(below) The larger green building; built by Peter McIsaac, (Rader pg. 66) appears to be the former Guenther livery stable; later modified to house school buses. The “gas tanks” referred to in the text below were located roughly just to the left (north) of where the mulberry tree standing in the foreground is situated today. A comparison between the 1896 and 1904 versions of the Chas. E. Goad, Fire Insurance Plan Map of Dashwood, appears to indicate that this building was constructed sometime between those two years. The 1904 fire insurance map shows a medium sized building in place at exactly the spot Mary is referring to in the text, with another structure of some sort “pencilled in”, attached to its north wall. The 1896 version of the map shows the same medium sized building in place eight years later, but now shows a separate smaller sized building being used as a stable, which is located to building’s north.
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“At one time there was a store front where Earl Guenther’s gas tanks stand and Henry Guenther used this as a blacksmith shop and later stored the old Macados[?] in it. Between it and the livery stable was a one story building and Pippin and Paxman started a photographic shop. There was a long building on the back where Fred Elsie made wood pumps. He later bought the land now owned by Herb Schlundt and built a small pump house behind Schlundt’s barn. This burned down and his son Hartman bought the land where Bob Boogemans live and built the tin house and a small pump shop. Here he made pumps until wooden pumps were replaced by iron.
William Zimmer built a wagon shop on Mrs. Jean Walper’s property and a show house beside it. There was also a carriage shop where Frank McIsaac’s house stands. There was a show house for cutters and buggies where Mrs. Greta Schade’s main street house stands. The carriage shop was moved behind Philip Fassold’s main street blacksmith shop. The show house was moved and is the barn on Ken Rader’s property. Nicholas Shoup also had a carriage shop. Ned Weldon built the present brick blacksmith shop of Louis Zimmer formerly owned by Alex Zimmer.
John Soldan started a tinsmith in the east side of the bakeshop. He sold it to Ed. Pollen and his silent partner, Sam Rannie. They built the corner block where Schatz’s store stands and started a hardware store. Jonas Hartleib bought them out and after two years sold it back to Pollen. Pollen sold it to Dave Tieman.”
extracted from “Friedsburg-Dashwood 1860-1985” by Mary (Patterson) Rader, 1985; pg. 6, ISBN 0-9692115-0-3