History of Grass Valley Hardware
As Written by Mrs. Marion Conway
The letter-head of the Grass Valley Hardware on Mill Street proudly announces “California’s Oldest Established Hardware”. Its history is long and very colorful.
The original owner was Edward McLaughlin and its “birth” is described in an issue of the Grass Valley Telegraph published July 10, 1855: “Mr. Edward McLaughlin and Messers C.R. Edwards and Co. have each commenced the erection of fireproof buildings on Mill St. near the corner of Main...Mr. John Parker has also commenced the erection of a brick building adjoining McLaughlin on the other side from Edwards.”
This block of three buildings was completed just before the great fire of September 13, 1855. Luckily they were not damaged. Much confusion has been caused by an EXTRA issued by The Telegraph erroneously dated September 18, 1854 instead of 1855 due no doubt to the excitement of the fire because ads in the same issue are dated 1855.
On the night of September 13, 1855 a fire broke out on lower Main Street. The History of Nevada County by Thompson and West states: “In that one dreadful night over three hundred buildings, occupying thirty acres of ground, were swept away. In the business portion of town only two structures escaped destruction, one a stone store recently erected by Sylvester and Co., and the other a block of three stores just completed on Mill Street.”
Listed among those burned out is E. McLaughlin with a loss of $12,000. A September 4, 1855 issue of the Telegraph shows McLaughlin owned a store on Main Street where he sold “stoves, tin and sheet iron wares.”
McLaughlin immediately moved into the new building at 114 Mill Street. Edwards and Brady opened a bakery on the left at 116 Mill Street, and Parker’s Hall became the name of the building on the right. In 1864 the Grass Valley Morning Union newspaper moved into the rooms up over the hardware and the paper was published there until 1871.
Like many Grass Valley businessmen of that period, McLaughlin was interested in gold mining and in 1859 he was part owner of the North Star Mine south of town. He also helped to organize the Grass Valley Odd Fellows and in 1861 he became a town Trustee. Finally, in 1870 he sold his hardware business to Peter Johnston and moved to San Jose where he founded a bank and bought a ranch.
Peter Johnston had come to California in 1852 and, after mining for a time, he arrived in Grass Valley. He worked with his brother in a grocery and also in a bakery and finally saved enough money to buy the hardware from McLaughlin. In addition he is listed among the Directors of the local narrow gauge railroad. His home on North Auburn Street still exists.
In 1889 Johnston sold his business to Elam Biggs. According to a history of the Biggs family, written by Elam’s son, Harold, the grandfather, William Biggs, came to Grass Valley in 1854. He bought two acres of land east of the present Lincoln Street and north of Colfax Avenue. Here he built a home and planted an orchard. He also had a large plot of rhubarb which had a ready market in Sacramento. And of course he did some gravel and quartz gold mining. Elam went through the high school, then located on South School Street, and he graduated from San Jose Business College in 1873. For four years he taught school at Clear Creek, living at the old Barnes Ranch and returning home Friday nights either on foot or on horseback. Later he taught at Spenceville, Lime Kiln and Bear River schools. He also clerked in several local stores, including Beverton’s Hardware and in 1879 he bought Sam Beverton’s business at 46 Mill Street.
In 1886, Elam married Mary Fawcett, the daughter of a Yorkshire miner who lived on French Avenue. Around 1893 they moved into a big new home at 220 Colfax Avenue. It had complete plumbing and soon had electric lights which was unusual for homes at that time. This Victorian home is still standing.
Elam Biggs was an enterprising person. In addition to his hardware business he was also selling a special pen holder which he peddled to out-lying areas by hiring a man named Peter McAusian. one of his old bills is as follows:
The Improved Penholder Company
To P. McAusian: Board, Salary & Expenses - 1887
March 14 - Board, self and horse...$2.00
March 15 - Board, self and horse...$1.00
March 16 - Supper...$.50
March 16 - Overnight for self and horse...$1.50
March 17 - Dinner...$.75
March 18 - Supper...$.50
March 18 - Overnight...$1.50
March 19 - Dinner, self and horse...$.75
March 19 - 5 1/2 days salary...$13.75
March 19 - Toll...$.25
March 19 - Shoeing - 2 new shoes...$1.00
March 19 - Soldering ferrules Br.,...$.25
Total...$25.75
Just like his father, Elam Biggs had an interest in various mines of the area and he sold insurance to help finance these ventures. But his biggest venture was purchasing the hardware from Peter Johnston. In 1893 he incorporated with himself as president, A.F. Brady, vice-president and treasurer and John Bunney, secretary. His business was now proclaimed to be “one of the largest retail hardware houses on the Pacific Coast” dealing in paints, oils, iron, coal, cutlery etc.
Biggs was a hard and dedicated worker for the Methodist Church and he also campaigned for Prohibition. In 1904 the Prohibition State Central Committee asked him to run for State Senator but he declined.
In early 1906 Samuel Jones formed a corporation and purchased the firm. Biggs then moved to 211 Main Street where he continued to sell Fire insurance and also Real Estate until he retired. Among his papers it is interesting to note the description of a ranch for sale November 1909: “160 acre ranch to sell for $3,000 including house, barn, orchard, vineyard, springs and a creek and wood lot. Located about 1 1/2 miles west of Grass Valley.”
Samuel T. Jones had arrived in Grass Valley in 1877. He worked at the Idaho-Maryland and the North Star mines and married a Grass Valley girl, Grace Sims. Her father was among the pioneers who came west in a wagon train in 1850 to prospect in the gold fields of California. Jones changed the name of the business from Elam Biggs Hardware Company to Grass Valley Hardware Company with members of the new corporation being D.E. Matteson, president, O.H. Root, treasurer and J.L. Brooks, manager.
After his death in 1920, his son Alvon became manager of the firm and Alvon passed ownership on to his son, Glenn T. Jones in 1962. Since that time GLenn has enlarged the store to include the adjacent store at 116 Mill Street.
