John H. Mixter and his son, Fred, were blacksmiths whose shop was located on the east side of Main Street south of Horicon Avenue. Built in 1790 of native granite, it is one of the oldest buildings in Warrensburg. Their anvil was on the ground floor. On the north side was a watering trough for the horses when they came to be shod. Upstairs was a ballroom where ladies and gentlemen of the town could dance. It was also used by the militia to practice marching. Since the 1920s, the building housed an antique shop, first owned by Ed Powers, then by Rollie Tanner, and later by Frances and Joseph Carlucci. John Mixter and his wife, Hannah, had two daughters and four sons. He purchased the Blacksmith Shop prior to 1866. He also acquired the barn across the street (the building that now houses part of Miller Art & Frame). The barn was needed to board horses until the blacksmith was able to tend to their hooves and make their shoes. In 1881, his son James started a hardware store in the current Miller building, and in 1882 gave it up to his brother Fred. An apartment was built over the barn, and there were many owners over the years.
Blacksmith Billy Barlow. (Museum collection)
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William “Billy” Barlow, a local blacksmith, was born in 1880. He started in his father’s blacksmith shop in Hori-con when he was seven-teen years old and later opened his own shop in Warrensburg operating it for more than 50 years. In an interview in 1960, he said that he had been chewing tobacco since he was eight. When he first started in Warrensburg, he would shoe a horse for $1.00. The shoes cost 15 cents each. He could shoe ten to twelve horses a day. He married Nellie Clark on October 1, 1899 and they lived together until her death on October 2, 1965. They had six children: Minnie, Laura, Albert, Harry, Robert, and Anna. He retired in 1965. Billy died on August 30, 1967.
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Ed Powers Antique Shop (Museum collection)
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Edward F. Powers (1870-1951), an antique dealer starting in the 1920s, was located in the former Mixter blacksmith shop at 3728 Main Street. His shop was sold to Frances and Joseph Carlucci in the mid 1940s. The building currently serves as Chamber of Commerce offices. (See Frances Antique Shop.)
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Frances Antique Shop owned by Frances and Joseph Carlucci opened on lower Main Street around 1944. In 1946 they purchased and then moved into the former Mixter blacksmith shop (27 Main Street). It had been an antique store run by Ed Powers prior to their moving in. Downstairs was their antique shop, with antique jewelry, china and silver. The second story was their living quarters, but they also used it to display furniture, which was for sale. Joseph died in 1965 and Frances continued running the shop. In 1986, when she was 77 years old, two robbers tied her up in her apartment and stole more than $160,000 in jewelry. After the robbery, she continued selling antiques, but would no longer sell jewelry. Frances died in 2000.
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