At the north end of Main Street, where the highway meets the heart of town, stood one of Greensburg’s most recognized landmarks: the Caplinger Building, built in 1907 by James M. “Marshall” Caplinger. Originally home to his furniture and hardware business, the sturdy brick structure reflected the strong hands and hard work that built early Greensburg. Over the decades, the building housed a variety of enterprises before finding its most lasting role. In 1992, the Kiowa County Historical Society purchased the property and turned it into the Kiowa County Historical Museum, preserving the community’s history within walls that had witnessed it firsthand.

Inside, visitors found a remarkable collection of local treasures. Displays featured artifacts like the yoke used to dig the Big Well, a hand painted 1917 Flyer bicycle, early kitchen tools, vintage clothing, military uniforms, photographs, and even the life sized cardboard cutout of longtime Greensburg resident Rickard Huckriede, the city’s beloved soda jerk from Hunter Drug. Each room told a story, carefully arranged by volunteers who saw the museum as a gift to future generations.

Just down the block stood Hunter Drug, one of the town’s most cherished gathering places. Built in 1917, it operated for decades as both a pharmacy and a social hub. Locals came not just for prescriptions but for the soda fountain, where people of all ages crowded onto stools for cherry cokes, root beer floats, or a malt mixed by Richard Huckriede, who worked behind that counter for more than fifty years. He remembered the days when a cola cost a nickel, when high schoolers filled the booths after class, and when the soda fountains doubled as conversation corners.

Other businesses along the block were Snootie Seconds, Clark’s Printing, at one point, Greensburg Drug Company. The southern anchor of the block was the former Greensburg State Bank building that became the home of Bev’s Pizza. Others businesses came and went, but together they created the rhythm of small town Main Street life.

Before the storm of 2007, this block captured what Greensburg was best at: preserving its history while living it, one neighborly conversation at a time.