Robert A. Lewis
was born April 25, 1836 in Concord, Erie County, New York. In 1841 the
family moved to McHenry County, Illinois, and in 1858 to Quasqueton,
Iowa. He learned the carpentry and joiner trade and worked in
Quesqueton at that trade and also as a miller and merchant.
In 1859 he
married Mary A. Firman of Ohio. He had three daughters, Carrie, Myrtle,
Mrs. K. J. Nelson, and Llyllen, who married W. P. Goldie, the long time
editor of the Cherokee Democrat. One of his grandsons, Dale Goldie,
became the Mayor of Cherokee, serving in that capacity from 1962 to
1966. Robert's brother C. H. Lewis was an early District Court Judge and one of the members of the first law firm in Cherokee.
In 1872 he came to Cherokee and began his career as nurseryman, contractor, and businessman. In 1873 he started the
Green Hill nursery south of the city. There he designed and built a
fine brick residence which through the years has become a landmark.
He also designed
and built the Lewis Hotel on Main Street which was one of the finest
hotels in Iowa when it was constructed. Because the lot, upon which it
stood, was an odd shape, Mr. Lewis designed the building in such a
way as to take advantage of the shape of the parcel of land whereas
previous planners had tried to get the city to vacate part of Railroad
Street to accommodate the structures they had planned. Mr. Lewis also served as superintendent of construction when the Cherokee County Courthouse was built in 1891.
When
the contracts were let to build the Main building of the Cherokee State
Hospital, a superintendent of construction was hired to oversee the
performance of the contractors. The person selected was 64 year old R.
A. Lewis, who had earned the reputation of a prominent builder and
business figure of Cherokee.
His job was
certainly no easy one, for in the early phases of construction all
material for building had to be hauled from the railroad depot in
Cherokee to the construction site by horse drawn wagons. Many of the
foundation stones were three feet long, eighteen inches high and 12
inches thick. Water for making mortar also had to be hauled to the
site. Hundreds of thousands of yards of dirt were excavated with horse
drawn scrapers and had powered shovels. The excellence of construction
is a monument of his constant vigilance and thorough knowledge of
construction techniques.
After
his job as superintendent of construction was over Mr. Lewis continued
to live in Cherokee. His health failed and for a few years he was
almost totally incapacitated. On July 24, 1909 he passed away, his long
service to the community ended.
Cherokee
County Historical Society Newsletter, Special August - September Issue, Vol. 12, No. 7, 1977, pg. 8 |
