Green Rivers, butterscotch sundaes, and strawberry sodas. A treasured part of Lynnville’s history is now back in its original location. Randy Van Kooten, of Lynnville, recently acquired the quarter-sawn oak bar from the old Lynnville drug store from his wife’s late uncle, Melvin Geurts. Van Kooten, who owns the building that now houses Riverside Junction, wanted to bring the bar, which measures eight feet long, back to its original home.
On New Year’s Eve, Van Kooten, with the help of his brother and a nephew, brought the bar back to the historic building. Today, the old Lynnville Drug Store building is the home of Riverside Junction, a gift and antique shop that also serves coffee, sandwiches, soups, and desserts and is owned by Lynnville resident Jaci Vande Krol. Vande Krol is delighted to have the bar “back home.”
From the Lynnville Historical Society, an old picture of the historic “drug store building” that is now Riverside Junction with the drug store soda fountain “back home.”
Retirees Walt and Violet Van Maanen stand in Riverside Junction in front of the over-a-century-old mirrored soda fountain. The two met at the drug store and after they married, eventually spent numerous hours working before building their new store years ago. PHOTO BY JACI VANDE KROL
“The bar is back within a couple of feet of its original location where it sat 50 years ago,” said Vande Krol. Once she had the historic piece situated in her store, the store owner posted a couple of pictures on her Facebook page, which opened the door for current and former Lynnville residents to share their memories:
“Doug Renaud and I rode our bicycles to Lynnville so we could have a root beer served in a chilled mug,” shared Dennis Ratcliff, formerly of Sully and now of Illinois, on Facebook. “It was great!”
“I remember the long counter where ice cream and Green Rivers were served,” shared Beth Jordan. “I also remember the drawings on Saturday nights. Lots of Lynnville childhood memories!”
Speaking of Jordan’s memories, today David Gertsma of Lynnville has the ice cream machine, and Dennis Bouma, formerly of Lynnville and now of New Sharon, owns the Green River drink maker.
This historic building has been home to several different businesses with many different owners over the years. Garnet Gertsma, Lynnville Historical Society member, provided the building’s past, via a written history by the late Lucile Sparks.
In 1901, the two-story double-brick building, measuring 50 by 70 feet with a full basement, was built by Wm. Painter, a druggist. Painter had a drugstore in the north half of the store building. It was constructed from bricks made at the Lynnville Brick and Tile Factory. The foundation was built of sandstone from a local quarry, north of town. The south half was a grocery store. The entire building was later used as a grocery and dry goods store, with an opening between the two stores, the drug store having moved on the west side of the street in the next block north. In 1914, the business was owned by C.W. Phelps, who had the iconic bar built and installed. Throughout the early years, other owners and operators of the business included Richard Rivers, C.F. Renaud, and T. J. Coffey.
In the late 1930s, L.J. Dixon moved the drug store back into the north half of the building, and the dry goods was combined with the grocery store in the south half. Some of the later operators of the grocery store included Ray Ver Steeg, Glen Van Genderen, Carrol Vander Wilt, John Boat, Cliff Davis, and Harry Meredith. In the 1950s, Harry Meredith sold his grocery store at auction, and the south half of the building became the office of veterinarians Dr. Terry Fitzpatrick and Dr. Terry Watts.
In 1947, L.J. Dixon sold his drug store to Everett Willemsen, who operated it as a sundry store until 1956, when he sold it to Russell James, as Willemsen became the rural mail carrier in 1954. In September 1963, James sold the sundry store to Mrs. Wayne (Alpha) Searcy. The store became known as “Lynnville Sundries.”
Around this same time, the north half of the building and the upstairs was owned by the Masonic Lodge. The Masons purchased the building from L.J. Dixon and completely remodeled the upstairs for their hall. They later purchased the downstairs. In 1959, the Masons remodeled the front of the building, doing away with the old stairway entry that led to the basement from the front sidewalk. Also full of history, this basement was once used as a millinery shop and a barber shop. The second story of the building was used as a gymnasium, prior to 1914, when the basement gym at Lynnville High School was finished. It had also been used as a dentist office.
Walt and Violet Van Maanen of Lynnville were the last owners of the Lynnville drug store. The couple operated the drug store along with their business, Van’s Radio and TV. Van’s remained in the old drug store building until 1973, when they built and opened a new location a few doors to the south.
The drug store not only holds professional memories, but personal ones for the Van Maanens.
“Walt said when Violet was a teen, she worked here for Everett Willemsen,” added Vande Krol. “And that is how they met, when he would come in to eat.”
“I have such great memories of spending Saturday nights in Lynnville, and we would get one thing from the soda fountain each week – that was a big deal,” added Jan Conover of Sully. “A museum piece for sure.”
Vande Krol shared future plans for the historic piece. “We hope to add a front bar with stools this summer,” the store owner added. “We are only using it as a display for now, but hope to be able to use it as a bar/counter again at a later date.”
