EDWARDSBURG, Mich. — Among the early settlers of Cassopolis were the Kingsbury and Ritter families. Joseph K. Ritter was born in Berrien County, Mich. (the county just west of Cass) in 1829 and moved to Cassopolis in 1851 where he was engaged in the dry goods business. Asa Kingsbury, originally a native of Massachusetts left for the West to make his fortune. After exploring several areas in the Midwest he found the village of Cassopolis appealing and settled there in 1834 and opened a store in 1837, opened a banking office in 1855 and in 1871 organized the First National Bank. In 1856 his daughter, Amanda, married J. K. Ritter.

Recently what was believed to be the oldest building in Cassopolis was purchased from the estate of Joseph Ritter, a descendent of J. K. Ritter. This building at one time was thought to have been a blacksmith shop and had also possibly been the site of a dry goods store owned and operated by J. K. Ritter. Found in the basement of was an abundance of old paper documents. In many cases this large amount of old yellowed paper would have found its way to the dumpster but the purchaser of the building had the good sense to contact someone to examine the paper.

It turned out to be a treasure trove of history including land grants from 1830 with President Andrew Jackson’s signature; a personally typed letter from William Jennings Bryan declining an invitation to speak at a dedication of Cassopolis’ Pioneer Log Cabin Museum in 1923; a postcard photograph of Charles Lindbergh and his wife; and a flier from a Cass County temperance convention in 1882.

Hahn Auctioneers, Inc. of Nappanee, Ind., was choosen to sell the historic documents. All documents were inventoried, placed in lots by category; many individual items were placed in protective coverings, and all were transported to downtown Edwardsburg for auction on July 29. Phil Hahn said that he had never before had the opportunity to offer such a great collection of historical documents at auction. Items had been sorted into flats of like items. Some of these flats were sold as they were; other items were offered choice out with remaining items sold as a lot. People from all over Southwest Michigan and beyond who appreciate history were there to take advantage of this opportunity.

Three very desirable pieces of history were the land grants to John Ritter. These had been hand-signed by President Andrew Jackson in the 1830s. They sold for $750 and $700 each.

Among the first items to cross the block were two boxes of old business reply postcards. They were offered choice out and the winning bidder, whose bid was $500, opted to take both of them.

There were several boxes of old magazines with those containing the Saturday Evening Post and Worker’s World attaining the highest prices at $120 for each box. Also finding a final bid of $120 were two boxes of old photographs from the Cassopolis area.

There were several boxes of old copper print blocks from the First National Bank of Cassopolis which sold for a total price of $225.

There was a large flat of old calendars including those from McCormick Deering, railroad calendars, ones from local banks, and others from local businesses. When these were sold choice out the one from McCormick Deering proved to be the most popular attaining a final bid of $145.

A flat of old business and advertising cards, most from local businesses, sold for $200.

Business records were once kept in handwritten ledgers. These proved to be of great interest and the ones from Ritter Mercantile, which dated back to the mid-19th century sold in stacks for $45 to $100, and three ledgers from the Goodwin Hotel, once located in Cassopolis crossed the block for $175.

In 1923, a museum was established on the shores of Stone Lake, which lies within the City of Cassopolis. The logs for this building were donated by local farmers and it contained artifacts from the early days of Cassopolis including quilts, dolls and tools. An invitation was extended to Williams Jennings Bryan to speak at the dedication of this museum. Among the papers at this auction was a typed letter from Bryan declining the invitation citing his wife’s illness as a reason he would not be unable to attend the dedication. Personally signed, the letter sold for $110. Other Log Cabin Museum letters, receipts and more. from the 1920s sold as a lot for $200.

Prior to the settlement of this area it had been inhabited by Potawatomi Indians. Many were forced out of the area and relocated to the west; however, a band of approximately 250 remained and maintained a decent relationship with the settlers. A book by Chief Pokagon, O’GiMaw Kwe Mit Gsq Ki, along with a donation letter sold for $100.

Old letterheads and envelopes proved to be extremely desirable. Nearby Dowagiac, Mich., was the home of the Round Oak Stove Co. which was founded by P. D. Beckwith in the mid-1800s. A flat of letterheads, prints, and other papers, several containing Beckwith’s signature went to a history buff for $150.

An envelope for DuPont Powder sold for $150; letterheads for the nearby towns of Jones, Marcellus, and Williamsville sold for $45 to $110 with Jones being the most popular; and a letterhead for Oliver tractors earned $150. Other letterheads included several from early Cassopolis businesses with flats selling for $130; flats of Studebaker letterheads earned $100; and a flat of letterheads and receipts from McCormick Deering and International Harvester earned $70.

Groupings of old community business letterheads from nearby towns included: Dowagiac that sold for $700; Niles that earned $40; Three Rivers that saw $50; and Vandalia that crossed the block for $200. All of these communities are in close proximity to Cassopolis. A flat of letterheads for household products including soap and furniture sold for $225; and a flat of old distillery and brewing company letterheads earned $800.

A very fragile old cardboard sign for Goshen Distemperine (a horse medicine) saw a final bid of $220.

There were several pieces of University of Michigan memorabilia including pictures of teams from the early 1900s, personal scrapbooks and papers, and football programs. Before the Big House in Ann Arbor there was Ferry Field and this is where the Pennsylvania-University of Michigan football game was played in 1913. The program for this game was among the items to cross the block. This program, along with the ticket stubs, sold for $700. Interestingly, the price for the program was 10 cents and the tickets were $2 each. The football team picture for 1913 crossed the block for $175.

Contact:

(574) 773-4184,

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