Sallie B. Murphy Millinery - circa 1897

Sallie B. Murphy Millinery - circa 1897. . Sallie was the oldest child of a large family. When her parents died she became responsible for her siblings and learned to sew and make hats to help support the children. Sallie was a very plain gal, she wore glasses and had a thinning hairline and so she sewed false bangs to a ribbon, which she then tied around her head to make her hair look full. She had false teeth that would drop from her gums. Many would consider her a spinster., Later in life she met Dennis Murphy who worked at the Quartermaster Depot. Theirs was a whirlwind romance much talked about in the newspapers of the day. The newspapers were not kind to Sallie during her engagement to Dennis. The articles spoke of her being a successful businesswoman and hinted at the only reason one would marry her would be for her money. The reporters publicly congratulated her on avoiding gigolos. Dennis and Sallie were a happy couple. They purchased a large, wooden home with a picture window located on Spring Hill. It was not long into their marriage that Dennis fell ill. He died suddenly and Sallie was devastated and fell into a deep depression. After the death of her husband, Sallie would visit a large photograph of Dennis on an easel near the grave in her front yard. In the glass of the photograph there was a hole drilled at the lapel of his shirt and each day she would put a fresh flower into his picture's lapel., Sallie's building has had many transitions over the years. At one time, it was Dr. Isler's office as well as a license bureau. In 1930, Heuser Hardware added onto the Sallie B. Murphy building and have occupied the space ever since. James R. Heuser and Frank Stultzenberger, learned the hardware trade from their days at Belknap Hardware and started their new business in August 1923 with fellow investor John Kenny at their first location located at 8th and Spring Streets. J. Willard Heuser, James's brother, joined the business a year after its founding when Kenny left. For most of its history, locals affectionately called the business "Jimmy Heuser's".