A building that stood along Route 66 in Carthage, Missouri, for nearly a century was destroyed by fire over the weekend.
The Krtek Building, built in 1927 at Grant Street and Central Avenue (aka Route 66), also was known Henson Metal Building Supply and Stanley Lumber Co.
Google Street View captured an image of the building in September, just before the fire, which can be seen above.
Bruce Vaughn, 89, told the Joplin Globe the building was designed by his grandfather, and the property dated to 1890 as a lumber business.
Vaughn said he knew it as the Stanley Lumber Co., named for his grandfather, Homer Stanley, who appears to have been the second owner of the lumber business on that location. His grandfather retired in the 1950s and he, his father, Bruce Vaughn Sr., and mother, Elizabeth Stanley Vaughn, sold the company to Dick Krtek, who ran it until the 1990s.
“The old Stanley lumberyard that burned to the ground … was part of my family for over 70 years,” Bruce Vaughn said. “It was well situated on Route 66 and played a significant part in the development of the city of Carthage.”
Vaughn said Ben Thomas founded the first lumber company on the lot at Grant and Central. It was named B.F. Thomas & Co.
Vaughn also said the fire also caused a loss to local Route 66 history.
Here’s a video report from the scene by one of the local TV stations:
The fire, fanned by high winds at the time, also destroyed the city’s first Spanish-language church, Casa de Sanidad.
The state fire marshal’s office was called to investigate, though local firefighters did not speculate on a cause.
(Excerpted image from Google Street View of the Krtek Building in Carthage, Missouri)