North side of the Marshall/Dunn Hotel (1983).Photo byP. Steele/NRHP Nomination Form.

The historic Marshall Hotel was located at 103 East Malone at the corner of So. New Madrid and Malone Avenue in Sikeston, Missouri (Scott County). It was also known as the Dunn Hotel.

This three-story brick hotel building was constructed in 1910. On March 22, 1984, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This hotel which was more commonly know as the Dunn Hotel is now the site of the Board of Municipal Utilities (BMU) building. A popular hangout in the hotel was the Copper Still.

Backstory

Due to the growth and development of Sikeston and Scott County, the Marshall-Dunn Hotel helped to accommodate needs. Well-known local residents and visiting dignitaries would stay here.

The building was initially financed and later owned by Charles Davis Matthews who was a prominent banker in Sikeston. Matthews was also an enrepreneur who involved himself in the development of the city. He was very successful with his real estate investments.

It was the only hotel building on the depot grounds square left from 1900-1920 which was considered Sikeston's boom years. It was one of the largest hotels in the area.

Sikeston

The site of Sikeston was initially owned by Frenchman, Francis Paquette. In 1829, it was acquired by the Stallcup family, one of the pioneer families in the Sikeston area.

John Sikes married into the Stallcup family and acquired control in 1859. In April 1860, Sikeston was platted by Sikes with the anicipation of the Cairo and Fulton Railroad coming through the area of his farm. The original plat contained the large depot grounds which contains the depot and Legion Park. The railroad had reached Sikeston in 1860.

An important source of wealth leading into the 1870s was lumbering. Matthews made his wealth from merchandising, banking, and land speculation. Successful landowners built their nice homes north of Sikeston in the 1880s and 1890s.

By 1900, Sikeston had grown to 1,100 people. Matthews' family had several enterprises going. The Marshall-Dunn Hotel was located on the northwest corner of the original plat of Sikeston at the corner of Malone and New Madrid Streets. The hotel was across the street from the railroad depot and faced Legion Park to the north.

The hotel building was in the center of commercial activity. The community of Sikeston had easy access with four railroad lines and north-south and east-west roads. The site of the hotel has served a commercial purpose since 1890, which was when a saloon also occupied the site.

Between 1895-1898, Samuel Turner constructed a three-story brick hotel and a one-story saloon. In 1901, the hotel was called the Windsor Hotel. In 1906, it was leased to C.M. Ducker as the Commercial Hotel. The hotel was purchased by J. W. and C. M. Marshall who operated the hotel and adjacent saloon.

Old Commercial Hotel that burned in 1910. The Dunn Hotel followed on the site.Photo byPinterest.

The above photo shows the Commercial Hotel with its wooden porch and saloon. The Commercial Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1910. However, the saloon survived.

The Marshalls mortgaged the property and by the summer of 1910, signed a five-year lease with Charles A. Cook for the hotel. The Marshalls rebuilt the hotel and expanded it to include the saloon. This new building was one of the major buildings downtown.

The new building was constructed of brick and toilet rooms and public bathrooms were included. The ground floor included the hotel office and lobby, restaurant, kitchen, barber shop, and automobile showroom. Hotel rooms were on the second and third floors.

In 1911, the property was acquired by Charles D. Matthews. After Matthews died in 1917, the hotel property and remainder of his real estate buildings were put into a trust named the C.D. Matthews Estate, Inc. C.A. Cook managed the hotel until 1924.

The hotel was in the control of the C. D. Matthews Estate until 1940 at which time it was purchased by Ernest Dunn. That's when the building was named the Dunn Hotel. In the 1930s, it was known to hold political functions and social events. There was a rumor that Al Capone had spent a night at the hotel.

In 1934, while Harry S. Truman was running for the Senate, he stayed at the hotel. James M. Pendergast from Kansas City, Missouri also stayed at the hotel.

In 1940, Jim, the infamous Wonder Dog, made a lot of trips to the hotel and was exhibited in the lobby.

During World War II, the hotel was even busier. It was the headquarters for Cadets from a local Army Air Force training base along with their parents. Wedding ceremonies between Cadets and local women took place at the hotel.

In 1967, before H. Dearmont and Margaret Rush Oliver purchased the building, it had been converted into apartments by the Dunns. The Olivers also owned the building at the time it was nominated for the National Register.

The BMU Building in Sikeston, Missouri.Photo byGoogle Maps screenshot.

In 2010, the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities opened its new 30,000 square foot administrative building at 107 East Malone Avenue. (Source.)

Charles D. Matthews, Sr.

Matthews, Sr. died in his home on October 17, 1917, at age 74. Although he was born poor, he ended up a very wealthy man. Matthews, Sr. moved to Sikeston when he was 22.

He purchased an interest in the Sam Stringer and Edward Coleman Mercantile Co. and after a year, he bought his partners out and spent much of his life in mercantile enterprises. In 1872, he married Rebecca Greer. They had a daughter who died at a young age and his wife died around 1874.

Around 1876, Matthews, Sr. married Rebecca's siser, Betty Greer. They had three children: Charles D. Matthews, II, Ned Matthews, and a child was lost in infancy. After Betty passed away, Matthews, Sr. married Betty Sikes and they had one child named Joe.

In 1887, he established the Bank of Sikeston which served as his headquarters. He also owned stock in several enterprises. He organized the Scott County Milling Co. and kept his interests in same until he died. He owned large tracts of land and divided a considerable amount of land among his children.

According to the October 26, 1917 issue of the Sikeston Standard, Matthews, Sr. died of an attack of reumatism of the heart.

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