A. Hopkins & Sons - Lewistown, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 47° 03.980 W 109° 25.471
12T E 619627 N 5213738
The first of two adjacent Hopkins grocery stores opened in this little sandstone building in 1900.
Waymark Code: WMXTEQ
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 02/24/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Geojeepsters
Views: 0
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Built of native sandstone in 1900 by Welsh immigrant Archibald Hopkins, this one storey building served as the Hopkins Grocery until the construction of the new and larger Hopkins Block nest door to the east. Initially operated as A. Hopkins & Sons, sometime between 1901 and 1909 the business was taken over by brothers William H. and Roy A. Hopkins.

While originally from Wales, Archibald is known to have resided in Hancock county, Tennessee in 1867, moving first to Kansas in 1868, then to Idaho in 1876 and finally Cottonwood, Montana in the fall of 1882. There he operated a market garden for several years before moving to Lewistown and opening this store. likely purchasing the lot in 1899. In early 1906 Archibald moved to southern California, starting another market garden there, immediately north of the Mexican border.

After the opening of the new Hopkins Brothers store next door, this building became home to a bakery, operated by various bakers over the years.

While, in 1984 a Barber shop and a Hewing Machine Sales & Repair outlet occupied the building, today it is home to Big Spring Spa, a tanning spa and sauna offering a wide range of related products and services.

This is an early newspaper ad, placed by A. Hopkins & Sons on the front page of the April 10, 1901, evening edition of the Fergus County Argus.

AD goes Here

Hopkins Grocery Archibald Hopkins, a Welsh immigrant, settled in the cottonwood area on his arrival in Central Montana around 1875 and raised produce which was freighted to surrounding communities. By 1899, Lewistown had become the County seat of Fergus County and promised to be the commercial metropolis, so Mr. Hopkins purchased half of a lot on Lewis town's Main Street and the Hopkins Bros. Grocery was built. The 1900 stone building is typical of the early permanent architecture which was soon to line the streets of Lewistown. The population more than tripled by 1908 and Hopkins Bros., Inc., moved to their new larger block at 113 West main. The Crowley Bros. (Daniel B. and Michael E.) then opened a bakery at 117 West Main, which by 1914 had become Sullivan's Bakery, with Frances Sullivan and James A. Robbins, proprietors.

A one story, flat roof commercial building with a cut sandstone facade that continues up into a flush surface pediment that is approximately one-half the width of the frontage. The pediment has curved convex ends or "shoulders". There is a dressed stone coping on top of the parapet and a dressed credit stone in the pediment with the date "1900" incised into it. The street level contemporary aluminum entry is centered in the frontage and is flanked by glass display windows in mill finish (or natural anodized) aluminum frames above contemporary ashlar wainscot. A wide metal advertising band separates the entry level elements from the sandstone above. A section of the cut stone wall projects into the adjacent building facade to the northeast (see description for 113/115 West Main Street). The rear of the structure is rubble sandstone.
From the NRHP Nomination Form, Site# 131

HOPKINS GROCERY

Welsh immigrant Archibald Hopkins settled in central Montana in the 1870s, where he raised produce for sale to local markets. Hopkins watched Lewistown grow from a small trading post to an established community before linking his fortunes to the town. He purchased this Main Street lot after voters named Lewistown the county seat of the newly created Fergus County in 1899. The following year he and his sons hired a crew of masons to construct this one-story building, distinguished by its cut sandstone façade, curved pediment, and dressed stone incised with the year "1900." An abundance of local sandstone and skilled masons made the decision to build in stone a logical one. So did the lack of a local brickyard. Hopkins and Sons sold groceries, crockery, and kitchen furnishing here until the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railway completed its line to Lewistown in 1908. That year, with the town booming, the Hopkinses moved their business into the large commercial block they had built next door.
From the NRHP plaque at the building


Photo goes Here

Name of publication (required):
Fergus County Argus

Date of Publication (required):
April 10, 1901

Does the ad identify the location of the company?: no

Web URL to additional proof of location or additional information.: [Web Link]
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