Matt & Mary Ward

Matt & Mary Ward were not the first to arrive in Glenwood, but they had one of the

Bartke Hall, built by Daniel Bartke, became a meeting hall, pharmacy, and lodging house. Under Matt & Mary Ward it grew into the Ward Hotel which, with additions, thrived until 1944.

longest running businesses – The Ward Hotel, aka The Glenwood House and initially Bartke Hall.  Matt Ward, (1848 – 1919) became manager in 1885, and soon after, owner.  He and Mary transformed it into a modern hotel.  The Ward Hotel had a “sample room” where traveling salesmen could make a better show of their wares to business men.  Under the Wards, Bartke Hall was renovated with additions to the rear and a third floor overlooking the town.  Mary Ward is remembered for her “motherly” manner to travelers.  The Ward Hotel remained open until Mary Ward’s death in 1944.  It was razed in 1945 and the lumber used to build the “Five Mile” Presbyterian Church north of Glenwood.

The Glenwood Cemetery Association maintains the grounds with funds from the sale of burial plots, interest from investments and from memorial gifts. As you research your family ancestry and visit their graves, consider a gift to the cemetery. The “Contact Us” page has details.