Celebrating History: More news and views on the courthouse

Emily Mayer

The saga of the courthouse location continues in the Feb. 27, 1915, Havre Plaindealer. Letters to the editor were rare at the time, but one was sent and published in this issue:

LETTER TO EDITOR

Court House Site a Monstrosity.

The taxpayers of Hill county should visit the latest site purchased by the board of county commissioners and see with their own eyes the piece of ground on which they propose to build a $125,000.000 building.

I would seem that they went out of their way to select about as uninviting a piece of real estate as could be found in the confines of Havre. The entire piece of ground is cut up in deep pot holes and wash outs In fact, Bull Hook creek runs through it A competent civil engineer told the writer that it will cost Hill county at least $8,000.00 to make the place safe and presentable The street work, in grading, filling and building a large concrete culvert to carry the water in Bull Hook creek, will cost $8,000 to $10,000 more.

Taxpayers of Hill county, you are urged to go and look and then judge for yourselves, what motive could have prompted such an error of judgment It does not seem credible that three citizens of Hill county, charged with the economical expenditure of the people’s money could be so blind as to fall into such a mistake.

It will be nothing short of a calamity to Hill county if the court house is built where the commissioners now propose to build it.

H. W. STRINGFELLOW.

Readers will recall the commissioners had purchased land where a baseball park was once located. The approximate area would be not too far south of the current City Hall.

Henry Stringfellow was one of Havre’s pioneer businessmen He came to Havre in 1892 and owned our first drug store. It was located on the south side of the 300 Block of 1st Street After a while, Stringfellow decided to engage in the mercantile business and founded the Havre Commercial Company, a big rival to Buttrey’s. The business was located on the southeast corner of 3rd Avenue and 2nd Street Stringfellow built one of Havre’s grandest homes, located at 332 2nd Ave.

Another public building consistently made the newspapers 100 years ago. The newly built and recently opened Carnegie Library was seeing a lot of use by women’s groups, in addition to patrons Here is one of those columns, found in “The Social Whirl”:

Tea Monday

Relieving the dullness of the first week of Lent was the charming “Washington” tea given by the Women’s club in the lecture room of the Carnegie library on Monday Promptly at three o’clock a delightful program was given, each and every number was rendered in a most pleasing manner.

The tea table, over which Mrs. H. Archibald, Mrs. R. E. Hammond and Mr. J. J. Blair presided, was very attractive in color tones of red, white and blue, with a profusion of cut flowers as a centerpiece Nearly a hundred ladies were served during the hours and the teacher of the public schools were guests of the Women’s club Another of those delightful affairs will be given on March seventeenth.

In the “Of Local Interest” social pages, we find the following entries regarding buildings in Hill County:

School district No, 52 was recently organized in the vicinity of Baldy The trustees elected are: Messrs. Hesspath and Wise and Mrs. Ambrose Phalen As yet the site for the new school house has not been decided on.

Each week discloses a larger number of people taking advantage of the Sunday dinners being served at the Hotel Diner, which Mr. Martin has made popular in price as well as in the high quality of cooking and service The dinners consist of roast fowl and other meats, together with tempting side dishes, and the nominal charge of fifty cents is made.

Ever Neilsen of Havre, county commissioner, was in town Monday to look over the new court house and get pointers for the building they are planning up there.-Chinook Opinion.

In the Feb. 27, 1915 issue of The Hill County Democrat, we find:

The Burnham postoffice is now an established fact and mail is received and sent out every day.

In the Feb. 26, 1915 edition of The Box Elder Valley Press is this little interesting tidbit of information:

Geo. Briggs and Ever Nielsen are having the residences connected up by telephone Plans for extending the line are under consideration.