85 10 1856 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/532cad8edb1b8f4764ae9c6b64426bb3.jpg a9d294072d9db1ebda04352806de0536 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 Louisburg Library Description An account of the resource Items related to Louisburg and our library Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Louisburg Library District #1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Louisburg Library District #1 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource photos, newspaper clippings Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Louisburg Library District #1 Louisburg Historical Society Language A language of the resource English 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 Hickory Home Subject The topic of the resource Hickory Home Description An account of the resource Hickory Home Restaurant owned by Alan, Jean, Bill and Edith Quaintance. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Louisburg Library Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Louisburg Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 12/22/1977 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/dad25c76ff494fe2236dea22bacd3a85.pdf f8a7a50dd8ef7dfa78b888e16ee0b374 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 Rooks County Kansas History Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Plainville Memorial Library, Stockton Public Library, Palco Public Library 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 Hicks Hotel Subject The topic of the resource Hicks Hotel Description An account of the resource Hicks Hotel - The Hicks Hotel was built in 1886 by Henry A. Hicks at an estimated cost of $11,000. It was the first three-story building in this part of the state. Over 300,000 locally manufactured bricks were used in its construction. The hotel contained 44 sleeping rooms, display rooms for salesmen, and a large dining room. A number of other people also owned this establishment. From 1935 until it was torn down in 1963 to make way for the new Stockton National Bank building, it was know as the Beck Hotel. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Plainville Memorial Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Stockton National Bank September 1988 calendar Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights reserved Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource photo Beck Hotel Hicks Hotel Rooks County Kansas Stockton Kansas http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/e9324d0ca8163e395db77ad22343b011.pdf 79ee5c3153bdcae8da31957815986c6f 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 Rooks County Kansas History Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Plainville Memorial Library, Stockton Public Library, Palco Public Library 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 Hicks Hotel/Beck Hotel Subject The topic of the resource Hicks Hotel/Beck Hotel Description An account of the resource Built in 1886 as the Hicks Hotel, this building was know as the Beck Hotel after 1935. It was torn down in 1963 to make way for the new Stockton National Bank building. This view was probably about 1940. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Plainville Memorial Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Stockton National Bank March 1991 calendar Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource photo Beck Hotel Hicks Hotel Rooks County Kansas Stockton Kansas http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/a6ccb41ed47078d8fc69c969f66a3c6a.pdf c549e41115811d0fa58d68018d2978b5 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 High School, Wilhelm Building and Central Hotel Subject The topic of the resource Collage of photos Description An account of the resource Photo collage Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Winchester Library Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Winchester Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Not stated Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Winchester Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 5 by 7 Type The nature or genre of the resource Collage of 8 old photos Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context WPL-26 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/03672735216023868baf91a3c4ef2aaa.jpeg 845df3f585d0d4c63e01712fcd6c9f53 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 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 Historical Rossville farming Subject The topic of the resource Hogs in area of what is now the St. Stanislaus Catholic Church on the former Andrews land. Description An account of the resource This picture is from the 1971 Rossville Centennial Booklet, page 54. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Centennial Booklet 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 Public domain Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource photograph (copy of photograph) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0498 http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/c0ccd3ab5738897e23c349d602928bc5.pdf b4550284487eafc5e332e716bf16ff90 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 History of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource HISTORY OF ST. STANISLAUS IN ROSSVILLE (As written by Miss Frances DeGraff) Shortly after the holidays in 1989, I came home from K.C. where I had been sewing. I heard that Catholic services were being held in Fritz's Hall, and Catechism Classes at old Joseph Navarre’s home. This was unexpected news, so I went up to Mass up to the Hall for the first time. After Mass most everybody stayed to talk about the chances of a Church. The chances seemed rather slim. Mrs. Coughlin of Silver Lake said she would give the rocks if someone would give the lots. I volunteered to give them, so things got started. Everybody had a selection to make except the donor! Fr. Kokenge finally picked out some lots three doors north of where the Church now stands. They were owned by Protestants who belonged to the Christian Church. Their minister found out the Catholics were trying to buy them and bought them himself, thinking he would sell them to the Catholics an make a stake off of them (which he did not get a chance). The matter was finally settled by the Bishop donating 50 dollars to Fr. Kokenge to buy two lots where the Church now stands. Fr. Kokenge was a very busy man in those days: here he found a place for real missionary work, a lot of neglected, half-hearted Catholics, some of them too poor and pitiful to even get to St. Marys to church. Many of them held back even after there was services here; many of Indian descent (though not all of them). Aside from his College work Fr. Kokenge put all his spare time in this work, blessing marriages, baptizing whole families of children, hunting up strays, and visiting renegade Catholics, and incidentally a social, or a Raffle to help the cause along. Finally Louis Martin and Mrs. Lutz got up two books and came down one Sunday afternoon and asked me if I would go out and solicit for funds for the Church. I had never done anything of the kind and hesitated, but finally consented when I thought of our people: how needy and disheartened they were with their first lessons in civilization. I took the book and we came to agreement to subscribe an equal amount on each other's book. (which was one hundred dollars each to be paid on the lumber bill) So a week from the following Tuesday was decided on, which was decided on, to go out and solicit. That day proved to be election day, a day which the Methodists appropriate for their socials, dinners, and Church work generally. They had a dinner in the Hall. Mrs. Lutz thought we should put off our work until some other time. I told her we could go on the street: she could take one side and I the other, which we did, and we took dinner with the Methodists. I expected opposition and got it from two turncoats - baptized Irishmen both of them: Tom Kiernan and James Devinny, both drunk, leaning against the south side of a building, sunning themselves; when they saw me coming towards them they raised their hands at me and told me I need not come near them - they had nothing for me. Well, what I said to those two was no compliment! To offset this two Presbyterian leaders in their church subscribed: Mr. Bradly, $15. paid in two payments; Mr. John Wilt of his own accord came up with donated $5. Both were in business at that time; they are more friendly to the Catholics here than the other Protestants. Aside from what Mrs. Lutz marked on my card I had about $40, which was good considering that the Methodists were having their blowout, and seemed to think they had a patent right to that day (they do yet and still have quiltings and dinners on that day). One of my neighbors, Mr. M. Smith donated all the sand used in the building. Mr. Eli Nadeau donated for the rocks; we could not afford rock because masonry was more expensive than a Frame Church, so that donation was turned down. (Mrs. Coughlin, she excused herself out of it; to my mind she crawfished beautifully). Sometime before this, long before Rossville ever dreamed of having a Catholic Church, Silver Lake got up a collection of 30 dollars for one and the money was at St. Marys College. Mrs. Coughlin told me this - she mentioned this because she thought Rossville ought to have it. Some of the Silver Lake folks thought different. So Mr. Jack Coughlin got Mr. Charles Williams, Sr., who comes to church, to write our Bishop and see if the church could be built in Silver Lake instead of Rossville. This was done on the quiet, but I heard of it, went to the College and told Fr. Kokenge to look after this matter at once, which he did. Well, Mrs. Coughlin still owned her rocks when she passed out; the old lady done done quite a few good things for the little Church too, and Maggie was was a great help to me besides what she done on her account. A Mr. Stanley, who was State Architect, donated the plans. About this time there was such a dearth of funds, and such a crying for money that Fr. Kokenge said to me: Oh, if I only had a thousand dollars I could change the face of the earth! Other churches had Altar Societies, aide societies and quiltings - why not make quilts to help along? My spare time was my own and I had a little pin money which I could spend as I pleased, so I got material, made three quilts, put out 100 tickets at 25 cents a ticket and raffled them off at $25 dollars apiece. Mrs. I.B. Alter got the first one, Mrs. Partello the second, Mrs. C.L. Mattley of K.C. the third. She also gave $25 cash to help pay for one of the sanctuary windows and later on when Fr. Hoferer lifted the debt from the little church, she took two more of my quilts and sent me a check for $50 dollars. Later on others sold quilts and turned in the money. I was told to go and collect what I had on my books, which I did, the Catholics of Rossville giving less than $20 dollars, Mrs. Rachel Thurber giving $5 of this. That we have a Catholic Church in Rossville today seems almost a miracle to me, when I think of how little we had to work with. One day shortly after this Fr. Kokenge came with the plans of the church and staked out the foundation. Fr. Kokenge’s duties at the College kept him up there so he could not be here, so he told me to get those who donated work instead of money to come and dig the trenches for the rocks. I got two of my brothers, *Mr. Joseph Navarre, and Anthony Dolezilek and a few others who I do not remember. Right here let me say that the Anthony Dolezileks are the prize family of the parish, having been with us since the beginning of the work, and have done their part faithfully. Those who had teams hauled sand and rocks; those who did not have teams used spades and shovels, dug trenches. Then lime was needed, which I bought and paid for out of my own money, which was easier than to solicit for it. I had a team which I put on the job help out. Fr. Kokenge asked to be relieved, and Fr. J. P. DeSmedt took charge of the work. The foundation was being laid, Josh Harding doing the masonry; he was a fine stone cutter, he made the corner-stone. *No relation to the present Joe Navarre He also drank a great deal, and got the foundation about 4 feet narrower at the back than the front. This made trouble for Fr. Kokenge, so Mr. Harding quit, and his brother-in-law, Scott Easdale finished. Mr. Harding decided to keep the cornerstone, but Fr. Kokenge shamed him and he gave it up. This Harding was a son-in- law of the Preacher who butted in and got the lots ahead of us, thinking to make a stake of from the Catholics. Scott was a stepson. The cornerstone was laid in June, 1899, and for once in my life I had the pleasure and honor of getting up a meal for a Bishop and 10 priests, which was served at the *Mileham's home: first house north of the church. On that day Mrs. Mileham was confirmed - that is how I came to take over charge of the dinner. As Fr. DeSmedt could oversee this work, and be on hand when Fr. Kokenge could not on account of his College work, things moved. Richard Beseau started the carpenter work, but did not finish it. For what reason, Fr. DeSmedt can tell. Then Fr. DeSmedt engaged a Mr. George Clark of Topeka, who proved to be efficient and interested, as will prove later. When the main part was nearing completion, Fr. DeSmedt said that the back of the church would have to be closed for the present on account of lack of funds; the sanctuary could be built later. This was bad news to Mr. Clark, and it certainly worried me too. Fr. DeSmedt called a meeting for Sunday afternoon, to be held at Mileham’s house north of the church, Sunday, and Fr. McCabe arid Fr. DeSmedt. It was a very hot afternoon, not a soul attended that meeting but myself and the Milehams. After waiting a suitable time for someone to show up, Fr. DeSmedt spoke up and said: Well, the church will have to be finished without the sanctuary. Mr. Clark and I talked things over. Next morning he offered to finish and put up the sanctuary for $300 complete. So I went to St. Marys and consulted with Fr. DeSmedt. Told him if he would get us money at five per cent interest, and give us five years to pay, by raffling off quilts or giving socials, I would see that it was paid; also that I would have to get someone to go half with me on this. I. could think of no other way, and I did not care to see the little Church go unfinished. *This house is now St. Stanislaus Renewal Center Fr. DeSmedt was fine about this, and told me to see what I could do. I went to Silver Lake, though with some misgivings. Mrs. Coughlin happened to be in good humor and gave her consent for Maggie to help in this matter. The Church was finished with the sanctuary. An altar was needed. Fr. Kokenge saw to it that we got the old altar that did service in the old Log Church in Mission days. I helped dust this altar in old Mission days, when I went to school there, and went to Mass in the old Log Church every morning. Maggie got her share in long before I did and celebrated with a big party, which I knew nothing about until it was all over. If this was an insult, slight, or oversight, I never knew; for I paid mine in cash, and was thankful I did not have to solicit for it. Fr. DeSmedt gave me a receipt for it which I have yet, and offered a small trinket which I would not accept, but thanked him for it. Well, that was done, and still a plenty to do. Fr. Kokenge chose the name of St. Stanislaus, Patron of Youth, because the future hope of this Parish lies in its youth. Finis *The note dated September 28th, 1899 stated that Miss Frances DeGraff was responsible for $200 while Miss Maggie Coughlin was responsible for $100. Fr. DeSmedt scrawled a note across the bottom saying: "This has been attended to in full and I owe the donors many thanks for their faithful performance of their promise." *Maggie Coughlin married Charles Greene and was a supporter of the church as long as she lived. They had two daughters, Margaret and Helen. They married the Berry brothers, Emmet and Marvin. Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Berry still reside at Silver Lake and Helen was postmistress for many years. *Mrs. Rachael Thurber was Lucinda Wade's mother. *Part of the old altar spoken of above is still in the church. The last day Father Murphy, S.J. was with us in June of 1971 told us a little about the altar and where it had come from. And if we ever got rid of it not to store it in someone’s shed or throw it away because the Jesuits wanted it given back to them. [handwritten note: Fr. Murphy died in late 1985.] Father A.H. Schultz, S.J., copied Miss Frances DeGraff’s history word for word and punctuation, capitalizations and paragraphing just as she had written it. It was written in pencil on a scrap of tablet paper, an old Erbachers I-G-A Brand sale bill, the back of an envelope from same store and on the back of an ad announcing an improved park (St. Marys Park) on June 2. (There was no year date given.) There is one small portion (about ten typewritten lines) missing now the Fr. Schultz had. Fr. Schultz is now a missionary at Sacred Heart Church in Stann Creek Town, British Honduras, C.A. When he heard that the history was being written he wrote to one of our parishoners and told where to find this envelope of things he had compiled. He had filed it away but no one else, knew it was there. We feel so fortunate that it was found in time to be added to the history just written. I think there are a few contradictory statements between the two histories but Miss DeGraff is correct I feel sure. Ethelyn Lynde July 31, 1971. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Miss Frances DeGraff 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 31, 1971 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ethelyn Lynde Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource No Known Restrictions Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0501 St. Stanislaus Catholic Church http://recollectionsks.org/files/original/c8bb657632e72b30db9977105c4a41ad.doc 7429a880bc767ed6968ac31c6fa3ca64 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 Willard, Kansas 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 History of Willard, Kansas Description An account of the resource History of Willard, Kansas Compiled by Zelda M. (Sally) Whitmore, Patsy Hogan, Neal and Barbara Haze Written by Barbara Jones Haze-Sept 1997 from: Writings by Joe Skidmore; Ghost towns of Kansas, Vol. 3, by Daniel Fitzgerald, 1982; Lesser Known or Extinct Towns, Vol. 14, Vol. 19 by Mrs. Mary E. Montgomery; Various newspapers; Interviews with current and former residents; Writings of V. D. Jones; Material from Shawnee Co. Historical Society; and other miscellaneous sources. History of the City of Willard, Kansas Willard, Kansas: “Not just a country town…it was the life of the region at the turn of the century,” is a quote from historian Daniel Fitzgerald written after a visit with area resident Vilasco D. Jones. We current residents believe that Willard is a place where life continues in a positive, fruitful, and joyous way. Willard, Kansas, in 1997, has 96 residents. Twenty-one of these are 12 years old or younger, and fourteen additional children twelve years old or younger visit townspeople on a daily basis. Willard is an incorporated city with DeVere Miller serving as Mayor. City Council members include Neil McKenzie, Laura Lord, Treasurer, Bertie Searcy, Clerk, Brent Crow, Tom Roduner, Vince Mioni, and Mike Lord. The most visible business is the Miller Garage where residents gather for car repairs and conversation. The first recorded settler in the Willard area was T. N. Stinson from Westport, MO, who built a stone building in 1848 for use as an Indian trading post. This post was called Union Town and was located on the Green/Anderson farm, east of Willard. The stone building was torn down 55 years later in 1903 and the block house which still is in use was built at that location. The town of Willard was first platted 110 years ago in 1887 as follows: Station on the Rock Island Railroad, in Dover Township, located in SW ¼S. T. 11. R.13, on the Kansas River and became an incorporated city 85 years ago on October 22, 1912. Willard has been a colorful spot for 149 years since 1848, when the first river ferry crossing was operated by Sidney Smith, a Union Town resident, a short distance up-river from the present town site. This river crossing was used by early travelers of the Oregon Trail on their way West. Among those people crossing in 1848 was the group who founded St. Mary’s Mission and College. They were held up at the crossing by high water and had to camp until the water went down. At that time, a dry crossing on the ferry cost $5.00 per wagon. Those who could not afford to pay had to float their wagons across the river while their livestock swam across. As many as ninety thousand people may have crossed this ford in the years 1849 and 1850. Early population of Willard was 61 in 1888; 60 in 1891; 80 in 1894; 100 in 1900; 120 in 1904; 200 in 1906; and 200 in 1912. July 1859, Mr. Lucias Darling made $650 a year as ferry man and had Darling Street named after him. In 1854, John Ogee was ferryman. The ferry continued to operate and, in October of 1886, the Board of Commissioners granted a license to the Wabaunsee Ferry Company to run the ferry. In 1871, the rates were: 75 cents for a four-horse team or two-yoke oxen; 50 cents for a two-horse team; and 25 cents for a one-horse team. Wm. Reese operated the ferry from 1900 to 1904. The arrival of the Rock Island Railroad in 1883 brought business and prosperity to Willard from the 1880’s to the 1930’s. Willard was a typical railroad community. Long time resident Joe Skidmore remembers Willard as “busy all the time” with train passengers, freight, and cattle going to Kansas City. He recalls the depot with office room, waiting room, and baggage room, with one agent on days and two agents on nights; stock yards; pump house for locomotive water with two men to run it on two shifts; and a section house for the section gang, tools, motor car and other supplies. Skidmore recalled that there were two regular signal maintainers; about 8 men on a section gang with two such gangs working all the time. Ten to fifteen families made a living from railroad work in Willard. Railroad agents included L. H. Higgins, R.R. Express and telegraph agent in 1891; J.J. Hadsell in 1904; and E.G. Hoover in 1906. September 8, 1923, a train wreck at Willard left three people severely injured when the engine and 5 cars left the tracks, with the engine nearly burying itself in a cornfield north of the tracks. In November of 1935, another train wreck occurred when a train of 51 cars, travelling east, was passing the Willard Station and one of the gasoline cars, located around the middle of the train, seemed to buckle. It left the rails, carrying seven other tank cars and eleven box cars with it. One of the tank cars plowed into the station. Flaming gasoline from the other cars flowed around it and set the station on fire. Calls for help were sent to Topeka. The police department sent men with rifles and machine guns which they used in efforts to puncture the steel tank. The bullets only dented it. The Topeka police then sent out a heavy caliber weapon which did the job of making holes in the tank so the gasoline could drain out. March 1937, NBC Radio honored Frank Stone Jr., for his heroism when he “saved Willard, Kansas” by shooting holes in the tank car. Some area residents were not convinced that Stone was a hero, however. Willard continued to gain attention for train wrecks again on August 5, 1967, when 26 cars of a freight train were derailed, blocking both tracks through Willard. This wreck occurred west of the elevator. October 19, 1967, twenty-one cars of an eastbound 39 car freight train were derailed, again blocking both tracks. The elevator again escaped damage. Most of the freight cars were loaded with lumber that was hauled away by trucks. The depression of the 1930’s caused the Railroad to become a less important shipper of agricultural products from the Willard area, thus creating a less lively economy in the town of Willard. However, trains still went through Willard, though they no longer stopped. Early Post Offices in the Willard area included the Post Office at Wah-Wah-Suck in 1876 near Rocky Ford and the Nabaun Ice Cream Company. This office was then called Post Creek Post Office by 1882, with F. M. Jones as Post Master. By 1884, the Post Creak office moved 2 miles southwest into Shawnee County. In 1888, the Post Office relocated 4 miles northeast into Shawnee County near the Kaw River and the railroad and was renamed Willard Post Office with William Douglas as Post Master. Willard Post Masters have included T.H. Cope in 1888, L.H. Higgins in 1891, V. Douglas in 1894, William Reese in 1900, Laura Edwards in 1906, Frank Fleming in 1912, Jack Lewis in 1932, and Mrs. Alice (John) Setchell from 1947 to 1959. The Willard Post Office closed July 30, 1959, after serving area residents for over 70 years. At closing, the office serviced 23 paid box holders and 12 general delivery customers. Over the years, Willard has had a wide variety of businesses, including a general store. In 1887, Mr. Cope and Mr. Gilkerson ran the General Store and both men succeeded in having city streets named after them. By 1891, Mr. Cope was still running the store. Other general store proprietors included: C.S. Eyer and V. Douglas in 1894; R.W. Blackburn and John Wilson each operated a store in 1900; R.W. Blackburn continued to operate a store in 1904 and he had added lumber to his stock. His store was located a block from the stockyards on Main Street. In 1906, Frank Fleming ran one store and Harlow Store Company ran another; in 1912, D.H. Atkinson was the local merchant. A newspaper reported on January 21, 1916, that the D.H. Atkinson store in Willard was robbed and dry goods and jewelry valued at about $30.00 was taken. The Rock Island station agent saw two men get off the midnight passenger train. A freight which pulled out a short time later would have given the robbers time to rob the store and get away on the freight. Deputy Sherriff Hixon measured some footprints near the store and followed the trail toward Rossville but could not find anyone whose foot would fit the measurements, so he gave up the chase. A two story building at the south corner of Holden Street housed a general store on the first floor and an athletic club on the second floor where wrestling and boxing events were held. This store was run by Mr. Morris and taken over in the early months of 1921 by the Lynde Brothers. This store burned May 19, 1921. January 24, 1924, the R.E. Smith General Merchandise store was also destroyed by fire as a result of poor wiring for electric lights. Mr. Smith and his wife and daughter lived in rooms on the second story. About four in the morning, they were awakened by smoke fumes. Mr. Smith hurriedly dressed but failed to be able to make his way downstairs because of the smoke. He kicked out a window, crawled out on the porch, and dropped to the ground. He got a ladder and rescued his family. Attempts to put out the fire failed because the pump was frozen. The building was formerly the Willard Hotel, owned by Joe Fitzsimmons. The Smith Mercantile stock was valued around $2500.00 After the fire, Mr. Smith and his family spent several months looking for a location in California, Oregon, and Washington to start a new store. In November, 1924, Mr. Smith was back in Willard opening a new store. He was quoted as saying: “I saw all that country on the coast and it is not in it in Kansas; nor is there a town on the coast that can compare with Willard!” Joe Skidmore recalls stores run by Mr. Hartley, Mr. Cheney, and Mr. Stitt. Dave Stitt owned and operated a General Grocery Store in Willard for 30 years. Warren and Naomi Pendleton operated the last Willard General Store. Other Willard businesses included: Hay buying and shipping: Herb Green Honey Bees: Mr. Keeler (Located at Al Ent house) Violin Maker: Ike Cotton (Smith house) Garage: George Hahn, then J.B. Skidmore, then Mr. Carlson, and now Mr. Miller Gasoline Station: Mr. Smith Ice House: Frank Fleming - Ice was cut on the river and stored in sawdust for summer use (located at the Fleming Place) Race Track: Located on the Mack Janes ranch just southwest of John Miller’s barn Woman’s Hat Shop: Jenny Allen Brick Manufacturing Company: Mr. Pettinger and Mr. Bemmett in 1888. By 1904, the company was operated by the Brick Company of Topeka. Coal Company: Across the street from the Railroad right away. A Dance Pavilion-Skating Rink: Mr. John Fish- Made with a tent type platform Ice Cream Parlor: Martha Lewis Dray Service from Depot to businesses: Louis St. Auben, who lived in the Hosack place (Haze Place) Blacksmith Shops: J. Chilcott in 1906, O.E. Everly in 1906. Later Shortie Everlie ran a shop with lots of horseshoeing work. An auction was held January 1949 to sell shop tools and blacksmith equipment belonging to the then late O.E. (Shortie) Everlie. Barber Shop: 1906 L. Winn Barber Shop and Pool Room: 1906 Walter Turnbull Barber Shop, Pool Hall and Restaurant: Skidmore Family. Joe Skidmore’s father had two barber chairs with Chet Skidmore as helper. Del and Beck Skidmore racked pool balls and collected 10 cents a game. They had two pool tables that were busy all the time. Martha Skidmore ran the restaurant and central (telephone) office in the back room with help from Lura and Bertha Skidmore. Livery Barn: Harve Lister and Frank Lloyd in 1906. The Livery Barn was located across from the Depot between Main and Holden. The larger section of the barn was moved to the Hosack Farm (Haze farm). Mr. Skidmore tore down the front section and used the material to build the J.B. Skidmore house which later became the Teeter house and finally sold to FEMA and was torn down in 1996. Heading and Cooperage Company: Hally in 1906 and 1912 Thrashing Crews: Jim Lewis and George Lealine Hotels: Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Gibson operated a large hotel for railroad gangs, boarders, and transits one block south of the railroad depot. Harve Lister operated a hotel with livery in 1906. Both hotels burned. Hardware and lumberyard: Willard Hardware and Lumber sold coal, fuel, seed, and lumber at a location between Holden and Darling Streets. The store went bankrupt after area residents reported seeing lumber being taken out of the store after dark and used to build a barn for a local resident. This may have contributed to the store’s financial instability. Museum: Vilasco Jones-1969 through 1984. Contents were sold at an auction in 1984. Dr. C.S. Smith served the town as Doctor during the years around 1906. Early Willard residents blamed the loss of local business activity on a shooting which occurred in August 1922. Willard had the only dance hall/skating rink, pool hall, and cattle yards in the area, so it enjoyed a great deal of business from people in neighboring communities. The dance hall closed after the shooting and a lot of business was lost. Hiram Pendegrast, aged 40, was shot and killed as a result of Pendegrasts’s threats upon Manford Metzger. Pendegrast came to Willard in a drunken condition and attempted to park his Ford car near the dance hall. He ran into another car with his vehicle. During the argument that followed, Pendegrast was shot in the shoulder and right hand and arm. This turn of events did not please Pendegrast and he poked his gun into various individuals at the dance hall, and shot a hole in the floor. He said he was looking for Manny (Manford) Metzger, who he thought had shot him. The dance hall proprietors immediately called the sheriff’s office and the word was given that Pendegrast was to be taken dead or alive. Pendegrast continued his search for Manny Metzger at the home of Chuck Metzger where he began arguing with Metzger’s mother. Chuck Metzger then supposedly shot Hiram Pendegrast, thus killing him. At the coroner’s inquest, the jury found that Chuck Metzger had shot in self defense and cleared him of wrongdoing. Some Willard residents were not convinced that the events were accurately reported to the sheriff and believed that there could have been other people involved in the killing. Pendegrast, a former Willard resident, was said to have been a bootlegger who the law had been after for some time. The Willard community’s early church was located at Second and Darling and was torn down and the lot vacated in the early 1930’s. The material from the building was used to build a house in Topeka. A new church was started in 1948 by Rev. Charles W. Spencer, a disabled WWI veteran. Jack Lewis donated the land at First and Carlson Road. The church was completed in 1953 with about 60 attending services regularly. The Willard State Bank was built by Mr. Kendell with ½ the funds being his and ½ coming from local residents. The bank was robbed twice. The first robbery occurred July 4, 1916, with Bob Best shot as a result of the skirmish that followed. September 12, 1924, the bank was again robbed and the robbers caught in Topeka on the same day. The robbers were caught at home with the $800.00 they took. They were sent to prison for eight years. In 1925, the bank closed and moved its business to Dover. The bank building is now used as the Willard City Hall. Kendell and Mr.Bethel ran the bank with Minnie Fleming as bookkeeper. S.C. Clark was President. On November 24, 1917, the bank listed resources of $63,128.87 Street lights came to Willard on April 22, 1922, and telephone service was reported as being started in either 1906 or 1919. W.W. Wiley was in charge of Willard’s first school. This building was of brick construction and opened in 1891. It was not far from the store and taught all grades. It was known as the Reader’s School. It was torn down about 1915 and the present building was erected. Chet Skidmore and Dave Stitt cleaned bricks from the old building for use in the foundation of the new schoolhouse. Some teachers included: Virgil Herron and Josephine Rezac in 1914; Golda Harshbargar and Fred Nevens in 1935; Harry Schwanke and Golda Harshbargar in 1937; Miss Nettie Startup in 1911; Miss Jessie Rice was principle replacing Mr. Herron in 1917; Miss Ruth Rogers in 1924; Diplomas given on May 27, 1937, went to Edna Johnson and Scott Lister. The Willard school was closed in 1963 because of declining enrollment. Willard suffered minor damage in the flood of 1903, however the flood of 1959 did major damage to the town. The flood waters came up into many homes and discouraged business and new building. This flood caused the collapse of the bridge on July 5, 1951, just as a bread delivery truck reached safety on the south side of the river. The truck driver was shaken after his near disaster. The bridge was rebuilt by the Frisbee Bridge Company and is about 2,297 feet in length with approximately 3 feet clearance above the 1951 water mark. The flood of 1993 produced ground water and buyouts from FEMA resulting in the Willard Park of 1997. The Willard Grain Elevator, built in 1950 by Warren Pendleton and Clyde Rogers, was completed just in time for the corn harvest. The following year it was flooded. The builder told Mr. Pendleton that the building was built well and would stand as a monument to Mr. Pendleton. When Warren Pendleton died March 18, 1970, the elevator was sold to Charles Riley and later to Bill Fletcher. Later, it was closed as a business and sold to Lynn Binder for storage. Currently, Don Miller has the small storage bins and scales and Steve Gee has the remaining space. It was one of the last businesses in Willard. September 1958, the elevator was the scene of a near tragedy when Don Miller, Della Skidmore and Warren Pendleton were overcome by fumes while they were fumigating the storage bins. All three recovered after an exciting afternoon. In 1958, a new 100,000 bu. Behlen storage building with 25 ft. side walls and measuring 52 by 80 ft. was added to the elevator. It was equipped with aerian and temperature recording equipment. The elevator had a storage capacity in total of 225,000 bushels. Holden Street was named for Mr. Holden who owned the Holden Ranch with pastures south of Willard and ranch house north of the river. The Holden Ranch was quite large. Tony Dean played baseball for Willard in the early 30’s with Marvin Billings, Joe Skidmore, and Ralph Pitts. Jack Lewis was the team manager and gave his players a dollar for every homerun they hit. That was a lot of money, but Mr. Dean said there weren’t too many homers so Mr. Lewis didn’t spend much money. Mr. Dean also remembered the town policeman who didn’t have much police work to do even though everyone left their doors unlocked all of the time. They young people didn’t go far from Willard because most of their travel was on foot, however, they did go swimming in Kassenbaum’s Swimming Hole north of the bridge (French Pond). Mr. Dean said the swimming hole was deep and fed by the river. Mr. Dean remembers the iron bridge with a wooden floor that rattled loudly when someone crossed it, the same bridge that was washed out in 1951. How did Willard get its name? Some say Willard was named after a boxer, or maybe a crippled boy. Marlin Schrader, while a student at Kansas State, met a physics professor named Dr. Julius T. Willard, who said a town west of Topeka was named for his family. Mr. Schrader recalls finding a book at the K State library that listed “J.T. Willard 1897” on the checkout sheet. Considering that Willard was platted in 1887, it would seem logical that Dr. Willard might have been correct in claiming Willard as his family namesake. Dr. Willard may be related to John Ekdahl of Chicago, should you want to check on this. Willard, Kansas, will your future once again awaken to new business and busy streets or will you be content to be a quiet, peaceful place for contented families? Only time will reveal the answer to this question. Written by Barbara Jones Haze Compiled by Zelda M. (Sally) Whitmore, Patsy Hogan, Barbara Haze and Neal Haze, from: Writings by Joe Skidmore; Ghost towns of Kansas, Vol. 3, by Daniel Fitzgerald, 1982; Lesser Known or Extinct Towns, Vol. 14, Vol. 19 by Mrs. Mary E. Montgomery; Various newspapers; Interviews with current and former residents; Writings of V. D. Jones; Material from Shawnee Co. Historical Society; and other miscellaneous sources. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Compiled by Zelda M. (Sally) Whitmore, Patsy Hogan, Neal and Barbara Haze Written by Barbara Jones Haze 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 Written September 1997 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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0352 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 Baldwin City Public Library 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 Hitchcock Bldg. 719 High Baldwin City, Ks. Subject The topic of the resource This property was unimproved in 1906. The existing brick commercial block was constructed between 1908-1910. John L Hitchcock was the owner. He was a principal in the hardware and furniture firm, Hitchcock and Mann, in 1902. By 1908 the business was Hitchcock & Griffin (hardware, furniture, and undertaking). Description An account of the resource Commercial block in row, rectangle with central entrance, two stories, two bays second floor, brick and stone masonry, one story stone rear wing,flat roof and parapet. First floor storefront altered with frame and stucco panels, modern metal entrance door. 1/1 double-hung windows second floor. Smooth-cut stone sills, rough cut lintels, recessed brick panels, corbeled brick block and dentil eave detail. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dale Nimz Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Baldwin City Public Lilbrary Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1988 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sanborn maps, 1893-1927 County Assessment rolls, 1906-1928 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights reserved Language A language of the resource English 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 Baldwin City Public Library 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 Hitchcock Theater 715 8th Baldwin City, Ks. Subject The topic of the resource Although a building on this property was illustrated in the 1908 Souvenir, no building was recorded on the 1912 Sanborn map. The existing masonry building dates to about 1918 when the owner was Thomas A. Hitchcock. By 1927 the building was a movie theater with a small store in the NE corner. It was known as the Gem Theater when John Davidson sold the lease to J. Ward Spillman in May, 1933. Description An account of the resource Commercial building in row, rectangle with recessed central entrance, one-story, three bays, brick masonry construction, flat roof and parapet. Paired glazed wooden entrance doors flanked by sidelights and marquee windows with 4-light transom windows. Storefront has square glass sheathing panels, upper facade stuccoed, tile parapet cap. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dale Nimz Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Baldwin City Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1988 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sanborn maps, 1893-1927 County assessment records, 1886-1928 Ledger 5-6-1954 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights reserved Language A language of the resource English 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 Baldwin City Public Library 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 Hobbs Mercantile Co. 711 High Baldwin City, Ks. Subject The topic of the resource A plan for the building was recorded in the September, 1905 Sanborn map. William H. Hobbs was listed as the proprietor of Hobbs Mercantile Company, a general dry goods store, in 1902. The completed building, credited to prominent local builder J. W. Spurgeon, was illustrated in the 1908 Baldwin Souvenir. Description An account of the resource Commercial block in row, rectangle with recessed central entrance, one-and-a-half stories, five bays, brick laid in common bond, flat roof and parapet, full length I-beam storefront lintel. Altered display windows, facade ornamented with smooth cut water table, pier bases and caps, keystones, ornamental brick cornice. Second floor openings filled with brick. Transom in storefront, modern metal entrance door. Round arched second floor openings. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dale Nimz Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Baldwin City Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1988 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sanborn insurance maps, 1893-1927 County assessment records, 1900-1928 Baldwin Souvenir (1908) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights reserved Language A language of the resource English