Looking Back: Grain Valley, Original Town, Lot 19 & 20

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society


This week’s article shall begin with the Original Town, Lot 19, a location I knew very well as a child.  The building on Lot 19, which burned on December 9. 1959 was Napier Hardware, a business owed by my parents, Mildred and Charlie Napier. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Lot 19 is a pie shaped piece of land in the half-block that borders the railroad on the northeast side of Main Street.

The first owner of this lot was Mell Hulse It was sold to M. L. Hall on January 20, 1900. And this is where my research has hit a snag. In the Recorders book it appears that  N.T. Webb purchased the land on May 21, 1909 and the Warren Webb Mercantile Co. purchased Lot 19 and the building on November 16, 1910. However, I have a photograph of the Warren Webb Hardware dated 1902. I suppose 120 years later, it doesn’t really matter, but it is curious.

The lot and building were sold to W. H. Loring  on June 7, 1916 and for the next 50 years, it was known as Loring Hardware. When Mr. Loring died the title was transferred to his wife, Ada Loring. For many years following his death, Loring Hardware was managed by Abner Hanes and later Cecil Poage. My parents bought the business in 1949. However, it must have been bought with a mortgage because the title transfer did not occur until May 29, 1956. That would also explain why the name change didn’t occur until that time. I never really knew why and I never asked either of my parents. I just remember old Painter Neal, a sign painter who lived “out south” came to town one day and painted Napier Hardware on the large window near the front door. Unfortunately, I have no photographs of my family’s business. Some years after the fire, Hugo Pierce purchased the vacant lot and it 1972 Lot 19 became the property of The Bank of Grain Valley.

The information for Lot 20 is somewhat sketchy. There are only 4 names on the deed prior to 1962; N. Bohin, Ed Williams, W. J. Pratt and Edgar Huff. In 1962, three years after the fire Mary Mollenkamp, granddaughter of the Bank of Grain Valley President, at the time, is listed as the owner and then Model Engineering who also owned Lots 21-24.  Since the fire in 1959 Lot 20, like Lot 19 has only been vacant and a parking lot. Prior to the fire Lot 21 was actually Front Street as shown on the map.

As for the building on Lot 20, during the late 1920s and early 30s, it was one of three small hotels in town. The lower floor sometimes housed a restaurant and rooms where the proprietor might have lived. Outside stairs on the south side of the building led to the second level with as many as 6 or 8 separate rooms.

I do not know when the hotel closed. I do know that gasoline pumps were in front of the building in the 1940 when Mr. Huff ran an auto repair shop there, selling gas out front. When the building burned there were 3 apartments on the second level and the lower floor was vacant. The fire was started in one of the apartments by a sleeping man who fell asleep (more likely passed out) with a lit cigarette. At the time, Grain Valley did not have city water! Many homes and business near the area had roof fires that night. Less than two weeks later a city water bond, which had failed for years, passed with only 3 NO votes.
 
Next week learn about the remaining 18 lots, part of the Downtown Grain Valley revitalization/Missouri Main Street porject.
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Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society