Court Park:  Harvey Brown & the Aldrich Brothers

Chauncey Carter gave us two lots for use as a court house square.  The lots immediately west of that plot were sold by the proprietor, the names of the original purchasers are not now available.  But like most of the other lots of the original plat, they were put to different uses, residential or business, sometimes both uses were made of the same building.  Today they form Court Park.

In 1837, according to Dr. Powell’s History of Cass Co., Harvey Brown lived on the northwest corner of what is now the park, at the corner of 3^rd and North, in a two-story, hewed log house.  Immediately south of the residence there stood a small, frame building used by Brown as a hat factory.  He made beaver hats which were very popular then.  No gentleman’s wardrobe was complete unless he had one of those bell-crowned, stiff toppers.  Powell makes the statement that the fur was taken from the hide, which was then thrown away, the fur only, evidently, being used in the manufacture of the hat.

 South of the hat factory, on the corner of Bridge St., the Aldrich Brothers had a chair factory; although the writer believes they made rather a general line of furniture.  Back of the furniture factory they had a small foundry where they made castings necessary in the production of their furniture.  That was the first foundry in this part of the country.

Logansport Press, November 19, 1950

Transcribed by Christine Spencer, April, 2009