The first drug store in Manning was started by Dr. G.M. Barber in 1882, known as the Barber & Turner drug store. This store operated until 1894 when Barber died and it was purchased by R.R. Rogers who operated it until 1898. Schroeder brothers, C.J., a watchmaker, and Frank, a druggist, purchased the store at that time.

Another store, known as Wm. Cloughly Drugs operated at the corner of Main and 3rd Streets in 1883. That same year Dr. A.H. Hull opened a drug store on July 26 under the name of Hull Drug Company. Mr. Hull sold his store April 3, 1884 to P.B. Stouffer. Mr. J.A. Lewis, a graduate of the Highland Park School of Pharmacy in Des Moines, became associated with the firm in 1886 and in 1889 the firm name was changed to Stouffer and Lewis.

Herman Grau succeeded Stouffer in 1892 and the firm became Lewis & Grau. William Metzger, jeweler, watchmaker and repair man, who had received his training in Germany, came from the Barber drug store to join the firm in 1894. The jewelry department was instituted in this store when Mr. Stouffer had purchased the jewelry stock of U.S. Heffelfinger just prior to the fire that burned the Heffelfinger store to the ground in 1891. That store was located in the vicinity of the present 318 Main Street.

Lewis & Grau also had a branch store in Templeton in 1897, and the Manning store at that time also became the headquarters for the Iowa Telephone Co. Mr. Lewis also became associated with the local State Bank of Manning. In 1894 the firm built a building that was referred to in later years as the Schelldorf building, now occupied by the temporary offices of United Telephone Co., at 309 Main. The top face of the building still shows the sign "Drugs 1894".

In 1905 August J. Reinhold, a graduate in Pharmacy at the Northwestern University in Chicago, purchased the Grau and Metzger interests and the firm name was changed to Lewis-Reinhold Company and was incorporated as such in 1912.

In 1923 Dr. W.H. Fink, a graduate of Holmes Optical College in Des Moines, took on the jewelry and watch repair, along with his optical business in the store when he became associated with the firm.

During that same year the store was remodeled from the old double-front store to confine the drug store to the north half, and the south half was rented to the neighboring Rober-Wehrmann Company for their dry goods and ladies' shoe departments.

On a busy Saturday afternoon Christmas shopping day December 16, 1933, a fire from an overheated hand-fired furnace broke out in the basement, quickly spread to bulk linseed oil and turpentine barrels and the entire stock and most of the building destroyed. Heavy smoke damage was also sustained by the Rober-Wehrmann dry goods department. Another disastrous fire, this time of unknown origin, again occurred in the basement on February 17, 1939, and this time consumed the entire drug store and Rober-Wehrmann Co. buildings. The drug store located temporarily in the C.H. Reinholdt building formerly on the corner of 4th and Main where the Plaza now is located until a new building was built.

In 1945 J.A. Lewis sold his interest to Arthur Rix and in April of 1946 A.J. Reinhold sold his interest to O.R. Fink, son of Dr. and Mrs. W.H.

Fink. Orval graduated from the Drake University Pharmacy School in Des Moines with a special degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and came from Clinton where he had been managing a Walgreen drug store. Principal stockholders then were Rix, O.R. Fink and Dr. Fink. The jewelry and optical departments were discontinued after the death of Dr. Fink August 17, 1960.

Art Rix sold his interest to O.R. Fink in 1974, retaining the paint and wallpaper department until 1978 when he retired from 50 years in business on Manning's Main Street by selling to Conrad Decorators, operated by Roger and Jolene Conrad of Manilla.

O.R. Fink operated the store until September 6, 1977, when he sold to Tom and Lori Crabb of Denison. Tom graduated from Creighton University department of pharmacy in Omaha. Minor improvements have been made in the store since Tom took over and at this writing he plans to do more remodeling in the near future.

The Schelldorf Drug Store and the LewisReinhold Drug Store in the earlier days were both double front, up-to-date and progressive stores. Before television and even when radio for home entertainment was in its infancy the stores did a flourishing business in the field of music for the home. Lewis-Reinhold carried a complete line of RCA phonographs and had a Victor record room where selections could be played and purchased from a huge stock.

The Schelldorf Drug Store, formerly located where Manning Food now operates, had the Edison phonograph and record line and did an even larger business selling player pianos.

In 1903 William Schelldorf, a graduate from the school of Pharmacy at Highland Park College, Des Moines, established the store with F.H. Long as a partner. Ben Torgerson, a jeweler, followed Mr. Long as a partner and later sold to William's brother, George, and Mr. Torgerson established an exclusive jewelry store across the street at 307 Main, now the location of the Le Boutique beauty salon.

It was during this partnership that the player piano business flourished and George's two daughters, Florence and Milda, were kept busy in the store demonstrating the pianos with and without player attachments.

In 1921 George retired and sold his interest to O.V. Schelldorf, a pharmacy school graduate who joined his father and the store was operated as such until 1934 when it was discontinued and the stock and fixtures sold to Lewis-Reinhold Company.

The jewelry department and watch repair was managed by Mr. Niel Vermuel.

Rudolph Claussen, pharmacist, came to Manning from Chicago in 1910 and opened a drug store. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Claussen and was born in Manning. After his schooling here he went to Chicago and received his pharmacy degree there.

The store was located in the building that previous to that time was occupied by the Swaney-Sloan Land Company and William Metzger's Jewelry store and is the present location of Union Gas at 308 Main.

This store, like every good drug store, featured the soda fountain, a very necessary department in times when refrigeration in the home was not yet common. The curled tubular steel backs, round seats and wire legs of the chairs and matching tables were so much a part of the soda fountain business that even today antique dealers refer to them as ice cream chairs.

Mr. Metzger was the jeweler and watch repairer in this store until his retirement.

In 1921 William Claussen, a brother of Rudolph, purchased a share of the business and the two brothers operated the store until 1930 when Rudolph moved back to Chicago with his family. William Claussen owned and operated the store until it was sold to E.W. Neubaum in March, 1932.

Mr. Neubaum, after purchasing the Claussen drug store, maintained approximately the same lines and prescription department as before. Mr. Niel Vermuel of Manilla managed the watch repair and jewelry departments. Mr. Neubaum had been with the Denison Drug Company for the 15 years prior to his purchase of the local store. In 1939 he married Miss Lorena Goedert of Carroll and they resided in Manning until the 1950's when because of ill health Mr. Neubaum was forced to discontinue his business.

U.S. Heffelfinger had the monopoly in the jewelry and notions line in Manning's first years; his shop was opened in September, 1881. Mrs. Gus Jans bought the first clock sold in Manning from this store. By the end of 1882, the shop in the post office building was well supplied with clocks, watches, chains and fine jewelry. W.K. Lindsay shared the store, and stocked notions, magazines, and "toys, toys, toys, till all the girls and boys fairly scream with delight." By 1885, Lindsay operated his own jewelry store.

Early in 1891, Heffelfinger moved the store from the east to the west side of Main Street, between Third and Fourth Streets. Much of his stock was sold to P.B. Stouffer; his remaining stock, valued at $5000, was destroyed in a fire on May 8, 1891.

Stouffer sold his business to Herman Grau in 1892. Grau and partners J.A. Lewis and William Metzger operated a drug and jewelry store. Metzger had learned the watch making and repairing trade in Germany, and took charge of the jewelry department.

In 1898, C.J. Schroeder -- who was called a "first class watchmaker" -- and his brother Frank, a druggist, purchased a drug and jewelry store owned by Randolph R. Rogers. C.J. Schroeder had managed the jewelry department since 1893, and his skill as an engraver had earned him a fine reputation.

By 1906, three jewelry stores were found in Manning; the 1931 business review lists several operating in drug stores, but no shops which handled jewelry exclusively.

After Ben Torgerson sold his interest in the Schelldorf Drug Store he moved his jewelry department across the street to 307 Main and established an exclusive jewelry store and optical department. The Le Boutique Beauty Salon is now in this location.

Harold Juels opened a jewelry and watch repair shop in 1954. When he closed in 1975, Manning was again left without a full-time dealership.

In the days before radio and television, people relied heavily on magazines and newspapers, both for information and entertainment. The sale of daily papers and magazines, and maybe a few small items, could mean a full-time business.

Manning's best known stand was "Skinny's Shining Parlor" where a customer could read the morning or evening paper as his shoes were being shined.

Edwin P. Martens started the shop in 1924, while he was still in school. In 1926, he moved into the old Bank of Manning building at 307 Main Street, and added an electric shining apparatus, a soda fountain, and cigar stand.

Skinny ran the shop about 20 years; after his death, the business was continued several more years by his parents. Skinny had added a bar before his death, and in the business's later years, it was run mainly as a tavern by Ben and Hattie Asmus.

The Culligan Service franchise was purchased by Elden J. Schroeder from Frank Buchheit of Carroll in the spring of 1948. At this time Elden also purchased the franchise for the Manilla territory from the Culligan Corporation based in Chicago, Illinois.

Elden took over his business of less than 100 customers in Manning and "virgin territory" of Manilla for Culligan Service May 1, 1948.

Elden had been a service man for Mr. Buchheit for one year and his wife Ruth had been employed as their bookkeeper during this period.

The Schroeders moved to Manning May 1, 1948, where he built up and maintained this business, operating his plant out of the basement of what was known as the Ford Garage. He owned and operated his business alone for 29 years; due to ill health, he sold the business to Rick and Georgia Lohrmann on September 1., 1977.

Rick and Georgia continued operating the business out of the original location until July of 1978. At that time, the plant was moved to the old creamery building.

In January of 1979, they purchased the Audubon County franchise from Joe and Lucy Wyatt of Jefferson.

The Lohrmanns now serve over 700 customers in the Manning, Manilla and Audubon areas.

A recent addition to the Manning professional community is Willow Creek Consultants, with Ronald S. Niemann, principal consultant. Willow Creek Consultants had its inception in August, 1978, when Ron and his wife Ruth moved to Manning from Ames, so that Ruth could work with her brother and father in the Ohde Funeral Home.

Ron has an undergraduate degree in geology and a master's degree in landscape architecture, combining the two to accept the challenge of establishing a private consulting firm in this region of Iowa.

The firm's work includes home landscape design, site analysis and planning, resource assessment and computer applications for the private sector, as well as for local, state, and federal governmental agencies. Niemann has associate consultants available in various specialized fields.

Willow Creek Consultants is located in new facilities at 66 East Street.

 

From its beginning, Manning has been fortunate in having photographers who helped document the history of the people, places and events.

Within Manning's first year, photographer William Chapman had opened a nice gallery at the corner of Main and Fourth Streets. During the period from about 1885 to 1890, studios were run by F.F. Blocker, a Mr. Benson, Peake & Brown, and Hoff. Blocker's Art Studio also had a shop in Irwin, Peake & Brown were located in both Manning and Scranton, and Hoff's Art Studio was based in both Denison and Manning.

J.B. Webb ran a photography shop from about 1898 until 1900, when he returned to his native Coon Rapids.

The Lyden Studio, which became known throughout the area for its work, was opened in 1889 by Charles E. Lyden, who bought the business formerly run by Dan Fyock. Lyden, a Swede, was born in 1869; he learned the picture making art in Europe, and had toured that continent to learn more about his vocation. He was especially fond of Germany, and came directly from that country to Manning. He also worked in Boone.

Lyden's hobbies were music and animals. He played the French horn, cornet, violin, and several other instruments, and at various times was director of the Manning and Carroll town bands. He taught many pupils in their spare time, played with dance orchestras, and spent a season with the Barnum and Bailey circus band.

On the farm, he kept a stable of some of the best trotting horses in Iowa. When the automobile supplanted the horse for transportation, he turned his attention to swine breeding and soon became known as one of the leading Poland China raisers in this territory.

Gus Lyden, a brother of Charles, had a portable gallery and took sittings in surrounding towns. He also assisted in the Manning shop, which featured platinum finished photos and life-sized crayon and pastel work.

Charles Lyden's shops were wiped out in four fires during his first 50 years in business. None of the fires originated in his establishment, and soon after each fire he re-established his business. The fourth fire occurred in 1938, on Lyden's 70th birthday. The studio he rebuilt was equipped with the most advanced photography equipment, including fluorescent floodlighting, new backgrounds, and new facilities for taking group pictures. He continued in the location, upstairs on west Main Street, between Third and Fourth Streets, until his death at 83 in 1952.

The Eastman Kodak Company reported that he was the oldest photographer in Iowa at the time of his death. He had taken golden wedding pictures of people that he had photographed at their wedding 50 years previously.

Lyden's son Bonito, who had assisted in the studio for 20 years, then took over the business. He carried out the fine tradition of picture making until his death July 19, 1965.

Although Manning does not presently have a photography studio, there are numerous people who enjoy photography as a hobby. Orval Fink, who purchased Lyden's equipment, has combined interests in photography and history to develop a pictoral history of Manning. Many of Fink's reproductions and originals have been used in this book.