Cockfight at the Hobart House

I came across this strange story, printed in the Chicago Tribune of April 10, 1874, about a cockfight held at the Hobart House, which the article called the "Roper Hotel."


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According to Elin Christianson's book, Hobart's Historic Buildings, the Hobart House was built in 1870 by Edward Roper, so I suppose he is the proprietor mentioned in the article, who defied public opinion in hosting this "disgraceful exhibition."

I am not sure what the popular objection was to the cockfight — because it was inhumane to the animals? or because it attracted "Chicago roughs and gamblers"? The sub-headline of the article, "Another Gathering of Roughs at Hobart, Ind.," implies that this wasn't the first time.

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Now let me just remedy my ignorance about Edward Roper.

He was born in England in 1843 to James and Charlotte (Baker) Roper. The family came to the United States about 1851[1] and showed up in Hobart in the 1860 Census. In 1866 Edward married Margaret Rhodes (Indiana Marriage Collection). The 1870 Census records them in Hobart, Edward giving his occupation as saloon keeper. By the 1880 Census he had gone into farming.

Years ago I posted a photo in which the second-from-left subject is identified as Edward Roper:


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Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

The approximate date of the photo is 1884, so this may be from Edward's farming years.

It appears that Edward quit farming to resume his old occupation by 1887, when we find his application for a license to sell liquor being rejected. According to the "County Board" column of the Crown Point Register of December 15, 1887: "Strong opposition to granting the license was made by citizens of Hobart. Evidence was introduced to show that Roper kept his saloon open Sundays and that he kept a disorderly house." (An item in the "Hobart" column says that his wife opposed his license as well.)

The next record I have of Edward and Margaret is the 1900 Census. At that time they were living in Hammond. Sometime later they were divorced, apparently, as that is Edward's marital status in the 1910 Census, when he was living in a Chicago hotel or boardinghouse and working for a meat packer. It's possible he married again (I'm not sure I've found the right person), but he was described as divorced in the record of his death in Chicago in January 1913, when "he was struck by a switch engine"[2] while on his way to work.

He and his former wife are buried in Ross Cemetery.

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[1] "Death of Philip Roper, Sr.," Hobart Gazette, 11 Oct. 1918.
[2] "Hobart," The Lake County Times (Hammond, Ind.), 30 Jan. 1913.

Hobart House

This photo was in Lillie Newman Barnes' "John Gruel Farm" envelope, but of course it's not the farm!


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Image courtesy of Diane Barnes.

We have not seen this particular view of the Hobart House before. It is undated, but probably was taken before August 1911, when Clarence Frailey sold his horse livery operation behind the Hobart House (note the sign at the far right of the photo). This photo may have been taken in 1909, like others in the envelope; the cars out front are not inconsistent with that date (thank you, R.F., vintage-car connoisseur!).

Nobody in this photo is identified. They may well be Gruels or Newmans — we just don't know.

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[12/20/2013 update] Interesting to compare the above photo with this photo, from a postcard postmarked June 6, 1909 (previously posted here):


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Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

It's not precisely the same scene from a different angle, but there are points of similarity.

Hobart House Image Extravaganza

In honor of Hobart House's closing, let us post some images from its happier days. I don't think I've posted these before, but I may be wrong. This blog is overloading my memory and I find the "Search this Blog" function a bit temperamental.

All these are from the Hobart Historical Society.


This photo is undated, but given the fashions, the absence of automobiles and the condition of the sidewalk and Main Street, I'd guess at sometime in the late 19th century.


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An undated postcard. From the autos in front, I'd say — first decade of the 20th century.




This postcard is postmarked June 6, 1909.




Postmarked June 2, 1910:*




This appears to be a photograph of a postcard, undated, but probably circa 1910.




Postmarked September 15, 1910:




In this image from a postcard postmarked July 17, 1912 it looks as if they've rigged up summer shades to block the sun from the porch. It must have gotten pretty hot in that building on summer afternoons, with the sun beating down on its unshaded back side.




In this undated photo, the Hobart House is all decked out for some festive occasion.



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*This postcard was from Howard Shearer to Elsie Wojahn in Ainsworth, so I have added its verso to their courtship correspondence (it's the second from the top).

The Hobart House Closes

In August of 1918, the Hobart House's long career as a hotel came to an end. Here is the story from the Hobart Gazette of August 9, 1918.


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According to Hobart's Historic Buildings by Elin Christenson, the Hobart House was built in 1870 by Edward Roper, so it operated continuously as a hotel for some 48 years. Its facilities included a restaurant and banquet room, a ballroom on the third floor, and a livery stable out back.

Hobart House, Turn of the Century

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Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

This photo is undated, but based on what I can see of the ladies' fashions, I'm guessing at the turn of the century, or very late 1890s.

No one is identified, not even the horse.