Long-time and wellknown residents of Lincoln County, Jack and Kathie Crispin, are the first recipients of a newly announced recognition award from the Kansas Post Rock Limestone Coalition (KPRLC). This new annual Preservation Award is designed to recognize successful efforts to preserve and restore structures built with native greenhorn limestone post rock.
Many of the area’s limestone structures were skillfully crafted more than 100 years ago, by hand using crude tools, when early Kansas settlers used the sturdy and available native stone to build grand buildings in busting new communities and fencing to protect crops and livestock. These reminders of our shared cultural history in rural Kansas deserve to be celebrated and restored, rather than demolished.
Recognizing the Crispin’ long-time efforts to save, preserve, and repurpose a historic native limestone commercial building, the award was presented during Lincoln’s Post Rock Festival parade Saturday, September 2, 2023.
Jack and Kathie purchased the Cummins Block Building, 161 E. Lincoln Ave., in 1997, after a majority of the building had been vacant for over 50 years. They immediately added a new roof for protection from further water damage and worked to list it on the National Register of Historic Places in the spring of 2000. While an application for a Heritage Trust Fund grant was not successful, the Crispin’s moved forward with the preservation project.
Rehabilitation included contracting with Mid-Continental Restoration of Fort Scott, KS to clean, tuckpoint and repair the structure. The required historic processes take into consideration the nature of the native limestone and approved historical procedures. The exterior cleaning of the building is completed with a biological cleaner rather than sandblasting, to remove black mold and restore the bright limestone with minimal erosion. National Park Service standards dictate mortar repair to require a special lime and cement mix that dries the same hardness as the native limestone and minimizes differing expansion rates over time from further separating the mortar from the rock.
Mid-Continent Restoration created a new doorway through the 18-inchthick limestone wall to connect the former corner bank and abstract office to the neighboring commercial space, which also included the original yellow pine stairway to the upper floor. Additional contractors, including local contractor Corey Uhl, were hired for the windows, doors, floors and installation of the new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
The Crispin’s completed a considerable amount of the rehab work themselves, at times donning personal protective gear that included suit and respirator musk, demolition of the upper floor plaster and lathe and restoring the rusty tin ceilings in the lower commercial building.
“The Cummins Block Building served as a financial, commercial, and community cornerstone in Lincoln in its early years. We believed that its historical importance, its architectural beauty, and its perfect fit for our future plans required that we do what we could do to rehabilitate it to its past glory. We thank the Post Rock Limestone Coalition for this recognition of this building’s importance to the heritage of this area and our efforts to restore it to usefulness,” Jack Crispin said as they were presented with the honor.
The fully restored Late Victorian Italianate style building that spans the southwest corner across from Lincoln’s historic limestone courthouse, with striking round-arched windows and a bracketed stone cornice to accompany the native limestone architecture, is now home to two museums curated by the Crispin’s, and their loft residence on the upper floor.
The Post Rock Scout Museum was created by Kathie in 2004, with Girl Scout memorabilia displays, uniform styles from past eras and much more. Kathie has been involved with Girl Scouting since 1985, volunteering her time first as a troop leader, and over time with many special committees, leadership offices, and directorships. She has received the Outstanding Volunteer Award twice, Thanks Badge, Appreciation Pin, Treasured Time Award, and Honor Pin.
While Girl Scouts is clearly one of her passions, as evidenced in the museum collections, her volunteer service does not stop there. She has also been involved with the Lincoln County Historical Society for more than 25 years, the United Methodist Church for 30 years, the Lincoln Carnegie Library, Lincoln County Election Board, Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln County Tourism Coalition, and Kansas Museums Association, often serving in leadership roles, and served on many other special committees.
Jack owned a pharmacy in Lincoln for 26 years and is also a Civil War historian known locally for his engaging storytelling abilities. He served on the Lincoln City Council for a combined 32 years across two periods of service. He also served on the Lincoln Hospital Board, after working with the hospital as a pharmacist for 40 years.
He opened Crispin’s Drug Store Museum in 2007, showing a small-town pharmacy from the 1880-1920 period. This transition period includes both crude drug ingredients and manufactured drugs. Collections include a large collection of Kansas bottles, patent medicines, apothecary bottles, druggists’ tools, and show globes. Both museums are open by chance or by appointment, most afternoons. Visit www.postrockscoutmuseum. com or www.crispindrugstoremuseum.
com for more information.
Jack and Kathie have received several awards over the years for their community service, including a 2017 Advocacy Award for Excellence from the Kansas Preservation Alliance, for their lifelong work in preserving and promoting history and the Cummins Block Building.
KPRLC hopes to continue its mission of promoting, preserving, and protecting the history, art, and architecture of the Kansas post rock limestone region by recognizing efforts, such as those like the Crispin’s project, in the coming years with a nomination process and annual awards specifically for native Greenhorn Limestone preservation projects.
About KPRLC
Kansas Post Rock Limestone Coalition is a group of individuals and communities linked by the Greenhorn Limestone formation in Central and Western Kansas. The geographic area of Post Rock Country covers 18 Kansas counties stretching from the northern border of the state, flowing southwest down to the Dodge City area. More information is available at www.kansaspostrocklimestone. org.
