A front door on R Street

In April 2010 I first learned that there was more to the brick office on the southeast corner of the Mill site than meets the eye. In a conversation with Bill Beckstoffer, he explained that the Mill had not always included a portion of the land where 29th and R come together and that there was a wood and coal business there. He also mentioned this section used to have concrete scales used for this business and that horses were once stabled there. Although remnants of the scales were not apparent, it’s clear that at one time R Street was a front door to this portion of the site. The photo to the right shows the remnants of the gate on R Street.

A little research showed that the business was located at 2832 R street and operated an office out of the brick building on the corner, in what we now know as Ruth’s Beauty Shop. The business was started in 1923 by Phillip L. Farmer, whose home residence was 1201 N 28th (source 1926 City Directory), one of the last houses still standing in the Beckstoffers block. Prior to that he lived on Burton Street and was a carpenter.

By 1935 Farmer left R Street for Jennie Scher Road and Floyd Parsley moved in, running the same type of business as Farmer but called FL Parsley's.  At some point the buisness's focus changed and they sold kerosene and fuel oil, instead of coal and wood.

In 1960, after 25 years at that location, Parsley spread his wings but stayed in the neighborhood, moving to 2600 Nine Mile Road. Although the business’s ownership changed over time, its product was more or less the same, being a fuel and gas station/convenience store up to 2006 when it closed its doors for good.  That vacant gas station is still standing.

Below are Sanborn Maps from 1925 and 1950.  The map from 1950 show the scales, along with the office, coal and wood storage, a building with a gas engine and wood sawing, and a paint shop of some kind.




1950 Sanborn Map

  

1925 Sanborn Map