“Last Tuesday afternoon, the west end of the two-story brick house, occupied for years by Mrs. McCloud as a restaurant and fruit stand until Thursday of last week when she vacated it, fell with a crash, on Front Street. Its west wall had begun to crumble last Saturday night. Fortunately no one was injured, although pedestrians were passing at the time of the accident. The east end of the building still stands, but that is too dangerous for human life as all mechanics will concede. The building should long since have been condemned. The three-story brick on the corner does not appear much safer, as it east, west and south walls show it badly out of plumb, and its brick-and-mortar crumbling. The fall of the building made quite a hole in the southeast corner of the building. The fallen building was erected by the late John McDowell. The brick work was done by Charles Rand-the carpentering by John Abbey who resided in the house now occupied by John Neill, Esq. on Market Street. The date of erection was on the head of the spouting, 1830-and when it was renewed by the M Byerly, Esq., the same date was painted on it. The West room was occupied by him for the sale of merchandise and the east as a storage warehouse.”
“John Waller was a clerk in that establishment. McDowell & Crider carried on a wholesale and retail grocery for several years, and then McDowell & Webster. Corson & Kendall (Dr. Corson & Joseph Kendall), kept a drugstore previous to 1850, followed by the late Dr. William J McDowell, who had been a clerk.”
“Robert Montgomery, Esq., occupied the East room with a general stock of dry goods and notions. He was bought out by John Masters and followed by Reverend BL Jefferson1, who removed to the building now occupied by Mark B Wells. Frank White, Esq., rented the West room for eight years as a shaving parlor. Later, Mrs. McCloud, as a restaurant, and the East room by Charlie Lee, Esq., as a laundry. That house has been in three floods, 1832, 1847, 1883, and the remaining East room now stands the flood of 1884.”
“It was duly remembered by one of the oldest inhabitants, that the steamer Diana was made fast to a hitching post in front of the building, and the passengers passed through the upper window in the flood of 1832. Mr. Porter who contracted for the building, was rowed to Cincinnati in a skiff by Robert Montgomery and an assistant, and his passage was to be $6-cut money- and furnish supplies which were cooked by Robert Montgomery, but Mr. Porter arriving at the city objected to pay, he was told to pay or take a whipping. He paid. The first Valley Book Store was in this building.”2
