J.C. Penney Remains the Pride of Hamilton
312 North Davis St Hamilton, MO 64644Phone: 816-583-2168
The values of Mr. Penney learned while growing up in Hamilton became the foundation of his business and personal life. He never forgot his ties to Hamilton, returning often for visits, and helping the community, both financially and by instilling residents with a feeling of pride in their community.
Penney, the son and grandson of Primitive Baptist ministers, took up retailing in 1895 and saw his nationwide chain of stores grow to 1,700 during his lifetime. Jimmie grew up hearing his father say, "If I had 10 boys and a million dollars, I wouldn't give them a dime." He believed self-discipline and determination could prevent an ineffective or wasted life. At the age of eight, he was given the responsibility of purchasing his own clothes. He tried various ways to earn money, including picking up nails at the black shop, running errands, running a "stick horse" livery stable for children and operating a lemonade stand. Later endeavors included raising feeder pigs and selling watermelons. Penney left Hamilton early in his adult life for health reasons and went west. He eventually established a chain of department stores across the nation and used the old-fashioned values he learned in Hamilton as a foundation of his business and personal life. He once said that he would rather be known as a Christian than a millionaire. His first stores were called "Golden Rule", and he emphasized the need to "bridge the gap between material and spiritual" in his long years as a business executive. Hamilton definitely benefited from Penney's successful career. With the retirement of his first local employer, Mr. J. M. Hale, Penney bought his store, |
enlarged it and reopened it as his 500th store in the Penney chain in 1924. He rented a house in town for his store managers, but kept a room for himself and visited often. Often when he visited the Hamilton store, he would help out by sweeping, stocking and caring for customers. He bought a farm east of town and made it an agricultural showplace during the Depression. He donated to the first library, shoe factory, Highland Cemetery and the American Legion Park. Penney was instrumental in building the high school which bears the Penney name of honor of his parents. Stories of Penney's temperance and frugality were legion. He often said he never had a first drink or cigarette. A stock boy who left a burning light in a Penney store in 1929 told of being chastised a quarter of a century later when, as an executive, he followed Penney out of his office and forgot to turn off the light. "You're still doing it," Penney told him. In his years later Penney hardly restricted his activities. During his 84th year, he attended 51 store openings in 24 states, gave 105 major addresses in 23 states, appeared on 27 radio and television programs and logged 62,000 travel miles in a period of 190 days. J. C. Penney died on February 12, 1971 at the age of 95. As recently as five months before his death, he was still at the helm of his enterprises, working five days a week at his desk in the 45-story Penney building on Sixth Avenue in New York City. During his lifetime, he refused to have any memorials in his name. But today, Hamilton has a beautiful museum that also houses a public library and well-used community room. To help keep the Penney legacy alive today, the community celebrates with a J. C. Penney Hometown Festival each second weekend in June. |
