Peter M. Hoffmann & Hoffmann's Hotel

HOFFMANN, JITEN, NOLEN

Posted By: david reineke (email)
Date: 12/8/2004 at 00:59:51

I translated the following biography from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published in a special 25th Anniversary Edition of the paper on Friday, 20 September 1899. I have not changed the place or name spellings. Information in brackets and notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Peter M. Hoffmann

Mr. Peter M. Hoffmann, the owner of Hoffmann’s Hotel, which is located on Main Street very near the railroad tracks (in another location we present a picture of the fine hotel), was born in An, County of Prüm [Pruem], on 7 September 1833. From time to time in Germany, he was employed with a freight hauling business and in agriculture, and later he became the manager of a large farm property near Düren [Dueren], where he supervised 80 field workers. On 14 November 1857, he married Miss Elisabeth Jiten, and in 1858, he emigrated to America with his wife. At first, he settled near Davis, Illinois, and in 1865, he moved to Black Hawk County, Iowa. After he had lived there for five years, he moved with his family to Kniest Township, Carroll County, Iowa, and in 1871, he moved to the town of Carroll, where Mr. Hoffmann became the real estate agent for the Northwestern Railroad properties and established the profitable, well-known Hoffmann Hotel. His loyal wife died on 24 May 1881, and on 22 November 1885, he remarried Miss Rosa Nolen, an estimable young lady. In 1891, he rebuilt his hotel and enlarged it, so that it now contains 38 beautiful, spacious rooms, and is valued at about $12,000. It is undoubtedly the best German hotel in Carroll County, and it is heated with steam, lighted by electricity, and equipped with water pipes. The rooms are splendidly furnished and, most important in a hotel, the rooms and beds are clean, the table they offer is set with tasty, nourishing dishes, and the service is accommodating and friendly. When entering the hotel, one notices at once the extraordinary quality in the office. The furniture is solid, and the walls are covered with wall-paper, which alone is a costly and elegant decoration. On the south side of the hotel are the reception room and drawing room, which—we may quickly note—are extravagantly furnished. Heavy gold wall paper covers the walls, the floors are covered with thick Brussels carpets, the most solid and elegant furniture decorates the room, and a new grand piano invites the ready fingers to offer a song to the Muses. In truth, the rooms more resemble an elegant home than a hotel, and unconsciously one feels at home there. The elder Mr. Hoffman is assisted in the springtime by his son, Mr. Geo. Hoffmann. He is a very cultivated man, and due to his friendliness and politeness is well-liked by all his associates and customers.

In light of all these advantages, the rates at Hoffmann’s Hotel are very moderate, only $1.25 per day, and meals are 25 cents.