Pictured is the John Morrison & Son Mammoth Store as it appeared ca. 1885.
(By Stephen Kelley from the People’s Defender 1983)
One of the oldest structures still standing in Eckmansville, is the ancient Morrison store building located on the the northeast corner of the Decatur Pike and Eckmansville Road (Pike and Main Streets), this now vacant relic harkins back to the days when Eckmansville was a thriving, although small, commercial center. It was built in the summer of 1837 by twenty year old John Morrison, oldest son of General Robert Morrison, and his second wife, Phebe McGowan. No doubt, John received financial assistance in building his new enterprise from his parents.
John was married to Julia and Pittenger, daughter of Jeremiah Pittenger of Maryland. When Jeremiah came to Ohio in 1825, he brought with him the family’s black servant woman, Dinah. After the death of Pittenger and his wife, Dinah lived the remainder of her life with John and Julia, Morrison and Eckmansville. She passed away at the great age of 106 in 1878. Dinah had been born and into slavery but given her freedom in 1805, while living in Frederick County, Maryland.
Morrison’s mercantile business flourished at the crossroads and in 1865 John took his son, A.B. Morrison, into partnership with him. The store was then operated under the banner of “John Morrison & Son”, and in 1880 was known as the Mammoth Store. As we have indicated in the past several columns, the Morrisons were a wealthy family and about 1885 John Morrison & Son, opened a bank in connection with their store. Described as a “general banking business”, the Morrison firm was able to “make loans and discounts, receive deposits, make collections, draw, exchange, etc.” One writer referred to it as a wonderful convenience, the people of this region.”
Upon John Morrison‘s death in 1888, the bank and store changed to the name of A.B. Morrison & Company. When John died, he was considered the oldest established businessman in Adams County having operated the same business in the same building for over half a century. About the time of his father‘s death., A.B. Morrison left Eckmansville and moved to Ripley, where he was cashier at the Citizens National Bank. After a year or so, he pulled up stakes and moved to Marion, Indiana, where he was employed as cashier at the First National Bank. Despite his absence in Eckmansville, he maintained ownership of his father’s old store, and placed his brother-in-law, J.B. Alexander, in charge of the business in 1889. More about the Morrison store next week.
