144 10 1856 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/c271b45b06fb55d73e198b20b20c24a6.jpeg ff1e38804dd9a227748d18f0f2068902 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Businesses Photo A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Outreach Clinic, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource This building was on the northwest corner of Pottawatomie Street and Main Street in Rossville, Kansas Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown photographer Borrowed from City Hall archives, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Unknown Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource photograph (Polaroid) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0579 Rossville Outreach Clinic http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/63e7b271ae506a6311479d738c22bcc9.jpg d65abde989ebf8da60630f60520b667d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Pre-School Sponsored by the United Methodist Church Description An account of the resource In the story about the Rossville Rascals Pre-School last week written by Sheri Gabbert, there was a bit of confusion as to the two schools the instructor, Mrs. Larry Wickham, has. Mrs. Wickham owns a pre-school in Topeka, and was hired as director/teacher of the Rossville Rascals Pre-School by the board of the school. The school is sponsored by the United Methodist Church. Serving on the board are members of the church and mothers of pre-schoolers. Currently the board is composed of Bonnie Bush, president; Linda Lake, Jeanie Hall, Vicki Claycamp and Susan Foresman. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource St. Marys Star, St. Marys, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 19, 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clipping Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0546 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/1ba1baaef207b4e4b850567d54830deb.jpg 049b047668331bc0ea373ad6c1f95271 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Schools Description An account of the resource From the 1971 Centennial book: The history of our earliest schools is limited, however, we do know that the first school was taught by Mrs. Gibson Metty in 1863, and the first term was held in a small log cabin near the creek on the west side. There were about 15 scholars in attendance, both white and Indian. It was a subscription school. Mrs. Metty was succeeded by Mrs. Guernsey and she in turn by Miss Jane Woodward. In the years 1865 to 1868, a number of citizens formed an association and established a private school which most of the children attended. They built a small one-story frame building on the corner of North Main and Marion Streets. The population by the year 1870 had increased sufficiently to allow the formation of District No. 34. A two-room frame building 14x23 was built near the corner of Navarre and Marion Streets with a daily attendance of about 14 and in the winter season about 20. This was the first public school in Rossville. In the spring of 1871 this school building was moved from its site and purchased by C.W. Higginbotham for use as part of his home (which stood near the S.M. Thompson residence). A large, two-story frame building was constructed on the same site as the former school. In the fall the building was completed, and school was taken up by a Mr. Grant with an attendance of about 30 pupils. In 1882, a meeting was held at the Rossville school to discuss the necessity for enlarging the school facilities. Many felt the existing school should have an addition added to secure more room, and a high fence built around the school yard. Others favored moving the two-story frame house off to a suburban site such as back of the Baptist Church on Mulvane’s farm or some similar location. The complaint of noise, and the children playing in the creek because of lack of adequate playground area were reasons given for moving the school. In the year 1884, it was decided that a new school should be built and the contract was let to William Binns. It was built of red brick and furnished inside with all the latest improvements of the time. There were four spacious rooms, two on the first floor and two on the upper, in the back of these rooms were wardrobes. In the front and center of the building, on the upper floor, was recitation room opening into either of the two rooms. This school house was located on the present Rossville Grade School grounds. Both grade and two years of high school were taught for several years in this school building, until a four year high school could be established. From the Topeka Daily Capital, December 22, 1940: “Rossville’s new District No. 34 Grade School was dedicated. It was built at a cost of approximately $42,000.00 and contains four classrooms, one combination classroom and library, an auditorium, kitchen, bathrooms and a boiler room.” From the Rossville paper June 15, 1952, “patrons of District No. 34 and consolidated districts voted 64 yes and 3 no on a proposal to issue $68,000 in bonds for enlarging the grade school building, now greatly overcrowded.” The new addition to the grade school was started September 1952. The last addition to the grade school was in 1963. From the Topeka Daily Capital, April 17, 1949: “Five rural school districts voted to consolidate with the Rossville District. They are Parr District No. 77, which closed April 1910; Cedar Bluff District No. 52, closed since April 1937; Lipp School which closed in 1938; and James and Twin Rose schools which closed in 1946.” In about the year 1910, it was voted by the citizens of Rossville to build a high school. Until the high school was completed, the students, because of overcrowding, attended classes in the old Fritz hall, which is now identified by location above the present Rossville Truck and Tractor building. During this time, part of the primary department was taught in the old Baptist church. The high school, which was named “The City School, “ was built just east of the existing grade school on Pottawatomie Street. Due to weather conditions, the school was not completed until the second semester started in January 1913. School continued to be held in this building until 1937 with an average enrollment of eighty. The Rossville Reporter published on March 12, 1936, that among the public works projects was Rossville’s proposed new high school building, with an outright gift of $38,000.00 towards its cost. In May petitions were circulated in the district, which were later presented to the Board of Education requesting an election to vote bonds for Rossville’s share of 55 percent towards the new building. On July 11th the district voted five to one to approve the issuance of $46,480.00 in bonds. The 4.5 acres of ground, located on the south side of Highway 24 was purchased from J.K. Conley at $500.00 per acre. On December 10th, 1936, the school board advertised for bids for the new school. In 1966, due to an act of the Legislature, Grade School District No. 34 and High School District No. 7 were unified with St. Marys, Delia and Emmett and became known as Kaw Valley Unified District No. 321. The Delia High School was closed and the students came to Rossville. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville School Board News, 1955, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource <p>Scott Kelsey was re-elected to the school board of the high school at their meeting Thursday night.</p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 9, 1955 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0294 Rossville School Board http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/ca930090b5182d466cb7d6c09e3a1ae3.jpg f63128762ce87708f8ac2c78152afe4a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Schools Description An account of the resource From the 1971 Centennial book: The history of our earliest schools is limited, however, we do know that the first school was taught by Mrs. Gibson Metty in 1863, and the first term was held in a small log cabin near the creek on the west side. There were about 15 scholars in attendance, both white and Indian. It was a subscription school. Mrs. Metty was succeeded by Mrs. Guernsey and she in turn by Miss Jane Woodward. In the years 1865 to 1868, a number of citizens formed an association and established a private school which most of the children attended. They built a small one-story frame building on the corner of North Main and Marion Streets. The population by the year 1870 had increased sufficiently to allow the formation of District No. 34. A two-room frame building 14x23 was built near the corner of Navarre and Marion Streets with a daily attendance of about 14 and in the winter season about 20. This was the first public school in Rossville. In the spring of 1871 this school building was moved from its site and purchased by C.W. Higginbotham for use as part of his home (which stood near the S.M. Thompson residence). A large, two-story frame building was constructed on the same site as the former school. In the fall the building was completed, and school was taken up by a Mr. Grant with an attendance of about 30 pupils. In 1882, a meeting was held at the Rossville school to discuss the necessity for enlarging the school facilities. Many felt the existing school should have an addition added to secure more room, and a high fence built around the school yard. Others favored moving the two-story frame house off to a suburban site such as back of the Baptist Church on Mulvane’s farm or some similar location. The complaint of noise, and the children playing in the creek because of lack of adequate playground area were reasons given for moving the school. In the year 1884, it was decided that a new school should be built and the contract was let to William Binns. It was built of red brick and furnished inside with all the latest improvements of the time. There were four spacious rooms, two on the first floor and two on the upper, in the back of these rooms were wardrobes. In the front and center of the building, on the upper floor, was recitation room opening into either of the two rooms. This school house was located on the present Rossville Grade School grounds. Both grade and two years of high school were taught for several years in this school building, until a four year high school could be established. From the Topeka Daily Capital, December 22, 1940: “Rossville’s new District No. 34 Grade School was dedicated. It was built at a cost of approximately $42,000.00 and contains four classrooms, one combination classroom and library, an auditorium, kitchen, bathrooms and a boiler room.” From the Rossville paper June 15, 1952, “patrons of District No. 34 and consolidated districts voted 64 yes and 3 no on a proposal to issue $68,000 in bonds for enlarging the grade school building, now greatly overcrowded.” The new addition to the grade school was started September 1952. The last addition to the grade school was in 1963. From the Topeka Daily Capital, April 17, 1949: “Five rural school districts voted to consolidate with the Rossville District. They are Parr District No. 77, which closed April 1910; Cedar Bluff District No. 52, closed since April 1937; Lipp School which closed in 1938; and James and Twin Rose schools which closed in 1946.” In about the year 1910, it was voted by the citizens of Rossville to build a high school. Until the high school was completed, the students, because of overcrowding, attended classes in the old Fritz hall, which is now identified by location above the present Rossville Truck and Tractor building. During this time, part of the primary department was taught in the old Baptist church. The high school, which was named “The City School, “ was built just east of the existing grade school on Pottawatomie Street. Due to weather conditions, the school was not completed until the second semester started in January 1913. School continued to be held in this building until 1937 with an average enrollment of eighty. The Rossville Reporter published on March 12, 1936, that among the public works projects was Rossville’s proposed new high school building, with an outright gift of $38,000.00 towards its cost. In May petitions were circulated in the district, which were later presented to the Board of Education requesting an election to vote bonds for Rossville’s share of 55 percent towards the new building. On July 11th the district voted five to one to approve the issuance of $46,480.00 in bonds. The 4.5 acres of ground, located on the south side of Highway 24 was purchased from J.K. Conley at $500.00 per acre. On December 10th, 1936, the school board advertised for bids for the new school. In 1966, due to an act of the Legislature, Grade School District No. 34 and High School District No. 7 were unified with St. Marys, Delia and Emmett and became known as Kaw Valley Unified District No. 321. The Delia High School was closed and the students came to Rossville. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville School News, 1955, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource <p>Mr. Robert Sigg, English instructor in the high school, returned for his second year at Rossville from his home in Holton. He is rooming again this year at the Henry Lambotte home.</p> <p>- - -</p> <p>Mrs. Ida Andrews, new fifth grade teacher at Rossville Grade School, is rooming at the Henry Lambotte home.</p>   Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 8, 1955 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0295 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/2dcaf2a9c19930f6d7ca88bf9c72c583.jpg 9f96c97b2bad4f4acb481dd246b55726 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Schools Description An account of the resource From the 1971 Centennial book: The history of our earliest schools is limited, however, we do know that the first school was taught by Mrs. Gibson Metty in 1863, and the first term was held in a small log cabin near the creek on the west side. There were about 15 scholars in attendance, both white and Indian. It was a subscription school. Mrs. Metty was succeeded by Mrs. Guernsey and she in turn by Miss Jane Woodward. In the years 1865 to 1868, a number of citizens formed an association and established a private school which most of the children attended. They built a small one-story frame building on the corner of North Main and Marion Streets. The population by the year 1870 had increased sufficiently to allow the formation of District No. 34. A two-room frame building 14x23 was built near the corner of Navarre and Marion Streets with a daily attendance of about 14 and in the winter season about 20. This was the first public school in Rossville. In the spring of 1871 this school building was moved from its site and purchased by C.W. Higginbotham for use as part of his home (which stood near the S.M. Thompson residence). A large, two-story frame building was constructed on the same site as the former school. In the fall the building was completed, and school was taken up by a Mr. Grant with an attendance of about 30 pupils. In 1882, a meeting was held at the Rossville school to discuss the necessity for enlarging the school facilities. Many felt the existing school should have an addition added to secure more room, and a high fence built around the school yard. Others favored moving the two-story frame house off to a suburban site such as back of the Baptist Church on Mulvane’s farm or some similar location. The complaint of noise, and the children playing in the creek because of lack of adequate playground area were reasons given for moving the school. In the year 1884, it was decided that a new school should be built and the contract was let to William Binns. It was built of red brick and furnished inside with all the latest improvements of the time. There were four spacious rooms, two on the first floor and two on the upper, in the back of these rooms were wardrobes. In the front and center of the building, on the upper floor, was recitation room opening into either of the two rooms. This school house was located on the present Rossville Grade School grounds. Both grade and two years of high school were taught for several years in this school building, until a four year high school could be established. From the Topeka Daily Capital, December 22, 1940: “Rossville’s new District No. 34 Grade School was dedicated. It was built at a cost of approximately $42,000.00 and contains four classrooms, one combination classroom and library, an auditorium, kitchen, bathrooms and a boiler room.” From the Rossville paper June 15, 1952, “patrons of District No. 34 and consolidated districts voted 64 yes and 3 no on a proposal to issue $68,000 in bonds for enlarging the grade school building, now greatly overcrowded.” The new addition to the grade school was started September 1952. The last addition to the grade school was in 1963. From the Topeka Daily Capital, April 17, 1949: “Five rural school districts voted to consolidate with the Rossville District. They are Parr District No. 77, which closed April 1910; Cedar Bluff District No. 52, closed since April 1937; Lipp School which closed in 1938; and James and Twin Rose schools which closed in 1946.” In about the year 1910, it was voted by the citizens of Rossville to build a high school. Until the high school was completed, the students, because of overcrowding, attended classes in the old Fritz hall, which is now identified by location above the present Rossville Truck and Tractor building. During this time, part of the primary department was taught in the old Baptist church. The high school, which was named “The City School, “ was built just east of the existing grade school on Pottawatomie Street. Due to weather conditions, the school was not completed until the second semester started in January 1913. School continued to be held in this building until 1937 with an average enrollment of eighty. The Rossville Reporter published on March 12, 1936, that among the public works projects was Rossville’s proposed new high school building, with an outright gift of $38,000.00 towards its cost. In May petitions were circulated in the district, which were later presented to the Board of Education requesting an election to vote bonds for Rossville’s share of 55 percent towards the new building. On July 11th the district voted five to one to approve the issuance of $46,480.00 in bonds. The 4.5 acres of ground, located on the south side of Highway 24 was purchased from J.K. Conley at $500.00 per acre. On December 10th, 1936, the school board advertised for bids for the new school. In 1966, due to an act of the Legislature, Grade School District No. 34 and High School District No. 7 were unified with St. Marys, Delia and Emmett and became known as Kaw Valley Unified District No. 321. The Delia High School was closed and the students came to Rossville. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Photo A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville students, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource Pictured left to right are Clinton Stalker, Rhoda Marion, Vida Reser, Allen Enos, Vivian James, Mildred James, Sherwin Griswold, Nora Stamp, Clara Wood, Elsie Brooks, Allyn Hartzell, Georgia Stewart, and John Lewis. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1890-1920 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public domain Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0053 History Mystery Kansas Memory Project http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/a476ae3d25db443d6fc15726becfddbd.png cda5bd68b443725294dfd10e595fa806 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Agricultural History Subject The topic of the resource Farming/Ranching Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Description An account of the resource Rossville is fortunately situated in many ways—we are near a large city, Topeka, but far enough away to retain our own identity; we can be considered a bedroom community to Topeka since so many residents commute to work to the larger city; we are just north of the Kansas River and enjoy the fertile “Kaw River Valley,” which has benefited agriculture in our community since its very beginnings. From the early days, Rossville Township was blessed with fertile creek and river-bottom land, combined with the upland, which consisted of bluestem grass. The early settlers broke and cleared the bottom lands and part of the upland prairie. The settlers of the 1860-70s began farming and found the soil fertile and productive. However, the task of clearing the timberland and breaking prairie sod must have seemed insurmountable. Corn and wheat, the main crops, and cattle, hogs and other livestock-raising, became the basic agriculture of Rossville township. Many of these early farmers came to Kansas seeking land. They traveled by ox cart and wagon before the railroad went through, following the Oregon and other trails. Settlers bought land from the Santa Fe Railroad or from members of the Citizen Potawatomi Band, who were selling their allotment land. The first mention of early agriculture in Rossville comes from Dr. Gabbey’s account, written in 1886: “The Pottawatomi as a tribe never took kindly to agriculture, four or five acres in corn was a large field. Their fields were usually cleared up from the edge of the timber along the streams, as the Indian had little use for the Prairie kind.” One account gives the cost of prairie in the early days from $2.50 to $4.00 per acre. Lumber was worth from $25.00 to $39.00 dollars per thousand feet. Oxen cost $100.00 a yoke, mules from $100.00 to $200.00, horses $75.00 to $150.00, sheep $2.00 a head and chickens 25¢ each. Masons and carpenters received $2.00 to $3.00 per day in wages. Wheat was worth $1.50 per bushel and flour $4.50 per hundred pounds. From newspapers of 1877: “New corn brought in for shipment is getting 18¢ to 20¢ and corn huskers have been in demand at $1.00 per day and board; 2.5¢ per bushel thrown on the ground or 3.5¢ in the crib.” “Mr. Lambert James, a farmer living a few miles west of town has this season manufactured 1,500 gallon of sorghum molasses, which he readily disposed of at 50¢ per gallon.” But challenges persisted for early settlers. Although this was an extremely desirable area for agriculture and the raising of livestock, it was not possible for the early settlers to procure manufactured goods from the East without paying an extremely high freight bill. It was also impossible to ship their grain and produce economically. River freight was tried but the Kaw River often times did not have enough water to make shipping dependable so the answer to this problem was the railroad. Rossville’s answer came May 18, 1866, when the first train passed through the town. Corn was the main crop and early editors gave much space extolling its excellence. Corn cribs were numerous along the south side of the railroad tracks and on the east side of north Main. A water powered grist mill was located on Cross Creek north of town. Mulvane Bros. built a steam powered mill south of the railroad tracks. One of the earliest farmers was Henry Ford, who acquired 80 acres southwest of Rossville in 1864. His wife was the former Mary Nadeau, who came to Rossville from Indiana in 1862. Henry Ford came to Kansas in 1863 and was a stage coach driver for the Overland Stage Company between Topeka and Manhattan. He met his wife at “Buttermilk Station” where she worked for her brother, Big Alex Nadeau. While working to clear their land of timber and build a log house, they lived in one room of a three room house, west of Cross Creek, north of the old Oregon and California trails. The other two rooms were occupied by Dr. and Mrs. R.S. Gabbey and Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Higginbotham. After the Fords moved into their log cabin, Mrs. Ford often rode horseback nine miles with her baby to the mission in St. Marys. The first flowers she had to plant by the cabin were given to her by the nuns at the Mission. Another early farmer, John DeGraff settled south of Rossville in 1865. He and his wife, the former Frances Navarre, lived in a small dugout until their house was built. The following is a list of early farmers: Name | Year to Rossville | Origin Archibald Abbott 1870 Kingston, Canada West Joseph Andrews Westmoreland County, Pa. W. Thomas Andrews 1879 McKay, Ohio Joseph Beseau 1875 Monroe County, Michigan John A. Bond 1872 Tyler County, W. Virginia William Bond 1873 Tyler County, W. Virginia John DeGraff 1865 James DeVinney 1880 Ross County, Ohio Benjamin Franklin 1869 Ross County, Ohio John Fritz 1877 Somerset County, Pa. Martin Hass 1877 Richland County, Ohio Henry Kassabaum 1877 Brookmell, Prussia T.J. Kiernan 1868 Elzey E. Kinsey 1877 Ohio Henry Lipp 1868 South Germany Isaac McCollough 1873 Holmes County, Ohio R. McCollough 1878 Holmes County, Ohio Michael O’halaron 1880 Samuel Oldfield 1878 Derbyshire, England S.J. Oliver 1876 Edward Partelow 1868 Newport, Kentucky Thomas L. Ross 1882 Cincinnati, Ohio M.M. Standley 1874 Carroll County, Indiana Bennett Swearingen 1868 Meigs County, Ohio Isaac B. Trostel 1877 Perry County, Pa. Frank Van Vleck 1878 William Wax 1878 Juniata County, Pa. Daniel Wilt 1876 York County, Pa. Henry York 1869 Zurich, Switzerland Peter H. Zickefoose 1874 Highland County, W. Virginia Samuel Beals 1867 E.S. Doud 1869 W.L. James Wm. Kirkpatrick 1871 Frank L. Sanders John Heslet Noel Graves W.W. Janes J.K. Conley 1870 Yates County, New York Startup, Ab Thomas Attebury 1877 George Hejtmanek 1880 Wisowitz, Moravia, Austria D. Hartzell 1872 Francis E. Williams 1876 New York Captain John Gutshall Col. A.S. Stanley 1880 Meigs Co., Ohio Martin Nason 1872 Jos. Van Vleck 1878 M.L. Cless 1876 B.W. Higginbotham 1861 Thomas Moss 1877 J.M. Parr Clay Co. Indiana J.A. Parr Clay Co. Indiana H.W. Lipp 1878 Illinois Samuel B. Zickefoose 1869 West Virginia Mrs. Jane Jackson 1875 Scotland Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville to Host Irrigation Tour in Shawnee County, 1961, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource "Now is the time when corn needs water. If the water does not come from above, it must come from below, through irrigation," Herb Bulk, Shawnee County agent said in outlining plans for the annual irrigation tour in Shawnee County. Bulk said a sizable number of persons in the Kaw Valley have a considerable investment in irrigation equipment and in leveling for irrigation. With this in mind, Bulk said, it has been the practice of conducting a tour of some of the irrigation projects each year. Friday, July 28, beginning at 9 a.m., has been scheduled for this year's tour. It will begin at the Scott E. Kelsey Northwood Farms at the airport location in the Oakland area in North Topeka. The second stop will be at the Floyd Cochran farm located on Highway 24, just north of Flemings new warehouse. It is expected the tour will arrive there at about 10 a.m. From this location the tour will proceed toward Rossville with stops along the way. The noon luncheon will be held in the city park at Rossville, through the courtesy of Berry's Irrigation Supply of Rossville. Last year a question was asked relative to the number of years one can irrigate without harmful effects. One of the oldest irrigation projects is located on the Scott Kelsey farm which is the first stop. The well was dug in January of 1935 and has been used to the present time. However, it is now being abandoned because of the flood protection work in that area. The best route to take to get to the Kelsey farm would be to turn off highway 24, onto Kansas Avenue which is about two blocks east of the Cloverleaf in North Topeka. Then go south to Morse Street, turn east and cross the river on the new Sardou bridge, continue east on Sardou Avenue to the west edge of the Municipal Airport and go south on that street to the corn field. Caption to picture: Forrest Parker, who lives just east of Rossville, watches the flow of water from his well. Parker irrigates with open ditches and siphon tubes and finds it very satisfactory on his level ground. Parker has been irrigating since about July 4th. This is the first year he has irrigated soy beans, using a weed killer to keep the weeds out, and his crop looks excellent. This is his second irrigation of the corn this year. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource We believe this article is from the Rossville Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 20, 1961 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clipping Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0308 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/c162710e740749c8ba5d5a155a2cc205.jpeg 65093f08cf829aaa08d2a8d35067461a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Businesses Photo A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Truck and Tractor, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource We believe this to be a photo of Rossville Truck and Tractor on Main Street, Rossville, Kansas Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown photographer Borrowed from City Hall archives, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Unknown Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource photograph (Polaroid) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0574 Rossville Truck and Tractor http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/346ae426e096ad2f7ac86c3e9f0853bd.jpg 21c2132e7b11d80af69304c7d23c7963 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville U.M.W. met February 24, 1977 Description An account of the resource The United Methodist Women of Rossville met at Linda DeHoff’s home at 1:30 Thursday afternoon, February 24, with 13 members present. Ruth Rogers presided over the meeting. Friday, March 4, is World Day of Prayer, and it will be held at the United Methodist Church in Rossville at 1:30 p.m. It was decided that the members of the church would clean the church Monday and Tuesday, March 28 and 29. The members voted to have a food sale on Saturday, April 16th. After a short program given by Ruth Larson and Linda DeHoff, the meeting adjourned and cookies, coffee and punch were served by the hostesses, Ruth Hesse, Ruth Larson and Linda DeHoff. The next meeting will be at Ruth Roger’s home with Joyce Lutz as co-hostess. Linda DeHoff Reporter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource St. Marys Star, St. Marys, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 1, 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clipping Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0545 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/9f5670e5ec1fb00b9ef63b9ebb1f4066.jpg c3f3711fb72ce545374040ce2a15be87 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville U.M.W. met January 27, 1977 Description An account of the resource The United Methodist Women of Rossville met at the home of Mildred Page on Thursday afternoon, January 27, at 1:30 p.m. with nine members present. In the absence of our president, Edna Spear, the meeting was called to order by Ruth Rogers. The members voted to pay our Conference pledge, our church pledge, to add to our parsonage fund, and also contribute to the “Steve Pardee” fund. Our next meeting will be at Linda DeHoff’s home on Thursday afternoon, February 24, at 1:30 p.m. with Linda DeHoff and Ruth Hesse as hostesses. Edna Bush Secretary Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource St. Marys Star, St. Marys, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 10, 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clipping Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0549 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/c38a6f39766f6fbd04a834d778edc71f.jpg 0643e91332d676fcb508202ee5898fae Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville United Methodist Church is a Century Old Description An account of the resource Top photo by Belinda Parnell: Former Ministers (or their spouses) attended the worship service and celebration at the Rossville United Methodist Church. Pictured left to right are: Deborah Ackman, Topeka, who served the church prior to Mr. Buss; the Reverend Jean Marie Grabher, District Superintendent; the Reverend Larry Buss, minister; Mrs. Karen Barnes Baker, Baldwin City (widow of Max Barnes who served the church in 1968); and Mrs. Don (Elly) Jones, Columbus, Ohio, whose husband was minister from 1949 to 1964. ---------- Bottom photo by Belinda Parnell Honored for 50 years or more membership in the Rossville United Methodist Church's Centennial Celebration Sunday, June 14, were, L-R, seated -- Ruth Page, Halcia Cerny, Golda Cottle, Esther Sebring. Standing -- Nellie Countryman and Phil Hartzel. --------------- Rossville United Methodist Church is a Century Old by Merle Bird, Member of Church The last half of the story on Rossville United Methodist Church was omitted from last week’s paper. We are printing the entire story this week. ********* The names on copies of the old charter are barely discernible: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Lawrence, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, T.M. Attebury. They didn’t mark the beginning of Methodist thought in Rossville, but the incorporators of the Rossville Methodist Episcopal Church did set in motion a sequence of events that continues today. The church -- now the Rossville United Methodist Church -- is as uncertain of the future as it was on, June 13, 1881. Could W.G. Gilbert have foreseen the day when dams would span the major tributaries of the mighty Kaw, reducing the frequency and magnitude of major floods? Could Isaac Lawrence have guessed that within 100 years a man would be able to leave Rossville in the morning and eat dinner in New York that same night? Did Joseph Andrews envision huge sprinklers striding across the valley of the Kaw, providing moisture to thirsty crops when rain was not forthcoming? At the time of incorporation, not one of these men had seen an electric light, or a motorcar, or an airplane, or a movie; had heard neither radio nor telephone nor rock music. The world has changed, and the church has changed. Rossville has changed, as has its people. Frank Hoyes was pastor in 1872, the record shows -- nine years before the church’s incorporation. Then came the Reverend Green, and E.F. Holland and R.L. McNabb, before L.C. Biggs came in 1880. He still was here in 1881, when the church was incorporated. W.G. Campbell served in 1882. In 1883, Calvin Holman served. That name was to return to Rossville, borne by another man. So the church grew. The growth sometimes was in physical plant: Property was purchased in 1884, a building was started in late summer, and completed in 1885. J.W. Clock was pastor then. The congregation paid all but $500 or $600 of the construction cost, and a little over a year after dedication, the building was free and clear. The Ladies Aid society helped: the women raised $500 the year it was built. That started a fund-raising tradition that continues to this day. The women started another tradition in 1886, when the first Election Day Dinner was served. More physical growth occurred nine years later, when the south addition was made. A large Gothic stained glass window replaced the door in the east end of the sanctuary, and another was placed in the south side of the addition. The Ladies Aid Society didn't have a basement for the Election Day Dinner. The Young Men’s Sunday School Class remedied that in 1915. Under the direction of their teacher, they dug the basement, poured concrete floor and walls and installed a furnace. The education wing was added and dedicated in 1960. The cost was $5,100.00 in money and a priceless amount of work by members of the congregation. More followed. Dean Page and some men from the Menninger Foundation poured the sidewalk in 1966. A new, $1,005.00 roof was put on in 1969. In 1973, a flood wrecked the basement and its contents, again requiring the expenditure of dollars and energy. The basement again had to be repaired in 1980, when termite damage necessitated replacing termite-infested beams and posts with steel. The congregation took the opportunity to remodel the kitchen. Changes in the world around us prompted additional changes in the church: higher heating and cooling costs (the seven signers might have snorted at the idea of cooling the church in the summer) and an increased awareness of the limits of our resources argued for insulating the walls and covering the stained glass windows with transparent plastic. The Women’s Foreign Missionary Society was organized in 1910, merged with the Aid Society in 1940 to become the Women’s Society of Christian Service, which itself became United Methodist Women in 1973. Ministers came and went, each having his (or her) effect, each giving and receiving from the members of the congregation. Calvin Holman, grandson of the Calvin Holman who was pastor in 1883, was pastor during his senior year at Washburn University in 1910, and remained another year. He eventually wound up in California, where he would start what would become the largest congregation in the Pacific- Southwest Conference, and be named senior pastor of the conference. And where he still lives, 70 years after having served the Rossville congregation. Many members of the congregation remember Don Jones, who became pastor in 1949 and served without interruption until 1964. Then came Clyde Noyce, Max Barnes and Paul B. Mitchell. William E. Hurtig came in 1974 and remained until the Silver Lake-Rossville charge split in 1976. Deborah K. Ackman served in 1977 and 1978, and the current pastor, Larry D. Buss has served since 1979. The story should go on endlessly, because the lives of each member, each family, each pastor are so interwoven that no one can tell where the influence of one ends and that of another begin. Together, they are part of a tapestry that extends back in time beyond the signing of the charter, beyond the arrival of Methodism in America beyond the beginning of Methodism itself, beyond Christ to the Israelites in the land of milk and honey, and even beyond that! The rest of the tapestry is being woven today. The members of the congregation, their families and their pastor are part weaver, part thread, part observer. And what the future of the tapestry is, only the Master Weaver knows for sure. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource St. Marys Star, St. Marys, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 23, 1981 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clipping Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0524 Rossville United Methodist Church