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A. Barnett remembered as 'McCook's Builder'
Mr. A. Barnett, arguably McCook's most influential citizen of its first 50 years, was at once McCook's most visible man, and at the same time McCook's most private citizen. He is known as "McCook's Builder," a title, which he richly deserves, and as such was well-known to the community as he oversaw his many buildings being built. Yet, at the same time, he was a retiring personality, one whom few people really got to know well. His first name was Albert, but use of that name was restricted to a handful of close friends. To almost everyone in McCook he was known as A. Barnett, and universally ad-dressed as, "Mr. Barnett."
Mr. Barnett left a grand, formal portrait, which was to be used whenever a likeness of Mr. Barnett was needed. That portrait showing Mr. Barnett holding the blue-prints for a building and looking into the future, is on display at the High Plains Museum, but informal pictures of the great man are very rare -- by design.
For some reason, he refused to have his picture taken. When the Gazette chose to include an informal snapshot of Mr. Barnett in its 50-year souvenir edition (1932), Harry Strunk felt compelled to include the following: "Mr. Barnett was unaware that this picture was being taken. In making an apology to Mr. Barnett for obtaining it, The Gazette must add that it is proud to have a likeness so characteristic of McCook's "Master Builder", who was overseeing one of his projects when this was taken."
Mr. Barnett was born in Knoxville, Ill., in 1855. The years following the Civil War were years of immense building in the Western United States. Though there were periods of hard times -- strikes, droughts, etc., that growth continued almost unabated until the very tough times of the 1930s. This was the time in which Mr. Barnett lived -- and profited.
As a young man he worked on farms, taught school, and worked on the Chicago lumber docks. It was here that he became acquainted with B.M. Frees, who had extensive lumber interests throughout the West.
In 1882 Mr. Frees sent young Barnett to Nebraska, where he was to open up a lumberyard in the new community of McCook.
He was on hand to help unload the first carload of lumber in McCook, a fact of which Mr. Barnett was very proud. These were rough times in a frontier community. Albert slept atop a corn bin, "on an old blanket or two," and took a "bulldog revolver" to bed with him at night. Fear of prowlers was very real.
In 1886 Frees transferred Barnett to Stuart, Neb., to manage a lumberyard in that city. In 1893 he returned to McCook, where he spent the remainder of his years.
In the years following he oversaw the operation of Frees lumberyards in West-ern Nebraska and Eastern Colorado. He gradually ac-quired interest in the yards and eventually became owner of all these yards and more.
In addition to the Barnett Lumberyard in McCook, he controlled Warren Lumber of Fort Morgan, Colo., Cox Lumber of Scottsbluff, J.S. Hatcher Lumber of Curtis, Barnett & Brantley of Culbertson and other individual yards, some 28 in number, as well as the McCook Cement and Stone Co., with H.N. Rosebush, which provided the materials for most of the early streets and sidewalks.
Mr. Barnett was responsible for providing the lumber, and in many cases the financing of the majority of McCook's early homes. The list of business buildings in McCook for which Mr. Barnett was instrumental in its construction is extensive, and impressive -- the Masonic Temple Building, the (old) YMCA building, funds for which were contributed by B.M. Frees, the Keystone Hotel, the Fox Theater, the Nebraska Light and Power (now Country Whimsey), the Addams Hotel, the Wagner General Motors building, the Whit-taker Furniture building. The United Methodist Church is his greatest monument.
This church building, with a fine church pipe organ, was built in 1927. It was presented to the Methodist congregation, a gift from Mr. Barnett, as a memorial to Mr. Barnett's own mother.
Mr. Barnett's civic activities were as many and varied as his own enterprises. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club, and the YMCA. He was mayor of McCook in 1900. He was a member of the McCook School Board for 29 years. For eight years he was chairman of the Chamber Good Roads Committee.
Mr. Barnett believed in young people and cherished children. His benevolence resulted in the posting of thousands of dollars in prizes for achievements by young people in club work, agricultural attainments and other activities. For many years Mr. Barnett served on the Associated Charities Board. He was a member of the lay board for St. Catherine's Hospital until the time of his death.
As a young man, Mr. Barnett served for many years as a drum major in Colonel Sutton's band. He remembered those years with fondness, explaining that he was proud to have served as drum major in the finest band ever in Southwest Nebraska.
One of his first gifts to the city was the installation of the clock tower in the old Court House. The gift came from money paid him for jury duty. He felt that he should not be paid for performing his civic duty, and this was his way of returning that money to the people.
One of Mr. Barnett's last building projects was the construction of the present City Auditorium, a building he had promoted for a quarter century before the necessary organization, grants, and local funding could finally be put in place. At the time of his death he was still actively consulting with en-gineers and architects from his hospital bed at St. Catherine's Hospital, over details of its construction.
Mr. Barnett was as thorough in his business interests as he was in the construction of his buildings. In the spring of 1938, Mr. Barnett, aware of his condition, did a major reorganization of his business interests. Under his direction, Roland Larmon replaced him as President of the First National Bank, and R.A Young became President of the Barnett Lumber Co. Other specific directions concerning his funeral were found in a letter in his desk.
Mr. Barnett was survived by his second wife, a daughter, the wife of J. Raymond McCarl (The Comptroller General of the United States), and one son, Frank. Though never a member of any church, his funeral was held at the United Memorial Methodist Church. His pallbearers were his business employees.
Shortly before his death in 1938, Mr. Barnett received two extortion notes, one for $35,000, and one for $60,000. Both notes in-structed him to toss the money from an auto into a roadside ditch, just west of McCook.
Mr. Barnett, the fellow who took a revolver to bed with him at night in the early days of McCook, was still fearless in his 82nd year. He refused to take the notes seriously, and it was only with a good bit of persuasion from his business associates that he finally turned the matter over to the FBI.
The agents were able to make little headway in the case and the extortionists were never caught. Mr. Barnett went to his death, still unconcerned over the matter.