Written by Lynn Marie Allen
On a journey, as usual, to uncover a piece of all things history, and as usual, history never disappoints! On September 28, 1885, Newton Reynolds was born in Robinson, Kansas. He married Grace Peckinpaugh on June 20, 1907. The young couple traveled to Colorado and returned to Hiawatha two years later. In 1909, Newton, primarily self-taught in construction, opened and operated a successful business and built multiple houses. For some of these houses, I continue to look for historical references to the works of Newton Reynolds. Some homes referencing Newton Construction include the Presbyterian Church, an exemplary Gothic architectural example. 406 North 7th Street in Hiawatha, constructed in 1913, is an example of American Four Square. Newton also contributed to Camp Whiteside in Fort Riley. He built his own home at 513 Kansas Avenue, Hiawatha. Newton also built the Strunk House, which was north of town ( I have not found the address), The Tyler Warren House, the Smith Johnson House, the Clarence Van Buskirk House, and many more contributions to the structures within Brown County and surrounding communities. Newton Construction had 150 employees at least once, which would be a rather large company for the times located in Hiawatha. Newton will later serve as Mayor of Hiawatha from 1928 to 1938, continuing his legacy of contributions to the community. As always, this is only a tiny piece of the story; get out there and find the rest of the story! Be sure to stop by and share with me what you uncover! #HistoryMysteries
Brown County Historical Society is working hard to finish the Bruning Barn and make it an incredible venue location for many future generations to enjoy. Bruning Barn is the focal point of our Give Back to Move Forward Project for the 2023 Fund! The GBMF project includes tables and chairs for the venue location, a warmer for catering, gravel, and work for parking, a silo for future wedding backdrops, and much, much more. We hope you are as excited as we are to finish this incredible project.
Pictured 406 North 7th Street Home image.
“History Mysteries” and “Chasing My Sparkle” are the intellectual property and creative inspiration of Lynn Marie Allen
Forest of Words 