Civil War veterans assembled on Formoso’s Main Street, probably for a Decoration Day service in the early 1900’s. The upper floor of Shedden’s Drug Store, seen on the left, became the Post’s meeting place in 1904. Directly behind the group is McCarthy Hardware, known for a time as Jones Hardware. A sliver of the new Formoso Mercantile is visible on the right.
The subjects are, left to right: Jamison Wright, Edgar Walker, Joe Andrews, B. F. Clark, John Hamilton, John L. Worley, Josephus Canfield, William Patrick, John Clawson, Philetus Morrison Axtell, Northrop Mortimer Hyde, Julius Caesar Robison, Henry Livengood, Jacob Baskin and Ole F. Johnson.
Although a note once attached to a copy of the picture gave the year as 1900, the Mercantile was not built until late 1901. Philetus Axtell, the second figure to the right of flag-bearer William Patrick (and the only man wearing a cap) was one of the town's blacksmiths and a postal carrier. He died while on his mail route in August 1907 at the age of 74.
Digital image provided by Jim Dieckman