Nave & McCord Mercantile Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail, Wholesale grocery, Cattle ranching |
| Founded | January 1, 1857 in St. Joseph, Missouri, United States |
| Founder | Abram Nave, James McCord |
| Defunct | 1929 |
| Fate | Sold to Western Grocer Company |
| Headquarters | St. Joseph , United States |
Area served | Midwest United States |
Key people | Abram Nave, James McCord |
| Products | General merchandise, wholesale groceries, cattle ranching |
The Nave & McCord Mercantile Company was a trailblazing retail chain operating in the Midwest from the mid-1800s until the early 1930s. The enterprise was initiated by brothers-in-law Abram Nave and James McCord.
Early history
Abram Nave, born on June 15, 1815, in Cocke County, Tennessee, relocated during childhood to Saline County, Missouri. In 1841, using a $1,000 loan from his father, he opened his inaugural business—a general merchandise store located in Savannah, Andrew County, Missouri. He wed Lucy McCord in 1842, and together they had six children.
By 1846, Abram joined forces with his brother-in-law James McCord to establish a store in Oregon, Missouri, operating under the name Nave & McCord. James McCord was born on January 7, 1826, in Randolph County, Virginia. He was the sole son of William McCord and Sally Moss Field. James married Mary E. Hallick and fathered ten children.
From 1850 through 1857, Nave, McCord & partner Dudley M. Steele managed Steele, McCord & Company, specializing in driving livestock from Missouri to Sacramento for lucrative sales. This enterprise broadened their business interests and extended their market presence.
Company formed
In 1857, Abram and James formally created the wholesale grocery firm Nave, McCord & Company based in St. Joseph, Missouri. By 1860, their operations had expanded significantly with branch locations in Omaha, Nebraska—in collaboration with Charles L. Clark—and Kansas City, Missouri.
Tragedy struck on July 5, 1860, when a fire razed their St. Joseph premises. The collapse resulted in nine fatalities and triggered a lengthy insurance battle. After eight years of legal proceedings bolstered by eyewitness accounts, Nave & McCord prevailed in court. Despite this adversity, the founders reconstructed their business and maintained its upward growth.
Other investments
Once profitability was restored, Abram diversified his ventures into railroads, banking institutions, insurance companies, and additional enterprises. In 1868, he co-established Leech, Nave & Company in Kansas City, which later became a branch of Nave & McCord. In 1872, he helped found the wholesale grocery Nave, Goddard & Company in St. Louis; this entity also integrated into the Nave & McCord network. Abram oversaw this operation for a decade before returning to St. Joseph. Furthermore, he held partnership interests in Smith-McCord Dry Goods Company located in Pueblo, Colorado, and owned stock in Henry Krug Packing Company based in St. Joseph.
C.D. Smith & Company was founded in 1859 in St. Joseph with Abram and James as partners along with Dudley M. Steele and Charles Daniel Smith. Originally functioning as a grocery wholesaler, it evolved into a drugstore by 1886. This business remained under the Smith family's control for 133 years until employees acquired it in 1992. Subsequently renamed C.D. Smith Healthcare, it was purchased by AmeriSource Health Corporation in 1999.
The Omaha branch named Nave, McCord & Brady was established in 1879 under John Speer Brady’s leadership; Brady had joined Nave, McCord & Company in 1866 and later directed this new location. Abram eventually divested his interest; the company was rebranded as McCord-Brady Company. The original building still stands today as the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts since 1995. Additionally, another McCord-Brady office operated between 1915 and 1932 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
James McCord independently expanded mercantile and grocery operations throughout Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Topeka, and Hutchinson while also managing a real estate firm situated in St. Joseph.
Abram married three times during his lifetime: his first wife Lucy passed away in 1853; he then wed Mary Blewett in 1875 (later divorced), followed by marriage to Augusta Bagwell in 1885—no children resulted from these last two unions.
Incorporation
In 1880, the business transitioned to incorporation under the name Nave & McCord Mercantile Company. That same year, they acquired land for a new facility in St. Joseph, situated near the Missouri Pacific and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad lines. Construction of the five-story brick structure was postponed due to a fire triggered by a handcart mishap, but the building was ultimately finished in 1882. Additionally, a branch office was inaugurated in Atchison, Kansas during that year.
Cattle Company
The Nave-McCord Cattle Company came into existence in 1881 in Texas, starting with an investment of 1,500 cattle alongside grazing rights on the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River within Garza County, Texas. The enterprise established the Square and Compass Ranch by acquiring land in Garza County, divided between the Llano Estacado region for summer grazing and more rugged terrain designated for winter pasture. Through further acquisitions, the herd grew to 15,000 head. The ranch’s name derives from the Masonic symbol associated with founder Abram's membership. By 1884, fencing was completed around the ranch, which remained profitable despite harsh weather conditions encountered in 1886. In 1901, John B. Slaughter purchased the ranch and livestock—5,000 cattle and of land at a rate of $1.60 per acre—renaming it the U Lazy S Ranch.
Dissolution
Abram Nave passed away on June 23, 1898, followed by James McCord in 1903; by this time their sons had taken active roles within Nave & McCord. The company was eventually sold in 1929 to Western Grocer Company based in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Several former company properties still exist today, including locations in Atchison, Kansas and Omaha, Nebraska. However, a historic five-story brick building in St. Joseph, Missouri was lost to fire in November 2016 and subsequently razed.
References
Further reading
- Stevens, Walter. Centennial History of Missouri (the Center State), One Hundred Years in the Union, 1820-1921 Vol. IV, pp. 90–94.
- Conard, Howard (editor). Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, Vol. IV, pp. 532–536.
- Eaton, Leonard K. Gateway Cities and Other Essays, pp. 23–26.
- Williams, Walter (editor). A History of Northwest Missouri, Vols. I & II.