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In the late 1880s, one of the liveliest nightspots in town was the Loyal Hamilton Lodge on the edge of Steele Park (formerly Sydney Square).
The lodge was a popular place for dances because of its kauri floor, and men would ride for more than 30 kilometres to attend the functions, tethering their horses to nearby trees while they changed from dungarees to dress pants behind the macrocarpa. When the dance ended, they would undertake the long ride home, often arriving just in time for morning milking.
The lodge was built in 1874 for the Loyal Hamilton Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows by local carpenter Edward Pearson, whose name later became synonymous with the building. Pearson was originally with the 4th Waikato Militia Regiment and when he was discharged he was granted land at Horsham Downs and in Nixon Street, Hamilton East, where he built his home. When rheumatism prevented him from carrying out his trade, he was forced into bankruptcy but by then he had 11 children to support so he looked for other business opportunities. Eventually, he settled on soap-making and, after successful experiments with recipes, bought the lodge in 1886 to establish a factory.
Pearson's Carbolic Sand Soap was a versatile product that claimed to even destroy insects, including fl eas. Its wrapper had a picture of two women, one looking contented saying, "I use Pearson's Carbolic Sand Soap" and the other on her death bed saying, "I wish I'd used Pearson's Carbolic Sand Soap."
However, the soap did not find favour with everyone: local Maori boycotted the product because one ingredient pumice sand was sourced from a site on the banks of the Waikato River near sacred burial caves. It was also marketed under the name 'Taniwha' which Maori found offensive. When the soap factory closed after Pearson's death in 1896, the building continued to be used for social functions and for a time as a picture theatre. In 1955, it was bought by Berlei (NZ) Ltd as a corset factory and later used for storage by Fow's Flooring Company. In 1967, the Buffalo Lodge bought the property and owned it for more than 30 years.
When Chris and Jane Rollitt leased the building in 2001, it was barely standing. The windows were boarded up and the mezzanine fl oor was said to be "held on by about four nails." During the extensive renovations, sewing needles, corset clasps and hundreds of old beer bottle tops were discovered. On October 3, 2001, The Cook Café and Bar opened for business. At nights, it is again one of the liveliest places in town.
Writer: Charlotte Harder
Photographer: Yahn Simons
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