History of Tipton Hardware Building

1006 Main

Lot 3, Block 59, Original Town

The building that has come to be known as the Tipton Hardware Building at 1006 Main began, as did many Main street buildings, as a brick building divided by a narrow space leading to the second story.

It was built in 1906 taking the place of the wooden structures that were located there. It was connected to the building just south of it and had the appearance of a single fifty-foot building with the doors situated in the center. A brick wall, which came to the stairway, divided the building into two twenty-five-foot fronts and the stairs were common to both buildings.

The north side of the new building housed the Gebhart Clothing business. The second story on this side was a meeting hall. Gebhart moved his clothing store from 920 Main into the new building and remained there until the store was bought out by Dick Auer and became the Goodland Clothing Store. Goodland Clothing was located in the building until 1929 when it moved to 1012 Main.

The building, which was owned by J. G. Gebhart of Phillipsburg, was sold in February 1910 to William H. Robinson of Plainville, Kan., for $6,000. The upper story of the building had just been completed in 1910 and added another $3,000 to the sale. Attorney F. J. Horton had the office rooms facing Main Street on the upper level. The entrance from the front stairway connected both with those office rooms and with the hall in the rear. The hall had an “ante-room”, and provided “room for regalia and storage” according to newspaper accounts. There was another stairway in the rear of the building.

The hall, which was know as Robinson Hall was remodeled in 1924, when it was extended 30 feet to the rear of the building. A kitchen, bathroom, and additional lockers were added. The Robinson Hall was the only available “lodge room” and used exclusively by the Masonic Temple for many years. There were at least 20 different organizations meeting there in 1924 with some kind of lodge meeting was conducted there every evening. On the occasional night when the hall was vacant, it was used for dances.

In October 1925, W. H. Tipton became the owner of the hardware stock and fixtures of the Williams & Wilson firm. Mr. Tipton had been in business in Burlington for several years and owned a hardware store there until 1924 when he sold it. Prior to going to Burlington he was a resident of Goodland and for several years and was employed by the Millisack store.

The Goodland and News Republic Reported in 1931 that, “Forty years ago George Hess came to Goodland and opened a hardware store, which is now, conducted by the W. H. Tipton hardware company. That was back in the days when sod houses were kept warm by fuel gathered from the range or when coal if it was burned, was hauled for many miles across country. It was before the days of trees and when liquid fuel stoves were little known. The light for the home were old kerosene lamps, or more generally lanterns that would smoke it not watched carefully and which threw out a gas that was dangerous, if the hinges on the doors happened to be such that the sod houses were practically air tight.”

According to the local newspaper, as he looked toward the tall shelves that lined each side of his business, he commented on the progress of the hardware trade. Mr. Tipton said, “There were comparatively few items that had remained virtually the same as they were years ago. Great changes have come in stoves, lamps, cooking utensils, windmills, water systems, washing machines and other necessities. New commodities have been added to the general line until today it is possible to have a farm home as modern in its equipment as any home in the city. At first this might seem impracticable but it really is not.”

Tipton Hardware moved to the 1006 Main location in July of 1935. Tipton moved from the Sparks Building into the area vacated by the I. G. A. Store, which was owned at that time by L.G. Davis. At the former location, Tipton had to squeeze his inventory into the small quarters of the Sparks Building when the new Virture store forced him to vacate the Hunt-Ennis Building. 

However, in the new location he had plenty of room to properly display his hardware stock, and a nice window to show his merchandise. In August of 1935 Mr. Tipton had The Grists’ Goodland Auto Top and Fender Works install a new awning over the front of his building.

Mr. Tipton was quoted as saying, “I had to borrow every cent, at 8 percent interest, but my business prospered and I paid off my debts.” Hard times hit everywhere in the early 1930’s and Tipton’s Hardware was no exception. They did an average business of $6 to $8 a day as compared to $125 to $150 in the 1960’s.

In 1948 Dr. David A. Lasley had his office in the upstairs of the building.

Mr. Tipton was born in Macomb, Ill. on Nov. 10, 1879 to James Wesley and Frances Elizabeth (Purdum) Tipton. In 1898 until 1902 he worked as a clerk in the Millisack Department Store in Kingman, Kan., at a salary of $20 a month. With this, he paid room and board and the barber and was able to save $4 each month. His parents moved to Goodland, where the Reverend Tipton served at Pleasant Home Church until 1907. The younger Tipton was not interested in giving up his good job to move to the “short grass country,” but his father eventually persuaded him to join the family in Goodland. He became manager of the Burlington branch store of Millisack in 1902, where he worked for six years. He went into business for himself in Burlington until 1915 and from 1916 to 1922 he was a partner of the firm of Tipton and Upton Hardware, implement and furniture dealers and undertakers.

On Dec. 27, 1900 he married Anna Mary McDaniel, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Louderback) McDaniel, at Goodland. Anna, who was a teacher before her marriage, was born in Everett, Penn., on April 17, 1880. The couple was married by Tipton’s father and had two children, Margaret, born October 24, 1914 and Everett, born March 26, 1917.

Margaret was married to Fred Martin in Goodland on June 7, 1934. Margaret and Fred had one child, Bonnie June (Martin) Trachsel. Fred had come to Goodland in 1932 and was employed by Ernest Schoenthaler’s IGA Store. Fred began working for Tipton in January 1937. He took over the management of Tipton Hardware 15 years later.

Tipton remained active in the business for 42 years and retired in 1967. The Tipton Hardware was an excellent hardware store and served Sherman County well for many years. Tipton was 89 years old when he passed away on Jan. 2, 1969. His son preceded him in death in 1935 and his wife in 1959.

Due to Fred’s poor health in the late 1960s, it became necessary for him to sell the hardware store in 1970. Fred died July 7, 1972 and Margaret died November 27, 1979.

A long time employee at Tipton Hardware was Clarence Grant, who was born April 12, 1907 to Jasper and Beulah Grant. He was born two months after his father had died of ptomaine. He graduated from the Goodland schools and attended Kansas Wesleyan College in Salina. Clarence held many jobs over the years including, a worker in the construction of the Caruso elevator, worker for the Stewart Chicken Ranch on the Smoky, a tinsmith for Goodland Sheet Metal and finally an employee of Tipton Hardware. He worked at Tipton’s for 31 years before his retirement. His employment was interrupted only once during World War II when he worked in a Las Vegas defense plant. Clarence was an excellent tinsmith and was very knowledgeable about the hardware business.

Pete Fitzgibbons bought the store in November 1970 and operated a hardware store. Fitzgibbon’s ran his hardware store there from 1971 to 1982. In 1979 the building on the corner became available, which he purchased to combine the stores and branched out into power equipment and the lawn business. In 1984 he rented 1006 Main to Guy and Erma Lee Drennan who opened Drennan’s Shoes, a family shoe store. They purchased the building from Fitzgibbons in 1987. It is still owned and operated by Erma Drennan as Drennan’s Shoes in the year 2002.