Today I bring you part two of a 1963 interview with longtime Crane resident Mary Hemphill. I want to say a big round of thanks to everyone who commented on part one from last week, as many of you Stone County residents knew Mary personally. She passed away in September 2005 at the age of 101. Here's part 2, picking up where she left off last week.
The new townsite was purchased by Lee Hemphill. New businesses were coming in and the old businesses were moving over from across the creek. The streets were laid out to parallel the railroad, and thus do not run square with the map.
E.C. Cutbirth moved a store building from Old Town to the site now occupied by the storage building of the Woods Garment Factory. Cotton Williams moved his drug store business. J.C. Lane and his brother Willis bought out Douglas and Moore and established their business on "Value Corner" where the Myers Drug Store is now located.
Meanwhile, carpenters were erecting new homes. Jim Kincaid and Jim Hammonds were among the earliest carpenters. The O.F. Douglas house, located where Roy and Millicent Williams now live, was one of the earliest homes built in New Town, William Gatton moved in from Verona with the railroad and established the Morning Star Restaurant, which catered to railroad men, serving meals family style - all you could eat for a quarter.
Other new people were making Crane their home and place of business. Among the new doctors were Dr. Hoffman, Dr. Baker, Dr. Goodrich and Dr. R.W. Smart, who established the community's first and only hospital. Later came Dr. Doggett, who owned and operated for several years Doggett's Drug Store, which claimed at one time to be Stone County's biggest store. And still later, Dr. Kerr, who in addition to a long career as a country doctor, was active in civic affairs and served as President of the State Board of Health at one time.
J. William Cook came to Crane in 1906 as attorney for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Mr. Luscombe built a large store building where the Farmers' Exchange now stands, and caused to be added to Crane the addition known as Luscombe Heights.
The oldest business still operating is the Bank of Crane, which was chartered September 10, 1904. The first board of directors were William H. Bradford, O.F. Douglas, David M. Hoffman, William R. Gillette and John T. Moore. Other stockholders were R. B. Gillette, C.D. Turner, J.A. Blades, M.P. Brown and J.F. Strickland. All of the foregoing organizers and stockholders are now deceased.
In May 1905, H.N. Parsons built the Commercial Hotel, now owned by Mrs. Nettie Gossett. There was a building on the corner where the locker plant parking lot is now that was occupied by a barbershop. Gene Cameron was the barber. Fred Whitmire operated a hardware store where the McCord Building now stands. John Hilton moved his hardware business to Crane from Scholten in 1906. Willis Wiley became his partner in this business, and later John Hilton's son, A.B. Hilton, became a partner in the store. He and Mr. Wiley operated the store together until 1925 when Mr. Hilton bought out Mr. Wiley's interest. The store is now owned and operated by Max Hilton, son of A.B. Hilton.
Undoubtedly, one of Crane's most colorful characters was B.F. Carney, who began his residence in Crane in 1909. He served the community as a school teacher. After serving as seventh and eighth grade teacher in Crane's school, he was appointed by Governor Frederick Gardner to finish an unexpired term as Recorder of Deeds in 1917. He was publisher of the Crane Chronicle from 1911 to 1919 when he sold out to Don Wright after receiving an appointment as postmaster.
In 1922, Mr. Carney bought an abstract and insurance business which he owned to the time of his death in 1937. He had the oldest and only complete abstract books of Stone County land at that time. It was in the Depression year of 1933 when money was scarce and credit was scarcer, that he conceived his pet scheme of circulating his personal notes as money to stimulate business. His notes were circulated far and wide, and today, several are in museums. His column, "I Say," which was published in the Chronicle attracted attention throughout the Middle West.
The Crane Farmers' Exchange had a hopeful beginning in July 1920. The first officers were C.M. Cope, president; Luther Hilton, vice president; and H.E. McGlassion, secretary-treasurer. Ruel Williams was hired as manager.
The Stone County Oil Company was chartered in 1924. The organizers were Jim Williams, Tom Robertson, W.L. Wells, C.C. Light, Chris Wiles, Ruel Williams and Robert Mitchell.
It is individual men and women who make history. Many colorful characters have lived and worked and left their marks on the community of Crane during the past eighty years or so. This brief sketch can of course, give the stories of only a few of the characters and events which have helped make Crane such an interesting town.
-Mary Hemphill, October 1963
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