Marceline Mercantile

On May 17, 2025 at the Marceline Masonic Lodge, the official Marceline Historical Society (501c3, trademarked) presented four more Marceline properties with plaques commemorating the addition of the Gucker Coal Office, Marceline Masonic Temple (which hosted the event).

Marceline Historical Society Executive Director and Founder Ed Comber stated, “Our hope is that these properties will act as inspiration to the rest of the community. Five properties on the National Register will attract new tourism, tourism that helps everyone. The Marceline Historical Society is definitely leading the city’s preservation efforts.”

“We’d like to thank Marceline for trusting me to get these five places of the Register. It has been a great honor for me and the Marceline Historical Society’s Board to do this work. Personally, I have been blessed to get to know those representing each property and the intimidate reasons these properties are so profoundly important to not only to them and Marceline, but to Missouri and our great nation,” Comber said. “We hope this opens the door to others seeing the importance of preservation, particularly preserving the beautiful historic buildings in this city.”

While Marceline is famous for the six years Disney lived here, Comber noted, “each of these properties,” Comber noted, “have been standing for decades. This building [Masonic Lodge] has been standing for 102 years; the Gucker Coal office is over 90 years old; the Lincon School is 95 years old; and the First Christian Church is 115 years old! And that’s what Marceline should be celebrating.” The Uptown is 95 years old this year.

Over 40 people attended the event, both in person and over Zoom.

Each of the property representatives gave a speech discussing their property and what being on the Register means to them.

For the Mason Lodge, Dennis Hurlbut, discussed the importance of the building to Marceline and how it “was on the verge of being demolished [but] Fred Lewis said we could save it, and we have.” He went on to say that at one point, “this was the only place to have public gatherings [in Marceline].” A round of applause went out for Fred Lewis.

Deli Borel, representative for the First Christian Church, led the room with a prayer. In her speech, Borell stated, “This honor recognizes more than just a beautiful building—it celebrates the faith, history, and enduring spirit of a community that has called this church home for generations. It is a symbol of our shared past and the values that continue to unite us today. The church has long stood as a symbol of spiritual strength, fellowship, and service in Marceline—and now its story will be preserved and honored for generations to come.” She went on to thank Patsy Dorrell and Lex Cavanah for their special contributions to helping the church get listed.

Adam Skinner, the current owner of the Lincon School, accepted the plaque for that property. In his acceptance speech, Skinner stated he’s grateful for the help in getting the property listed. After Skinner, Ms. Helen Toland, a former student at the Lincoln School, offered her thanks, saying that because the Lincoln School has been listed on the Register, “a lot of people know the name Marceline who didn’t know it before. I was born there. Went to Lincoln School there…and always your name and your thoughts were part of mine.”

Dolores “Dodo” (Gucker) Collins (the only living former employee of Gucker Coal Co. and Frank and Inez’s immediate family) accepted the plaque for the property, listed on the National Register as “Marceline Mercantile.” Michelle Lewis, current property owner and Gucker family member, gave the acceptance speech. She pointed out that at 14, Mrs. Collins did just about everything at the coal office, from scooping the coal into the truck to weighing and delivering to patrons. She continued by going over the rich history of the property and added that “Gucker Coal Company would deliver coal to families even if they could not pay their bill, and to this day we have a ledger up there and we do have past due bills.”

“The Marceline Historical Society is currently working on two more Marceline properties for the National Register. Once accepted, Marceline will truly be an even more attractive stop for cultural and historic tourism than it just became. These types of tourists spend on average one more night in historic towns and about $175 per day more than those who are in and out of places like small town museums. They go into more businesses too, often looking at the architecture. The longer they’re in the store, the more potential there is for purchases, too. That leads to more money for the city through tax revenue. Everyone benefits from this type of tourism; just look at Hannibal and similar places that have grown as a direct result of the city’s cultural and historical heritage.”

A video of the event is HERE.

“This marks a significant turning point in Marceline’s attractiveness as a booming tourism hub,” Comber concluded. “We’re looking forward to continuing our efforts to preserve the history of Marceline. Our organization is honored to be leading Marceline into a new future as we look to the past. The past is truly Marceline’s future.”

Interested in being a part of and/or donating to the legal 501c3 Marceline Historical Society? CONTACT US.