history

An Enterprising History is Our Legacy of Success

At Capstone, our passion for children’s learning defines the momentum behind each book and digital product we create. We deliver hardworking content in formats that kids love. This enterprising quality springs from an entrepreneurial tradition that’s nearly 125 years old.

Discover our diversified background and the untiring drive to “uncover what’s next,” which continues to fire our growth today.

The Stone Age

    • 1883
    • Irish immigrant Thomas R. Coughlan purchases a limestone quarry near Mankato, MN
    • 1886
    • The T.R. Coughlan Company is incorporated
    • 1922
    • Thomas M. Coughlan buys the company and begins the second generation of ownership
    • 1936-50
    • Thomas P. Coughlan and brothers Robert and Dan mark the third generation of Coughlan leadership

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Finance & Manufacturing

    • 1960s
    • The stone business softens and the company expands into financial services, purchasing several banks in southern Minnesota
    • 1978
    • The Coughlans exit the banking industry
    • 1983
    • Robert J. and James P. Coughlan (Thomas P.’s two youngest sons) become the fourth generation of ownership
    • 1984
    • Coughlan Stone is renamed Mankato Kasota Stone
    • 1989
    • The company purchases Mankato Screw Products, which provides precision-machined parts to original equipment manufacturers

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Publishing

    • 1990
    • Capstone Press is acquired and rapidly expands, setting the pace for the Coughlan entry into the publishing industry
    • 1991
    • Capstone Press publishes its first books, 48 titles
    • 1998
    • The Pebble brand® becomes the first nonfiction research series for emergent readers (grades preK-2) in the market
    • 1999
    • Compass Point Books, Capstone’s second imprint, is established
    • 2001
    • Picture Window Books, the first solely illustrated nonfiction and fiction series publisher, is launched
    • 2002
    • Red Brick Learning is launched, partnering with educators to help all students, from struggling to fluent readers, achieve reading success in the classroom

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The Digital Age

    • 2003
    • FactHound.com®, the first publisher-provided, internet-based resource provider for elementary students is launched
    • 2004
    • The Pebble Plus® brand is launched to provide larger nonfiction books for beginning readers, grades preK-2
    • 2005
    • Stone Arch Books, the first exclusively safe graphic novel publisher, and the Graphic Library brand, first nonfiction graphic novels series, are established
    • 2007
    • Capstone Publishers (now Capstone) is established to unify the publishing companies with shared services

      Capstone Interactive Library™ with digital books online is launched

    • 2008
    • Heinemann Global Library is acquired, expanding Capstone’s market globally

      Raintree is established in the U.K.

      CollectionWiz™, the first online collection analysis and management tool created by a publisher, is launched

    • 2009
    • PebbleGo™ debuts as the first interactive animal database designed for emergent readers and researchers, grades K-2

      Capstone Digital is launched with interactive and online media formats to excite and engage learners

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