Newcastle’s city hall was on the corner

Hanna Gross
NLJ Correspondent
With Leonard Cash
 
After wrapping up his series on the Episcopal church, local historian Leonard Cash starts this week’s installment of the History on Main series with Newcastle City Hall. 
 
The building originally sat on lots 1 and 2 on block 9, but since then, those lots have been sold and resold, until it brings us to where Fresh Start is currently located. 
Lincoln Land Co. sold the lot to the city on Feb. 15, 1892, according to the Warranty Deed Record Book 1 at the Weston County Courthouse. Cash said that the city hall building was already constructed because it was common in those days to construct a building and later buy the land it was on. 
However, according to reports from the News Letter Journal on June 2, 1949, the original city hall building was to be torn down so that U.S. Highway 16 could be re-oiled and brought “up to date,” according to Cash. The article reported that highway officials said it needed to be torn down because the building produced a “blind corner” and was “hazardous.” Cash said that the city wanted to get rid of the lot anyway. 
“I can remember them tearing it down,” Cash said. “Did that ever make a noise when it (the bell tower) hit the ground.” He said the building was 59 years old when it was demolished. 
According to the Warranty Deed Record Book 39, page 137, the city sold the lot to Joe Aimonetto in 1954. His newly purchased land covered every part of the original lot “except [the] triangular-shaped tract (because the highway was on it, according to Cash); and is subject to the restriction that no garage, filling station, parking lot, bulk plant or wholesale business may be conducted on this land.” 
Unfortunately for Aimonetto, Cash said, he foreclosed, so the responsibility of the land was given to Weston County Sheriff H.F. Fuller. The title was transferred to Ralph Abercia on Aug. 31, 1961, according to a sheriff’s deed in the Miscellaneous Record Book 29, page 248.
“Sold to abide by court judgement in case against Joe Aimonetto; System Investment Corporation doing business as the LAK Ranch vs. Joe Aimonetto; Ralph Abercia is the successor in interest of System Investment Corporation,” the record book states. So Aimonetto lost
the land in a court case, which might have been due to the probability that
Aimonetto owed the LAK money, Cash said.
According to the Warranty Deed Record Book 43, page 58, Ralph Abercia and his wife sold the lot to Continental Oil Co. on June 13, 1962. 
The “triangle-shaped tract” part of the lot was transferred back to the city to construct the “curve in road and sidewalk,” on Sept. 17, 1962, according to Warranty Deed Record Book 43, page 126.
The Miscellaneous Record Book 30, page 432, shows that on April 17, 1962, the city came to an agreement with Continental Oil Co. regarding the restrictions on lots 1-5 mentioned earlier in Record Book 39 “so Continental can build a filling station or garage and parking lot” because it was originally prohibited. Using the lot for a bulk plant and wholesale business was still restricted. 
The record book said that Continental was still going “to convey triangular-shaped tract” to the city for a street.
Warranty Deed Photo Record Book 27, page 500, records that Continental Oil sold “service station No. 2, Lots 1-5” to Triangle Facilities Inc. (excepting the triangle-shaped tract on lots 1 and 2) on Jan. 19, 1972, but according to Warranty Deed Photo Record Book 60, page 378, Triangle Facilities sold it back to Continental on Feb. 18, 1977. Cash said it was probably an investing company. 
Continental transferred the title of lots 1-5 again — this time to Nelson’s Oil and Gas Inc. on Nov. 18, 1977, according to Special Warranty Deed Photo Record Book 66, page 12. 
Jack R. Nelson (who owned several gas companies in the Black Hills area, in addition to Nelson’s Oil Co., according to Cash) and his wife Virginia transferred the title to Nelson’s Oil Co. on Sept. 21, 1978, according to Warranty Deed Photo Record Book 70, page 418. Cash said this means Jack Nelson probably bought it from Continental Oil but later incorporated it to Nelson’s Oil Co. According to Warranty Deed Photo Record Book 103, page 761, the lot was once again transferred back to Nelson on July 23, 1982. Nelson then sold it to Wymodak Inc. (7-11 store No. 748), on May 20, 1983. 
After wrapping up what Cash had in his courthouse files, he decided to backtrack to his newspaper records that described the construction of the city hall in 1890.
According to the local newspapers from Oct. 3, 1890, plans were being made for city hall to be “one of the handsomest buildings in the West.”
The City hall was built in 1890 under the contractor F.A. Buse, with a bid of $5,800, according to Cash’s records. It would be 36 feet by 60 feet with the bell tower reaching 52 feet. Each story of this two-story building was planned to be 12 feet high. This information is duplicated in news articles from Oct. 9 and 17, 1890.
Two rooms with dimensions of 10 feet by 19 feet were to be on the first floor, containing two large doors in the front for the hose and ladder carts. The hose and ladder were from two separate companies, Cash said. Offices were constructed into the design for the second floor, and in addition to meetings, operas and dances were held up there as well, Cash said. 
Articles from Oct. 9, 1890, said that Buse was the lowest bidder for City Hall so he “captured” the contract at $5,800. 
“The plan is a beautiful one. The stone, which can so easily be obtained near here, being freely used,” the article reported.
The foundation for the hall was almost completed, with a stairway planned to go from the front door to the second floor, according to news articles from Oct. 17, 1890. The entire “upper front” was to be a hall. The building was located on Warren Avenue, which is now Main Street. All the doors and windows were to have stone arches and sills. The corners of the building were to be of stone as well. 
“There were eighty-five votes cast at the election voting $7,500 city bonds for city hall and sewer and no votes were recorded against them,” reported another article from Oct. 17, 1890.
“The city hall is booming up at the head of Warren Avenue, and adding greatly to the appearance of Main Street,” according to the Oct. 31, 1890, newspapers.
The brick work of the first story was complete, showing “good effect,” using stones from around the local area, according the Nov. 21, 1890, issue of the local paper.