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STORY INDEX Service still most important product at Ligonier Telephone Co. A black and white sensation: Tiny Screens a big attraction in early years of television A man works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done Indiana Extension Homemakers better the lives of families Small towns once supported their own movie theaters William Jennings Bryan among among orators at Rome City's Western Chautauqua Dr. David Rogers - Man of mystery, and benevolence DNR restoration programs working: Once abundant wildlife returning to area Rise of girls athletics have changed face of school sports Decades of intramurals: Ruth was greatest player ever: Frick Frick's predictions for 2000 not far off Small Wolf Lake big winner in 1942 basketball regional Four in a row: Finally with a gym of their own, KHS cagers went to 'Sweet 16' four straight years Ink to flow into 21st century at county's newspapers Broadcast media: Manahan was pioneer in Noble County broadcasting WAWK's history dates back to 1959 Health trends: Changes through the century occurred in medicine, health care Scarlet fever, polio were early health scares From sanitarium to partnership: A century of Noble County's medical care Funeral directors ran ambulance service in county prior to '74 'EMS arrives in time for '74 tornado LaGrange County doctors once made house calls by horseback Country doctor delivered babies in his home and drove a Thunderbird Service to mankind condensed to footnotes of history Who are the people of the Amish faith? Two controversial religious sects from the 1970's have impact on Noble County Churches with rich heritages served parishioners in LaOtto, Ege
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Lengthy Mier-Straus rivalry ended with bank merger German-Jewish immigrants had impact on Ligonier's history
LIGONIER - A pair of young and ambitious German-Jewish
immigrant pack peddlers happened to be in Wawaka one summer day
in 1853 when they learned that the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad to be built through Noble County would have
a station at the small village of Ligonier.
However, despite the success which each achieved, sometime
during the Civil War they had a bitter quarrel. It left the two
men lifelong enemies and business competitors. In 1868 Straus, who by that time had been joined by brothers
Jacob and Mathias, founded Citizens Bank of Ligonier. Their countryman
countered with the Banking House of Solomon Mier just a half-block
south of Citizens on Cavin Street. Straus Brothers Co. moved into real estate; so, too, did Mier.
Later both parties began to manufacture carriages and buggies
- and just after the turn of the century the newfangled automobiles. The rivalry took a personal turn: There were no marriages
between first and second generation members of the two families.
While the Straus good fortunes were largely due to the joint
efforts of the three brothers, Mier was not assisted by family
members until his sons reached maturity. Both families did, however, share a devotion to Reform Judaism
and were instrumental in building in 1871 a small frame synagogue
on Main Street (approximately where the Elks Club is today) and
in 1888, a larger and more elaborate brick temple, also on Main
Street. Today it houses the museum of the Ligonier Historical
Society. The Mier and Straus families each donated one of the
four stained glass windows which may be seen in the building
today. The competitiveness extended even to the mansions of Jacob
Straus and Solomon Mier. Today both imposing three-story structures
serve as a bed and breakfast. The mostly pink Mier home is on
a rise of land on South Cavin Street and the white Straus residence
is just north of the public library on Main Street. Even unto death the rivalry seemed to continue. The graves
of Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Mier - who both died in 1910 - are marked
by a single sizeable stone in Ligonier's Jewish Cemetery. Straus, who lived until 1914, apparently had the last word.
He and his wife are entombed in a large mausoleum - some distance
from the Mier plot. As indicated in Solomon Mier's obituary, by the time of his
death the "Diaspora" (scattering) of Ligonier Jews
had already begun. One son, Ferdinand, lived in San Francisco,
another, Herman, in Chicago; and four of his six daughters resided
out of town - Mrs. Sax in Toledo, Mrs. Straus in Chicago, Mrs.
Michaels in New York, and Mrs. Lederer in Cleveland. 
With the passing of the founders, leadership passed to their
sons. A.B. Mier took over as president of his father's bank,
which had been renamed Mier State Bank. It proudly announced
in November 1919 that it had become a "million dollar bank,"
with assets of $1,005,486. Isaac "Ike" Straus, son of Jacob, became president
of Citizens with his brother, Col. Simon J. Straus, the vice
president. Whether these parties had the foresight to anticipate the
financial depression which began in 1929 and caused many small
town banks to close over the next decade is not known for certain. But for reasons they no doubt thought sufficient, Citizens
and Mier State Bank announced on Nov. 29, 1928, that the two
institutions would merge to form American State Bank with assets
of approximately $2 million. The two leading officers were A.B. Mier, president, and bachelor
Abe Ackerman, a Straus associate for many years, chairman of
the board. Thus, for all practical purposes, the rivalry ended. The surviving American State Bank, unlike many of similar size, remained solvent and kept its doors open through the darkest days of the Depression. |
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Sensing
an opportunity to end their careers as traveling salesmen, Frederick
W. Straus and Solomon Mier, both natives of the German state
of Prussia, together walked the six miles to Ligonier, which
over the next 75 years became a prosperous and thriving community
thanks to the enterprise, activity and good business sense of
these two men and members of their families.