Anyone who has pictures, information, corrections and wants to help with this web page history project --- please contact Dave Kusel.

Below: looking northwest on main street.


315 .... 301

 

Below: a 1927 Plat of this block --- Main Street on the right side.


Law Office
309 Main Street

1 Marten's Mercantile Co.
2 Pahde's Ready to Wear & Millinery
3 Beisch Clothing
4 Schelldorf Clothing
5 Flower Shop Freda Dammann (1983-92)
6 Bluman Haus Kelly Dreesman
7 Steve & Nancy Meier ??
8 Eller, Brink, & Sextro purchased Crandall Law Office in 1996 --- Thomas R. Eller, Robert L. Brink, Gregory Sextro (Richard Crandall continues "of counsel")
9 Thrivent Financial (Janet Genzen Smith - 2022)

Upstairs:
1 Knights of Pythias club room
2 Elizabeth Redig Chiropractor
3 Hospital (listed in 1927 --- this is where O.W. Wyatt had his first hospital before building the one at 418 Main) - Dr John Hornberger bought out Merlin Wyatt business
4 Klip and Kurl

Veteran's Day parade 1946

Above left to right starting with building to right of flag: 313, 311, 309, 307, 305
313 Coast to Coast, 311 Virginia Cafe, 309 Schelldorf Clothing, 307 ?Ben and Hat's?, 305 Hansen & Pahde Co.

W. J. Martens operated the Martens Clothing Store in 1904 for a short time before the Martens Mercantile Co. was formed. Then the Schelldorf Clothing Store was in the same building. The Telephone Office is in that building now.
Martens Mercantile Company went into business in Manning about 1904, and continued until 1932. It was owned and operated by W.J. Martens and his brother Henry Martens. It was a general store and carried a full line of groceries, men's wear, ladies wear, shoes, and piece goods. It was located on the corner of Main Street where the new Manning Trust Bank is being built.

There were metal hitching posts for the customers to tie their horses. AI Martens grew up in the store. He remembers getting the eggs out of the buggies, also the home made butter the farmers' wives churned. The ladies had different molds which decorated the top of the butter. Customers came every week to buy their favorite butter.

Coffee was ground once a week. The delicious aroma permeated the whole store. The coffee was Butter-Nut even in those days.

The store bought many potatoes from the farmers. At times they had 25 to 50 carloads on the railroad track. The farmers traded potatoes for merchandise.

Al enjoyed working in the store and learned a lot about it. Marcella Martens Knaack also worked in the store.

Maurine Schram (Mrs. Morris Heider) opened Maurine's Klip and Kurl in September, 1930, purchasing the shop from Evelyn Ryberg Crammer. It was located over the Martens Mercantile Store.

SCHELLDORF'S CLOTHING STORE

Brothers Lewis E. and Herbert A. Schelldorf established Schelldorf's Clothing store in 1916. Located at 309 Main Street, the store was originally owned by W.J. Martens and known as Martens Clothing Store.

Schelldorf's carried fashions for men and boys, including Kuppenheimer clothes, O'Donnell shoes, Mallory hats, Hansen gloves, Superior underwear, and Wearpledge clothes for boys.

Ted Rix entered the business in its later years, as a partner of Lewis Schelldorf. It was sold to Al Beisch in 1950.

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