The history of Samson Hardware
Originally published Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 12:00 a.m.
Updated Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 9:18 a.m.
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Samson Hardware
Samson Hardware, a Fairbanks landmark that had stood on the northern bank of the Chena River since 1904 was demolished Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009, to make way for a road project. To see video of the demolition, click here.
FAIRBANKS — It survived floods, earthquakes, near fires, boom-to-bust times and 105 years of brutal winters, but one of Fairbanks’ oldest establishments —Samson Hardware just off Cushman Street— proved no match for the yellow excavator that leveled it the morning of Oct. 8.
Already shuttered and boarded up since January, the Samson building was removed in the name of progress — a new, larger bridge over the Chena River.
“I’m heartbroke,” said Jennifer Towler, who co-owns the business with her sister Jeanne Stearns, and is opening a new Samson Hardware in the coming weeks on Phillips Field Road. “From 1980 to 2009, it was a big part of my life, but what do you do?
“We didn’t even know it was going down (on Oct. 8),” she added.
It’s hard to imagine Fairbanks without Samson, on the banks of the Chena River across from where city founder E.T. Barnette landed. It was a foundation on which this city was built. As one of the original hardware stores in Fairbanks, many of the building supplies that took the town from gold rush dreams to pipeline boom to today came from Samson’s.
The origins of Samson
Fairbanks was originally a trading post, founded by Barnette in 1901, quite literally, when this was the middle of nowhere. With him was a load of building and mining supplies and foodstuffs that eventually became his “gold” after real gold was discovered in the area. These supplies became the basis for the first hardware store. Competition soon arrived when Raymond Brumbaugh and Henry Hamilton opened a second hardware store.
Ironically it was a bridge, the first to span the Chena, which positioned the Brumbaugh, Hamilton and Kellogg (for store manager Edward Kellogg) hardware store on the north side of the river in 1905. It was a fortuitous move: In the spring of 1906 a fire destroyed most of south Fairbanks — the core of the city — but left the store undamaged and full of supplies necessary to repair the damage. That summer’s rebuilding created a strong demand for hardware, and the trio expanded the operation, adding a metal forge. The new building included the three partners’ names painted near the top, along with an eight-foot high “Samson,” then a well-known trademark representing quality metal work.
History will remember
And that’s how the building stood, with an occasional refinishing of fresh paint and various additions and renovations, until being knocked down 10 days ago.
During its time, Samson Hardware was “the place” to go for supplies and had a reputation for stocking virtually everything someone might need, from car parts to pipe fittings, mining supplies to seed stock. The store changed a lot over the years, but the reputation never faltered.
It was “one of the few stores left that had that old-time flavor and nostalgia. A lot of people still alive today remember the old owners and have an allegiance to Samson’s,” Towler said. “It’s not that we can’t have old buildings forever.”
Contact features writer Glenn BurnSilver at 459-7510.
Community Discussion
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so sad - my family has been going to samson's hardware since 1973 ; it will be sorely missed and was something you could always count on.
how does the big i get to stay, with their reasoning being its a historical building, when samsons was just as old, if not older and we had to lose it? guess its probably just a matter of who you know and how deep your pockets are....
How did they ever move the giant parts bin? There was stuff one couldn't imagine behind the counter but staff always knew where to look for the solution to one's inquiry.
What's left of Garden island?
My family has been patronizing Samson's Hardware since 1963.
The location may have changed, but our loyalty will not.
'New' building, same great customer service. I stopped over at the new store a couple weeks ago to take a peek. Saw one of the girls and asked how everyone was doing. It's been a big learning curve for them, what with inspectors and contractors after being in one place for so long.
I also asked if they had interior propane lights, as a friend of mine is rebuilding after burning out this past winter. She said, 'Yep- let me ask my purchasing agent.' We walked over to his office, and he didn't miss a beat- when asked replied,"Sure do- need the stock number?"
Mind you, this is with almost no shelving set up, nevermind any stock.
Not only are the customers looking forward to the reopening, so is the staff. My hat is off for their perserverence.
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