1905 History of Crawford County Kansas

Fred W. Drunagel, a building contractor, and senior member of the well known Pittsburg firm of Drunagel and Staneart, has been prominently connected with Crawford county's agricultural interests for about twenty years, and since 1896 has taken a leading part in the building operations of Pittsburg and vicinity. He is known for his enterprising and energetic American characteristics, although he is a sturdy German by birth and racial connections, and his career in the United States has been fruitful, prosperous and entitling him to the high esteem and regard of his associates and fellow citizens.

Mr. Drunagel was born in Germany in 1853, and was brought to this country in 1859. His father, Casper Drunagel, located at Dover, near Cleveland, Ohio, and Mr. Drunagel's youth was passed on the homestead farm there. He became acquainted with all the details of farm work, and has always retained a liking for the life of an agriculturist. He had a common school education, and afterward learned the carpenter and builder's trade at Cleveland, where he also did work as a journeyman. He left Cleveland in the spring of 1877 and went west to New Mexico, where he secured some building contracts with the Santa Fe Railroad. He carried on this work in that territory for eight years, being located at Albuquerque, Las Vegas and other points.

While there the desire seized him to get a little nearer to mother earth and be a farmer once more, and he especially wanted to get a good farming location in the west and have his father come out from Ohio and occupy it. He had been very much impressed with Crawford county land when he passed through that country, and he accordingly corresponded with parties in this county and made arrangements for the purchase of land in Baker township. His father then moved from Ohio and took up his abode on this place. Mr. Drunagel himself arrived shortly afterward from New Mexico, and was engaged in farming with his father until the latter's death, in 1895. In 1896 he moved to Pittsburg and resumed his building operations, in which he has been remarkably successful. He has since formed a partnership with John F. Staneart, and they compose one of the leading building and contracting firms in this section of the state. Mr. Drunagel has had the contracts for putting up many of the large private and business structures of this city, among them being the Mousney block, the Johnson Business College building, the Lindski building, the residences of H. P. Foster and Dr. Williams. The firm now have contracts for several school buildings of the place.

Mr. Drunagel was married in the state of Ohio in 1885, to Miss Mary Ostermeyer, and they are the parents of four children: Louise, Everett, Emma and Frank.