Deidesheimer's Dry Goods Store

Deidesheimer's Dry Goods Store. . In 1867, Henry Deidesheimer was one of three businessmen who built three identical buildings on adjoining lots on East Main Street at High Street. Each brick and iron building was three stories tall. Deidesheimer's dry goods and grocery store occupied the first floor of the middle building. On the second floor was a dental office and residence. His third floor together with the third floor of the corner building housed the Belleviller Saengerbund and Bibliothekgesellschaft [Belleville singing society and library association]. The library, which had merged with the library organized originally by the Latin Farmers in Shiloh Valley, would become the Belleville Public library., Deidesheimer was a Bavarian immigrant who moved to Belleville in 1847 to become a dry goods merchant. Following the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848 he returned to Germany to fight on the side of the revolutionary forces attempting to liberalize government. With the failure of the revolution, he returned to Belleville and resumed his career in 1849. He closed the business in 1883, and Joseph Saenger took over the location for his dry goods store. Here Saenger spent 15 of his over 50-year career as a downtown merchant., At the turn of the twentieth century, Bell Clothing Company sold menswear from the building until F.W. Woolworth opened a five and dime store here in 1919. Walkohl Drug Store, founded by Walter J. Kohl, moved into the building in 1931 and occupied it for some 40 years. The Continental Cafeteria House took possession in the 1970s until an arsonist's fire damaged the building as well as the adjoining corner structure in 1976. Florence Agne salvaged the building - now reduced to two stories - for Marvin's Camera, which sold camera equipment and processed film from 1978 until 2012, when Shichi [Seven] Sushi Bar opened.