Rinehart's Music & Video, The Oldest Record Store in America, has been selling records since 1897.
Edwin S. Rinehart (1864-1931) settled in Kirksville having married Mary, the daughter of Adair County pioneer settlers Columbus T and Catherine Rice. E.S. was a classmate and friend of Major Harboard (who was in charge of supplies in France during World War I and became president of the Radio Corporation of America) while attending the Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan. This friendship was to greatly influence E.S.’s career. His primary occupation was as an electrical engineer and as such he helped to build the telegraph line along the Santa Fe Railway from Kansas City to Chicago. And then when the great Northern Railroad extended west from St. Paul he was in charge of the Western Union linemen. 1892 found him back in Chicago helping wire the World’s Fair Buildings for electricity. He and his friends left Chicago the same year and participated in the Oklahoma land rush into the Cherokee Strip. He was engaged in installing the initial public lighting system in St. Louis, Missouri and the amount of work available there kept him busy until 1899 when the men backing the installation of electricity in Kirksville sent for him to return. The man originally hired was deemed unsuitable and E.S. Rinehart was brought back to finish the work. He agreed and was engaged as manager of the plant. He wired most all of the older and more important buildings in Kirksville, including the courthouse, the original Baldwin Hall, and the A.S.O. campus and hospitals. He was also one of the original participants in Kirksville’s first telephone company. 1897 found him located in what is now known as the Family Theatre Building along with his brother Rupert who had located The Rinehart News Stand there. It is then that E.S. added phonographs to his inventory of sheet music; victrola records; wax cylinders and players and by 1907 he was solely engaged in selling Pianos, Phonographs and Music. At his death in 1931 Rinehart’s Music was merged with his brother’s Rinehart News Agency.
"We are the Oldest Record Store in America, selling records since 1897. You name it we have it: Record Albums, DVDs, VHS, CDs, Cassettes, Action Figures, Pop Collectables, Comics, gifty stuff. All the old school gaming systems, game cartridges and peripherals. its here. We do not carry musical instruments or band/sound/AV equipment. Go to our Facebook Page for updates.America's Oldest Record Store"
