Ernest (best known as "Ernie") was born July 17, 1888, in Cawker City, Kansas.
Coming from a family with interests in equipment business, Ernie continued this tradition in 1916 by constructing, then operating a garage and service station which was special for its time as it was built with a heating system in its shop which allowed for year round comfort for employees.
The new station was built in 1926 by 3 stonemasons, with locally quarried limestone, which became a traditional building material in the area primarily because it took money to build with wood, but it only took labor to build one of stone. Many of the eastern Europeans who settled the area were adept stone masons so there were quite a few competent workman in the area willing to work for relatively low wages. The stone for the service station was quarried near Glen Elder. The building was constructed of long narrow slabs of a warm, buff color
Well-constructed, the structures pilings are sunk 15 feet into the earth
The additional building was constructed in 1929 to house the oil and greasing equipment and a hydraulic lift repeats many of the architectural motifs used in the service station. It faces north and its facade repeats the crenellated square towers on each corner.
The removal of the gas pumps happened after US-24 was relocated to bypass Glen Elder, causing the station to no longer be situated on a major cross-country thoroughfare, destroying the day to day profitability just like what happened to Route 66
He finished this new station in 1926, when it sold after his death, it it became a hotel, now it's been bought by a Dan, who grew up nearby, and wanted to buy it his whole life
Ernie died when he parked his car and the brakes failed, and pinned him underneath it, at age 82. His estate sale was extensive, as he had collected everything from antique automobiles, popcorn and peanut machines, cigar store Indians, extensive gun and coin collections, and enough other collectibles to fill a 28-page announcement
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