Restoration of the Adair County Historical Society

August 28, 2025 update: Reiff and his crew have started their process of brick and stucco repair, and they have given us the quote update of $15,000, which brings the total to $18,300.

July 29, 2025, update: Jonathan Reiff has provided us with a quote for the mortar, brick, and plaster repair, totaling $22,800. This raises our donation need to $26,100. We will continue to update here and on Facebook with more information once it becomes available to us.

July 24, 2025, update: Jackson Electric has reinstalled our electric box on the North side of the building. This ensures that the building now has electricity! The total came out to be $3,300. We are still awaiting the quote estimation for the brick and stucco repair. Thus, for right now, the donation goal is 3,300, but it will increase once the quote is returned. Thank you for all your donations so far.

Original Story:

On June 30, 2025, the director of the Adair County Historical Society received a call from our neighbors stating that bricks had fallen from the eastern side of the building. The stucco is struggling to stay on. The historic building is on the verge of collapse.

The building was erected in 1916 as the Sourjourner's Club Hall. It was built by Irwin Dunbar, producing Kirksville's first and only public library until the Adair County Public Library opened in July 1986. In 1991, the building was purchased by the Adair County Historical Society, which remains the owner of it today.

Not only does the building itself hold historical significance in the community, but the objects inside do as well. The Historical Society has countless amount of historical data, including Census Records, genealogical information, and Plat Maps in our research room alone. The basement, first floor, and second floor are filled with pieces of Adair County history from church pews from the historic Bear Creek Church, pieces of the Gibbs Post Office, and recently clothing items from Phradie Wells, Primadonna of the New York City Metropolitan Opera, who spent several years in Adair County. So much more is to be discovered and is donated every month to our ever-growing collection.

It is important to acknowledge, as the President of the Adair County Historical Society, Blytha Ellis stated best in a Kirksville Daily Express article from December 2023: "It should be known that the Historical Society is completely staffed by volunteers. It does not receive support from any local, state, or federal agency. We rely upon the yearly fees paid by our members to survive. Purchases of our magazine and our calendar also help support the museum. We apply for as many grants as possible, but these are all small and specified for particular projects."

With your donation, we will be able to fix the bricks and stucco, allowing the Adair County Historical Society to open again. The reopening and restoration of the building will encourage several more decades of local history education and the preservation of all things Adair County.

Thank you!