Waverly Hotel Block

Waverly Hotel Block. . This block had only a dwelling house, blacksmith shop, and some sheds until the 1880's. Then Jarvis C. Train built his second Lowell hotel called Train's Hotel, containing two business fronts and one front for hotel purposes. The hotel had a dining room and office on the 1st floor, a saloon in the basement and rooms upstairs. It became the Waverly Hotel in 1895., J. S. Dougall opened his steam powered flouring mill on the other end of the block in 1884. Grinding and cleaning were done on the 1st floor of the mill, while bolting and purifying were done on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The capacity was 35 barrels a day. , C.W. Parks invented the potato sprayer, and in 1901, the Lowell Specialty Co. was organized, bought a building in this block, and began manufacturing sprayers. The company built buildings and remodeled until they filled the entire block. They changed names to Lowell Manufacturing Co in 1928 and Root-Lowell Co. in 1953. By 1955, this was Lowell's largest industry. By 1968, Root-Lowell had outgrown this facility and moved to a new plant on Foreman Street. Their buildings here were demolished in 1973. , Since the late 1920's, businesses at the corner of South Hudson and West Main Street have included a restaurant, gasoline filling stations and Curtis Cleaners. Curtis Cleaners began dry cleaning here in the 1950's. , Timeline , 1856 , Oak timbered crosswalk built at southeast corner where Hotel would be , 1881 , Train's Hotel (later known as Waverly) built by Jarvis C. Train , 1884 , J. S. Dougall opened his custom flouring mill , 1901 , Lowell Specialty Co. manufactured sprayers after buying a building in this block , 1906 -1922 , Lowell Specialty Co. built main building, warehouse, machine shop, brick building , 1946 , Lowell Mfg. Co. built new office and stock room , c. 1953 - 1966 , Curtis dry cleaning business at 324 W. Main , 1968 , Root-Lowell Co. moved away to Foreman St. location , 1973 , Root-Lowell buildings here were demolished , 1987 , Shell station built , C. W. Parks invented the potato sprayer and the compressed air fire extinguisher which led to the formation of the Lowell Specialty Co. Lowell Specialty Co., 1901-1928, manufactured sprayers in many styles, cream separating cans, washing machines and truck scales among other items. , Fineis Oil Company's tiny Dixie filling station was situated diagonally across the west side of the block. , Lowell Manufacturing Co. 1928-1953, also manufactured a line of poultry equipment: brooders, feeders, waterers, and metal nests. It expanded to cover the entire block except for the tiny filling station on the west side. , The Waverly Hotel (1895) was on the eastern side of this block. Below is a photo of a room key to the Waverly Hotel.