If you have horses or other farm animals, then you probably know Kipert’s Korner Feed Store just south of the Olympia Airport on Highway 99. What started with just two loads of hay and a ton of grain 26 years ago has grown into a staple of the community, providing everything from animal feed to baby chicks. And on any given day you can find owner and founder Craig Kinnaman hard at work around his business. But what you probably don’t know about Kipert’s is the free historical museum hiding in the background.
As Craig and I walk out behind the store and the rows of horse trailers for sale, I am taken aback when I see a fully restored train caboose on a piece of actual track. Craig says he’s always had a passion for restoring older things from past generations and in the past four years he’s really devoted his time to it. This particular caboose is from 1888 and used to travel the rails between Olympia and Tenino.
Sitting right next to it, on a trailer, is a 1909 Shay Locomotive. It was once used to haul logs out of the woods during the peak of the Pacific Northwest’s timber industry. Craig tells me there is only one other similar locomotive still in existence and it took him almost four years to get the previous owner to sell. “If I can preserve, save, inspire and show people this stuff, that’s what I’m trying to do. Once this stuff is gone, it’s gone,” he adds.
But it’s not easy to restore items like the caboose and locomotive. It takes a lot of time, money, and space because of their size. Craig credits his friend, Mark Clawson, also a Kipert’s employee, with helping him accomplish about 90-percent of the restoration in a great workspace. The caboose alone took about 1,000 hours to complete.
As we move along on the outside portion of the tour, Craig shows me old mining and freight cars, a repurposed schoolhouse, a train signal, and an old cupola. “At least someone had the foresight to salvage it when the barn was falling down. It’s just so easy to just scrap, but this is a true testament of quality.” He says the pieces he usually chooses are from the 1800s – 1930s, back when there was true craftsmanship and pride in everything made.
As we make our way inside an unassuming warehouse, my jaw hits the floor when I step in the door. From floor to ceiling are examples of a bygone era, some restored, others exactly how Craig found them. “There’s no rhyme or reason on how I pick things to work on. I lay at home in bed at night and things just start talking to you.”
He tells me he really wants that wow factor for people when they come to his museum. This is why he is constantly scouring the country for new pieces to add to his collection. He says he acquires most stuff through word of mouth referrals. “I try to be unique in what I collect. Not like bragging rights, but I try to put something together you just can’t go and see at another place,” he says.
We walk around the museum and he shares stories behind the pieces we’re viewing. Craig talks about where the item came from, how it was used, how he acquired it and what he’s done with it. Craig says he aims to inspire people about the enjoyment of restoration. “(The museum) shows people you can do stuff. You don’t have to have a lot of skills. Everything I’ve learned is self-taught. I’ve just never been afraid to do something. You can’t ruin it,” says Craig.
Craig says he and Mark usually start with sandblasting the pieces of machinery and then powder coating them. From there, it’s anyone’s guess what kind of personal touch they will put on an item. Some pieces hold special sentimental value and Craig says they incorporate that into a piece whether it’s with a name or a specific piece of artwork.
The display which really catches my eye is actually something not from around here. It’s two bumper cars from Coney Island in 1928. One bumper car is original and the other has been rented to Paramount Pictures, by the previous owners, for use in movies. These pieces of history Craig left exactly as they were, full of dust, mold, and memories. “You can put your hands on this and you can see. You aren’t looking at a computer screen or a book.” What Craig did do was create a pedestal, out of someone else’s scrap, for the two cars. It has power that allows them to run their motors as designed.
I continue to be amazed by the many different pieces in one space. Craig has a horse-drawn gravel trailer, trucks from 1914, 1915, and 1921 and a steam roller, originally was used in the City of Seattle to build roads. The museum also houses a compressor once used to power a North Carolina sawmill owned by the Vanderbilt family. It’s an education into our history, where we came from, and something everyone should experience.
When I ask Craig why he doesn’t charge for his tours he says it’s simple. “I’m very fortunate where I’m at now with the business and all the people who have gotten us here. Of course it takes a lot of work, that people don’t see, to get here. I want to really give something back to the community. I just want people to enjoy it. I’ve been very blessed with where I’m at today, so I’m just trying to pay it back,” says Craig.
Kip’s Garage, as Craig is calling the museum, does not have specific hours, but you can call and schedule a tour. Or he says people have been just popping in during normal business hours and he stops what he’s doing and gives them a look around if he can. You can get more information about the museum by contacting Kipert’s Korner Feed at 360-352-3309 or visiting their website and Facebook pages.
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