The interesting yellow brick house at the intersection of America Avenue and Fourth Street was built by Frank Silversack. He was born in Wisconsin, homesteaded in Koochiching County and then became a saloon owner in Bemidji. In February of 1900, he was among the first to donate to a purse made up to defray the burial expenses of his bartender Bennie “Frenchy” Moore who was murdered on opening night at the Olympic Theatre. The Silversack saloon was located at 322 Minnesota Avenue and was named the City Hall Saloon.
Silversack purchased the corner lot on America Avenue on May 27, 1900 from W. F. Street. He built the house for his mail-order bride Louise Pennison Silversack. She was not happy with her husband’s occupation or the rough and tumble life of Bemidji, as her interests were much more literary and in line with the arts.
Their beautiful new home was struck and badly damaged by a severe summer storm on July 29, 1902. Lightning penetrated the roof in several places tearing holes several feet in length, and followed the walls to the cellar where it struck the brick foundation and destroyed it. Posts and boards were smashed into kindling wood. Frank Carson and George Harvey were doing carpenter work in the house at the time and the lightning’s course came within two feet of where they stood. They received a shock; Carson was taken to the hospital but he soon recovered.
Silversack ran afoul of the law a couple of times for selling liquor to a minor. He was first arrested in June 1904, and again in May 1905. Two men were charged with assault at his saloon over the Fourth of July 1905. The next month Mrs. Silversack was arrested and charged with two counts of arson – one for attempting to set fire to the saloon and the second for attempting to set fire to the livery located behind the saloon. Silversack discovered the fire in the stable and managed to put it out before it spread to the rest of the building. Silversack swore out a complaint against his wife and she was placed in the county jail and held until the Grand Jury met in September 1905. She was indicted for arson but furnished bonds and allowed her liberty until the spring session of 1906. No further mention is made of the case, so perhaps the charges were dropped. By November of 1906, Mrs. Silversack was advertising three well-furnished, steam-heated rooms for rent at this location.
By 1910, there was only unhappiness and dissatisfaction in the Silversack house. Mrs. Silversack sought an absolute divorce and alimony from her husband. He answered the complaint by filing a cross complaint asking for divorce. The testimony was exceedingly pithy, and the couple split and went separate ways.
On September 12, 1911, Frank Silverack sold the City Hall Saloon to the Bemidji Brewing Company. He also traded his house at America Avenue for the Louis Lauritzen farm about seven miles west of the city. He planned to move to the farm and live an independent life, while Mr. Lauritzen moved his family to the city and occupied the splendid home vacated by Silversack. Lauritzen was a mason by trade and formerly followed this trade while he lived in the city. Frank Silversack remarried twice after that, died in 1930 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
Harry and Jennie Mooney were living in the house in 1921 and the house was sold to Mary Jane Mooney on September 10, 1923. Harry was an employee of the Crookston Lumber Company and later was engineer at Bemidji State Teachers College. They had a son, Ernest Lisle Mooney. In 1940, Fletcher Grimoldby, Deputy County Treasurer, was living there as well. He was Harry’s brother-in-law. Harry died in 1943, and Jennie died in 1959, and ownership of the house passed to Lisle Mooney. Upon his passing on April 8, 1965, the house went to Florence Jeanette Owen. Robert and Joan Bernstrom bought the house from the Owens and turned it into the Catalyst Bookstore, which many people still remember. On April 12, 2000, Ron L. Anderson purchased the house from the Bernstroms with the intention of creating a spiritual place for people to lead healthier lives. In honor of his late wife, he restored the building to its original splendor that we see today. On July 15, 2007. Sanya Mortenson purchased the building with the dream of a permanent home for the Bemidji Health & Wellness Center, and made it a beautiful and welcoming building. It is currently the site of Lashes by Leah (2023).