Maceline timeline

July 30 2025

Marceline Lincoln School: Local Black Education History Through Period of Significance, Part 3

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Pre-Period of Significance

Prior to the period of significance (1933-1954), there was a considerable amount of attention given to the Lincoln School, sometimes referred to as the “Colored School.” Melia K. Franklin, a PhD candidate at the University of Nebraska, wrote her dissertation on race in Marceline. In her dissertation Franklin speaks directly to the history of Black education in Marceline. She asserts Marceline was a bit of an anomaly, because as early as 1889, she notes, Marceline provided a “colored” elementary school in an abandoned carpenter’s shop.[1]

Another account of what might be construed as acceptance was the publication of a picture of G.W. Moorman, the teacher at the school for at least the 1899-1900 school year.[2]

According to one report, the carpenter’s shop was on East Walker Street[3] and was soon razed and the “handhewn Hayden School” was moved “from the north end of town to the vacated lot.”[4] That school survived until 1930 when it was destroyed by fire.[5] The Black students would spend the next two years in the Second Baptist Church until the current Lincoln School was erected.[6]

A report in 1930, indicated that the Hayden School, also called Lincoln School, had burned down on 4 September 1930.[7] About six months after the Hayden School burned, Black parents petitioned the school board for a new school. A $4000 bond issue proposal was issued, stating the “school, which would be of brick and tiles, would be built on the Curtis Arnold place.” Since the burning, the Black schoolchildren had been holding classes in the “Negro church”; it was a Baptist church.[8] The bond failed, and the Black school remained in the church for the next two years. The election regarding the $4000 bond issue failed by only 56 votes, missing the two-thirds majority needed, adding “there is widespread sentiment for the new school building [and the] Negro taxpayers feel they are paying taxes to support the other schools of the city and therefore are entitled to a school themselves.”[9] The reasons for the failure are unknown.

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A year later, in April 1932, The Marceline News asserted the Black children needed a proper school again, arguing that:

“The Negro children must be given consideration at this election. They are entitled to a comfortable, well lighted new building. The old building, which was destroyed by fire, was in the fourth ward. As most of the Negro population lives in the third ward, the proposition to change the school site to the third ward is logical and should receive the attention of the voters.” [10]

That call for a special election triggered more publicity and was followed by increased support but high-ranking local officials and prominent residents. The next month, an article appeared in support of a new school for Black children. In this one, prominent members of the community wrote about their support of a new building. Examples of what some said are: Mrs. Georgia Steiner, President of the Civil League, who said, “I heartily endorse the proposal for the Lincoln School Bond.”; Albert Zurcher (the official Marceline timekeeper for the Santa Fe Railroad) stated, “I am in favor of Bond issue in order to give the Negro school children a chance for proper school education”; C.U. Murray, a prominent mercantile business owner, argued that, “The Negro school building is needed. The cost is small. The bonds should carry.”; and Mrs. Ola Putman (wife of Dr. Putman who built the first hospital in Marceline) who echoed Steiner by saying, “I heartily endorse the place for proving the Negro children of Marceline a school.”[11] A petition that convinced the board to move forward was signed by 504 residents. It is unknown what the population was in 1932, but the 1930 census has the population at 3,555. While the

racial breakdown of the population is unknown, the 1930 Census report shows Linn County had a population of 23,339 with 500 Black people, or .02% of the population. If this percentage is assumed to be consistent with Marceline’s population, Marceline would have had roughly 71 people of color in 1930.The election to vote on a proposed bond issue of $3500 to build the nominated property was held May 17.[12] The bond issue carried by a vote of 475 to 79. This was the third time the proposal had been voted upon. It was defeated at the city election in April 1931, and again at the city election last month.”[13] The city requested bids for the new school.[14]

By July, work had started on the new school; the lot was owned by the Marceline Board of Education at the time. Floyd Newman[15] “was the low bid for the general contract, his bid being $2,855.45, who was $266 lower than the next bid.”[16] Bealmear and Grube won the heating and cooling contract for $436, while Fred Wolfskill[17] was employed as the work inspector. The total project would run $3291.46, easily coming in under the $3500 originally earmarked for the project. As part of the contract, the building was to be completed within 45 days, just in time for the new school year.

Period of Significance

Just before the start of the 1932-1933 school year, The Marceline News reported the new school would have 20 students.[18] The school was dedicated on 7 October 1932 at 8 pm, opened on time for the 1932-1933 school year with August Anderson as the teacher and 20 students enrolled.[19]

Since its erection in 1933, the Marceline Lincoln School continues to sit at the corner of South Chestnut and West Wells Streets in what is still Marceline’s Third Ward, the area in which the bulk of Marceline’s black population lived at the time of its erection.[20]

Graduates of the Lincoln School often used the white high school’s auditorium for their commencements too, usually on the same day as the white school’s commencement.

Through the 1930s and 1940s, the school had an unsteady enrollment of students, the minimum number of black students needed to have a separate school for students of color was 20;[21] However, Marceline’s schools for Black students often dipped well below this threshold, yet Marceline continued to supply a formal schoolhouse for the children, with the exception of the two years the students took class in the Baptist church

The attendance totals that are available for the years included in the period of significance are as follows:

1930: 17.[22]
1931: 19[23]
1932 (the year the school opened): 20 but ended with 17.
1937: 26[24]
1938: 21[25]
1939: 27[26]
1940: 17[27]
1941: 20 [28]
1945: 12[29]
1946: 10 [30]
1947: 11[31]
1948: 11[32]
1949: 8[33]
1953: 15.[34]

These numbers show the Lincoln School had an historically low attendance through most of its existence. While it may be easy to conclude the reason the school closed by 1955 was due to low attendance and not because Marceline was immediately and swiftly complying with the Brown decision, this assumption would be incorrect. The school was erected despite the 1928 and 1929 school years having attendance that fell under the 20-student threshold mandated by state law. Furthermore, the community ensured the school remained open for over 20 years despite historically low attendance. These facts indicate that the school board, at the least and perhaps the city government, had no problem ignoring the state law. Additionally, while this appears to contradict a statement in Magic City, in July 1955, the school board finalized their fill integration plans for the Lincoln School, adding that, “This will be the first year of total integration…as last year [1954] integration was completed on the high school level only.”[35] This integration was in line with the 3-Step recommendation of integration given in the Brown case, and 15 years before Missouri’s constitution was ratified to officially make integration a state law.

Despite this low attendance, the school enjoyed many accolades and publicity. For example, in 1941, The Marceline News announced the school had held a program and a picnic, the slogan of the school is “Common Things in an Uncommon Way” and listed the two graduates.[36] Several other years include short stories about the Lincoln School graduation programs, too. Some simply state the basics: who the speaker was, the teacher’s name, the names of the graduates, and enrollment. Others were more in-depth, including details such as the order of events or expounding on the attendance records of students, including the graduates.

Toland indicates there was no black high school at the time, so all high schoolers were bussed to Keytesville where they’d get in a car and drive to Dalton, Missouri 27 miles directly south of Marceline Franklin’s research supports Toland’s personal recollection. “Black students who wished to receive an education beyond the eighth grade were bussed to the nearest black high school in Dalton, Missouri, approximately 30 miles south of Marceline. Several interviewees had memories of the busses that took the black students to and from high school.”[37]

She added the school’s seating arrangement was beneficial to all the students. The seats were arranged in three rows which were broken down into grades. As a result, everyone heard everyone else’s lessons, “so you kind of learned ahead if you were in a younger grade.”[38] She credits this as the reason she earned all A’s in her high school in Dalton, Missouri.

According to Franklin, prior to the landmark Brown decision, “Marceline had begun desegregation at the high school [emphasis added] in 1953…. The elementary was desegregated in 1955, just shortly after the decision.[39] She doesn’t mention any names of the high school students. Marceline high school yearbooks for the school year of 1953-54 show there were no black high school students attending. However, in 1954-55 and 1955-56 the yearbooks do show black students: two students of appear in the 1954-55 yearbook (Freshman Nola White and sophomore Mildred Tinsley); Tinsley is not listed in the 1953-1954 yearbook as a freshman. It is possible she started at Marceline High School in 1953 and simply wasn’t put into the yearbook for some reason. As per Franklin’s conclusion that the elementary started segregation in 1955, a clipping from 1954 states that “Mrs. Thelma Potter of the Lincoln School and eight pupils” were guests of the Womans’ Society.[40] However, an ad announcing that the Lincoln School is up for sale implies it had been abandoned after the 1954-1955 school year. This means that elementary education integration would have started with the 1955-56 school year.

The Lincoln School was allowed to hold activities in areas typically thought to be “whites-only” venues. For example, several reports discuss the Lincoln School holding commencement in the auditorium of the white high school.

Ownership

After Brown was enacted in 1954, the schoolhouse was abandoned. According to Kremer and Roberts, the city held the deed on the property until sometime into the 1960s when it was sold to Avie Still and Fred Fischer.[41] However, 1955 ads and The Marceline News article refutes this statement (Figure 15). The newspaper had two ads announcing the “Notice of Sale of School Property” in its 14 and 21 October 1955 issues and reported that the Lincoln School building had been sold to Alvah Still and Russell Fisher for $2005 in 1955.[42] The Phase III survey adds that in “the 1970s they sold the building to the present owner, John Leopold,”[43] who continued to use it for a plumbing and heating business and sheet-metal shop. Later in the 1970s, Leopold used it for an antique shop and … a military museum.[44] Adam Skinner purchased the schoolhouse 2016 from Leopold’s son, who emptied out the museum after Leopold died.[45]

THE AREA

Marceline has had four wards for 100 years. Marceline’s City Clerk, Lindsay Krumpelman, stated the city has no map of the wards. The ward maps for 1940 and 1950 (Figures 16 and 25) were located in the National Archives site. These fall within the POS and show no alterations to the boundaries during that time.[46]

Assuming no changes occurred in the borders seen in the undated map, the Lincoln School would be in the west central section of the map, above Walt Disney Park and Centennial Dr., which runs through the park (Figures 16 and 25).

Regrettably, there are no extant historical properties in Marceline that could be used as comparison. The closest comparison would be the Park School in Brookfield; however, that school has been heavily renovated, and parts demolished when the additions were built, thus its historical integrity is non-extant. The Lincoln School remains the only extant resource of Black education in Marceline (The Black Baptist Church is no longer standing).

The history of Black education in Missouri, as in most of the areas of the post-bellum South has been satiated with racism, with Black children either being outright denied a formal education or crammed into rooms or small buildings under the guise of “separate but equal” education.

The Lincoln School was the only K-8 school for non-white children in Marceline during the Period of Significance, 1933-1954. . Until Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS, in 1954, African American children were required to attend “separate but equal” schools. Prior to that, after graduating from Marceline’s Lincoln School, students were bussed and driven down to Dalton, Missouri (27 miles south of Marceline) to the Black high school there.

Today, the Lincoln School is the last extant resource representative of education for the Black community during the era of segregation in Marceline and is a candidate for the National Register under Criterion A.: ETHNIC HERITAGE – BLACK and EDUCATION.

[1] Franklin, Melia K. School and Community, Community and School: A Case Study of a Rural

Missouri Setting. Dissertation. U of Nebraska, May 2011.

[2] Moorman’s photo appears in the 31 March 1899 edition of the Marceline Journal-Mirror just above a “school and

Church” update.

[3] Franklin’s information here appears to be inaccurate, as the only carpenter shop was at the southeast corner of Lake and Kansas.

[4] The Magic City, p. 52.

[5] No school appears in any part of city area described on the 1902, 1911 and 1930 Sanborn Fire Maps.

[6] See “Bids”, “Colored Citizens”, Magic City, and “Toland”. All of these corroborate this statement.

[7] “937 ae Enrolled in School Here.” The Marceline News, 12 September 1930.

[8] “$4000 Bond Issue for Negro School.” The Marceline News. 20 March 1931. The location of this church is

unknown. It does not show up on any Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps nor is a location given in news reports.

[9] Ibid.

[10] “Vital School Election.” The Marceline News. 1 April 1932. The 1930 Census, as noted earlier, shows 65.5% of

the non-white resided in Ward 3.

[11] “Unite in Favor of The School Bonds.” The Marceline News. 6 May 1932.

[12] “Special Election for Negro School.” The Marceline News. 29 April 1932.

[13] “A 6-to-1 Vote for the School Bonds.” The Marceline News. 20 May 1932.

[14] “Bids for New School Building.” The Marceline News. 24 June 1932.

[15] Newman was contracted 9 years prior to raze the buildings that once stood where the current Masonic Temple

does.

[16] “Work Started on the Negro School.” The Marceline News. 15 July 1932.

[17] Wolfskill was the contractor who completed the Uptown Theatre in 1930.

[18] “More than 900 in the Schools Here.” The Marceline News. 9 September 1932.

[19] “The Lincoln School Report.” The Marceline News. 7 October 1932.

[20] “Lincoln School News.” The Marceline News, 27 May 1932. Additionally, there appear to be no specifics about

the Black population in Marceline’s Third Ward during this time. Census records, as discussed above, only show the city’s population. The statement regarding the Third Ward being where most of the Black population lived is based on articles regarding where to put the new school and on Toland’s comments.

[21] Henderson, p. 1.

[22] “Fine Lincoln School Report.” The Marceline News, 10 October 1930.

[23] “Big Enrollment in Public Schools.” The Marceline News, 11 September 1931.

[24] “4979 Students in the Linn Schools,” The Marceline News, 29 October 1937.

[25] “Perfect Lincoln School Record.” The Marceline News, 7 October 1938.

[26] “4,344 Enrolled in Schools in County.” The Marceline News, 6 October 1939.

[27] “827 Enrolled in The Schools Here.” The Marceline News, 6 September 1940.

[28] “792 Are Enrolled in Schools Here.” The Marceline News, 5 September 1941.

[29] “The Lincoln School Report.” The Marceline News, 2 November 1945.

[30] “673 Enrolled in The Schools Here.” The Marceline News, 6 September 1946.

[31] “665 Are Enrolled in Schools Here.” The Marceline News, 5 September 1947.

[32] “Lincoln School in Closing Program.” The Marceline News, 14 May 1948.

[33] “31 From Here to Attend College.” The Marceline News and The Bucklin Herald, 16 September 1949.

[34] “779 Are Enrolled in Public Schools.” The Marceline News, 4 September 1953.

[35] “Supt. Sage Meets with School Board.” The Marceline News and The Bucklin Herald, 15 July 1955.

[36] “Lincoln School News.” The Marceline News. 30 May 1941.

[37] Franklin, p. 150. There were 23 interviewees. All were white.

[38] Toland.

[39] Ibid., p. 151. This information is also found in Magic City, p. 56

[40] “Womans’ Society Meeting.” The Marceline News. 19 February 1954.

[41] Kremer and Roberts, Phase III.

[42] “Lincoln School Sold to Home Heating Co.” The Marceline News. 18 November 1955, 69.11.

[43] The Phase III form indicates this, and it is confirmed by Adam Skinner (the current owner of the schoolhouse).

However, he cannot confirm that the couple who had it before Leopold did anything with it, despite what the Phase III document states, and no information supporting the shop has been located. Conversations with Shelly Herring, who wrote the original eligibility assessment request for the school, have further confirmed this information.

[44] From Phase III document and confirmed by Skinner and Waddle, who has the deed records showing a 1973

purchase of the property which combined lots 17-24.

[45] From personal correspondence with Skinner.

[46] Suzan Stephenson, Linn County Clerk, sent a current map with no known date, but because that map is outside of

the POS, it is not included in this nomination. The map, however, shows that there have been no alterations to the boundaries of any of the Wards.

July 16 2025

Marceline First Christian Church: It’s History, Part 2

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Since its erection in 1915, the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Marceline at 116 West Gracia Avenue, in Marceline, Linn County, Missouri has provided space for the public and local groups to hold ceremonial meetings, gather for fellowship and festivities, and organize their charitable activities. The building’s design and decorative details on the primary southern façade facing W. Gracia most markedly, but also on the three other elevations makes the church a noteworthy instance of its genre in Marceline and the surrounding area—a unique temple of worship based on Greco-Roman concepts and unlike other regional places of worship. This building is locally significant under Criterion C: ARCHITECTURE because it is an exceptional example of the Classical Revival style popular during the end of the 19^th century into the 20^th century, and is part of a 10-year building Renaissance in Marceline that saw the erection of several buildings, like the Santa Fe Depot (1913), I.O.O.F. Building (1915), Carnegie Library (1920), and Masonic Lodge #481 (1923-1924). Additionally, it is one of northern Missouri’s best adaptions of a Neoclassical-style place of worship, demonstrating the translation of an American architecture style[1] to Missouri’s rural areas during the World War I era (1914-1918). Finally, the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Marceline preserves its prime historical features, including having fully incorporated the original 1890 church into the 1915 building and maintaining its original dimensions in every way. Each elevation of the church has been virtually unaltered in appearance, updated only for safety and to improve access for those with mobility issues, since the building’s construction by local contractor and architect, A. J. Reynolds, over 100 years ago. The period of significance is 1915, the start and finish dates of construction.

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The History of the Disciples of Christ

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Protestant denomination that has been around since the early 1800s. The Church “grew out of two movements seeking Christian unity that sprang up almost simultaneously in western Pennsylvania and Kentucky – movements that were backlashes against the rigid denominationalism of the early 1800s.”[2] The first movement was second was Presbyterian minister Barton W. Stone; the second movement involved the father and son duo of Thomas and Alexander Campbell. These two movements pursued the same ideology: A unified church. The movements would later combine to become known as the Stone-Campbell (reformation) Movement.

By the early 1800s, it was common to believe that the only people in heaven were the people in your specific denomination. This concept didn’t sit well with many, and it led to a revolt.[3] Two factions with similar ideologies split off from the church.

Because the aims and practices of the two groups were similar, the groups united in 1832 in Lexington, KY after about a quarter of a century of separate development; they did it with a simple handshake.[4]

Today, “the Stone-Campbell churches are characterized by a focus on New Testament teaching, shared governance between clergy and laity, baptism by immersion, ecumenism, and the regular celebration of communion during worship.”[5]

The Disciples of Christ have a history of reaching out to other traditions. In 1910, they established the Council on Christian Unity to foster an inter-denominational community as the denomination’s founders sought to do in 1832. They were also active in forming the National and World Councils of Churches. In 1989, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ declared that “a relationship of full communion now exists between our two churches.”[6] This sense of unity is echoed in the architecture of the Marceline church.

How the Marceline First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Came to Be

The First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been a part of the Marceline community since the city’s founding in February of 1888.

Members of the Christian Church first met in a store on Santa Fe Avenue on 20 May 1888 (three months after Marceline officially became a city) for the sole purpose of organizing a church. [7] The decision was unanimous. The congregation met in that store until August of 1889, then moved to the Baptist Church, which they rented out, for the next six months.[8]

On 14 December 1889, they decided to purchase land on West Gracia Avenue, the land on which the current church sits. Within a year, they had built the first church on the site, dedicating it on 28 September 1890. The building was there for the next 25 years (see Figure 15).[9]

The erection of the current church building occurred at the start of a ten-year building renaissance in Marceline, which included the erection of the Santa Fe Depot (1913), I.O.O.F. Building (1915), Carnegie Library (1920), the Masonic Lodge (1923-1924), and several homes During this time the high school (built in 1929) was conceived, and talk about a new post office commenced.

On 6 December 1914, the church leaders officially deemed the old building inadequate for the growing congregation. “A committee was appointed to rebuild, the instructions to use the old building [the original 1890 church] in the reconstruction. An entirely new auditorium [the current Sanctuary] was erected [and] the old structure was converted into the Bible School annex.”[10] It was reported in the Marceline Herald, that “the church Board of the Christian church, presented to the congregation resolutions for building in 1915, which were adapted.”[11]

In February 1915, the church began considering plans and first consulted with “a Moberly architect name Abt [sic]…Monday a meeting was held at which Albert Fuller, a Kansas City architect, submitted plans.”[12]

It was on 20 May 1915, exactly 27 years to the day of the decision by the congregation to organize, that the church board approved a contract between the church building committee and Albert (A.J.) Richardson, a local general contractor and architect.[13] Richardson had completed designing the First Christian Church in Lancaster, Missouri, less than a year earlier (Figure 17).[14]

There is a discrepancy in the final amount of the building, but there is a general sense of the cost based on three accounts. The pricing found in The Magic City and in varios Marceline Herald and Marceline Journal-Mirror articles vary somewhat. One Herald article states the church designated $11,000 for the edifice and $2,000 for the furnishings.[15] The Magic City asserts it was $10,000 for the edifice and $2,000 for the furnishings.[16] Yet another Herald article indicates the contract was $10,990 with no mention of the cost of the interior aspects.[17] It is safe to conclude that the edifice cost over $10,000 and an additional $2000 for interior aspects was most likely added to that sum.

Originally, the church earmarked $9,000 and pledged $7.353.50 for the project.[18] There doesn’t appear to be any in-depth explanation as to which account of the final cost is correct, but the The Marceline Herald did stipulate that “some changes have been made which will make the cost some greater, but which are of such importance that it was thought wise to make them. [These changes include] steel trusses in the roof, Carthage cut limestone instead of concrete in the trim, and the making of the colonial columns from steek instead of wood, all tending to make a much more lasting building.”[19]

The Church’s Design Specifics

Shortly before construction began, the church’s building committee recommended adopting Richardson’s plan “to remodel and build by turning present building around, making Sunday School rooms of it, to put a full basement under all the building and build new solid brick auditorium and veneer the old building.”[20] They later added some more detail, stating that the plan was to “[veneer] it with brick, to match the new building.”[21]

The Chariton Courier noted that “dark red brick trimmed with stone will be the material.”[22]

The Marceline Journal-Mirror indicated that, while several other designs were submitted, they adopted those by a local architect—Albert (A.J.) Richardson[23]—who “has already established a wide reputation as an architect.”[24] The article specifies that Richardson’s plans stipulate it will “be 90×56 in dimension. The design is colonial, and the front with its massive columns and gables will give the building a pleasing appearance.” Furthermore, the “main auditorium will be 44×44 feet, and there will be two vestibules opening off the porch in front of the roof of which will be sustained by four steel columns, thirty inches through. A roling [sic] partition will separate the main auditorium from the Sunday School room, 36×50, two stories high in which there will also be seventeen class rooms [sic].”[25]

The article further states that the “basement will contain the dining room, 35×36 feet, with kitchen, work room, etc. and the furnace room.”[26]

The roof’s design was said to be steel trusses and shingled. Additionally, there “will be five gables in the roof. Carthage stone will be used for the trimming, and the entire structure will be made of brick, a veneer being used over the old part of the church which will be used as the rear of the edifice.” The article’s description added that “The porch will be twenty-eight feet long and ten feet wide.”[27] The Marceline Herald adds that the “two massive steel pillars [will be] 30 inches in circumference at their base.”[28]

A later article describes the church as, “a pleasing structure with roofs and gables, large Iambic [sic] columns in front and its general lines giving it the appearance of a house of worship.”[29]

The construction of the new church wasn’t just local news; nearby counties also reported on it. The Chariton Courier, for example, added a short write-up to its Linn County column stating, “The laying of the corner stone of the new Christian church at Marceline was performed Friday of last week.”[30]

With respect to the cornerstone, the Marceline Journal-Mirror noted that the laying of the cornerstone drew a large crowd, and that the cornerstone is “a block of Carthage rock 18 x 6 x 5 lowered into position in the center of the building as you enter.” The article also states that the cornerstone is inscribed with the following message: “First Christian Church 1914.”[31] Elder David Lyon, pastor of the church, had charge of the ceremonies, and the box inclosed [sic] in the hollow part of the stone contained copies of local newspapers, a short history of the church, the membership and the name I. Jeff Buster, the oldest living member.”[32]

However, this account of the cornerstone is described slightly differently by The Marceline Herald. That newspaper states the cornerstone is of “Phoenix limestone” and the stone’s inscription is “First Christian Church Erected 1915.” This is the final inscription in the stone. The report also describes items placed in the cornerstone box: “In the stone will be placed a history of the local church, a copy of the doctrine of the church, a list of officers, building and ways and means committees, and copies of the newspapers of that date.”[33]

The construction of the 1915 church building took only six (6) months. It was dedicated on 19 December 1915 and cost $16, 590.00,[34] well over the original budget range of $9,000 to $11,000 described by the newspapers at the onset of the building.

As part of the project, thirteen (13) memorial windows were given to the church by local people and organizations. No makers marks have been found on the windows, and more research is required to determine who the artist is that did the work.[35]

The only apparent change in the above compendium of descriptions is that it is not “colonial”. Otherwise, the “main auditorium”, the rolling partition, “massive columns”, and the two vestibules that Richardson designed still exist just as they were originally designed and built, and the shell of the original 1890 church remains untouched and simply covered externally with a veneer of brick.[36]

The First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Classical Revival

Whiffen notes the principal characteristics that appear in Classical Revival buildings “show none of the tendency to multiply angles and projections; broad expanse[s] of plain wall surface are common; roof lines, when not level, are quiet, and unbroken by sculptural incidents.” Moreover, Whiffen states that the “Greek orders are employed much more often than the Roman, and in keeping with this windows and doorway are linteled rather than arched; pedimented porticoes are frequent features” and coupled columns are not used.[42] McAlester adds that these buildings had facades “dominated by [a] full-height porch with roof supported by classical columns; columns typically have Ionic or Corinthian capitals” and facades with symmetrically balanced windows and a central door. [43]

These Neoclassical aspects are evident in the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Marceline:

The walls of the east, west, and north elevations are bays, all of which are broad expanses without any elaborate embellishments. The brick is common red brick with slight color variations throughout giving the appearance of depth. The only embellishment is the masonry rustication in various areas of several walls with the varied color of the brick bond.

All windows and doorways are topped with masonry lintels. No arches are present over these sections. Everything is simple and straight-forward.

While no pediment is above the lintel as would be expected with classical neoclassical architecture, Richardson designed the roof in such a way as to give the illusion of a pediment (Photo 1) over the porch/portico when viewing the structure’s south façade from the street. The roof lines are straight and unbroken by sculptural incidents. Only chimney’s break up the roof lines.

The symmetry of the south façade is clear. The two sides of the façade are mirror images of one another. The balance between the east and west elevations is also evident. The facades are clear mirrors of one another with the recessed large bay on the east façade reflected in the protruding central bay of the west elevation. Windows are lined up in perfect symmetry with five on the front, three on each of the west and east elevations, and one on each tower wall that’s part of the south façade.

The columns are Ionic and not coupled, thus employing Greek orders, and their height is enough to allow for a full-height porch with roof supported by classic columns to dominate the south façade. The four-column portico with the illusion of a pediment give the impression of a tetrastyle portico.

The First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Albert (A.J.) Richardson

In 1906, Albert J. Richardson, who started working in the local coal mines when he was 10, took a job “in the carpenter trade, in 1909 started contracting on large buildings. Among the monuments to his skill and enterprise are the new Methodist Episcopal church in Marceline … two structures of magnitude in Macon conty [sic], and a number of other buildings for business and residence purposes.”[44] He learned his craft through hard work, because he had “no educational advantages but what he secured for himself through correspondence schools.”[45]

Six years after he started contacting on large buildings, Richardson was awarded the contract to design the 1915 church. After Richardson drafted the plans for the 1915 church, the church consulted with B.J. Patrick, builder of the Hotel Allen and Park School (both in Marceline). Patrick wrote that “I find that they are admirably drawn, and with a specification to set forth the quality of material, which I am confident Mr. Richardson is fully competent to make, there is no reason that you should not get a first class and very beautiful building.”[46]

Not only did he design and build the current church building, but he was also a member of the committee that purchased the organ.[47] Richardson was born in 1881 and married his wife Mary in 1908.[48] According to the 1910 census records, he was a carpenter in Marceline,[49] which aligns with the history in the Compendium. Afterwards, he is referred to as an architect in multiple articles discussing the plan to build the church. Sometime after building the church and before 1938, Richardson and his wife Mary moved to Joplin, Missouri and opened a building and architecture company.[50]

Segregation

By all accounts, there was never segregation in the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Non-white Christians had a Baptist church that they all presumably went to. Whether this was by design or not is unknown. More research is necessary to determine whether any non-white parishioners attended any of the other area “white” churches. However, the church’s history and membership criteria since its inception, as dictated by the Scott-Campbell agreement (“All are welcome”), has shown it to be one of the few denominations that did not care about skin color, gender, or anything else. Since their inception, the main doctrine has been that one must only believe in God’s word to be part of the Christian Church. This century old doctrine is reflected in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) region to which Marceline’s First Christian Church belongs. This region has an ongoing “Anti-Racism Pro-Reconciling Justice Ministries Training” program which continues the doctrine the Church espouses: All are welcome.[56] Further implying that the church was open and welcoming to all those who believe in God is that the Church held the Lincoln School commencement in the current church building In 1921, indicating that people of color were welcome.[57]

Marceline’s First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a unique local and regional example of an early-twentieth century rural church. It demonstrates a simple composition that stands out from other buildings within Marceline’s city limits. It stands out as do most houses of worship: by being unique in its appearance, thus drawing attention to itself. It manifests dignity and simplicity while standing as a statuesque reminder of a decades-long building Renaissance in Marceline that saw the erection of several buildings, like the Santa Fe Depot (1913), I.O.O.F. Building (1915), Carnegie Library (1920), and the Masonic Lodge (1923-1924) over a course of a decade. Albert J. Richardson’s design exhibits a form unlike many churches in Missouri. The building’s scale, materials, and organization highlight quality workmanship that went into the façades (despite the later removal of the parapets) and are indicative of a solid architectural unit that creatively used the original 1890 church in its design. The church has remained unaltered for over 100 years and still maintains its original dimensions.

For over 100 years it has been the meeting place for the same Christian denomination and has remained a focus of the city’s spiritual, social, and philanthropic community, allowing all believers in God to attend services and hold gatherings. Furthermore, this building is noteworthy as one of the best and purest examples of Classical Revival architecture in places of worship in northern central rural Missouri. The location, design, size, workmanship, and intact integrity of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Marceline, Linn County, Missouri, are largely retained and clearly demonstrate its unique, local architectural significance.

NO PART OF THIS SITE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT BY THE ORGANIZATION.

CONTACT FOR PERMISSION.

REFERENCES

[1] Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture from 1780: A Guide to the Styles, Revised Edition.

MIT, 1996, p. 167.

[2] “History of the Disciples.” Disciples. https://disciples.org/our-identity/history-of-the-disciples/. Accessed 22

March 2023.

[3] “The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)” First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

https://www.fccdoc.org/disciples/. Accessed 20 March 2023.

[4] “History.”

[5] “A Brief History of the Stone-Campbell Tradition.” Disciples of Christ Historic Society.

http://www.discipleshistory.org/history/brief-history-stone-campbell-tradition. Accessed 20 March 2023.

[6] “History”.

[7] “Laid Cornerstone of Christian Church.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 13 Aug 1915 lists the names of the

official founders and notes there were 52 people in attendance at that meeting and also gives a more

complete history of the church’s founding, its members and its pastors.

[8] Marceline: The Magic City: Centennial Edition, Marceline, Missouri. City of Marceline. 1988. This information is

confirmed in “Laid.”

[9] This is in both Marceline: The Magic City: Centennial Edition, Marceline, Missouri and the 13 August 1915

Marceline Herald article.

[10] Marceline: The Magic City: Centennial Edition, Marceline, Missouri.

[11] “Will Build New Church.” The Marceline Herald. 11 December 1914, II.30.

[12] “Considering Plans.” The Marceline Herald. 26 February 1915, II.41.

[13] This fact is well-documented across multiple sources.

[14] “Pleased with Church.” The Marceline Herald. 12 June 1914, II.4.

[15] “Another Church.” The Marceline Herald. 12 August 2015, III.13.

[16] Centennial Edition.

[17] “Richardson Gets Contract.” The Marceline Herald. 30 April 1915, II.50. The Marceline New’s 16 April 1915

article “Home Architect is Recognized” confirms the $9000 original earmarking and the changes made to the original plans.

[18] “Christian Church Building Assured.” The Marceline Herald. 5 February 1915.

[19] “Home Architect is Recognized.” The Marceline Herald. 16 April 1915, II.48.

[20] Ibid. and “Working for New Church.” The Marceline Herald. 22 January 1915, II.36.

[21] The original 1890 church is seen in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 8. It is the rectangular back section of the church marked

“overflow room” on Figures 4 and 7.

[22] “Linn.” The Chariton Courier. 7 May 1915, p. 6.

[23] Richardson had earlier designed and built a similar church in Lancaster, MO that is strikingly similar to the plans

he submitted for the Marceline project. See Figure 17.

[24] “Plans Ready for Christian Church.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 16 April 1915, XXVII.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid.

[28] “Stone Will Be Laid.” The Marceline Herald. 6 Aug. 1915, III.12.

[29] “Will Dedicate New Church on Dec. 19.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 22 October 1915, XXVIII.1.

[30] “Linn.” The Chariton Courier. 13 Aug 1915, p. 6.

[31] “Plans Ready for Christian Church.”

[32] “Laid” has the only known mention of a box and its contents placed into the cornerstone.

[33] “Stone Will Be Laid.”

[34] Marceline: The Magic City: Centennial Edition, Marceline, Missouri. City of Marceline. 1988.

[35] No Maker Marks or other identifiable markings have been found describing who made the windows. The church

archives do not contain this information either. The only things known about the windows is they are part of the original plans for the 1915 building and were purchased thanks to donations by those mentioned on plaques under each window.

[36] Ibid.

[37] See Figures 15 AND 16 for a comparison between the church’s original look with the parapets and the current

appearance.

[38] Marceline: The Magic City.

[39] On 8 May 2023, Lex Cavanagh, Chair of the Church’s Board measured the areas listed in the various articles and

confirmed that they are accurate, thus indicating that the church’s historical integrity is identical to the original plans of the building.

[40] Whiffen, Marcus and Koeper, Frederick. American Architecture Volume 1: 1607-1860. MIT Press, Cambridge,

Mass., 1992, p. 81.

[41] Ibid.

[42] Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture from 1780: A Guide to the Styles, Revised Edition. MIT, 1996, p. 167.

[43] McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984, pp. 435-446.

[44] Taylor, Henry and William H. Bingham. Compendium of History and Biography of Linn County, Missouri.

Chicago, H. Taylor & co., 1912, p. 327.

[45] Compendium, p. 326.

[46] “Home.”

[47] The Magic City.

[48] “Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002.” Ancestry.com. Accessed 2 April 2023.

[49] “Albert J Richardson in the 1910 United States Federal Census.” Ancestry.com. Accessed 2 April 2023.

[50] “Albert J Richardson in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.” Ancestry.com. Accessed 2 April 2023.

[51] Dains, Mary K. and Bonnie Stepenoff. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for First Christian Church Columbia, Missouri, September 1991.

[52] Woodcox, Cole. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for First Presbyterian Church

Keytesville, Missouri, May 2017.

[53] Halter, Andrew M. and Roger Maserang. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Green City

Presbyterian Church in Green City, Missouri, January 2000.

[54] Graf, Keith. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Camp Ground Church and Cemetery in

Milan, Missouri, October 1974

[55] “Architectural Survey of Marceline (MO.): Final Report.” Marceline Survey. Commissioned by Missouri

Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office. April 2018. Survey No. LI-AS-001-037.

[56] “Anti-Racism Pro-Reconciling Justice Ministries Training”. The Christian Church of Mid-America (Disciples of

Christ) website. https://www.mid-americadisciples.org/antiracism-trainingproreconciling-justice-ministries-training. Accessed 25 March 2023.

[57] “Lincoln School Commencement.” The Marceline Herald. 27 May 1921, VIII.50.

July 9 2025

Marceline Lincoln School: Black Education History and Importance During Segregation, Part 2

Marceline HistoricalSociety african american history, african american schools, Black History, black schools, Historical Buildings, Historical People, Marceline Historical Society, marcelineproject, segregation black education, black history, black schools, historic buildings, historic people, historic preservation, historical society, history, Lincoln School, Maceline timeline, marceiine historic society, Marceline, Marceline Historical Society, segregation 0

Marceline Lincoln School, located at 201 Wells Avenue in Marceline, Linn County, Missouri. was erected in 1933 by Floyd Newman, a local builder, after Marceline voters approved a bond request to build a new “negro school”[1] after the previous one burned down. While Marceline does not have official records or relics of the Black community in the city, like most rural cities they don’t have the resources larger cities have to preserve such history, newspaper articles did frequently discuss issues in the Black community, particularly issues revolving around the education of non-white children in their community.

This building was the sole K-8 educational facility in Marceline for non-white students between 1933-1954 (the year the school was built until desegregation began and the school closed). Students who extended their education into high school had to travel to The Dalton School in Dalton, Missouri (27 miles south of Marceline) to obtain their high school education.

The architect is unknown, but it was most likely Newman who drew up the vernacular plans. After the Marceline School Board sold the property in 1955 at the start of school desegregation which resulted from the decision in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS, various owners used the building for such things as a storage area, an antique store, and now a carpenter’s workshop.[2]

In 1866, Missouri school districts were, as the law states, “required to establish within their respective jurisdictions one or more separate schools for colored children when the whole number of by enumeration exceeds twenty.”[3] Marceline’s government disregarded this law. The school was erected, despite not having met this threshold for the two years prior to being approved by a city-wide vote. Rarely did enrollment increase very much beyond 20 students. In fact, it had an historically low attendance rate, falling several times well below that threshold; yet the city never closed it down.

Marceline started integrating their high school during the 1953-1954 school year (before the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.[4] They then integrated their elementary school during the 1955-1956 school year.[5]

As the last extant resource representative of education for the Black community during the era of segregation in Marceline, the Lincoln School is locally significant under Criterion A: ETHNIC HERITAGE – BLACK and EDUCATION and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

JUMP TO PART 1.

JUMP TO PART 3.

AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION IN MISSOURI

Missouri, a former slave state, like most states, faced hardships concerning the education of people of color. As Lori Bogle notes, citing Julius Hunter: “’Missouri has been a mirror reflection of the nation as it displayed its confusion, indifference, guilt, cruelty, pride, subterfuge, embarrassment, benevolence, and sympathy in handling the issues of how blacks should and would be treated’.” She agrees with Hunter, stating “The state has not always responded to national issues in a traditional way [and] maintains an identity distinct from her southern sisters” because most slave owners owned few slaves and as a result, “a closer relationship between black and white often existed.”[7]

Between at least 1847 and up to the start of the property’s period of significance (1930-1954), there was considerable debate regarding the education of African Americans in the state. For example, 1847 Missouri law stated, “no person shall keep or teach any school for the instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing, in this State [and violators] shall be punished by fine not exceeding $500, or by imprisonment … or by both.”[8] However, as seen below many individuals of different races argued that this was something that needed to change.

While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, it did not equate to full acceptance and equality in any aspect of life, let alone education. In 1866, Missouri school districts were, as the law states, “required to establish within their respective jurisdictions one or more separate schools for colored children when the whole number of by enumeration exceeds twenty.”[9]

Three years later, the debate about the education of non-white children began to pick up steam, as evidenced by the words of Richard B. Foster, the founder of Lincoln University in Missouri. Foster argued the education of “colored children ‘of educable age’ was inadequate” as were the schools these children attended when compared to the schools for white students.[10] He stated “we may well accept that the colored schools of this State are mostly in poor condition; too few in number, little thought of, little cared for” and thus, the State is not doing its duty to these children.[11] He ends his speech by calling for more funds to be used in giving Black students of the time more access to education and to make it more equitable. Foster’s words were not heeded. In 1875, the Constitution of the Missouri State contained a statement that read: “Separate free schools shall be established for the education of children of African descent.”[12]

In 1920, The Journal of Negro History reprinted one of the most complete histories of the development of the black public school system in Missouri;[13] the article spans the decade between 1865 (the year of the end of slavery) and 1875.[14] The history outlined in the Journal establishes that it was more commonplace between 1865 and 1875 than thought for Missouri slaves to have some rudimentary education. Many were taught how to read and write by their owners; this meant that many slave owners violated the rules against the education of slaves.[15]

In 1931, W. Sherman Savage[16] expounded on the state of education for black children, writing that the 1865 Missouri constitution was explicit in how Black education was to be supported in the state, particularly that the legislature made it the duty of the school boards in the respective towns to establish one or more separate schools for Negro youth. The legislature made it mandatory upon the townships to establish schools for Negro children.[17]

The constitution at this time declares that it was “the duty of the State to provide education for the Negro as it did for the other citizens of the State”; this law mandated local school boards to establish “one or more separate schools” for non-white students and prohibited the making of false statements claiming to have created such educational facilities.[18]

Precious little seemed to have changed in Missouri since the state’s 1875 ruling of separate schools for white and Black students until 1954 when Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka overturned segregation.[19] Even then, the three-step desegregation program (which started with desegregation in junior and teacher’s colleges, followed by high schools and adult education programs, and finally technical and elementary schools) would not be fully implemented in some communities because no formal timeline was given for integration.[20] Furthermore, there tended to be a “de facto segregation in the cities, there [was] a great deal of voluntary racial separation in schools that have a racial mixture.”[21] It wasn’t until 15 years after Brown that Missouri courts gave “the duty to terminate dual school systems and start operating under a unitary system at once [to the local Board of Education].”[22]

However, this was not the case in Marceline. Marceline did not take the 3-step approach or wait 15 years for desegregation to be formalized in Missouri; instead, after Brown, the city swiftly terminated the dual school system, began high school integration immediately, and closed the school the following year (1955), moving all students into their previous whites-only schools.

AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION IN MARCELINE

Up until the opening of the Lincoln School in 1933, Marceline had been following the letter of the law for the most part. There was a two-year period during which the children did not have a formal schoolhouse; after their school burned down classes for non-white students in the Baptist Church for two years until the Lincoln School was built.[23]

After Emancipation, Black children were allowed to get an education; since Marceline was not yet a city in 1863, there was no known school. However, one early Marceline account states that the Black children had a school in a carpenter’s shop in the 1890s, roughly two years after Marceline was incorporated.[24] One year later, the “colored school” was mentioned in a short piece about Marceline schools.[25] Within the context of Black education in Marceline, the school received almost yearly recognition in news articles.

Additionally, Marceline began desegregating its high school in 1953,[26] a year prior to Brown. This move illustrates the attitude the city government, citizens and school board all had: That the law must be followed.

MARCELINE’S AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION

During the period of significance, Marceline’s African American population shifted dramatically.

In the 1930 Census,[27] the population looked like this:

Ward 1: 1 family; 5 people
Ward 2: 4 families; 12 people
Ward 3: 12 families; 59 people
Ward 4: 2 Black families; 6 people – 3 Mexican families; 18 people

(90 total non-white residents)

By the 1940 Census[28] the demographics had changed significantly:

Ward 1: 0
Ward 2: 4 families; 14 people
Ward 3: 8 families; 22 people
Ward 4: 5 Families; 41 people

(77 total non-white residents)

This trend continued in the 1950 Census:[29]

Ward 1-2: 0
Ward 3: 3 Black families listed, totaling 27 people. There were 2 families labeled “B2” with 11 people.
Ward 4: 2 Black families with 10 people; 3 Mexican families with 16 people

(53 total non-white residents)

While the school would be placed in Ward 3 because that Ward housed most of the African American population at the time, the Census shows that African American families were reasonably spread out in Marceline. In fact, when the Mexican families are added to the total, nearly half of the non-white population lives outside of Ward 3.

That diversity shifted significantly between the 1930 and 1940 Census’. Marceline saw a loss of 13 non-white residents during this decade. Additionally, Ward 1 lost the one family that lived there, while Ward 2 maintained its population. Wards 3 and 4 saw the largest changes in population with Ward 3 losing 63% of its non-white population, while Ward 4 became the new center of the non-white community with a 58.5% increase in non-white residents.

The trend of losing non-white families continued over the next decade too, with Marceline losing 24 more non-white residents. By this time, no African American families resided in Wards 1 and 2, Wards 3 and 4 split the non-white population with 27 and 26 individuals respectively.

[1] “Work Started on the Negro School.” The Marceline News. 15 July 1932, XLV.41.

[2] Skinner, Adam. Personal Interview. 2 June 2023.

[3] Laws of Missouri, 1866, p. 177, Sec. 20 as cited in Henderson, p. 1.

[4] Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Opinion; May 17, 1954; Records of the Supreme Court

of the United States; Record Group 267; National Archives.

[5] Marceline: The Magic City: Centennial Edition, Marceline, Missouri. City of Marceline. 1988. This also seems to

contradict a report from the Marceline Board of Education that refers to integration being complete in 1954, but it may have started in 1953 and ended in 1954. See AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION IN MARCELINE below.

[6] This is noted in both “Architectural/Historic Inventory Form.” Marceline Survey. Commissioned by Missouri

Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office. April 2018. Survey No. LI-AS-001-037. [Marked “Individually Eligible], and “Architectural Survey of Marceline (MO.): Final Report.” Marceline Survey. Commissioned by Missouri Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Office. April 2018. Survey No. LI-AS-001-037.

[7] Bogle, Lori. “Desegregation in a Border State: The Example of Joplin, Missouri.” Missouri History Review. 85.4,

442+.

[8] Laws of Missouri, 1816-1847, p. 103, cited in Henderson, David. “Integration of Missouri Public Schools Faculty

and Students Twenty Years After Brown.” Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Department of Consumer Affairs, Regulation and Licensing. October 1974, p. 1.

[9] Laws of Missouri, 1866, p. 177, Sec. 20 as cited in Henderson, p. 1.

[10] “Some Aspects of Black Education in Reconstruction Missouri: An Address by Richard B. Foster.” The Curators

of the University of Missouri, U of Missouri P: Columbia, Missouri, 1984. 85.4, p. 19.

[11] Ibid., p. 21.

[12] Missouri Constitution, 1875, Art. XI, Sec. 3 as cited in Henderson, p. 1.

[13] Williams, Henry S. “The Development of the Negro Public School System in Missouri: The Period from 1865 to

1875.” The Journal of Negro History. Apr. 1920, V.2, pp. 137-165.

[14] Ibid, p. 138.

[15] Ibid, p. 144.

[16] In 1934, Savage became the first African American to be awarded a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in History

by a predominately white university. He was a college History professor and author.

[17] Savage, W. Sherman. “The Legal Provisions of Negro Schools in Missouri from 1865 to 1890.” The Journal of

Negro History. July 1931, 16.3, pp. 309-321.

[18]Ibid, p. 310.

[19] Brown.

[20] Henderson, p. 45.

[21] Ibid, p. 58.

[22] Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education, 396 U.S. 19 (1969).

[23] These classes were held in the “black Baptist Church.” However, no research has turned up indicating the location

of this church within the city limits. The 1930 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows the Baptist Church on

Ritchie as the only Baptist Church within the city limits. That building is not the Black church referenced.

[24] Because no other carpenter shops show on the 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, the shop located on the

southeast corner of Lake and Kansas (one block south of the downtown business district) is most likely the “school” referenced at the corner of Lake and Kansas (one block south of the downtown business district).

[25] “The Schools.” The Marceline Mirror, 3 September 1891.

[26] Franklin, Melia K. School and Community, Community and School: A Case Study of a Rural Missouri Setting.

Dissertation. U of Nebraska, May 2011, p. 111.

[27] “1930 Census: Volume 3. Population, Reports by States: Mississippi and Missouri.” U.S. Census

Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1932/dec/1930a-vol-03-population.html. Accessed 1 September 2023.

[28] 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps – Missouri – Linn County – Marceline – ED 58-20, ED

58-21, ED 58-22, ED 58-23. National Archives. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5833471Accessed 15 December 2023.

[29] 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps – Missouri (MO) – Linn County – Marceline – ED 58-28

to 32. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/18559828 National Archives. Accessed 15 December 2023.

MO_Linn County_Marceline Masonic Temple 481_0001

June 25 2025

Marceline Masonic Lodge: Architecture, Part 2

Marceline HistoricalSociety Architecture, Beaux Arts, Historical Buildings, Marceline Historical Society, marcelineproject, Masonic Lodge, Masons architecture, Beaux Arts, historic buildings, historic preservation, historical society, history, Maceline timeline, marceiine historic society, Marceline, Marceline Historical Society, Masonic Lodge, Masons 0

Since its erection in 1923 and opening in 1924, the Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 at 201 N. Main St. U.S.A. (N. Kansas Ave.) Street, in Marceline, Linn County, Missouri has provided space for the public and local groups to hold ceremonial meetings, gather for fellowship and festivities, and organize their charitable activities. The building’s design, the massing and decorative details on the two primary façades—one facing Main Street U.S.A. and the other facing W. Ritchie Avenue—make the Masonic Temple a noteworthy instance of its genre—a monumental Masonic lodge. This building is locally significant under Criterion C: ARCHITECTURE for the following reasons: 1) It is an exceptional example of the Beaux-Arts style popular during the 1880s through 1930s. In fact, it is northeast and north central Missouri’s best and purest expression of a Beaux-Arts style building designed for a Masonic lodge; 2) This stately building demonstrates the translation of subdued European styles to rural areas in Missouri and the conservative yet sophisticated design present in Marceline and Masonic Temples in the region shortly before the Great Depression; and 3) this Masonic Temple preserves its prime historical features. The main south and east elevations of the Masonic Temple are virtually unaltered in appearance since the building’s construction by a local contractor almost 100 years ago. The period of significance is 1923-1924, the start and finish dates of construction.

JUMP TO PART 1.

JUMP TO PART 3.

The History of Freemasonry in Missouri and the Start of the Marceline Lodge

The Order of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons or Freemasonry represents the oldest fraternity in existence. Freemasonry descends from medieval guilds and as far back as the Temple of King Solomon.[2] This is common knowledge among Freemason Brothers and numerous sources verify this sentiment.[3]

All the earliest Lodges in what is now the State of Missouri were chartered by the Grand Lodges of other states, particularly the Grand Lodges of Pennsylvania, Indiana and Tennessee.[4] In Missouri, the Masonic organization started in 1808 in Ste. Genevieve, a lodge warranted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.[5] The Grand Lodge of Missouri, located in St. Louis, was established on 21 April 1821, five months before Missouri was granted statehood.[6] Missouri Freemasonry was officially founded on 17 February 1843, when the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Ancient Masons of the State of Missouri was incorporated 22 years after Missouri was awarded Statehood.[7]

Freemasonry spread rapidly throughout the state as settlers organized new counties.[8] The pace of new lodges forming was incredibly fast and soon there were several allied organizations both locally and nationally; these organizations included auxiliary organizations that were related to the central Lodge: the York and Scottish Rites; Shrine; Order of the Eastern Star (the male members female relatives; Order of DeMolay youth group for members’ male children); and Bethels of Job’s Daughters.[9] The Marceline Lodge is no exception. Three of these same organizations met within the walls of the lodge: Eastern Star, Order of DeMolay, and Shrine.

The Marceline lodge was and still is one of three Masonic Lodges in Linn County, Missouri. Brookfield #86 in Brookfield, Linn County, Missouri was chartered on 2 June 1866. The other lodge, Jackson Lodge #82 in Linneus, Linn County, Missouri, is the oldest lodge in the county; it was chartered on 15 October 1846. The current Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 was the last Masonic Temple in Linn County to be built. It was charted on 17 October 1889, with the worshipful Master as Milton Helwig as the first Worshipful Master of the Lodge.[10] All three lodges still exist.[11]

The previous one-part commercial block building that housed the Masonic Temple located at this corner burned down in 1903; a two-part commercial block building was built in its place and covered the original corner lot and the lot to the north of it. The 1903 building later burned down in 1923 and was replaced by the current Beaux-Arts style building.

HISTORY OF THE MARCELINE LODGE #481

According to the archival records of Marceline Masonic Lodge #481, the original building where the Masonic temple now exists was built in 1889, a year after Marceline was officially incorporated as a city. It existed on the same location as the current building’s southern half. The building can be seen on the 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map indicates what appears to be a two-part commercial block building housing a bank in the front and a post office in the rear; there is no indication of what is on the second story.[12] No building existed on the plot where the north portion of the current building stands.[13] The Marceline Masonic Association purchased the property in 1900 for $2500 from the Bank of Marceline.[14]

Prior to the period of significance (1923-1924), the Masons met in various locations around the city. Between 1889-1898 there are no known records of the organization’s activities. Further research may turn up meeting minutes or other source material from this time. Meeting minutes between 1899 and 1901 indicate the Masons did not meet often in the original two-part commercial block building seen in the 1894 Sanborn map and situated on the corner of Kansas and Ritchie Avenues. Existing Masonic Lodge meeting minutes indicate the lodge met periodically in various places around the city, and only occasionally in the buildings seen in the 1902 and 1911 Sanborn maps. Other places include the Miner’s Hall (two blocks south, extant), the Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) Magnolia Lodge (two buildings north of the current lodge, extant), Cater Opera House (one block south, non-extant), and various backrooms and offices.

By 1902, the building seen in the 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map still existed with what appears to be an identical footprint.[15] Any differences could be a matter of the person drawing the map. By this time, the post office had moved to the front of the property and a printing shop occupied the rear of the building.

A 1903 fire significantly damaged the original building owned by the lodge. Minutes indicate the damage was severe enough to warrant the building of a two-part commercial block building. This assessment is supported by a receipt dated January or June 10, 1903,[16] showing the sale of the north wall. Further research is needed to determine the reason the north wall was sold. As a result of the fire, the Masons decided to build two buildings to replace the damaged building that spanned the corner lot at Kansas and Ritchie and the plot immediately to its north.[17] The 1911 Sanborn Map indicates two storefronts were present on those lots. Figure 16 shows them as two-part commercial block buildings with two stories on the same lots on which the current lodge sits. It contained a grocery store and “Printing & Gasol.Eng” on the second floor.[18]

In 1920, the Masons debated over the efficacy of replacing the old 1911 building. They determined, after speaking with “the Architect, J. R. Hogg, and well-known contractors [they concluded] that now was a very inopportune time to build. Estimates of the costs of the proposed building reached $25,000, which amount was felt to be excessive.”[19] About two years later that building burned down and it was replaced by the current building.[20]

The Debate About What to Do with the Burned Down Building and Property

As early as 1916, the Masons were already considering a new Lodge on the lot where the current building rests. A 1919 Marceline Journal-Mirror article, indicates that “James F. Hogg, a Kansas City architect, is busy submitting sketches for the proposed new Masonic temple. Three years ago a sinking fund was started for the edifice, but the war has had the effect of delaying the construction.”[21] The article goes on to describe the proposed building as having a “structural arrangement of the lodge rooms and connecting galleries, crypts, etc., will aid in the exemplification of the teaching of the early craft masters” and have the meeting room and cloak rooms on the second floor.

In February of 1923, the Lodge members voted to raze “both buildings” occupying the location of the current 1923-1924 Lodge building. They contracted with Fred Newman (Figure 15), a Marceline-based general contractor to do the job for $40,000. They stipulated Mr. Newman had to remove all “plate glass from the [old buildings’] windows”, that he had to tear down the buildings carefully and “all bricks that are full size bricks [are] to be cleaned and stacked” to be used in the building.[22] After this, they debated about what to do with that property.

At their 13 March 1923 meeting, the Lodge debated what to do with the now vacant lots and “to ascertain if an option could be secured upon a suitable location for the erection of a Masonic Temple.” The meeting included mention of the possibility of selling the lots to the Standard Oil Company for $10,000, the Lodge members decided to build the new Masonic Temple on the same lots occupied by “the present Masonic location Lots No. 1 & 2 Block No. 156.” The meeting concluded with a motion that passed stating the “entire basement for the Masonic Temple be excavated.”[23]

A week later, on 19 March 1923, they reconvened. During this meeting, a letter from the architect firm of W.E. Hulse & Co. in Hutchinson, Kansas was read, and the Lodge members agreed that the President would contact W.E. Hulse to set a date to meet with the Temple Association to go over the building plans and specifications.[24]

During their 29 March 1923 meeting, the lodge members met with architect W.E. Hulse and went over the plans for the new Temple. During that meeting “the plans for the Masonic Temple were examined, from the basement to garret, by the member [sic] of the Board, making several miner [sic] changes and corrections, after which… the plans for the MASONIC TEMPLE, as corrected, presented by Architect W. E. Hulse be approved. Motion unanimously carried and plans approved.”[25]

At their 11 April 1923 meeting, they officially hired Hulse, and work began on finding a general contractor, plumber, electrician, and others.

The contract the Lodge signed with Hulse required heavy recycling of material from the old buildings. The material recovered and kept included using 72 yards of Native rock and 35,200 common bricks (Figure 19). Thus, several of the circa 1911 bricks have been incorporated into the current structure.

The Masons considered construction related “bids for erection of a Masonic Temple” by Hulse. Bids and plans were then read in the presence of the contractors and others in attendance. During this session the Brothers tabled a motion to make the cornerstone out of “Carthalite [sic] stone” and that the front entry doors should “be covered on the outer side with copper as per the specifications”, that maple flooring would be installed, and floor insulation eliminated. No records indicate the entry door specifications were changed; however, no copper is currently present at this or any other location on the outside of the building. Further research is required to determine if copper was part of the original entryway from or removed later with a non-historic entryway was installed.

Two weeks later, during the 26 April 1923 meeting, the Lodge members hired the work crews: John Scott and Son of Memphis, Missouri was awarded the General Contractor contract for the sum of $32,715.00, Nathan DeYoung was hired to do the electric work for $493.53, and G.W. Bigger Heating and Plumbing Co. of Marceline got the heating and plumbing contract with a bid of $4080.00. Finally, the motion to make the “FACE BRICK be of the No. C.P. Shade No. 123, as made by the RELIANCE BRICK CO. of Kansas City, Mo.” carried.[26]

During the 15 May 1923 meeting, the Brothers agreed to have a Carthage Stone or Granite cornerstone. Carthage won out (Photos 1-2, 6-7).[27]

The minutes of 5 June 1923 discuss changes in the partitions of rooms as indicated on a pencil sketch presented by E.W. Taylor.[28] These changes were to be made and the same be referred to the Architect and Contractor. Specifically mentioned is that The Red Cross Room was to become one room with an angular wall [referred to as a dogleg in Section 7’s discussion of this room] at the northeast corner of the new room. This change also effected the wall of the Lobby on second floor when the wall was moved east to match the location of The Red Cross Room’s east wall, thus the dogleg angle. The floor in the Red Cross room indicates that change was implemented prior to construction of room, no indication of a wall ever constructed. Figure 21 shows there was a penciled in alteration of this area.

The foundation was completed by August 1923. On 3 August it was reported that the brickwork had started after a delay caused by waiting on the bricks to arrive.[29]

The cornerstone was laid 14 August 1923 with the east elevation cornerstone inscription reading “Aug. 14, 1923, A.L. 5923, Bert S. Lee Grand Master” and the south elevation cornerstone inscription reading: “Marceline Lodge No. 481 A.F. & A.M. with the Masonic symbol centered between “481” and the “A.F.” line (Photos 1-2, 6-7).[30]

As the erection of the current building ensued, the members of the lodge discussed all the details of the new lodge, including the types of windows,[31] decided on the cornerstone inscriptions, which cornerstone inscription would face which direction (south or east), dealt with defective face brick, and then, on August 14, 1923, they laid the cornerstone.[32] The box sealed within the cornerstone contains a number of objects, ranging from minutes, by-laws of each chapter in the building (Knights Templar, DeMolay, etc.), lists of officers, one copy each of the Marceline Journal-Mirror and Herald, among other items.[33]

Once these “housekeeping” issues were completed, the Masons focused on such tasks as the basement, voting to have it include “concrete bases 12” x 12” and 18” high with an iron clad plate on the top placed until the Ten (10) 12” x 12”[34] wood posts” and to lower the ceiling of the property room, toilets and other rooms as the Committee [sic] deems advisable.”[35]

A letter from Joseph S. McIntyre, Grand Master of the St. Louis Grand Lodge, dated “January 24^th, 1924,” indicates that the new Masonic Temple would be dedicated on 22 February 1924.[36] During the 8 February 1924 meeting, it “was mutually decided that … the Contractor, John Scott and Son, and the Architect, W. E. Hulse and Co., that the Marceline Masonic Temple Association” be paid off immediately.[37]

On 27 February 1924, Marceline Masonic Temple #481 held a public open house.[38] One article gushed about everyone seeing “a building stately to the eye,”[39] while the following week’s Herald article about the dedication stated that 650 people were in attendance to look at the new building and enjoy the dedication festivities.[40]

[1] “Our History!” City of Marceline. http://marcelinemo.us/home/history.html. Accessed 1 May 2023.

[2] “Freemasonry: The First Masonic Grand Lodge.” The History Press.

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/freemasonry-the-first-masonic-grand-lodge/.

Accessed 29 April 2023.

[3] Lewis, Fred. Personal Interview. 1 February 2023.

[4] “Grand Lodge of the Month for June 2017.” The George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

https://gwmemorial.org/blogs/gl-of-the-month/the-grand-lodge-of-missouri#:~:text=From%20these%20Lodges%20the%20Grand,four%2Dyear%20liberal%20arts%20college. 2017 June 01. Accessed 2 May 2023.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] “Grand Lodge of Missouri.” Wikiwand. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Grand_Lodge_of_Missouri. Accessed 12

February 2023.

[8] “Freemasonry’s First 150 Years in Missouri”, Kansas City Star, 26 September 1971, Star Magazine Section, 25.

[9] “Grand Lodge.”

[10] Information is a synthesis of various pages on the Grand Lodge of Missouri website: https://momason.org/.

Also, see Figure 19 for Lodge Charter.

[11] Confirmed by Brother Fred Lewis.

[12] Sanborn Map, 1894.

[13] Sanborn Map, 1894.

[14] This information comes from a bond notice confirmed in “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple

Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 17 January 1901, Marceline, MO.

[15] Sanborn Map, 1902.

[16] The minutes are incomplete at this time and not as detailed as later minutes, so this information is relying heavily

on lodge interviews and extrapolation from the archived minutes.

[17] See Figure 16 for partial view of the building. The north portion of what is a two two-part commercial block

building. The 1911 Sanborn map shows it as two two-part building. This is most likely correct because Masonic minutes discuss what to do with the building located on the northern lot.

[18] Sanborn Map, 1911.

[19] “Masonic Temple Will Be Built Later.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 5 May 1920.

[20] Nearly a year of minutes discuss the debate about the 1923-1924 building. See “The Debate About What to Do

with the Burned Down Building and Property” below for more detail.

[21] “Plans for the New Masonic Temple.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 1919. The “Masonic Temple Will Be Built

Later.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 5 May 1920 article has similar information.

[22] Fred Newman Contract. 15 February 1923. Marceline Masonic Temple Association archives. This information is

verified in “Down Comes the Old Masonic Hall.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 23 February 1923 and “Tearing Down Masonic Building.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 2 March 1923.

[23] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 13 March

1923, Marceline, MO.

[24] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Assoc., 19 Mar. 1923.

[25] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 29 March

1923, Marceline, MO.

[26] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 26 April 1923,

Marceline, MO.

[27] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 15 May 1923,

Marceline, MO.

[28] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 5 June 1923,

Marceline, MO.

[29] “Brickwork Started on Masonic Temple.” The Marceline News. 3 August 1923. See Photos 25-27 and 36 show

the original bricks used in the construction of the lodge.

[30] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, August 14

1923, Marceline, MO.

[31] These windows, as noted in Section 7, were replaced October 2011 through March 2012.

[32] These decisions and actions took place between the Masons’ 5 June 1923 and 17 August 1923 meetings.

[33] “Corner Stone of New Masonic Temple.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 17 August 1923.

[34] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Assoc., 7 Sep. 1923.

[35] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 28 September

1923, Marceline, MO. These posts can be found in Figure 9. In that blueprint, there are two additional round posts shown; those posts are the current historic metal supports shown in Photo 27. When this change occurred is unknown. Further research may turn up information. See Section 7 for descriptions of the support beams.

[36] McIntyre, Joseph S., Letter to W.E. Parks. 24 January 1924. Marceline Masonic Temple #481Archives.

[37] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 24 February

1924, Marceline, MO.

[38] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 11 February

1923, Marceline, MO.

[39] “Masonic Temple Pride of City.” The Marceline Herald. 22 February 1924, XI.28.

[40] “Hospitality Personified.” The Marceline Herald. 29 February 1924, XI.29.

June 9 2025

Marceline, Missouri Adds Four Properties to National Register of Historic Places

Marceline HistoricalSociety african american history, african american schools, Architecture, Beaux Arts, Black History, black schools, Christian Church, Churches, Classical Revival, Coal, Coal Industry, Gucker Coal, Historical Buildings, Historical People, Marceline Historical Society, Marceline Mercantile, marcelineproject, Masonic Lodge, Masons, segregation architecture, Beaux Arts, black history, christian church, churches, Classical Revival, Education, first christian church, Gucker Coal Company, historic buildings, historic people, historic preservation, historical society, history, Lincoln School, Maceline timeline, marceiine historic society, Marceline, Marceline Historical Society, Marceline Mercantile, Masonic Lodge, Masons, missouri 0

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 Lincoln 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 Masonic 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 Lincoln 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 coming soon (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.

April 19 2025

Timeline

Marceline HistoricalSociety african american schools, black schools, Churches, Coal, Coal Industry, entertainment, Historical Buildings, Historical People, Marceline Historical Society, Masonic Lodge, segregation, Uptown Theatre history, Maceline timeline, marceiine historic society, Marceline, missouri 0

OUR CITY’S TIMELINE

Interested in what’s happened and who is happening in Marceline? Here’s a developing timeline of our city.

1888

March 6, 1888: City of Marceline is incorporated
The City of Marceline was incorporated on March 6, 1888.
March 6 1888
Claud C. Dail is the first child born in Marceline. He was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Dail. He was born March 6, 1888, the same day Marceline was incorporated
Ruth Cannon is the first girl born in Marceline. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Cannon. She was born July 22, 1888.
The first newspaper of the city, The Marceline Journal, began publication around June, 1888, and it was closely followed by the appearance of The Marceline Mirror.

1889

First Opera House opens on the corner of Kansas Avenue and California Avenue
First coal mine (Marceline Mine #1, owned by Marceline Coal Company/Marceline Coal & Mining Company ) opens southeast of town

1896

First Phone Exchange: The first telephone exchange in Marceline was built about 1896

1902

New coal vein hit (20 May 1902 at 3:00 pm)

1905

Coal Mine #2 opens north of Marceline

1907

First Nickelodeon opens

1908

Second Nickelodeon opens (2 competing at the same time)

1909

Jeweler Albert Zurcher (pronounced like WORKER) moves to Marceline and soon becomes head timekeeper for the Marceline region of the railroads

1912

Two Nickelodeons close and a new one opens

1913

April 10, 1913: the Marceline Santa Fe Depot was dedicated

1915

First Christian Church is build by integrating the original church into the new design (a National Register of Historic Places property) opens

1920

February 9, 1920: Theodore Roosevelt American Legion Post #264 was chartered
November 1, 1920: Marceline Carnegie Library opened with 1,701 books ready for use. At the end of the first year, there were 990 borrowers and 3,024 volumes in stock

1923

Current Marceline Masonic Lodge (a National Register of Historic Places property) opens
First hospital, the B.B. Putnam Hospital opens on Howell Avenue. It is later taken over and run by the nuns of St. Francis

1924

Joseph Hemmings, the co-founder and superintendent of the Marceline Coal and Mining Co. opens his new Marceline Mercantile & Supply Co. at 125 E. California Avenue. It would later be run by the (Frank) Gucker (“Goo-ker”) Coal Company. It is a National Register of Historic Places property
1929
June 7, 1929: Marceline News puts out its first issue

1930

The Dickinson Theatre opens across the street from the Cater Opera House on Kansas Avenue

1933

Lincoln School is opened and runs until the end of Segregation in 1954 (a National Register of Historic Places property)

1936

The Dickinson Theatre becomes the Uptown Theatre (a National Register of Historic Places property) after a dispute between owner A.B. Cantwell and Leaser Dickinson Theaters
The Chief Theatre, run by Dickinson, opens

1942

May 1, 1942: Marceline’s first hospital, the B. B. Putman Memorial Hospital, closes on May 1, 1942. The nuns of St. Francis take over the day-to-day operations, expanding the hospital to include more beds

1955

December 20, 1955: Engine #2546 was placed in Ripley Square and dedicated to Marceline

1956

July 4 1956: The Walt Disney Municipal Park was dedicated on July 4, 1956
July 4 1956: Walt Disney’s movie “The Great Locomotive Chase” premiered at the Uptown Theatre

1960

October 16 1960: Walt Disney Elementary School was dedicated on October 16, 1960

1992

July 4 1992: the Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Ripley Square

2001

September 21 2001: Walsworth Community Center dedicated
The Walsworth Community Center is dedicated on September 21, 2001

2004

August 23 2004: The Walt Disney Post Office is dedicated on August 23, 2004

2023

Uptown Theatre placed on National Register of Historic Places, thanks to our efforts as the Marceline Historical Society (501c3, trademarked)

2025

Thanks to our efforts as the Marceline Historical Society (501c3, trademarked), four more historic properties are placed on the National Register of Historic Places: Masonic Lodge, First Christian Church, Lincoln School, and Marceline Mercantile/Gucker Coal Company Office.

Want more details about the history of our city? Read what the Linn county Compendium has to say:

THE FULL EARLY HISTORY OF MARCELINE

April 1 2024

Uptown Theatre, PART I

Marceline HistoricalSociety Architecture, entertainment, Historical Buildings, Historical People, Hollywood, Marceline Historical Society, segregation, Spanish Revival, Uptown Theatre, Walt Disney architecture, Cantwell, Dickinson, entertainment, film, historic buildings, historic people, historic preservation, historical society, history, hollywood, Maceline timeline, marceiine historic society, Marceline, Marceline Historical Society, missouri, spanish revival, Uptown Theater, Uptown Theatre, Walt Disney 0

The following information is from Ed Comber’s MAKING HISTORY column published in the Linn County Leader.

The Uptown Theatre is well known in the county. Perhaps you went to a movie there when you were younger. Maybe even your first date. You likely also know about the two Disney films that premiered in the theater—the 1956 Midwest premiere of Walt Disney’s The Great Locomotive Chase and the 1998 premiere of The Spirit of Mickey. But these premieres are simply footnotes in the theater’s marvelous history. It has a much more interesting existence and story than its flirtation with the Disney Corporation.

The Uptown Theatre is a 286-seat theater with a raised stage, apartments on the second and third floors, and storefronts in the north and south bays of the façade. If you’ve been in town in the last year, perhaps you have even enjoyed a coffee at Café Marceline.

PRE-UPTOWN HISTORY and CONSTRUCTION

In October 1924, A.B. and Ivah Cantwell bought the Snappy Theatre, housed in the north side of the theater, next to a Kaiser-Koch clothing store that occupied the south portion of the original dual-purpose building. Cantwell remodeled the Snappy Theatre and renamed it the Cantwell Theatre within the first year of owning it.

In 1929, Cantwell purchased the clothing store and started building his new theater. While local contractor Fred Wolfskill was erecting the new theater, Cantwell took over the lease of the Cater Opera House to continue showing movies until his new theater was complete. According to newspaper accounts, Cantwell and Wolfskill gutted much of the circa 1894 building housing the Snappy Theatre and Kaiser-Koch store. The Marceline News reported that “virtually all of the old Kaiser-Koch and Cantwell Buildings will be torn down.” There is some evidence that suggests the party walls of the circa 1894 building (the walls abutting the buildings on either side of it) were incorporated into the new building.

Originally, the theatre was to have a seating capacity of 550 with a balcony holding an additional 200 seats to be built later. However, no balcony was built, and the theater was finished with a seating capacity of 286.

During construction, the theater was renamed the Dickinson Theatre when Glenn W. Dickinson, a regional theater chain magnate, leased it from Cantwell. It opened as Dickinson Theatre on June 30, 1930.

ENTERTAINMENT THROUGH THE 1930s

Prior to the Uptown Theatre, Marceline had the Cater Opera House for all major entertainment events, such as movies, plays, dances, and sporting events like boxing. According to local newspaper accounts, while leasing the Cater Opera House Cantwell showed films there until the grand opening of the Dickinson Theatre. Within two years of the Dickinson Theatre’s opening, the Cater Opera House temporarily closed. For what reason was not reported. The Cater would quickly re-open, but only as a place for large gatherings like dances and meetings. It operated in that capacity until 1957 when it burned down.

When the Dickinson Theatre opened in 1930, it showed first-run movies, held dances and rallies, and hosted vaudeville acts, beauty contests, and community-based parties. These events combined with the first-run feature films made the theater an integral part of the community. The Cater seemed to be only for dances, plays, and indoor sporting events like boxing.

One example of non-feature film entertainment designed to bring in crowds was a vaudeville act booked shortly after opening in 1930. The theater hosted a “Twin Party” featuring “Siamese twins”, a famous vaudeville act at the time.

The theater opened on 20 June 1930 with an R.C.A. sound system with “improved Simplex design” projector lamps “assuring a perfect picture [with] perfect sound.” The Marceline News reported that the grand opening of the theater had over one-thousand people in attendance.

For the next six years, the Dickinson Theatre ran unopposed as the only place for first-run films and community entertainment, like fashion and style reviews and holiday parties.

But a theater war was on the horizon…

The lack of comparable competition ended in 1936 when A.B. Cantwell canceled Dickinson’s lease. This was big news in town and may have had something to do with the lawsuit a woman had filed against Dickinson a year or so prior; she alleged he broke off their engagement and sued him. The Marceline News was more than happy to let the community know about the drama. Cantwell leased the theater to R. C. Jones, who remodeled the theater and reopened it on 29 August 1936 as the Uptown Theatre.

Dickinson vowed to open a competing theatre within the year and as promised, he opened a new Art Deco-style theater, the Chief Theatre, within the year. It was located at 209 N. Main St. U.S.A., about two blocks north of the Uptown. This started a three-year battle between the two theaters.

During the three years’ war between the Uptown and Chief, the theatres fought for Marceline movie supremacy. Based on ads and news articles, it appears the Uptown was the more dominant. The Uptown continued to show first-run movies, hold beauty contests, throw holiday parties, and be a community centerpiece, whereas the Chief advertised only one holiday party and movie ads were sporadic.

In 1938, the Uptown Theatre became a unit of the Commonwealth Theatre company, the largest independent theatre operator in the Kansas City territory. This meant the Uptown could book movies earlier than before; now patrons would be seeing new releases even sooner, again one-upping the Chief.

Something odd happened between the time the Uptown became a Commonwealth theater and 21 July 1939. On this day, it was announced the Griffith-Dickinson Theater Group, the largest independent theatre circuit in the United States, had bought the Uptown Theatre and would take over operations on 22 July 1939. Dickinson claimed the Uptown would be closed. However, after the merger, references to the Chief Theatre virtually disappeared. It seems the new manager of both the Chief and Uptown decided to only keep the Uptown open. The Chief officially closed in September 1939. It’s not clear why it closed, and the Uptown remained, though. The Chief burnt down in February 1942 under what might be called suspicious circumstances. It never re-opened as Dickenson promised. Again, as the only theater in town, the Uptown Theatre continued as the entertainment Mecca of Marceline. And in the 1940s the theater was ready to help the War Effort.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Ed is the Founder and President of the veteran-owned Midwest Preservation Group, LLC, a historical preservation company dedicated to assisting rural communities with preserving their history. For more details about the company and historic preservation, please visit the FAQ page of midwestpreservationgroup.com.

No part of this article can be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the author.