Early Homes on East Broadway

The old house at 719 Broadway, soon to be demolished, was undoubtedly built shortly before the Civil War and stands today much as it was at first except for the addition of a front porch built during the past two or three years.

 An alley formerly led from Broadway through to Market just west of this house.  A door in the first story portion of the house opened onto this alley.  During recent years, the alley has been vacated and filled to the level of the house at 715. This filling effectively closed the door.  The first story

 While the house did not begin to compare with the big square stone house on the corner of 7^th, one half block to the west, it stood out in comparison with the little one story brick house next door, across the alley, occupied at one time by a family named Matthews. 

 The father was a teacher in the “Academy” on the southwest corner of 7^th and Market Streets conducted by the Presbyterian Church for 20 years or so during the 1850’s and later.  A son of Matthews, Robert B. Matthews, known as “Breck” lived there later.  He had two sons, William and Robert, we believe, whom the writer dimly recalls.

 The Matthews property was purchased in the early 1880’s by William Bedwards, who removed the little brick and erected the two story frame house which still remains.  That was a fine house and Mr. Bedwards was proud of it.

 Mr. Bedwards was a partner of A.W. Stevens, in a plumbing business conducted at 423 Market Street.  Unlike most plumbing establishments, Stevens and Bedwards had a shop well equipped with power machinery.  There must have been money in the business for Mr. Stevens also built a fine home at 824 Broadway.

 For a long time there was only the vacant lot between the stone house on the corner and the little brick house of the Matthews.  In the 1880’s Terrance McGovern erected the house at 709, living there a few years, then building at 309 7^th Street and moving over there.

 The large stone house on the corner was built by John W. Wright, one of the early settlers.  He and his brother Williamson Wright were very prominent citizens for many years.

Logansport Press, October 15 and 22, 1950

Transcribed by Christine Spencer, April, 2009