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 The three-story Hotel Belco, once an office of the Bessemer Limestone Company, opened for business on South Main Street in c1910. The hotel, which added a restaurant/dining room in March 1932, closed for good in c1938. Oddly enough the top two floors were removed in the 1950’s. Various businesses subsequently utilized the building, including the Bessemer Limestone & Cement Company beginning in the 1960’s. In 1983 the F. D. Campbell Memorial Library, named for longtime local physican, school board president, and civic leader Dr. Frank Dickson Campbell (1886-1961), moved in and still occupies the building today. (c1920) Full Size |
 The red arrow denotes the location of the Hotel Belco along S. Main Street in Bessemer. You can see a string of railroad cars on the tracks just out front of the hotel that lead into Brick Plant #1. Bessemer was a thriving little village back in the first half of the 1900’s. (c1940) |
 The top two floors of the former hotel were removed during the 1950’s, but the building is still in use today. (Apr 2012) |
Comments
Albert Spizzo #
This was down the street from the post office, the A & P grocery store and Griffin hardware.
Dr. F. D. Campbell was a wonderful man and doctor. At 14 years of age, he gave me a complete physical exam, required by the camp outside of Harrisburg I was attending. When the exam was completed, I asked how much did I owe for the exam. He gave me $5.00 for spending money, probably because I did not have a father (who had worked for the Metropolitan Paving Brick Co.) and we were rather poor. He delivered my sister and I at our home. In those days he would charge $1.00 or $2.00 for an office visit and $5.00 for a house visit. Whenever he died his wife, not in very good financial shape, tried to collect monies from the many people that didn’t pay their bills. He deserves to be commemorated.
Kathy #
I remember Doc Campbell coming to the house and my mom asking how much she owned him and he told her he would get it from my father the next time they played poker. Must have been a good poker player!
Jim Hasper #
I remember Doctor Campbell well. He delivered my youngest sister at our home.
James M. Martin #
I too can attest to the generosity of Dr. Campbell, who helped me survive a childhood full of asthma, bronchitis, pleurisy and pnuemonia. He would drive to my house and leave extra antibiotics for my mother to administer. I finally decided to grow out of it. He charged so little! Try getting that kind of treatment today! He was also the athletic team doctor, and his name is now on the library, along with Dorothy Nord, well known from Bessemer High School. Bessemer was full of memorable human beings, who actually made life better. My thanks to all of them.
James Martin, valedictorian, class of 1958
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