The last full canvass before the banks fall: ninety names, two banks, two manufactures, four onion buyers. The header reads: "WALKERTON. Population, 1,200. Located at the junction of the B. & O., L. E. & W. and N. Y. C. Rys. in St. Joseph county, Lincoln township, 80 miles east of Chicago, and 20 south of South Bend, the county seat. Has Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and United Brethren churches, good schools, paved streets, electric lights, sewer and water systems, good substantial business blocks and many beautiful homes. Has two banks and a weekly newspaper, the Independent. Manufactures cut glass and pickles. Exp., Am. and W. F. & Co. Tel., W. U. Thompson Turner, postmaster." (The listings below name the postmaster "Turner Thompson"; the directory prints both forms of the name, and both stand.) The one newspaper is Endley's: William A. Endley had purchased the Visitor from H. S. Mintle in 1887, renamed it the Walkerton Independent, enlarged it to a seven-column quarto, and in 1905 housed it in a new cement building, 60 by 28 feet, with a power outfit and two job rotary presses, at a circulation of 1,500 (Howard) — the media-as-business line of this section in one house: Mintle's Visitor of 1875, Endly's Republican of 1879, and Endley's Independent from 1887, still the town's paper in 1916 and, in its Independent-News form, the paper of record for the bank items of 1940–1982 above.

The listings, in the directory's order: Ake V L, harness; Apple W B, autos and garage; Atwood W J, pickle mnfr; B & O Hotel and Restaurant, Mrs Carrie Hudson propr; Baker Sam, dray; Beal Daniel, onion buyer; Beck C G, veterinary and feed barn; Bose & Stull (C A Bose, Claude Stull), live stock and meats; Carroll & Pearse (T H Carroll, S W Pearse), bakers; Caulkins A M, drugs; Central Cut Glass Co (Chicago), H T Racine mngr; Cotton J Willis, lawyer, abstracts, insurance and real est — the implement dealer of 1882–84 in his second career; Danford C C, restaurant; Dare R F, coal; Denaut M S, physician; Dowell H S, dentist; Eames Irving, poultry shipper; Endley Wm A, publr Walkerton Independent; Erickson Nels, onion buyer; Farmers State Bank (see the banks article); Fish Clyde A, agt L. E. & W. Ry, Am Exp Co and mngr W. U. Tel Co; Fitzgerald Maurice D, photographer; Fitzgerald T J, agt N. Y. C. Ry — Howard's Chicago, Indiana & Southern agent of 1898, under the consolidated road's name; Foster M M, brewers agent; Gohn H W, general store; Hardenbrook's Bottling Works, James W Hardenbrook propr; Hardy H A, dairy; Harmison Leslie, jeweler; Heinz Co, C A Wills mngr, salting station; Holser B I & Co, B I Holser sec and mngr, grain, wool and poultry foods — the grain trade's named house in 1916, a dealer in the three staples of the 1882 export list, and still not called an elevator; Houser Bros (Claude E and Clement P), hardware and implts; Howe Wm A, garage; Hymen & Dupler (R S Hymen, A L Dupler), general store; Koontz S E, clothing; LaFever Walter F, general store — the La Feber of Howard's sketch (the directory's spelling stands), the railroad agent of 1894 now keeping a general store and leading the Walkerton Military Band, which the entry also lists under his leadership; Lincoln Theatre, H A Giles propr; McDaniel J R, restaurant; McDaniel W D, meats; McDaniel W R, asst cashr State Bank of Walkerton and fire insurance; Masterman M M, dairy; Miller C L, taxicabs; Miranda W F, physician; Monroe E R, cashr Farmers State Bank; Neville R, physician; Nusbaum & Co (S A Nusbaum, Minnie Whitcomb), furniture and undertakers — the Vincent line's successor trade on the same street, in a new name; Palm Cafe and Hotel, J R McDaniel mngr; Piowaty M & Son (Chicago), Ora Jackson, onion buyers and storage; Place D W (South Bend), C L Granger mngr, implements; Rearick & Divine (A E Rearick, D H Divine), general store; Reiss Gus & Co (Gus Reiss), clothing; Rensberger C G Mrs, milliner; Rogers A L, restaurant; Rogers Walter T, insurance; Ross C D, dentist; Ross George P, hardware; St John Elmer, tinner; Shirley E G, jeweler and restaurant; Shockney Oscar C, cashr State Bank of Walkerton; Slick & Curtis (Milo B Slick), lawyers, insurance and real estate; Smith W H & Co (W H Smith), undertakers; Spahr G C, drugs; State Bank of Walkerton (see the banks article); Stephens Harry H, cigars; Stouffer George, onion buyer; Thompson Roy, notions; Tracy S P, physician; Turner Thompson, postmaster; Walkerton Independent (weekly), W A Endley publr; Walkerton Lumber Co, W S Rhodes mngr, lumber and coal; Walkerton Military Band, Walter F LaFever leader; Walkerton Telephone Co, A O Yerrick mngr; Winner A D, agt B. & O. Ry and W. F. & Co. exp; Wolfe M S, dray; Young J, tailor.

Sources:

1. Polk, Indiana Gazetteer and Business Directory 1916–17, pt. 2, Walkerton entry, pp. 1073–1074, read whole (LDS Genealogy transcription; "Denaut" and like readings stand as transcribed, the archive.org page images being the settler).
2. Howard (1907), vol. 2: William A. Endley sketch (the 1887 purchase, the 1905 cement building, circulation 1,500); Walter F. La Feber sketch, pp. 947–948; Thomas J. Fitzgerald sketch, pp. 951–952.