Beagle store destroyed in early morning fire on Saturday

The secondhand shop and former Burns Grocery, a landmark in Beagle, was destroyed by fire early in the morning on Saturday. (Rob Fritts/Osawatomie Fire Department)

Before there was 1-Stop in Parker, and back when there was still a grocery store in Parker in the 1970s, the Burns Grocery, complete with a gas pump, was a convenience store of sorts in Beagle.

While the Burns family long ago retired from the business, the store, originally with living quarters in the back, became a secondhand shop.

Even though the structure had begun to deteriorate, it was still a landmark for Linn County residents driving north and south on Kansas Highway 7 or driving on Plum Creek Road on their way to or from Osawatomie, Paola and other destinations to the north. According to Miami County records, the structure was built in 1911.

That landmark, located at 39010 Plum Creek Rd., caught fire early in the morning on Saturday, March 11, and was destroyed. What was left of the structure was still smoldering two days after the fire was contained.

The Osawatomie and Fontana rural fire departments responded to the fire, and the structure was totally engulfed when they arrived. No one was injured in the blaze.