Historic and amazing Samuel E. Hackman Building was built in 1897 in Hartsburg, Missouri

Hackman Building, Hartsburg, Missouri.Photo byHornColumbia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The historic Samuel E. Hackman Building at 30 S. Second Street in Hartsburg, Missouri was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1998.

This two-story rectangular building was constructed in 1897. In 1903, it expanded. The building was renovated and opened as the Hartsburg Grand, but it's unknown if it's still operating because its website is down but is still listed on Facebook.

Photo byHartsburg Grand via Facebook.

This building has also been known as the A.L. Barner Hardware Company Building. It's an attractive building. The original architect is unknown.

The Samuel Hackman Building is a pair of two-story rectangular sections. The main large space built in 1897 originally contained a ground floor store community space above. In 1903, a side wing was added and for most of its history, it served as a doctor's office.

In 1996 and 1997, this historic building was rehabilitated to repair deterioration and effects of flood damage. Hartsburg was greatly affected by Missouri's 1993 flood.

The Hackman Building is important because of its association with commerce and its ornate designs in the front of the building. As one of Hartsburg's early buildings, it's been used commercially for most of its history. From about 1915 to 1942, Armin Barner ran Barner's Hardware Store in the building.

Hartsburg was founded in 1892 on land owned by brothers, Luther D. Hart and Aurelias B. Hart. The initial right-of-way for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad (MKT or Katy) was donated by the brothers in 1892. By the following year, the trains were running, and there was a post office. At that time, the town was called Hart City. By 1901, it was officially incorporated as Hartsburg.

For a few years, Samuel Hackman operated a general store out of the building. He sold the building in 1899 to Herman Gungoll and Gustave Witte. In 1901, Witte bought out Gungoll's interest and remained owner for around 25 years.

After Hackman sold the building, he practiced farming in the Missouri River bottomlands near Hartsburg. He and his wife, Pauline, had eight children. He died on October 10, 1919, at age 49.

A.L. Barner and his wife had a hardware business in 1915 and sold the building in 1942 to the Bank of Hartsburg. He was in the building the longest. Barner was also active in the community. The upper floor was used for community events.

The front of the Hackman building is the last to survive in Hartsburg. The rehabilitation performed didn't greatly impact the integrity of the building.

The village of Hartsburg is in the southern portion of Boone County. It's part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to Data USA, the population of Hartsburg as of 2022 was 130.

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