Marshall County history: The Taliaferro Building

For the last 109 years, Little Law Building has stood at the corner of Lillie Boulevard and Highway 70. However, the building began life as the Taliaferro Building.

The building was commissioned, designed and built by William Norborne (W.N.) Taliaferro, one of the founding fathers of Madill. Construction began in the spring of 1914 and was completed in February of 1915. It was built of tan, buff brick with a concrete superstructure and concrete floors on both the first and second floors. It was deemed by many to be fireproof.

When completed, the building housed the Colby Brothers Grocery Store on the first floor. Next to Colby Brothers was Whiteman’s Meat Market. Next, a confectionary shop. Then, a flour warehouse and finally a plumber. Within a couple of years, the post office moved to the west end of the building as well as a tin shop and Gills General Store.

On the second floor on the west end were the offices of the Consumers’ Light and Power Company, who provided electricity to Madill. Also on the second floor was the large Taliaferro Opera House, later called Taliaferro Hall.

The opera house was very large with a seating capacity of over 300. It had a full stage, with wings, a fly tower, dressing rooms, thrust, proscenium, aprons and a large fly system. It was a first-class theater and opera house.

The fly tower rose at least 20 feet above the second-floor roof. The theater seating area was 6o-feet wide from east to west, and roughly 80-85 feet from back to the stage. The stage area was approximately 45 feet wide with the 30–40-foot fly tower from stage to top. It was a large and elaborate theater.

Over the next few years, the opera house was used for multiple types of shows and programs. In addition to regular theater productions, itwasusedbytheschoolband and choir, church groups, civic groups and business meetings. It was in regular use from day one.

For the next six years, the Taliaferro Opera House was the cultural and entertainment center of Madill. The theater held multiple show seasons each year. The newspapers of the day showed numerous shows, plays or musicalsrunningthroughout the years.

Sadly, after just six years, the Taliaferro Opera House closed in November of 1920 following the close of the fall theater season. The closure was likely caused by the death of its founder and benefactor, Taliaferro who had died in 1919.

After the close of the season in November 1920, all the sets, scenery, equipment, lights, curtains and props were sold to an outside concern. The closing and sale of all the equipment brought an end to the “opera” era for Madill.

From 1920 to January of 1942, the old opera house section of the building was used for various community functions. It was renamed the Taliaferro Hall after the opera closed. It was used for dances, community meetings, church functions, civic organization meetings and multiple other functions and for a short time it also served as a movie theater.

The building was also used by the Madill school as a basketball court. In 1927 and 28, several boys’ and girls’ basketball games were played in Taliaferro Hall. In addition, Taliaferro Hall was also used as a boxing rink and arena. The boxing matches were conducted in Taliaferro Hall in the mid-1930s. There were numerous fights at the arena during those years.

Newspaper ads for the boxing matches announced the fights, such as Madill’s own, “Iron Jaw Adams” fighting Tommy Collins of Durant. It was a 10-round fight. The “Under Card” had an eight-rounder with “Chief Warhorse”of Durantfighting “Babe Hunt” of Marietta. Therewasafour-roundevent featuring two men from Madill, “Battling Midnight” vs “One Punch Black Dog.”

The Taliaferro Building and Taliaferro Hall continuously served the City of Madill from 1915 to January of 1942 when tragedy struck on a cold winter night.

Atroughly11:00onThursday night, January 15, 1942. Joe Coleman was returning homewhenhenoticedflames coming from the second floor of the building. He turned in a firealarmandtheMadillFire Department fought the fire throughout the night. The fire was finally extinguished around dawn on Friday.

The fire was believed to have started in a storeroom in the back of the Taliaferro Hall. The fire completely gutted the second floor of the building, destroyed the entire roof and the old opera house “fly tower,” and a large portion of the first floor.

The only portion of the building not damaged was the space occupied by the Armstrong Shoe Shop and the Davis Plumbing shop on the far west end of the first floor.AnOilWellSupplycompany that was occupying the space that originally housed the Colby Brother’s Grocery sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

John and R.D. Taliaferro, the sons of W.N. Taliaferro, were asleep in their apartment on the second floor of the building when the fire was discovered. Both were unaware that the building was on fire until Brit Barnard, a Madill Police Officer broke down the door to their apartment.

News reports stated that a very large crowd gathered and spent the entire night watching as the fire was being fought by the fire department. It was described as a crowd as large as the crowd that turned out to watch the wagon yard fire several weeks earlier. Clearly, fires were a spectator sport.

From January 15 until around September 20, 1942, the burned-out shell of the Taliaferro Building was left unrepaired. The around September 20, 1942, brothers, Reuel and Quintin Little made a deal with the Taliaferro brothers to purchase the remains of the building.

Becauseoftheseveredamage, sustained by the fire, the only portions of the building that were salvageable were the outside brick walls and the concrete floors on the second floor and most of the west end of the first floor.

The remainder of the interior walls that divided the separate shops and stores were all to be torn out and the building completely rebuilt. Construction on the restoration of the building began immediately. With the restoration also came a facelift for the building. The entire lower front of the building was new. New show windows were installed and the outside of the building was scrubbed and cleaned. Also, the dirt strip between the curb and Hwy 70 was paved. New plaster walls were installed throughout.

On November 26, 1942, it was announced that once restored, the entire first floor of the Little and Little Building (except the west 25-foot space thatwasformerlyoccupiedby HilburnMarket)wouldbethe new home of the Scott Leeper Department Store. The Scott Leeper Store was managed by Jim Ewing.

Construction on the new store began before the official announcement. The new store would have completely new fixtures made of Philippine mahogany, designed by the new store planning department of the Rice Stix company of St. Louis. All the wallpaneling,cases,trimand even the drawer pulls were made of the mahogany.

Because of the large windows all along the south and east sides, the store would haveanabundanceofnatural light, but lighting was to be augmented by new fluorescent lighting, a relatively new lighting source. Heating for the store was provided by modern gas-fed ceiling circulators.

On Thursday evening, February 18, 1943, the doors to the new Scott-Ewing Department Store opened on the ground floor of the newly restored Little Building. During the construction of the new store, Jim Ewing had bought the majority stock of the Scott Leeper Store and the store was renamed The Scott-Ewing Department Store. At the time of his stock purchase, Jim Ewing has been with the Scott Leeper Company for 21 years.

Entry to the store was the door on the southeast corner of the building. To the right of the door was the men’s and boy’s departments. To the left was infants’ wear department and the hosiery and lingerie department. Following the wall around, one found the wrapping department and the cashier’s desk.

Entering through the south door on the west end of the store, one found the curtain and draperies department and the linens and household items sections. On the opposite side was the “piece” goods department. Ladies ready to wear department was on the west end of the store.

A new girl’s department and children’s wear department was added to the new store. Also, a large shoe departmentwithqualityfootwear for the entire family was at the rear of the store. There was also a millinery department at the west center of the store with a double hat table and mirrors. Finally, there was a notions department in the center of the store. A large rear room contained the receiving department where new stock was unpacked. There was an alterations department upstairs over the department store.

In January of 1944, Reuel Little bought out his brother’s share of the Little Building. By that time, the building also housed the Madill Camp Army Headquarters on the first floor at the far west end.

The department store was now known as the Ewing Department Store. The Little and Smith Law Offices occupied the second floor, along with what was called “Little Hall.” Little Hall was in the rebuilt space that once occupied the Taliaferro Opera House, later renamed Taliaferro Hall.

In February 1946, Reuel sold the west 25 feet of the ground floor to Dr. C. Doler. This space was what was and is to this day addressed as 206 W. Lillie Boulevard. At the time of the sale, that west 25 feet was occupied by the Guaranty Abstract Company.

Dr. Doler bought the space for use by his son who was going to put in a sporting goods store. On November 1, 1946, Bill Doler, the son of Dr. Doler, opened the Madill Boat and Tackle Company in the space.

In July of 1947, the Leeper- Ewing Department Store moved from the Little Building to a new space on the Square. Upon the move, the store name was changed to Ewing’s Department Store. Earlier in 1947, Jim Ewing hadboughtoutScottLeeper’s remaining share of the store. Jim Ewing also bought two store spaces on the NW side of the Square.

One of the buildings had been the Central Drug Store. At the time of Jim Ewing’s purchase, the adjoining store was vacant. He combined the two stores into one.

Over the next few years, the space known as “Little Hall” was used for a variety of purposes. Dances were regular events in the hall, featuring local and area bands and orchestras.

The hall also became the home of the Madill Roller Rink. The roller rink was opened and operated by a company that owned a chain of roller rinks in Texas.

The rink was managed by Kenneth Libby and Jack Watson. It was equipped with all new skates and music was provided for the skaters’ enjoyment. Sadly, the skating rink operation only lasted for about a year.

In November 1948, it was announced that Aaron Mooney, Inc, (owned by Mr. andMrs.AaronMooneyfrom Temple Texas, then Stillwater, Okla.) leased the space formerly occupied by the Leeper-Ewing Department Store. The Mooney’s leased the space to open a new Western Auto store.

The store was to occupy the entire space vacated by Ewing’s. This was not the first Western Auto Store in Madill. From 1936 to 1940, F. B. Lindsay, followed by M. H. Gay, operated a Western Auto Associate Store across Lillie Boulevard west of the bank.

On September 22, 1949, another skating rink opened in Little Hall. This new rink operation was owned by CharlesBrownandmanaged by Roy Stout.

In August of 1950, the Mc-Carthy Office Supply Store moved from the NW corner of the square to the Little Buildinginthespaceonedoor eastoftheGuarantyAbstract Company.

Then, on November 2, 1950, in a shocking turn of events, Reuel Little announced that he was going to auction off the Little Building to the highest bidder. The auctionwassetforNovember 8, 1950, at 2:00 p.m.

By 1950, Reuel Little and his family had been living in Oklahoma City, having moved there in 1949. The sale included the entire building except for the west 25 feet, which was owned by Dr. Doler.

On November 8, 1950, the building sold at auction to the highest bidder, one Jules Bloch, Jr., an oilman from Oklahoma City. The final bid price was $26,400. Bloch bought the building as an investment and had no plans for the building other than to rent out space for offices and businesses. Bloch owned the building for the next ten plus years, and Reuel Little leased back the space that was occupied by the Little Law Firm.

In July of 1953, the building became famous once again, due to the installation of Madill’s first elevator.

In later years, Reuel Little purchased the building back from Bloch, and today is still houses the Little Law Firm.