Remember When?

WEBER'S STORE

Charles & Bertha Weber

Most people in the area know Weber's Store as the Laundromat. It was originally built as a general store and post office by Charles Weber to serve the citizens of Thompson Falls. He became the third post master of the town in 1903.

Charles came to Thompson Falls in 1888 as recorded in the list of Early Settlers of Thompson Falls in 1933. In the 1900 federal census Thompson Falls, Missoula County, Montana he stated that he was a merchant in Thompson and that he rented his house. Apparently, Mr. Weber was quite the gardener. Sanders County Independent Ledger, Aug. 31, 1938 – Two Pound Tomato – "Charles Weber of Thompson Falls who always makes it a point to grow an envious garden every year showed us a two pound Ox Heart tomato today which he grew in his garden. All of his tomatoes are of exceptional size."

According to the National Register of Historic Places, Weber's Store was built between 1900-1903 and is one of the earliest surviving masonry commercial buildings on Main Street. It is a two-story brick building with a stone and mortar foundation. I find it interesting that most of the brick buildings built at the turn of the century, such as the Black Bear Hotel and the Old Jail Museum, have a stone and mortar foundation holding up a two-story brick building. That's a lot of weight! I've been in the basement of all these buildings and wondered how they're still standing because the foundation looks a little shaky. The second story on the north and east side have the original double hung sash windows.

A concrete walkway borders the first floor leading to two entrances, one to the second floor, the other boarded up. Cement beams are visible on the first floor north side at the base of the building and to separate stories. There is a decorative band of inlaid fleur-de-lis in fretwork just below the roof on all sides. A brick stack is located on the east side.

A brick cold air well with a hip roof built in 1906 is now used for a storage shed. There was a unique feature of the geology around Thompson Falls which was a strata of cold air which was tapped by early settlers when they attempted to dig wells for water. A layer of gravel ranging from three to thirty feet below the ground was porous enough to allow a current of cold air to reach the surface when tapped. Widespread accounts approximated the air temperature at 50-55 degrees. Cold air wells could be dug on the lower reaches of Capitol Hill, the south-facing hillside on which most of Thompson Falls is built, as far north as Haley Avenue. Ruins of ice houses in the residential area are located at 109 Jefferson Street and at 109 Ferry Street. Merchants in the business district along lower Railroad Avenue (Main St.) dug cold air wells to use as ice houses and for cold storage of goods.

Weber's Store is one of the earliest surviving masonry commercial buildings on Main Street. The building housed the town post office until 1917, lending it particular significance as a place where most of the town's people visited daily. It was built as a general mercantile and operated as such until 1940 when Charles Weber died. The building played a key role in the economic role in the life of the community. Rental apartments were located on the second story.

East end of Thompson Falls Main Street in 1911 showing the Odd Fellows building, a wooden building that now houses Courtney's Floral Creations and Weber's Store and Post Office, now the Laundromat.

Cold air well building that was behind Weber's Store that was used to keep eggs, butter, milk and meat cold.