06/18/2026
TBT: W.H. Downs
Column by Keith Ruetten
William Harrison Downs was born in born near Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1819, the son of Lyman and Esther Downs. William had only such opportunities of education as the new country afforded at that time; but these he improved to the best advantage. As a young man, Downs worked in the carpenter and joiner’s trade and settled at Bellefontaine, Ohio.
On September 12, 1843, he married Barbara A. Harper, in Shelby, Ohio. William and Barbara were the parents of a son Edmund, and daughters, Harriet, Kate, Mary Alice, Louise, and Josephine. Two other sons, Willie and Henry, passed away in early childhood.
Downs came with his family and several other families to Richland County in 1855. They settled at Richland Center and took an active part in all the improvements and interests of the growing town, which at times seemed destined to struggle hard for even subsistence.
In 1856 Downs and a Mr. Short had opened a general store in the village. By 1857-58 Downs had his own ashery (store) and within a year had to compete with one built by David & Dexter Pease.
In 1860, Downs was appointed by President Lincoln as the second Postmaster of the village, succeeding L.D Gage.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861 and the call for volunteers to preserve the Union was made by President Lincoln, Downs was among the first to enroll. He was mustered into the Field & Staff, Company "S" of the 25th regiment of infantry, in which he soon received the appointment of quartermaster and served for about three years.
In the second year of the war, he had consented to let his only son Eddie volunteer in the war. Eddie was received as a drummer, but his service was quite short, as he died suddenly in camp from a disease. The loss of his only son and the long exposure of camp life took a heavy toll on Downs and he returned to his home in 1864 to rest and recuperate, but Downs never seemed to regain that strength of body and vivacity of mind which were so peculiar to him in former years.
During his absence due to the war, Down’s wife Barbara, with their daughter Hattie efficiently performed the duties of Postmaster. Upon his return from the army, Downs, operating out of his home on the southwest corner of Church and Seminary Streets, continued as Postmaster until 1866. He also served as a druggist, and he was elected the Justice of the Peace, trying the most important cases brought before that Court, and performing the larger share of the duties devolved upon that office.
William H. Downs passed away on November 5, 1877, at the age of 58. The interment was conducted by the Masonic order, with its usual services and ceremonies, as he was for many years a worthy and esteemed member of that ancient and honorable fraternity.
The community was greatly startled and thrown into profound sorrow, at the news that one of the oldest and most prominent citizens had passed away very suddenly, sitting in his chair. While it was well known that he was in feeble health, and that he might pass away at any time, none anticipated that his disease would culminate so suddenly. But two days before his death he was about as usual. He seemed to realize his feeble condition greater than did any who surrounded him, for in his memorandum of the previous Thursday he wrote: "My last day at the office." And true enough, it was the last! Some years before, he had a partial stroke of paralysis, from which he never fully recovered, and since which time he had been subject to bad spells.
Barbara A. Downs passed away on January 11, 1878, just a few weeks after her husband.
In 1881 when Richland Center celebrated its first Decoration Day, the graves of seven Civil War soldiers were decorated; among them were W.H. Downs and his son Eddie.
In 1896 Philip Smith purchased the Downs house and the Lenehan livery business that sat between the house and the Park Hotel. At this time the livery stable business was still profitable.
The livery barn on the site east of the hotel had been established by Ira Haseltine around 1877-78 and at one time Frank Sanford operated it in addition to his livery on the NW corner of Court and Park Streets. Once automobiles began arriving in Richland Center in the early 1900s, the end of the livery business was not far off. The 25 cent hacks of Philip Smith and others that met the trains at the depot were eventually replaced with buses, and between 1910-1920 most of the stables went out of business.
The old livery barn of Philip Smith, which had been purchased by John Brucken and Charles Kennedy, was torn down in 1926 and replaced with the Red Arrow garage, a large fireproof building, topped with a red tile roof.
In 1927 John LeHew built his filling station on the corner and according to Margaret Helen Scott’s book “Richland Center, Wisconsin a History” (p.139), the old W.H. Down’s house, where Philip Smith had lived was moved and remodeled and still stands today at 494 N. Main Street.
Photos-RC History Room.
#1. W.H. Downs house, SW corner of Church & Seminary Streets, 1870.
#2. The W.H. Downs house and the livery barn west of it (in the circle) ca. 1890-1894.
#3. The W.H. Downs house, AKA the Phillip Smith house at 474 N. Main St., 2014.
