This building housed the Cloyes Brothers store and the first post office in Paxton for a short time around 1857.   The Paxton Hotel Company, owned by Henry Rawlings and Solomon Mercer, was formed in 1885, added the  second and third floors to the building.   The Paxton Hotel Corporation was dissolved in 1903, but the hotel was operated by several private owners until around 1980.  If you go up to the third floor today, you will still find old clawfoot bathtubs, toilets and sinks.  The lime green paint, fixtures and flooring,  take you back to an era in the 1960s.  There are even a few areas where guests used a pencil to leave their name on the walls. 

 

On the south side of the first floor, The Grand Leader Department store sold dry goods from around 1900 until around 1917.   The Grand Leader moved and for a brief time, another variety store took its place.   A short time later, likely 1919 or 1920,  Victor Lundberg moved his drugstore.  He operated a pharmacy across the street for many years and apparently was thinking of retirement.  Prior to owning his pharmacy, he worked as a pharmacist for Mrs. MA Cooper.  She sold him the pharmacy in 1896., Mr. Lundberg sold Clement Jordan in 1922..   Jordan operated Jordan Drug Store from 1922 through 1950, when he sold the store to the Hudson family, who currently own and operate the pharmacy.

 

The north side of the building also has a long history of being a pharmacy.  In 1917, Davis City Drug Store opened on the north side of the building.  Prior to that, King and Helmer also had a pharmacy there.  Wilma Gibson’s Fashion Fair clothing store was here for decades until Hudson’s expanded in 2012.

 

At one time, there were 3 pharmacies in 4 doors: Davis Drug, Hudson Drug Shop, and D&R Drugs.  Hudson and Davis owned this building together and split the rent from the hotel.