A Thought To Remember: Chipron, Roth, then Hagnauer & Knoebel Hardware & Implements
Charles Paul Chipron came with his parents, Jean Godefroi Chipron and his wife Eugenia Thierry Chipron in 1847, from Paris to St. Louis. The family came to Highland in 1849 and purchased a farm in Section 17 of Helvetia Township, just southeast of Alois Latzer’s, now called Latzer Homestead.
By 1860 the oldest son, Charles Paul, who went by Paul was running the farm and manifested a genius for inventions. He invented an improvement on self-reapers, which he disposed of to the D.M. Osborn & Co. and which was still being used in 1882.
Paul then invented a corn sheller and received his patent on February 11, 1868. In 1867 Paul had commenced operating in Agriculture Machinery in Highland. In 1868 he erected a one story machine shop at 1009 Cherry, now called Washington St. Paul Chipron built the large Two Story Brick home, today 819 Ninth Street. This home became their son Emile’s home, then their granddaughter, Jennie Chipron (Mrs. Carl) Huege (Carl worked for C. Kinne & Co. and was an early Highland Historian who has many pictures & stories at the Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library.)
This building then became Miles Nursing Home for many years and then had to close, when Illinois would not allow these old buildings to continue without a large elevator and other safety features. Later it became the Frey Properties office and is now Findley’s Peacock Bakery & Antiques
George Roth, the son of Sebastian Roth. The Sebastian Roth family lived at 803 Ninth St. and was a neighbor of John Buchter, the lumber dealer, at the northwest corner of Laurel and Ninth. ( After many changes it became the home and office of Minnie Fagan an early chiropractor.
The old building was torn down and Dr. Robert Rosenthal, Sr. built his Rosenthal Optometric brick building, at 823 Ninth. Robert, Sr. was followed by Robert, Jr. and today the granddaughter, Dr. Kimberly Rosenthal Tinge.) George Roth’s father, Sebastian died in 1850, when George was only 4 or 5. George was raised by John Buchter’s. George married Emma Kuhnen in 1871 and he became a partner in Kuhnen & Roth Hardware Store on Broadway. (Later known as Kuhnen & Siegrist Hardware.) Roth sold his share of the hardware store to Siegrist.
“In 1874 George Roth purchase the Chipron Implement store on Cherry, now 1009 Washington. George added Hardware and it became Roth Hardware & Implements. George replaced the one story Chipron building, with a two story large frame building, (Which is still standing today.) In 1885 he became interested in management of the Helvetia Milk Condensing Co. Later became a Vice President of the Milk Co. and sold his store in 1889, to his long time employee, Charles Hagnauer and also to Louis Knoebel, who had been a blacksmith. They changed the name to Hagnauer & Knoebel Hardware & Implements.
“Hagnauer & Knoebel Hardware Co. incorporated in 1907 and had many changes in ownership, during the next 100 years. (See my earlier columns for these details.) Dick & Dottie Tompkins purchased the business in 1991 and discontinued business in 1998. The building was sold at public auction and purchased by Peggy Bellm Johnson for her Helvetia Trading Co. and Country Store, Rosemary’s Fabrics & Quilts, Jennie Heuberger’s Floral, Gifts & Paintings, with Lynn Rehberger’s Antiques in the south building, (Dan Jakel purchased this brick one story building and this is where he opened his Yogie’s Restaurant. Dan still owns the building, which later became Charley Daves Bar-B- Que and is today.)
Karen Schmidt Jakel purchased the two story frame Haganauer & Knoebel building and added her Swiss Gift Shop. In April of 2006, Peggy Daum Jacobs and Marilyn Tebbe purchased the building. Marilyn Tebbe has the Wedding Belle and Penny Jacobs has Something Special by Penny and her daughter, Ann Lohman has the Swiss Gift Shop.
Information from Dick Tompkins and pictures, Penny Jacobs, Brief History of the City of Highland, published in 1893, Sesquicentennial Book and my previous columns.
