Photograph on left by Mike Monroe , right is a rendering by KTGY Architecture |
edition in 1893 . His family joined him in 1894 and they built a home at the corner of Del Monte Avenue and First Street in 1896 . In 1902 Edes sold the newspaper to his competitors at the Morgan Hill Times . Mr . Edes also served as Morgan Hill ’ s postmaster from 1897 until his retirement in 1905 . A large portrait of Verti Edes delivering the mail with his horse-drawn mail carrier buggy still hangs in the offices of Union Bank on Tennant Avenue .
George ’ s sons , Verti and Clyde , decided to strike out on their own in 1916 by taking over the 2nd and Monterey building from the Stone family and forming the Edes Brothers partnership as “ Dealers in Choice and Staple Groceries with Prices Right .” The Edes Bros . name soon adorned the Second Street wall of the building , along with a new ad for flapjack mix . They expanded into a general merchandise store until 1923 , when they dissolved their partnership and changed career paths . Clyde Edes served as Mayor of Morgan Hill from 1920 to 1928 . Edes family members still residing in South County suggest that the brothers were experiencing some cash flow problems caused by an overly generous credit policy . That same year , the family purchased the property with their mother , Nettie , as owner . It ’ s my opinion that the family probably rented out their business or installed a manager for about 10 years , keeping the Edes Bros . name on the building until at least 1933 , when Monterey Road was widened . In 1920 , the Estes family sold the property to J . Y . Jones , who transferred the property deed to Nettie Edes three years later .
Nettie leased out the retail property to three successive businesses , beginning in 1924 with Steeles Cash & Carry Grocery , in 1927 to Tremeroux Meats , and in 1931 to Rainbow Grocery . Even so , the Edes Bros . name remained emblazoned on the original building until 1938 when it was remodeled and downsized to accommodate the widening of Monterey Road . All businesses on the west side of the street had to adjust their property line by 17 feet to handle the expansion
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of Monterey Road as a State Highway . Property records show the Edes family re-financed the property through Ester Camfield . After the reconstruction , John Telfer became the new tenant , opening Telfer ’ s Market at the busy corner .
After World War II , the Edes family returned to their corner property . Verti had established an insurance business ( later to become Pacific Diversified ) and Clyde had worked at the Farmer ’ s Union until his son George ’ s return from the Navy . Clyde and George gave John Telfer a year ’ s notice to vacate their building , after which they opened it as Edes Hardware . John opened Morgan Hill ’ s first supermarket on Monterey Road , where the Goodwill store stands today . He also served as Morgan Hill ’ s mayor from 1931 to 1946 . Tragically , he was killed in an automobile accident in 1948 as he was crossing the street at Monterey and Second . Shortly thereafter , the first traffic signals were installed in Morgan Hill .
In 1960 , the Edes family sold the hardware business to the Squeri Brothers , who operated there until 1968 . After owning the building nearly 45 years , the Edes family sold it to new owners with a new business plan . Alfonse “ Al ” ( 1920-2008 ) and Charlotte ( 1930-2005 ) Statti opened
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Statti ’ s “ Corner Drug ” as a combination pharmacy , soda fountain and gift shop . The fountain had 16 stools and served sandwiches , sodas , and ice cream treats . “ Corner Drug ” was a great place to meet downtown especially for Live Oak High School students . It was open 7 days a week and Al was everyone ’ s friendly local pharmacist . When the Statti ’ s retired in 1988 , the Gibault family assumed ownership , moving from their commercial space in the Skeels Building to take over the Edes property . Charles and Darlene Gibault were in the medical profession and Charles was an avid cyclist . In the 1980s they became the proprietors of South Valley Bikes . A long-time employee of the Gibault ’ s , Mark Silva , briefly owned the bike shop from 2005 to 2008 .
In 2017 , we look forward to a new chapter in the storied life of Morgan Hill ’ s southwest corner at 2nd and Monterey ; this one to be composed by Dan McCranie , a respected long-time business and community leader in Morgan Hill . Dan was inspired to preserve a bit of Morgan Hill history in his new downtown project and so , along with other design elements , the Edes Bros . name will once again adorn the southwest corner of 2nd and Monterey . Stay tuned .
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