by Michelle Sanders
Woman born in Tipp returns after years to explore her hometown
BROWSE AWHILE BOOKS
HISTORIC BUILDINGS & BUSINESSES
Downtown Tipp City runs along Main Street between I-75 to the west and Canal Lock Park to the east, before it reaches the Great Miami River.
Some of the oldest buildings in Tipp City are still standing, and many of them have been renovated for continuous use. A few of the most interesting buildings include Chaffee’s Opera House, the Old Municipal Building, the McConnaughey & Young Building, the Hotel Gallery, and Tipp Roller Mills.
BROWSE AWHILE BOOKS is one of my favorite shops in Tipp City, and its home is in the historic McConnaughey & Young Building.
It was constructed in 1871 for use as a manufacturing plant and later used as a dry goods store, millinery shop, and phone company. Parts of the building were converted into a hardware store and Fite’s Bakery (later called Tipp Pastry Shop), a denim jeans boutique, upholstery store, wallpaper store, barber shop, studio, and even apartments. Browse Awhile Books was founded in 1980 and relocated to its new home in the 4,000 square feet building in 1990.
They have proudly been sourcing the area’s need for rare, antique, specialty, and even the most modern used books ever since. This site is also one of the most haunted in the Midwestern region of the US. Some of the country’s most reputable news and entertainment media sources have published articles about the shop, so it is not just a ghost hunting niche or local legend.
Frank Harper Mysteries Series and “Cooper’s Mill”
Author Greg Enslen has a series of books called the Frank Harper Mysteries that take place in Cooper’s Mill, which is actually a fictional version of Enslen’s hometown, Tipp City. He only changes the names of each location in the book slightly, but Tippers will know right away where each home, business, park, and other places he writes about are in real life.
Fellow Twin Peaks fans will enjoy a few familiar references and the general vibe of the series, as well as its companion faux-tour brochure for Cooper’s Mill that you will receive once you join Enslen’s newsletter. You can ask the folks at Browse Awhile to help you purchase the books or you can easily find them online.
HOTEL GALLERY
HOTEL GALLERY was originally a 1850s hotel with more than two dozen rooms and only one communal bathroom.
It changed names and ownership, from the Carles House to City Hotel, and others throughout the years until purchased by the family who owns the Hotel Gallery business now.
I came across a story about a carnival business owner named Clyde Livingston who shot himself in the lobby for unknown reasons, and I suspect that is not the only tragic or scary part of this historic building’s past.
My mother and I once froze in place, on separate sides of the room, while shopping upstairs.
We immediately told each other we had a strange sense that something bad happened there, but could not find any other history about it. I will update this if anyone at the Tipp Historical Society has the scoop.
Hotel Gallery is a beautiful space and has any type of pottery, home good, rug, antique item, body care product, holiday novelties, and other gifts you could ever dream of.
THE BURWELL BUILDING
THE BURWELL BUILDING was a three-story building that was constructed in 1880 by the Burwell family who lived upstairs and operated a studio and various businesses on the ground floor. The Tin Peddler set up shop there in the late 1990s and is still going strong today.
Ralph Burwell was a photographer and is credited for sourcing most of the known images of Tipp City while he was alive and living there.
His collection is available for viewing through the Tippecanoe Historical Society.
The MORRISON BUILDING started as Morrison’s Restaurant before it became Prillers Restaurant, Tipp Tavern, Paddy’s (where my dad also worked), and finally Harrison’s Restaurant.
Stop by between lunch and dinner rushes to view the historic photos now framed along the walls.
You can learn a lot about the town’s history between these images and the random people who will stop and comment on it, telling you stories of their own.
It is just as valuable as any other history museum or gallery.
We devoured their Reuben spring rolls and perfectly crisp fish and chips.
THE KOOP BUILDING was built in 1869 by the Koop family, who operated their boot and shoe factory there until the early 1900s.
After that, a plumbing and electrical shop, bakery, and creamery were among the businesses that occupied the space until Sam & Ethel’s Restaurant opened in 1957.
Sam and Ethel’s
In 1969, the family business was passed on to the couple’s son and he kept it running until it closed in 1999, but the closure was temporary.
A local woman bought and reopened the business within a year or so, then sold it to its current owner Keith Long, who had done a bit of remodeling.
Sam and Ethel’s is a tiny little restaurant that typically has a wait list, so make sure you get on it.
Legends swirl about celebrities such as Liberace and Johnathan Winters making appearances over the years.
They specialize in homestyle cooking and feature a lot of Southern-style dishes one might describe as “stick to your ribs” meals.
My dad bought his first cup of coffee ever at their counter, when he was a teen in the 80s. It was sort of a rite of passage as he had breakfast with his new coworkers and fellow plumbers. Any place that stays fondly in my dad’s memories like that is sure to cozy up into mine as well.
Part 5, the last part of this trip down memory lane, coming soon!!
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