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Several people have written to the museum with recollections of their life in Edwardsburg or stories of their families. This is another one of those letters. This was written by Theron Clarence Rayman and his memories of the Smith Hotel which are the buildings of the Museum.Jo-Ann Boepple: A look back at the Smith Hotel
Published 11:48am Thursday, November 5, 2009“The Smith Hotel was a large house in three sections that was converted into rental rooms. It had nine rental rooms. The west section was a large one bedroom apartment with a large living room, bedroom, kitchen and storage room. The east section was two story with five bedrooms upstairs and an apartment downstairs which was the old office and waiting room for hotel guests. It had a large porch across the front.
The center section was two-story with three bedrooms upstairs. In back of this section was an enclosed porch with a kerosene water heating stove, ice box, wash tubs and later a washing machine.
Next came a large kitchen with a kerosene cooking stove with a warming oven on top and a side water heating tank. It had a hand pitcher pump and later hot and cold water was added. There was a porcelain topped table with utensil storage below and flour and sugar storage above. Many pie crusts were made on that porcelain table.
There were four large side board cupboards with dishes on top and pie storage below. There was a corner cupboard to keep everyday cooking dishes and big jars to keep peanut butter, molasses, and oatmeal cookies in.
The hotel had a large living room and parlor open to each. When they had a large crowd for dinner, they had a huge table that seated 24 and up and opened into both rooms, plus some four place tables.
Over this center section were three bedrooms that lead from a stairway by the front door. Between the center and east wing was one bedroom and bathroom which my grandparents slept in. My grandmother was a wonderful cook and had extra help in the kitchen and dining room. She always did her baking on Thursdays. She always knew where I was on that day because I had to sample everything. She used to make butterscotch pudding, which was my favorite.
One time I came home for dinner and there was 10 dishes of butterscotch pudding sitting on the counter for dessert for the noon meal. I was on the eighth dish when they discovered me so I ran away to the Pickle Plant down by the railroad and stayed till after dark.
My grandparents were frantic looking for me and I tried to sneak home another way and they caught up with me, but were so happy to see me that I was never punished other than to be sure and not eat something that could be dinner dessert.
I’ve taken my grandmother’s butterscotch pudding recipes to my mother and my wife and it has never tasted quite the same. I suspect that grandma put a “pinch” of this or that in for a little “special flavor.”
Later when the Hotel became apartments, a couple by the name of Davis lived in the east apartment.
My grandparents were associated with Rutherford Funeral Home in Niles and not having a funeral home in Edwardsburg, they held funerals in the living room and parlor of the Smith Hotel.”
This recollection of a part of Edwardsburg’s history is valuable and is on file at the museum. Other historical recollections are being collected and preserved for the future. If you have memories, please put them on paper and add them to thecollection at the museum.
