2017 Spring Newsletter

BACKYARD TREASURES FOUND Jim Gray who lives at 404 College in Paola, in recent years found on his property two small glass medicine bo les. Both had the stamp of “JW Price, Druggist, Paola, Kansas”. Upon doing some research it was found that Joseph Warren Price was a druggist in Paola in our early history. He came to Paola in the 1860’s and clerked in his uncle’s store---T J Hedges and later he became the owner of his own store.

the Schumann Building, which s ll bears that name. He sold the large two story building and drug compa ny to Ringer in 1899 which con nued to operate the next 50 years in that loca on. Mr. Price re red and moved to St. Louis to live with rela ves un l his death at age 80 in 1925. The building con nues to be a ma jor structure on Paola’s square. Over the recent years serving as a loca on for Russell’s Department Store, Team Bank Headquarters, Paola Chamber of Com merce, Queen’s Family Grocery chain headquarters. The building is currently owned by Great Southern Bank. There are probably many more pill bo les awai ng their discovery in Paola backyards that were from the Price pharmacy of over a 100 years ago. Keep Digging! Larry Lybarger (From informa on from our obituary files, and The History of Paola 1855-2005 Paola 150 year Timeline.)

A er a period of several years he le Paola for Leav enworth only to return to Paola. He took over the PH Grimes drug store. While in Paola the 2nd me, he had built a new building on the northeast side of the square in 1886. That loca on had seen its destruc on due to fire, so he wished to con nue his business and thus the new building. He housed his drug store and several other businesses. The building was known as the Price Block and a er he sold it became known as

The Price Building built in 1886

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