M.T. school work progressed; contractor built nearby houses
Mark Twain School, Class 4, 1921. The girl on the second row, (with the big hair bow) far left, is Margaret Robinson, daughter of Robert B. and Kathryn Glascock Robinson. Margaret was born in April 1915, making her about 6 or 7 at the time of the photo. The school at this time still had just four classrooms. In the mid 1920s, the building was expanded to the north toward Hill Street. Photo, by Hannibal Photo and Art Co., was contributed by Steve Chou.
MARY LOU MONTGOMERY
Charles E. Emmons and his wife, Sarah, had a bird’s eye view of the construction of Mark Twain elementary school 1911-1912. As a Hannibal painter and contractor, he built several houses directly south of the school - along West Bird Street - during the same era as the school construction.
His home, in 1912, was at 2617 Bird, (later renumbered 2701 Bird) a two-bedroom, single-bath bungalow. The school building, under construction across the street, was numbered 2714 Bird.
The story of how he obtained and developed this neighborhood block, parallels that of the school’s construction.
Until 1909, the city limits of Hannibal ended at Levering Street, a block to the east of the new school. Streets were gravel - macadamized - at best.
In November 1910, representatives of the St. Mary’s Avenue Improvement Association asked the gas company to extend gas mains in the district.
In December 1910, Fred Tippy, manager of the Citizens Gas Company, said that the gas company was going to spend a large sum of money in building a new plant and laying new mains.
The closest fire station was located at Market Street and Dowling. Neighbors asked for a chemical engine or chemical fire extinguishers for the district.
Street lights were installed in this district in November 1909, followed by the expected installation of electricity to individual homes.
Between November 1909 and November 1910, 35 houses were erected in the district.
Emmons’ career
Emmons and his step son, Paul M. Costello, were carpenters and painters. In March 1901, Emmons was the head of the paint department for James R. Key’s paint shop, 115 S. Main.
By 1903, Emmons, partnered with a man by the name of Rosser, secured the bid for painting the electric light towers in Hannibal, and the old iron bridge which was to be placed over Bear Creek on Third Street.
Historic land ties
In June 1903, when West Bird Street was still known as Jamison Street, Charles E. Emmons and his wife purchased all of lot 4, Hawkin’s Subdivividson, from Lena Mason, a famed black evangelist who called Hannibal home for a good portion of her life.
In addition, Lena Mason and husband sold Lot 3, in the same subdivision, to Mr. Emmon’s stepson, 21-year-old Paul M. Costello.
Mrs. Mason sold each lot, with 50-foot fronts on Jamison Street, for $200. The property was located in what would become known as the St. Mary’s district, west of Hannibal proper.
The Sunday, Feb. 8, 1903, edition of the Hannibal Courier-Post carried the following announcement: “Mrs. Lena Mason will preach at the (Allen Chapel) AME church tonight. All are invited to attend the services. It is the last sermon she will preach in Hannibal, for the present, at least.”
She left for Philadelphia, Pa., but returned to Hannibal often, where she was a guest minister at the Allen Chapel church, and at least on one occasion, at the Second Christian Church on West Broadway. She had two sisters living in Hannibal, Mrs. Fannie L. Flanagan, wife of William F. Flanagan, and by Mrs. Annie Williams of Hannibal.
Circa 1904, Emmons was building houses.
During the winter of 1904, Emmons acquired the plans for the construction of a new residence, presumably on the lot he purchased from Lena Mason. “He will have the work started as soon as the weather will permit as he desires to get into the house as quickly as possible, the Hannibal Courier-Post reported in its Feb. 26, 1904 edition. In mid-March, 1904, the house was ready for plaster.
In October 1905, C.E. Emmons and wife purchased two additional lots in the Hawkins Subdivision. He purchased from Wm. B. Hawkins Lot 6, for $75; and Lot 7, for $50. Hawkins was a Hannibal native who had moved to Lexington, Ky., circa 1886. W.B. Hawkins was the son of Jamison Hawkins, likely for whom Jamison street was named. He was brother to Mrs. William Henry Hatch.
In 1905 and 1907, Emmons’ address was 216 Jamison.
Presumably, the houses that were built on Lots 2 and 3 (purchased from Lena Mason), and Lots 6 and 7 (from W.B. Hawkins), were constructed by Emmons and Costello. In addition, Emmons lived at 2617 Bird from 1914-23, in a house which was built on Lot 5. Paul Costello’s brother, William Costello, was working as a gas fitter in Hannibal in 1918, and lived at 2615 Bird (Lot 4.)
Today’s addresses for the houses on this block are:
Lot 3, 2613 Bird
Lot 4, 2615 Bird
Lot 5, 2617 Bird
Lot 6: 2701 Bird
Lot 7: 2703 Bird
Lot 8, 2707 Bird
Lot 9, 2709 Bird
Lot 10, 2713 Bird
Lot 11, 2715 Bird
Contractors
Meanwhile, construction was about to begin on the new Mark Twain elementary school building, situated facing Bird Street on a lot measuring 180 feet by 300 feet.
Samuel Richardson and H.W. Mangles, 272 Market, won the construction contract.
Framing lumber for the school arrived in late October 1911.
The Oct. 24, 1911, edition of the Hannibal Courier-Post stated:
“The material is one of the very finest lots of framing lumber ever received in Hannibal.
“The building is so designed that three units, of which only the first is being erected now, can be made to constitute it, the others being added as the needs of the district require. Many years in the future are thus being planned for and as new sections are added any appearance of a patch work structure will be eliminated.”
By mid November 1911, the foundation and the walls for the first floor were in place, including window frames. By Dec. 3, 1911, the brickwork and the window casings on the second floor were in place. By Dec. 10, the brickwork was complete and cross beams had been added for the roof. On Dec. 15, the newspaper reported that the roof was in place, and next plastering would begin on the interior.
The building was opened for public inspection in mid May 1912, and dedication was on May 22, 1912.
School officials decided to dig a well in order to supply water to the new school.
The Courier-Post reported, on July 14, 1912, that water had been found on the school grounds.
“At a depth of 312 feet, a good flow of water was struck on the Mark Twain School grounds and the well was sunk five feet deeper making a total depth of 317 feet. … After boring through rock and shale 312 feet a sandy strata was reached and a powerful spring of cool, soft water. In less than a day the water stood in the well over 200 feet and the flow seems to be sufficient to supply one half the St. Mary’s avenue district.”
J.W. Boren was hired as janitor for the school, at a salary of $25 per month.
At the start of the school year, there were two teachers at Mark Twain school, and nearly 140 pupils. The school board was to consider whether to hire an additional teacher. They ultimately added one teacher, on a month-to-month basis. The new building had four classrooms. For the 1912/1913 school year, teachers were Agnes Gettler and Minnie LaFon, and principal was Josephine McCarty, who presumably was also a classroom teacher.
On Oct. 11, 1912, the school released the names of students who had been neither absent nor tardy during the first month of school.
Room 1
Ernest Barr
Ruth Branstetter
Opal Conner
Catherine Couch
Stephen Coy
Dimple Davis
Carr Druell
Lulu Ertel
Astella Farrell
Edna Fincke
Donald Fitzgerald
Dean Gibbs
Harry Hubbard
Josephine Hudnell
Katherine Johnston
Etta Keith
Leona McKay
Lloyd O’Donnell
Bradley Osterhout
Lucile Osterhout
Della Rush
Edith Rosser
Albertina Shaw
Priscilla Southgate
Lauister Tipton
Wilhelmina Tipton
Ray Willey
Room 2
Cecil Buchanan
Harold Conner
Mable Cooper
Dorothy Cramer
Hattie Davis
Lucile Griffith
James McNally
Kathryn McNally
Eva Mayes
Harlan Mefford
Gladys O’Donnell
Alice Rush
Virnelia Shelton
Robert Southgate
Mary L. Smith
Margaret Wheeler
Clarence Tombaugh
Room 3
Jeannette Baker
Mildred Bennett
Fred Burnett
Joe Burnett
Bertha Curtis
Fannie Curtis
Arthur Davis
David Dunn
Nona Ertel
Cecil Farrell
Lily Farrell
Dora Fincke
William Fincke
Charles Kespohl
Mary Lennox
Dorothy Martin
Gretchen Marris
Gladys Mefford
John Martin
Goldie Menefee
Amy Munson
Charles Munson
Dewey Nance
Gilbert Polson
Clarence Rush
William Shaw
Louise Shelton
Sarah Shelton
Theodore Shelton
Gladys Smith
Dorothy Southgate
William Stoops
Beulah Thrasher
Ira Willey
Marcquis Willey
2701 Bird Street, Lot 6, Hawkins Subdivision. In October 1905, C.E. Emmons and wife purchased Lot 6, in the Hawkins Subdivision, for $75, from Wm. B. Hawkins. In 1912-23, data suggests this house was numbered 2617 Bird, and was owned and occupied by C.E. Emmons and his wife, Sarah. Photo by Mary Lou Montgomery, 2023.
2703 Bird Street, Lot 7, Hawkins Subdivision. In October 1905, C.E. Emmons and wife purchased Lot 7, in the Hawkins Subdivision for $50, from Wm. B. Hawkins. In 1912, Asa Palmer, employed by D.T. Stove Co., lived here. In 1914, Lewis O’Connor, a lawyer, and his wife, Bridgie, lived here. Photo by Mary Lou Montgomery, 2023.
2707 Bird Street, Lot 8, Hawkins Subdivision. In 1912, Howard Leonard, a butcher for C.F. Rich’s Meat Market, 1221 Market, lived here with his wife, Isabelle. In 1914, Russell C. Arthur, a plumber for Robinson’s Plumbing and Electric, lived here, with his wife, Annie. Photo by Mary Lou Montgomery, 2023.
Mary Lou Montgomery retired as editor of the Hannibal (Mo.) Courier-Post in 2014. She researches and writes narrative-style stories about the people who served as building blocks for this region’s foundation. Books available on Amazon.com by this author include but are not limited to: "The Notorious Madam Shaw," "Pioneers in Medicine from Northeast Missouri," "The Historic Murphy House, Hannibal, Mo., Circa 1870,” “Hannibal’s ‘West End,’ and the newest book, “Oakwood: West of Hannibal.” Montgomery can be reached at Montgomery.editor@yahoo.com Her collective works can be found at www.maryloumontgomery.com
