The Lowell Area Historical Museum is taking us on a stroll along Main Street and sharing the history of buildings in Lowell’s historic downtown. To learn more about Lowell history, visit the museum website to explore its collection of local artifacts and records.
Address: 218 W. Main
Building known as Hill building
Built: 1867
1st business: Sherman & Mills, Boot & Shoe and Dry Goods
This is the westernmost store of the five-storefront building in the center of Union Block. It was first known as the Hoag building because Artimus R. Hoag, a farmer in Vergennes had owned it. In 1870, Sherman & Mills, Boot & Shoe and Dry goods was the first known business. J. M. Weatherwax, dry goods, boot & shoe could have been next, 1876-1881. McGee & Rosbach opened a Saloon from 1883-1888.
In 1888, Mrs. Orton Hill (Adella Hoag Hill) purchased the building from her father for $1500 and renovated it by painting, penciling, adding stone landings, and adding a plate glass front. They also had beautiful antique ash shelving put in, 1889. In 1922, her son, Artimus Hill bought it for $3,000; he took in rent from R. E. Springett, Attorney, whose office was on the 2nd floor (1902-1950) and the Gospel Hall rent to pay for it. The City Shoe Store of E. Y. Hogle opened in 1890. In 1892, it was Dan Murray’s Shoe Store.
City Bank was here, c1900-1907; it was reorganized as City State Bank, 1907-1917.
City Bank was organized by stockholders with Orton Hill as President and W. A. Watts as Cashier about 1900. It was reorganized under State Charter as “City State Bank” on January 31, 1907, with Orton Hill as President and R. W. Slayton as Cashier. The bank home was this building. A large vault was installed (and remains in the building).
In July. 1907, a burglar proof system was implemented. “The system consists of several large gongs located within the building and a large gong on the outside and is operated by electricity from storage batteries so arranged that each part operates independently of the rest, and the slightest tampering with any part of the system or the wiring outside the vault sets the gongs ringing, and they cannot be stopped except by going inside the vault and turning off the current.”
In 1917, the City State Bank traded locations with Orton Hill’s son Artemius Hill’s Shoe store. The bank moved to the former location of the Chas. J Church & Son Bank building at 207 W. Main and Art Hill moved his shoe store here.
Inside Art Hill’s Shoe Store; Notice the two hanging kerosene lamps. They can now be found in the Museum parlor.
This “National” cash register (1908 model) was used to ring up sales at Hill’s for nearly a century. It is now in the Museum Gift Shop.
From 1917 to 2002, a total of 85 years, this was Hill’s Shoe Store. First it was Art Hill’s Shoe Store and then it became his son, Gordon Hill’s Shoe Store.
Here’s Gordon Hill sitting among shelves of shoes.
The Hill family sold to King Milling Co. after Gordon’s death. The store was rented to Roger Ackerson for his Collector’s Corner hobby business from 2006-2020.
Below is what Hill’s Shoe Store looked like in the past. It was the 2nd storefront from the right.
And here is what 218 W. Main Street looks like today:
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