The history behind the demolished building in Niangua

Earlier this year, historic building and former Niangua hospital, recognizable to many residents as the Niangua Antique Mall, was demolished as part of a beautification project to turn the plot of land into a green space with a public art instillation.

The building has served as a landmark in the town center for nearly 150 hundred years and has hosted some of the most important developments within the community. In honor of the men and women who used this building to grow the small community to its present day, the history contained within this demolished monument is described below.

The two-story brick structure was built sometime between 1870 and 1883 by John J. Redmond, one of the most important names in the region. In 1870, Redmond and a few other entrepreneurial folks decided to make a new home around a section of the new South Pacific Railroad. Redmond erected the two conjoined buildings nearby to the railroad to serve as the first mercantile shop and post office for the growing community. According to legend, these settlers chose the local native American term for ‘bear’ for the newly inhabited area, and so the town of ‘Niangua’ was born.

Redmond remained a central figure in the town throughout his entire life, becoming Niangua’s first postman and railroad agent. He was also responsible for most of the other buildings erected in the town center up until the turn of the century, including the first school/masonic lodge of Niangua at a cost of $600 in lumber in 1882. By the time of his death, Redmond had cemented his legacy across the city in lumber, brick and stone.

The two-story building was also originally home to a Dr. David A. Williams, another important figure in Niangua history. Dr. Williams was a Tennessee native who migrated to Missouri to begin his study of medicine. After graduating from the Missouri Medical College in 1883, Dr. Williams began treating the residents of Niangua. From 1884 to his death in 1936, Dr. Williams served the town as its most well-known physician, and in 1911, he invited dentist J.H Day to work alongside him in the office.

For a time, Dr. Williams also offered small loans to the locals from a cash store he ran on the building’s first floor. One of these loans happened to be given to the author Harold Bell Wright, allowing him to finish his book The Shepard of the Hills. Depicting the lives of Ozark Mountain folk, the tale would become so popular that it received four film adaptations, one starring John Wayne and Harry Carey in 1941. Locals might also know the story for the famed outdoor drama staged in Branson since 1960. In gratitude, Wright dedicated the sequel, The Calling of Dan Matthews, to Dr. Williams.

Downstairs, the building equally stood at the heart of the town of Niangua’s development, hosting the formation of the Niangua Mercantile Company in the early 1890’s by W.M. Puett, Charles Long, and William M. Crump. The Puetts would continue to run many different businesses from the main floor including a dress shop, an insurance agency, and at three separate times, a grocery store. Upstairs, they had arranged a movie theater.

Eventually, the building came to be owned by Robert and Gail Comer, who decided to start an antique store in 1989. However, after Gail became too sick, the building was again sold to the Oberbecks, who reopened the antique store in 2002. This iteration would last until the final owners of the building, Judy and Pete Aswad, bought the place in 2013. At this point, the building was nearly 150 years old and, according to the many contractors the Aswads’ had evaluate the structure, beyond renovation. Beloved by many locals, salvaged building materials have been distributed throughout the community, including the Dr. Williams cement block, ready to serve the city again in any new future projects.