The HORSE DRAWN Papers #6

T h e   L I V E R Y

One of the more iconic features of the horse drawn world is the Livery Stable.  It is probably what we think of when we think of the Horse Drawn world.  In an 1881 edition of the local magazine. Church and Home, the following advertisement appeared,

G. P. Walrath

Livery and Feed Stable

Alexandria, Ohio

I   have   New   Buggies   and   Good   Horses,

and  am  prepared  to  wait  on  customers  at

all hours. Terms Reasonable. Satisfaction guar-

anteed.  Give me a call

The Walrath family were farmers and ran a Livery and Feed Store.  I have found no further reference to this facility in village plats, but at this time, the village did not include the extension on Main Street from the Baptist Church to Northridge Road, or the Granville Street extension.  It is then entirely possible this livery was located by the Toledo & Ohio Central Depot, outside of town.

When the Great Fire of 1905 destroyed the downtown business block in Alexandria, one of the casualties was the Procter Brothers Blacksmith Shop.  A "fireproof" livery made of block replaced the wooden smith shop.

What is a livery?  In modern parlance, it refers to a common paint scheme used across the company's fleet.  We instantly recognize Delta Airlines, or Checker Cab, or even a Wal-Mart bag.  In the late 1800s, a livery was a place which catered to horses.  Here, you could rent or buy horses, carriages, harnesses, lamps, or other accoutrements.  You could also buy feed.  This was a sort of Wal-Mart in the horse world.  Often liveries would operate horse-drawn taxis or busses.  During this time, most schools were within walking distance of the students, school busses were not a thing until after 1900.

A view of North Liberty Street of the E. H. Hammond.  (Yes, the photo incorrectly states North Main Street) A livery bus/hack can be seen parked on Church Street.

The Hammond family was prolific in St. Albans.  E. H. Hammond operated the new livery built after the Great Fire of 1905.  The new livery was built where the Proctor Brothers had operated a blacksmith shop at the southwest corner of Church and North Liberty Streets.  The Boudinot house was on the other side of North Liberty to the right of this picture.  Edmond Hammond was a local guy whose family made their money in the northwestern corner of St. Albans' as farmers.  Edmond wanted to be a businessman.  I cannot discern if Hammond absorbed any of Shrader's business, inasmuch as this is concurrent with Shrader's removal to Monroe Township.  The building is still there.

Edmond was born to John and Clara (Webb) Hammond.  The Hammond family migrated Sussex, England, to New Jersey, where they remained for a few generations before coming to Alexandria.  Edmond was born in St. Albans Township on November 10, 1877, and died in St. Albans on November 12, 1951.  Edmond married Esther Johnson in 1905, and they had two children, Keith and Annabelle.  Sadly, Annabelle died in 1932.

In the early Summer of 1902, The Johnstown Independant listed Ed. Hammond as the owner of a livery stable.  No indication of the location of the business is mentioned.

At some point, the building was sold to St. Albans Township to serve as their garage and workshop for snowplows and tractors with mowers.

St. Albans Township Garage from the approximate position as the photo of the livery. (2019)

Today, the gas station serves as the closet relative of the livery.  But the reality of the two do not compare.  A livery might run a taxi or a bus.  You could rent a horse, a buggy, or both.  You could pick up feed and grain, although the miller might have a better deal.  You might be able to get a harness or harness equipment.  Small hardware such as buckles might also be had there.  It all depended on local needs.

By the time Edmond sold or closed his business, the town had three gasoline stations, on just a short, one-minute walk away.  In the 40 or 50 short years since the first automobile appeared in St. Albans, the way of the horse was over.  Today, as agriculture is supplanted by country housing, small stables are popping up all over.  Lobdell Park, a converted farm, offers horse trails which prove quite popular in warmer temperatures.  Even so, the horses arrive in trailers pulled by heavy duty pick-up trucks.  It is an irony.