The business has been continuously operated by family members since the day it opened.
Ethel Hatcher Crump, Jane Crump Arterburn, and Jane Arterburn Bucher have each been active participants in the management of the business along with their husbands. Square Deal is unique among Kentucky lumber and concrete companies in its support of trade associations, in that it has provided 3 generations of leadership to the Kentucky Lumber and Building Dealers Associations, with Mssrs. Crump, Arterburn, and Bucher having served as directors and president, and two generations have led the Kentucky Ready-Mix Concrete Association, Mr. Arterburn and Mr. Bucher having both served as director and president.
Today, Square Deal employs 26 workers on a full-time basis between its locations in Park City, Cave City, Horse Cave, and Glasgow. Through its offering of building materials, hardware,
Porter Paints, and custom millwork, with an emphasis on quality and personalized service from an
experienced staff, Square Deal can well serve the needs of our communities.
-1891-
Our business was started when Mr. J.B. Hatcher opened a general store at Glasgow
Junction, Kentucky ( which is now called Park City ) under the name of J.B. Hatcher and Company. The town was called Glasgow Junction because it was located where the railways from
Glasgow and Mammoth Cave joined the main line Louisville and Nashville railroad. In those
early years, Mr. Hatcher was a merchant, U.S.Postmaster, pharmacist, and undertaker rolled
into one. His store was the place to buy groceries, seeds, fertilizers, hardware, home goods, jewelry, and farm supplies.
-1918-
At the close of WW I, Sam Crump, the son-in-law of J.B. Hatcher, joined the business,
and the following year a lumber yard was added near the original store in Park City. The name
" Square Deal Lumber Company " was adopted for that line of business.
-1933-
A lumber yard and hardware store was opened at Cave City, followed a few years later by
a custom millwork shop.
-1945-
Upon his return from service in WW II as a pilot of a P-40 fighter plane with 75 combat
missions, Hack Arterburn, son-in-law of S.W. Crump, joined the business. The following year, a
lumber yard and hardware store was opened at Horse Cave, which was managed by Mr. Arterburn.
-1957-
A ready-mix plant was added at Horse Cave.
-1978-
Bill Bucher, son-in-law of Hack Arterburn, joined the business. Mr. Bucher is currently the
president of Square Deal.
-1983-
Square Deal purchased the former J.F. Pace ready-mix concrete plant in Glasgow.
-1991-
The original store building at Park City was renovated with an effort to keep the old-time general store heritage as reflected in photographs made around 1900. It is believed that the Park City store is one of the oldest continuously-operated commercial buildings in Barren County.
-1992-
A new expanded millwork shop was completed at Cave City, enabling increased production of quality custom kitchen cabinets and other millwork items for the home, plus a wide variety of custom commercial and specialty items for stores, banks, schools, hospitals, offices, and goverment buildings. Square Deal also manufactured harwood moldings there.
-1994-
Square Deal purchased the Paint Corner, the long-term home of Porter Paints in Glasgow. Also, a new ready-mix concrete plant was built at Horse Cave on the site of a burned-out tobacco warehouse, allowing not only increased concrete capacity, but removing an eyesore from the community as well.
-1995-
A state-of-the-art lumber yard was opened in Glasgow, on Parkview Drive, behind Shoney's
and the Electric Plant Board. The Paint Corner was re-located there too. The store features modern
merchandising techniques and a drive through lumber shed.
-2000-
The ready-mix concrete operations were sold.
-2003-
Fire completely destroyed the millwork shop at Cave City on December 3, 2003.
-2004-
The shop was rebuilt adjacent to our Glasgow store and opened in the fall of 2004.
