A jewel of a store

In 1891 Herbert L. Trask rented a small corner in a laundry at 119-121 South Green Street where he began his trade in the jewelry business. By 1895, he opened his own store at 118 South Green Street and was listed in the Crawfordsville City Directory as a "silversmith" -- and by1900 he was also a "watchmaker."  In 1912 he is listed as a "jeweler" at a new location, 127 South Washington Street, using  repairing, engraving, and stone-setting skills that he acquired from Bradley University (Peoria, Illinois). From 1914-1924 his business was located 129 South Washington Street, but by 1930 he again moved, this time to 109 South Green Street.Unfortunately, this last change of location would eventually leave his livelihood in a pile of ash and rubble.

Trask's business at 109 South Green Street, which was destroyed January 10, 1933, by a massive fire

Crawfordsville experienced a devastating fire that destroyed much of a city block in January 1933. Trask did manage another jewelry store at 115 South Washington Street after the fire but later operated a plant in Indianapolis and then a jewelry business in Franklin (for 18 years) before retiring in 1953. The National Jewelers' Publication honored Mr. Trask in 1952  for 60 years of exemplary service. Herbert L. Trask passed away in 1965 at the age of 94.

This page from the 1930 Crawfordsville City Directory (there isn't a 1933 directory in the library collection), shows Trask Jewelry Store, The Western Union Telegraph Company, Symmes & Williams, and Crawfordsville Bldg Loan Fund (117). The catastrophe didn't destroy the Journal and Review at 119 South Green.

The Journal and Review building was spared from the fire; in 1933 it was further south  The current Journal building is at 119 North Green Street.