businesses, ranging from a produce station to a harness shop run by Ed Kaul, who passed away during the flu epidemic in 1918 and last by Paul Hoffman as a feed store and a Chevrolet Auto Sales. The old building was razed about 1938.

The next building, now occupied by Mrs. Ann Tiedgen, was erected by Joseph Severa about 1900 where he engaged in the general merchandise business. The Severa family also bought a frame building across the street to the south on a lot site now vacant, just east of the Battle Creek Hardware Store, now occupied by the Red Bud Store. The lot is now used for storage purposes. The frame building had been erected by Conrad Hansen and occupied for a carriage and wagon making building. The Severas remodeled the building as a home and for many years Mrs. Severa ran a rooming house there after Mr. Severa's death about 1910. The Severa store building changed hands a number of times and was for a number of years used as a bakery by a Mr. and Mrs. Lakey and then by the Gregory family. W. C. Gregory was not only a fine baker but he was also a very public spirited man. He served on the town board and for a number of years gave his time to running the weekly "Free picture shows" for the Battle Creek Commercial Club. When he passed away his son John took over the bakery and ran the business for a number of years.

Then we come to the present Praeuner Oil Company site. The first building on this site was the Nick Lund home. Mr. Lund came to Battle Creek when the railroad was built through here and remained as the section foreman. He married Caroline Beck and his family lived in the old section house until he retired when they bought the house on Main Street. The Battle Creek Oil Company was founded about 1919 by John Lederer with his brother-in-law, Dick Ulrich, as a partner. Messrs. Lederer and Ulrich sold the old frame residence to Cleat Austin and it was moved to the corner now occupied by Mrs. Alvin Feyerherm. Upon the untimely death of Mr. Ulrich about 1926, Mr. Lederer sold the oil company to M. G. Doering. His son Harry Doering operated the business until 1965 when it was sold to Milton Praeuner. In the block across the street to the south, we find the old Battle Creek Hardware building now the Red Bud Store. This building was built by Conrad Hansen and his brother-in-law Frank Reavis, as a blacksmith shop. Mr. Hansen moved his wagon shop and blacksmith shop into the building and his brother-in-law Frank Reavis was a blacksmith and gunsmith. Mrs. Hansen and Mrs. Reavis were sisters of Andrew Tillotson, father of Charles and Ed Tillotson. It has been stated that the Hansen home was the one now occupied by Walter Tegeler and the Reavis home stood in the location of the new dwelling now erected by Walter Praeuner. The old Reavis home was moved to the location of the Amelia Volk residence to the west where it was remodeled by Phi land Mrs. Lund. Phil was a conductor on the Northwestern Railway and even before he retired he acquired this land from Mrs. Lund's family estate, the Hedmans. He would drive to his work in Norfolk when called out. Then when he retired they did more extensive remodeling and enjoyed their declining years in this place.

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