By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Trick or Treating may be discouraged this year due to the public health crisis, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate Halloween.

In days past, whether Kansans lived far apart in farming communities or were under war-time restrictions, people and families still found ways to celebrate the holiday using old-fashioned wit and ingenuity. From homemade costumes to DIY spooky decorations (hey, they were using candles anyway), both children and grown-ups found ways to make the day (and night!) special. 

Check out some examples of special Halloween costumes from our archives, and maybe they will spark your imagination for a fun, socially distant holiday celebration! (And if you still have some extra toilet paper laying around, you can always be a mummy.)

We hope you have a happy, and safe, Halloween! 

The New York Giants and Washington Senators were two evenly matched teams and the 1924 World Series fittingly began with both sides alternating wins through six contests. Though Johnson pitched well in Game 1, he and Barnes each remained winless in their three combined series starts. Barnes was the starter again for Game 7 and “furnished the most brilliant bit of pitching seen in the series,” reported one sportswriter. He retired 18 of the first 19 batters he faced and was only relieved in the 8^th inning after a Washington ground ball took a wild bounce to tie the game 3-3. Much to the delight of the crowd, the Senators turned to Johnson in the 9^th inning. He responded by pitching four straight scoreless innings. In the 12^th, another fluke ground ball, eerily similar to the one in the 8^th inning, decided the game. Legendary sports columnist Shirley Povich wrote, “Whatever [Senator’s outfielder Earl] McNeely’s ground ball hit, a pebble or a divot or a minefield, it took a freak high hop over [Giant’s third baseman Fred] Lindstrom’s head into the outfield for a single and Ruel flew home from second with the run that won everything for the Senators.” It was the organization’s, and Johnson’s, first World Series victory. Following the loss, Giants’ pitcher Jack Bentley consoled his teammates by saying, “Don’t feel too bad, fellows. The good Lord just couldn’t let Walter lose again.”[4] 

Johnson returned to the World Series the following year, but the Senators fell in seven games to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired in 1927 and became a manager of the Senators and later the Cleveland Indians. Over his phenomenal 21-year career, Johnson pitched 531 complete games (fourth all time), recorded 417 wins (second only to Cy Young), 12 20-win seasons, and finished with a career earned run average of 2.17. His record of 3,509 strikeouts lasted for 56 years, while his mark of 110 career shutouts still stands. In 1936, he was one of the original inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson.[5] 

Barnes retired in 1929. He returned to Kansas but struggled in post-baseball life. During the Great Depression, he worked for the Works Progress Administration, painting murals in Holton schools and in the Jackson County Courthouse. In 2012, a 3-mile section of Highway 79 was designated the Barnes Brothers Memorial Highway in honor of Virgil and his brother Jesse, who was also a major league pitcher. Both brothers have been inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame, but Virgil has yet to be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.[6]

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Thanksgiving. Much has been written about this uniquely American holiday and much can be said about its mythos and origins. Regardless of the “true” story of the first Thanksgiving, there are two truths buried between history’s pages: first, the Pilgrims were real people who sailed to a faraway place (Massachusetts) in order to practice their religion without interference; the second is that the Pilgrims’ legacy spans into the 21^st century, with more than 35 million descendants worldwide, including a number of them right here in Kansas. But I’ll get to them shortly.

Understanding the Pilgrim experience is an integral part of interpreting the Thanksgiving story. It’s also not surprising that the violence perpetuated against Native tribes during the establishment of Plymouth was quickly removed from the narrative. No one wants to be told that one of their most beloved holidays is actually a story of blood, theft, and murder. History has viewed the Pilgrims in many ways. To some, they were Saints (literally, that’s what they called themselves during the period); to others, they were bloodthirsty zealots and colonizers responsible for the destruction of entire cultures. But the reality, of course, is far more complex.

The Pilgrims were a group of religious separatists who followed an extreme form of Puritanism. Their approach to scripture differed from the Church of England (Anglicans) in several significant ways, which led to their eventual withdrawal from the Church to practice independently. Due to this, Separatists faced official censure and violence from English authorities, and many fled to Holland for religious tolerance. However, as the years passed, Puritan children started to take on Dutch habits and culture. Their English parents, aghast that their sons and daughters played hoops on the Sabbath and adopted the Dutch language, made plans to emigrate yet again.

The Separatist community that had remained in England solicited financial support from the Merchant Adventurers to set up a colony in the newly “discovered” North America in exchange for a seven-year indentureship wherein the Pilgrims would repay the original cost of settlement. The colony at Plymouth would be a financial investment as well as a religious enclave. Ships and funds secured, over 100 colonists set sail in the fall of 1620 aboard the now-famous Mayflower (a small ship repurposed from its original trading days), destined for the colony of Virginia. (The expedition’s second ship, the Speedwell, ended its journey to America prematurely after it spouted leaks shortly after leaving English harbor and was compelled to turn back.)

Two groups emigrated to the New World on this journey. The Separatists, and a group they called the “Strangers,” who were Anglican craftsmen, merchants, and their families who sought a different life in America.

The Saints and Strangers traveled during the Age of Sail. Despite several advances in naval technology in the preceding century, the lower decks of the Mayflower were small, cramped, and soon began to stink of unwashed bodies, cooked food, and bodily excretions. The tumultuous Atlantic tossed the ship in a series of gales and storms, and seasickness was incessant. 

The Mayflower’s journey took just over two months, and when they spotted land on November 9, it was immediately apparent that they had not arrived in Virginia. The fierce Atlantic winds had blown the ship off course several hundred miles, and the Mayflower had instead landed at Cape Cod, off the coast of what would become Massachusetts. With winter setting in, the group found a protected harbor to shelter the Mayflower, and quickly set about building the colony.

Winter arrived quickly and dreadfully. With many passengers still cramped aboard ship, and supplies running perilously short, illness and hunger were rampant. It was far too late in the season to consider planting, and it was all the beleaguered colonists could do to unload the ship and set up temporary housing. The land they chose for the site of their colony had recently been the site of a Patuxet village, the original inhabitants culled by a European disease (most likely smallpox) before they ever saw a Pilgrim face. The remnant caches of food and the cleared fields convinced the Pilgrims that they had received God’s Providence for their venture.

The supplies they pilfered enabled them to survive the winter, but barely. Malnutrition and close quarters spread fever and illness. The sick (men, women, and children) were lined up in rows in the community house, and there were hardly enough able-bodied persons to care for the ill. The Pilgrim dead were buried in secret, in the dark of night, so neighboring tribes would not know of the settlers’ diminished numbers. The Pilgrims feared attack from the indigenous inhabitants. Though many of their number were sick and suffering, the colonists still mounted guards around the new town. At the height of their suffering, there were barely a dozen adults to manage the colony. Half of the original colonists perished before spring.

But winter eventually passed. Among those who survived are names we now count as the founding members of the Plymouth colony: Brewster, Bradford, Alden, and Standish. Most survivors had lost family members. Come spring, the colony still faced enormous challenges. Their supplies were all but exhausted. The fields needed planting and the colony lacked secure defenses. But in March of 1621, the Pilgrims had an unexpected visitor.

Most schoolchildren are taught of the Pilgrims’ first meeting with Samoset, an Abnaki leader, and later, Tisquantum (Squanto), a surviving member of the original Patuxet village. In addition to teaching the Pilgrims survival skills for their new environment, Samoset and Tisquantum introduced the colony’s leadership to Massasoit, sachem of the Wampanoags. Massasoit, in his early meetings with the Pilgrims, came with the intention of making good relations. The Wampanoags’ position had been made increasingly untenable in the unstable power-vacuum of 16^th century New England. As much as the Pilgrims needed a relationship with the Wampanoags for their security and sustainability, Massasoit needed an agreement with the Pilgrims to give him a show of strength, especially to the neighboring, and powerful, Narragansetts.

While the groups exchanged food, drink, and tobacco during these first encounters, they were not the cheerful, festive gatherings that history and school plays remember. While the Pilgrims had long-standing traditions of fall festivals, they were obligated to host 90 of Massasoit’s warriors in their ill-defended colony. The Pilgrims were very suspicious of their new allies. They had arrived in Massachusetts with preconceived notions of the savagery of Native peoples, and their initial encounters did not dissuade them of these opinions. Likewise, indigenous peoples had suffered under the scourge of European disease for years prior to the Pilgrims’ arrival. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Native people had already died, and the shifting political landscape of New England reflected that upheaval. If their first meeting was not the Thanksgiving of Norman Rockwell’s dreams, it nevertheless was an important event that cemented the Pilgrims’ presence in the region. Without the arrival of the Pilgrims and their tenacity in clinging to the newly formed colony, and the assistance of Massasoit and his people, the landscape of American life and culture would be vastly different.

Here is the second part of the story. While history remembers the Pilgrims as intrepid explorers and stock figures at a Thanksgiving table, their story does not stop at Plymouth Rock. The colonists birthed a legacy carried on by over 35 million descendants world-wide as of 2020. The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, founded in 1897, exists to promote and maintain that legacy, and to create a brother-and-sister-hood of Mayflower descendants. The Kansas Society of Mayflower Descendants was chartered in 1914. Its mission is the same as the General Society: in short, to promote the accomplishments and contributions of the Mayflower passengers and to continue their legacy. The Kansas branch is still alive and active over 100 years later.

The most familiar “Mayflower” Kansan was Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the timeless classic, Little House on the Prairie. Though she wasn’t born in Kansas, her story takes place in the early days of Kansas settlement. Wilder descended from Mayflower passenger Richard Warren.

 

Another famous Kansan and descendant was Amelia Earhart. Little could her ancestors have known as they endured the heaving Atlantic that their intrepid progeny would someday take to the skies and make her own history as the first female aviator to fly over the same ocean that they traversed so many centuries before. Earhart descended from passengers Richard Warren and Edward Fuller.

Most Topekans will recognize the name of the illustrious benefactor and namesake of the local university, Ichabod Washburn. A descendant of Eleanor and John Billington (whose family remained one of the few intact after that first bitter winter), Washburn wasn’t a Kansan by birth, but was a committed philanthropist and abolitionist. Though he never saw the school that bears his name, he supported its early founding.

 Are you curious about your own genealogy? To research if you have a connection to the Mayflower’s passengers, the Kansas Society of Mayflower Descendants has kindly gifted the lineage books of the Society (which are colloquially known as the Silver Books) to the Kansas Historical Society. We hold these invaluable resources in our archives, available for any researchers who are interested in exploring their genealogy. Find out if you, too, are related to one of the Mayflower passengers!

Thank you for reading, and we wish you all a very safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Additional reading

For adults:

Hodgson, Godfrey. A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving. PublicAffairs, 2006.

For children:

Lasky, Kathryn. Dear America, A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remembrance Patience Whipple. Scholastic, 1996.

For Native American Genealogy Resources:

https://www.kshs.org/p/native-american-genealogical-sources/10980

More information about Native Americans in Kansas:

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/american-indians-in-kansas/17881 

 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season

Day 1: Puzzles

It hardly seems like it’s been a year since last Cyber Monday. This weekend kicked off the official start of the holidays. Truth be told, the 2020 season is going to look a little different, but that doesn’t dampen our spirits for a fun, safe, and merry celebration. Regardless of the holiday you observe, this is the season to appreciate the ups and downs of the year past, and to spread joy, cheer, and love (but no germs, please).

Many Kansans have used this year as an opportunity to explore projects at home, from house remodels to DIY Halloween costumes. With the holidays just around the corner, and most of us shopping online, we thought it would be fun to give you ideas of how to use items from our collections for DIY craft projects to give to your friends and family. Is Grandma always looking for her bookmark? Do you search for the perfect calendar every year for Dad? Why not make your own? We have combed through our collections to find the best images for your DIY holiday gifts. Feel free to download and save these images for your favorite holiday presents.

We may not be crowding into stores this season, but you can spend your December days creating and crafting your own meaningful expressions of holiday cheer. The only limit is your imagination. For the next 12 days, tune into our blog spot on Kansas Memory and get some inspiration for your DIY holiday gifts and giving.

Happy gluing!

On the first day of archives, my archivists gave to me….

Puzzles!

Who doesn’t love a good puzzle? Granted, we may all be a little puzzled-out at this point in the year, but as the cold, snowy days of winter creep in, a fun puzzle would go great alongside a cup of cocoa and a crackling fire.

There are many free templates online – just download, print, cut, and play!

Here are our favorite puzzling images from the archives:

Grangers vs. Hoppers – During the 19^th century, it seemed like the Hoppers (grasshoppers) would spell defeat for the Grangers (farmers), but with some wit and ingenuity (and a little luck), Kansas farmers defeated those pesky Hoppers.

By the turn of the 20^th century, the automobile was firmly established on America’s streets, but rural communities still relied on the horse and wagon to get them to and fro. As for this cheerful family, where are they going and what are they doing? Maybe it’s to grandmother’s house they go? Dashing through the…wheat fields?

Kansas belonged to the cowboys during the 19^th century, and while this gent’s identity leaves us puzzled, his swarthy charm deserves a place in our puzzle line-up. 

Check back tomorrow for another DIY craft project!

Wishing you a very happy holiday season! 

By Lauren Gray, Head of Reference 

Share the gift of history this holiday season 

Day 2: Magnets

[Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series]              

Remember when we used to go on vacation and buy cheesy magnets for our colleagues? (“Hope you enjoyed answering the phones while I was in Palm Beach, Carol!”) Though traveling is on the Naughty List this year, you can still give your friends and colleagues a little smile with these fun photo magnets. Maybe visiting Kansas is on someone’s bucket list?

For these magnets, you’ll need Mod Podge and photo paper (we recommend glossy). You’ll need a sturdy backing, like matboard, and of course, magnets. Print your photos and cut them to size – we like 2”x2” but go as big as you like. Cut your matboard to the same size. Now, using your adhesive, affix each photo to the corresponding matboard and let dry. Slowly coat your photo in the Mod Podge glaze, popping any air bubbles with a toothpick or pin. Let them dry for 24 hours, then glue a magnet to the back of each photo. Once they’re completely dry, they’re ready for gifting! (Pretend you’ve been on an exotic vacation and forward a few calls to Carol, for old time’s sake.)

Many communities in Kansas relied on the horse for transportation well into the 20^th century – this image depicts Annita Henry cantering off to school in 1925, and she seems pretty happy about it!

The holidays would be incomplete without images of sugar plums dancing in our heads. Miss Doane, pictured here in the 1920s, looks like she just stepped off of the stage!

The weather outside may be frightful, but that car (and its plate) are so delightful! 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 3: Greeting cards

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series) 

Nothing says a socially distant “hello” like sending greeting cards. Before the advent of e-mail, faxes, and Facebook, greeting cards were a popular means of expressing affection and remembrance between friends and family. You can’t shake a pencil in the archives without finding a stylish salutation, and many were lovingly handmade by their senders.

This project is as easy as can be. Pick some quality paper (we like linen), print your image on half of the page, fold the paper in half, trim it down to size, and poof! Holiday card! (Just don’t ask us how to make the envelope…) Add a personalized note and dig out your address book. Want to make it more festive for the holidays? Sprinkle a little glitter inside. We’re sure your relatives will thank you later. 

Amelia Earhart had holiday spirit – now you can too with a flyby, socially distant holiday greeting this year!

The Little Black Dress, as timeless as Champagne bubbles and holiday parties. Perfect for your New Year’s greetings.

Our suggested text for this holiday card:

Greetings from Kansas!

Wish you were here,

But we’ll see you next year! 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 4: The Memory Game

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series) 

While 2020 is a year that most of us would rather forget, it’s no secret that improved memory can aid in stress reduction, enhanced concentration, and better organizational skills. With school disrupted this year, we’re doing what we can to ensure our children use their brains more than their video game expertise. The Memory Game not only challenges our retention skills, but it’s fun for the whole family! All you need is a printer, a pair of scissors, and a flat space to play on.

To play Memory, pick at least five images from our website (add more for higher age levels) and print out two copies of each image. Make sure you can’t see the photo through the back. Mix up the images and place all of them face-down on a table. You can have as many players as you want, but we prefer 2-4. The object of the game is to collect the most matching cards. Take turns flipping up two cards at a time to find a matching pair. See if you can remember where each card is on the board. It’s harder than you think!

For more fun, read about each image on our website while you’re playing – a history game counts as homework…right?

Here are our favorite combinations:  

Although we’re not as concerned about pests spreading Covid-19 in 2020, catching flies could still be a fun game for your bored youngsters this holiday season. (Plus, you’ll save on your Orkin bill.)

Mr. G. Hopper is the Oliver Twist of grasshoppers – but don’t feel too sorry for the poor fellow, his extended family of Hoppers devastated Kansas farmers during the late 19^th century.

We swear we aren’t bug crazy, but studying all of these grasshopper images surely counts as science class too, right? Two bugs, one game?

Miss Abel, Kansas’ own resident space monkey, was born in Independence in 1957. Study hard, children, and you too can be a space ape!

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 5: Coasters

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

Uncle Phil (and his coffee cup ring stains on the good furniture) may not be visiting this year, but you can still get these coasters ready for next season. And what better gift to give than a splash of Kansas history across your coffee table? Coasters are great conversation-starters and the ultimate furniture-savers. We’ve picked our favorite scenes below.

Coasters are pretty easy to make, if a little sticky! You’ll need small tiles, Mod Podge (a multi-purpose adhesive available at most craft stores), spray sealant, paint brush or sponge, felt pads for underneath the tile, and your photos, printed and trimmed to the size of the tiles. Glue each photo to a tile using your sponge and Podge, then apply three layers of Podge evenly over the photo with your sponge (be sure to wait for the Podge to dry completely between each round). Once the final layer is dry, take the tiles outside and spray on the sealant in another three rounds, waiting between each for the layers to dry completely. (Make sure to spray the entire tile: front, back and sides.) Wait 24 hours for the sealer to dry completely, then glue the felt on the bottom of each tile. Easy peasy, and Uncle Phil and your furniture can now rest easily – on a piece of Kansas history!

You can still visit the Lawrence rail depot today. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and still has an active rail track next door.

The Kansas capitol as you’ve rarely seen it before. It took over 30 years (and three million dollars + inflation) for construction to finish on this historic building.

Another entry from the Register of Historic Places, the Hotel Jayhawk is a familiar site in downtown Topeka. Sorry, Wildcats, it’s nothing personal!

Train enthusiasts will recognize this as locomotive #3783. Others will recognize it as a larger metaphor for American expansion – robber baron capitalism, anyone? 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season

Day 6: Bookmarks

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series) 

We have to confess – we’re bookmark nerds around here. And what’s not to love? Bookmarks are simple to make, they slip easily into holiday cards, and they’re super-useful (especially if you read as many history books as we do!).

For the quickest DIY bookmark, select three or four images, copying each one into a Word document. Scale the images to the same size by holding and selecting the corner of each image and dragging it inward. Print and trim, and you’re bookmark ready! If you’re partial to gluing, you can print the images and glue them to a bookmark-shaped strip of colored paper, layering as you go. You can even add a DIY laminate with clear packing tape (we won’t tell). Mix and match images and feel free to add your own embellishments – we like tassels, fuzzy poms, antique buttons, and ribbons. 

There’s no larking around this holiday season, so better whistle some carols while you work! Layer this image on pretty blue or yellow paper and tie a ribbon on the end.

We’re pretty sure this is what we look like when we spot a new book – we get the gimmies! Trim and layer this adorable little one on some gray paper, and glue on a decorative gold or white button, and it’ll really start to shine.

Turn this Beechcraft sideways and you’ll fly right off the page!

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

(You’re humming it now, aren’t you?)

Happy Holidays!

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 7: Stationery

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

Ah, letters. Where would we be without them? Oh, that’s right, sending midnight Snapchats and posting our dinner on Instagram. Alas, we have entered the era of lost correspondence – gone are the days of languid ink trails and perfumed leaves of linen. Our social disconnect is practically a hallmark of the 21^st century.

We say, let’s bring letter writing back! Make it a New Year’s resolution: send one letter this year to someone special, and bonus points if it’s written on a piece of this gorgeous DIY stationery! In a year of missed connections, remind your loved ones that they’re in your thoughts. 

Making your own stationery is the easiest thing you’ll do all year, we promise. (Easier even than couch surfing Netflix because we’ve already selected the images for you!) For your DIY stationery, copy your selected image into a Word document, size it to scale in the corner, add a flounce or two (flounces available online), and print your new stationery on quality paper. Write your note, address it to someone special, and support the Post Office with a festive stamp. (Spritz of perfume optional.)

(Ok, we’re romantics around here, but the reality is: correspondence is an integral window into the past and to understanding our predecessors’ motivations and relationships. Fortunately, we have sheaves of letters and correspondence dating back to the very founding of Kansas in our archives. Want to see our pride and joy? Check this out: Correspondence between Dwight David Eisenhower and U.S. Senator Joseph L. Bristow concerning Eisenhower's appointment to a military academy - Kansas Memory. Where would the world be if Eisenhower hadn’t put pen to page?)

Mrs. Swayze (we assume no relation) brings a touch of Victorian style to your correspondence. 

This colorful sunflower is smart AND pretty!

Send the gift of flowers – in print!

On the sixth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Bookmarks

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

(You’re humming it now, aren’t you?)

Happy Holidays! 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 8: Wall Clock

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

It’s about time this post came around. We’ve been watching the clock in anticipation and now here we are – Day 8! My, how the time flies.

Ok, now that that’s out of our system….

Man has measured the passage of time since our earliest days. From the Babylonians to modern Kansans, we have all looked at our sundials and wondered – is it lunchtime yet?

Early Plains tribes measured time in broad strokes between seasons - when to hunt, when to plant – and by marking important events on the calendar through oral tradition, winter count pictographic calendars, and, in some cases, visits to medicine wheels. By the 19^th century, settlers were hauling clocks to Kansas in the back of their wagons, and grandfather clocks became bastions of gentility in parlors across the territory, and later, the state. Fortunately, we now lug cell phones around instead of pendulous clocks.

If yesterday’s DIY Stationery was the easiest craft you’ll do this year, today’s Wall Clock may be the trickiest. It involves moving parts (the clock hands) and technology (the battery). But, we are confident that you will enjoy this hands-on (get it?) DIY craft. After all, who amongst us has not watched the seconds tick drearily past, waiting for an end to this interminable year?

There are a couple different ways you can approach this project, both of which require motorized clock hands of the desired size (available online or at your local discount store). If you’d like to have a single image as the background of your clock, you’ll need to mount your image on matboard with Mod Podge (see Day 2: Magnets for instructions) and secure the motorized clock hands on the matboard. If you’d like a larger wall piece, mount your clock hands directly on the wall, and surround it with framed or laminated images at the appropriate time coordinates (12:00, 6:00, etc.).

If you question whether many people really care that much about clocks, consider: how many photos exist of Big Ben? We rest our case.

And remember, if history has taught us anything, it’s that time waits for no man. (Last one, we promise.)

We have provided a sample of images from the expansive Menninger collection at the State Archives. The Menninger Clinic was a groundbreaking mental health research and treatment facility once located just up the hill from the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka.

If you like abstract art:

Or birds…

Maybe some cuddly lab rats?

Since we’re talking about cute things, Dr. Menninger’s children:

The landscape around the clinic (now closed) remains open for hikers and mental health enthusiasts, despite the current uncertainty of this historic building’s future.

This last one isn’t necessarily something you should put on your clock, but you’d think some of the country’s best psychiatric minds would be less…perplexed by the ticking of this particular brain?

On the seventh Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Stationery

On the sixth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Bookmarks

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

Happy Holidays!

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season 

Day 9: Calendars

[Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series]

If you’re already over 2020 (and we so don’t blame you), make this adorable mini-calendar and skip forward to 2021. (Maybe we can go on summer vacation next year?) Also, you know that relative who’s impossible to buy for? Here ya go. You’re welcome.

We’ve put together a special collection of calendar images for your consideration. Our Women at Work series documents the important roles women have played in, well, every industry! (Ok, we admit, we’re pretty excited about this one.) From switchboard operators to engineers, nurses, and schoolteachers, women have made the wheels of industry turn across Kansas (and the rest of the U.S., we’re not bragging).

And honestly, we have so many powerful images in our archive of women in the workforce that we had to make hard choices about which photos to include in this entry. We’ve picked our favorite images to represent some (but not all!) of the industries in which women work. Click here to see more! https://www.kansasmemory.org/locate.php?categories=1265-1247&

For your own calendar, you’re welcome to download these images and make collages of your favorites, or you can make your own collection of Kansas photos, and use a free online calendar template and print it at home or go through a printing company. Whichever you decide, we hope 2021 is a year to remember (in a good way). We made our calendar in a Word document using the Table function, and then mounted (i.e. taped) it on a sturdy backing. We’re fancy DIYers, as you see. We even used the color printer.

Roll up your sleeves, and let’s get to work!

Farming: 

Kansas is the Wheat State, and while we certainly grow a lot of it, farms aren’t just limited to those waving grains. From dawn to dusk, be it mowing, gardening, repairing or cleaning, farm work doesn’t stop.

Railroad:

The State Archive’s Railroad Collection includes film, promotional material, architectural drawings and blueprints, railway publications, payroll records, and, obviously, wonderful photographs of women at work. Pictured here is Christine Gonzales, the first female engineer with the ATSF railroad. Find more resources here: https://www.kshs.org/p/railroad-research/15983

Newspapers:

The State Archives holds the largest collection of Kansas newspapers in the world. In the 19^th century, many women journalists would adopt male pen names to disguise their identity, as it was considered unladylike to participate in journalism.

Administrative:

Long considered “women’s work,” secretarial roles are integral to essential business functions, and are now, of course, held by both men and women.

Community Work:

Community groups like the Women’s Kansas Day Club and the Kansas Association of Colored Women’s Clubs worked to preserve Kansas heritage and inspire social change across the state and nationally. 

Health Care:

Our health care industry is more crucial than ever during these trying times, and we give our thanks to the legions of women (and men) who are working ceaselessly for us this year. 

Education:

While we no longer send our children to school with slates and chalk, the fundamentals of education have not changed: dedicated teachers make all the difference.  

Arts:

From drawing, dance, music, painting and more, Kansas has inspired women to stretch the bounds of creative expression. 

Domestic Work:

Whomever says chores aren’t work hasn’t lived through a long prairie winter (or coronavirus lockdown) with bored children, remote work, and a household to run. 

Politics:

2020 marks the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th amendment, which granted women to the right to vote nationally. Women in Kansas have long been active in politics and were forerunners in the early suffrage movement. Pictured here is Minnie Grinstead, the first woman to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives. 

Service Industry: 

Restaurant and retail workers are part of the backbone of the American economy. Women have traditionally worked as servers, shop girls, and housekeeping staff, especially in family-run businesses. 

Industry:

For the first time in American history, women adopted factory jobs en masse in the early days of World War II. However, immigrant women, young girls, and women from lower income families have worked in factories since the mid-19^th century, usually in the textile industry.

On the eighth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Wall Clocks

On the seventh Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Stationery

On the sixth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Bookmarks

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

(Something to whistle while you work….)

Happy Holidays! 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 10: Playing Cards

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

You’re never lonely with a deck of playing cards in your pocket. There’s something about the shuffling of cards that attracts new friends.

Playing cards have been in use since at least the 9^th century, and the novelty most likely traveled to Europe from the East during the early medieval period.

Playing cards don’t necessarily require poker games, either, though Kansas enjoys the Wild West imagery of cowboys hunkered around a poker table. You can play many fun games with a deck of cards: Old Maid, Crazy Eights, War, Speed, flicking cards into a hat (for instructions, see Bill Murray in Groundhog Day), and our favorite, 52 Card Pick-up (teach it to your children today and they’ll never complain about homework again!). Also, playing cards are stocking-size – why are those gifts always the hardest to find?

Honestly, what images can’t you put on a playing card? They’re meant to be both decorative and fun, after all. We decided to highlight images of playing cards and games – sort of like Card-ception, if you will (cards on cards).

Playing cards haven’t always been as nicely laminated and sleek as they are today. Early cards were handmade with a variety of styles and images, so our DIY efforts are in good company. There are different ways to make playing cards, and we’ve outlined a few of the easier ones below.

• You can print your images double-sided on cardstock with the corresponding suits on the opposite side, then trim them down to size.
• Or, you can print your images and tuck them into trading card sleeves with an additional stiff backing, like cardstock or old cards, behind the images. These cards are one-sided.
• You could also print your images on labels and stick them on an existing deck of playing cards (it’s not lazy, it’s efficient…absolutely).
• If you have a lot of time on your hands and you’re reasonably artistic, you could do it old-school and paint the suits on the back of each printed image. (If you do hand paint them, please tag us on Social Media. We will be suitably impressed.)

The U.S. hasn’t always had 50 stars in the flag. Kansas was number 34, which makes this deck of cards extra special!

 

These cheeky cards bring their own social commentary to family game night.

Bonus, these playing cards include instructions for the game Scramble, popular in the 1940s.

On the ninth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Calendars

On the eighth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Wall Clocks

On the seventh Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Stationery

On the sixth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Bookmarks

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

(We bet this song will be in your head all day long…)

Happy Holidays! 

Trivia answer: January 29, 1861! 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 11: Decorative Collages (for any space)

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

If our Netflix guru Marie Kondo has taught us anything, it’s that if something “sparks joy,” you should make a special place for it in your life. And right now, we could all use a little extra joy.

That’s why we kept this penultimate post simple. Sometimes, you don’t want to glue, cut, trim, and layer. Sometimes, simple is best. In a year that has been anything but, here is a project you can do on a quiet afternoon while you wait for your dough to rise or your pie to bake.

For these decorative collages, we encourage you to find images that speak to you. Explore our website. Get cozy. We have a little something for everybody. Some will be drawn to schoolhouses or soft, scenic views of our Kansas landscape. For others, it may be flowers, birds in flight, or the clean-cut lines of our Capitol building. The best gifts are those that linger in our thoughts.

Once you find images that spark your fancy, we encourage you to save them digitally or print them out and display them in a way that is meaningful to you. If you need a new background on your computer, or your closet has some extra wall-space, consider sparking joy in areas that are often overlooked. (We agree with Marie Kondo that any space can be special.)

We’ve included images below that bring us joy and remind us that beauty is what we make it.

Birger Sandzen, a Swedish immigrant to KS, belonged to the Prairie Print Makers group. This particular print was done from woodblock.

Another woodblock print, this reimagined Prairie Castle would have been a familiar site to pioneers heading west. 

Is it just us, or does this print make you want to slip off your shoes, relax under a shade tree, and read a good book?

This could be a scene from a crossover episode of “Alice in Oz.”

Yes…yes, we do give ourselves pep talks in the mirror while brandishing a hairbrush. Corsets may be out, but self-respect is always in.

On the tenth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Playing Cards

On the ninth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Calendars

On the eighth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Wall Clocks

On the seventh Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Stationery

On the sixth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Bookmarks

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

Happy Holidays! 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 12: Recipe Books

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

As we conclude our 12 Days of Archives series, the staff at the State Archives would like to thank our patrons and visitors for weathering this pandemic with us. It’s been a year of ups and downs, but we’ve supported each other through it. We’ve had thousands of visitors pass through our virtual doors since March. Your support has enabled us to continue providing digital access to the wonderful collections we hold at the Kansas Historical Society, and for putting on series like the 12 Days of Archives blog posts.

What we’re trying to say is…

Thank you for giving us the best gift of all: your dedication to preserving and promoting Kansas history.

Now, let us give you a little something in return.

On the 12^th Day of Archives, my archivist gave to me…

Recipes, from our family to yours.

Our DIY holiday spread would be incomplete without a sweet treat at the end.

Kansas is home to many communities and people who hail from different parts of the U.S. and from abroad. Whether just passing through or settling for life, each community has left the imprint of their unique traditions on Kansas culture, and that is especially true of cuisine.

We’ve compiled some of our favorite recipes from our collections for you to bake and gift to your loved ones. (Or, maybe just for you. You’ve earned it.) To make it even more personal, we suggest writing the recipes by hand into a special notebook or on cards to give away, or to pass down to the next generation.

We’ve also asked our staff to contribute favorite holiday recipes from their families. Some recipes were born in Kansas, others moved away and came back, and a few came from very far away and have made their homes here.

We’d like to give you the gift of our history.

Early American Indian tribes used a variety of techniques and tools to cook and preserve their food, including smoking, salting, and fermenting. Jerky was made by thinly slicing bison or venison meat and leaving it to dry in smoke and sun. Maize (corn) was cultivated and traded by many tribes on the Eastern Plains and was cooked with meat and beans in stews similar to what we enjoy today. Alternatively, it could be parched and dried and then ground into corn meal.

Beans were also popular with cowboys as they drove cattle across the range. Though John Wayne is the stereotypical Hollywood cowboy, in real life many cowboys were African American or Mexican, who introduced their own cultural heritage to the chuck wagon. A batch of beans and salt pork could include chiles or other seasonings.

Abbie Bright traveled to Kansas in 1870 from Iowa and kept a diary of her journey and early days in Kansas. She was an avid baker and enclosed several recipes she collected from friends in her community.

Now, the staff at the Kansas Historical Society and State Archives would like to share some of our treasured holiday recipes with you.

Katie's Pfeffernusse

(Peppernut Cookies)

Katie inherited this recipe from her mother-in-law, who is a member of the Mennonite Community in Manhattan, KS, where Peppernut cookies are popular holiday treats. Mennonites emigrated from Switzerland and the Netherlands during the 19^th century and many made their way to Kansas after 1870, drawn to the lush pastureland and rich soil. Mennonites brought some of the earliest wheat to Kansas, which thrived, and quickly replaced corn as the dominant crop.

Katie Keckeisen, our Collections Archivist, and her mother-in-law bake these cookies every Christmas, and the story goes that they disappear as fast as a Kansas thunderstorm.

To read more about Mennonites in Kansas: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/mennonites-in-kansas/19174

Ethan’s Seven Layer Bars

Ethan Anderson, our Government Records Archivist, brought his mother’s recipe with him to Kansas when he moved from South Dakota in 1883 (actually, it was 2018, but who’s counting).  His mother bakes these bars every holiday, and we’ll happily tuck these into our collection of “Best Sweet Treats to Eat while Quarantining” any year. Ethan’s family recipe originally comes from Wisconsin, so it is truly a Midwestern staple.

Seven Layer Bars are also known as “Hello Dolly Bars” due to their rise in popularity during the hit Broadway show “Hello Dolly,” which premiered on stage in 1964. We found the published recipe in The Hutchinson News from July 1965, though we believe the original recipe pre-dates the Broadway show.

Megan’s Schwartzberren Kuchen

Megan Rohleder, our Senior Archivist for Public Services, can trace her heritage back to the Volga River area of Russia, where her German ancestors settled in the late 1760s to help colonize that region. By the mid-1870s, Volga Germans started immigrating to North America. Megan’s family moved to Victoria and Hays, KS where they became farmers.

As with most cultures and their food, these recipes were born out of necessity. Volga Germans came from harsh climates and many of them were poor farmers when they came to the States. Because of this, there are many carbohydrate and cream/sour cream-heavy dishes, which were things they had in abundance. These recipes would feed lots of mouths for little cost.

Learn more about Volga Germans in Kansas here: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/germans-from-russia-in-kansas/12231

Lauren’s Lussekatter

(Saffron Buns)

Lussekatter are buns traditionally baked in Sweden on December 13 for St. Lucia Day. The holiday celebrates the return of the light during the long winter darkness. Many Swedes immigrated to Kansas during the mid-19^th century when Sweden suffered a series of famines. Many immigrants settled in the area around McPherson and Lindsborg, where robust Swedish communities thrive today.

Lauren Gray’s husband brought his family’s saffron bun recipe with him when he emigrated from Sweden.

To read more about Swedes in Kansas: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/swedes-in-kansas/16722

Recipes:

Katie’s Pfeffernusse

(Peppernut cookies)

¾ c. shortening

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

½ tsp oil of anise

1 c. molasses

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp. allspice

½ c. milk

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp cardamom

Approx. 6 c. flour

Mix in the usual order—cream butter and shortening, add sugar, anise oil and molasses and cream again. Mix dry ingredients (mix spices and baking soda in about 2-3 cups flour at first) and stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Freeze overnight or longer. Roll out into long ropes about ¾ inch in diameter and wrap in waxed paper and freeze again. When ready to bake, slice thin and put-on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350F for about 9 minutes. Let sit about a minute before removing from pan.

Note: Using anise oil instead of ground or extract makes a big difference. You can find it in or near the pharmacy department. If you can't find it, use a generous teaspoon of anise extract, available in the baking aisle.

Ethan’s Seven Layer Bars

½ c. butter or margarine

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

1 c. coconut flakes

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

1 c. chopped walnuts

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Pour melted butter in 9x13 inch pan. Layer ingredients in order given. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Megan’s Schwartzberren Kuchen

1 c. heavy cream

½ c. milk

1 ½ c. sugar (separated)

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 quart schwartzberren (see note)

Mix cream, sugar, egg, and milk together. Add salt, baking powder, and enough flour to make a batter that’s a little heavier than an ordinary cake batter. Put in a greased 10x13 inch pan. Pat dough down with your hand until about ½ inch tall. Put Schwartzberren over this batter and sprinkle an additional ½ cup sugar over this. Mix 1 cup flour, another ½ cup sugar with enough butter or shortening to make crumbs. Put these crumbs on top of berries and bake in moderate oven (350F) for about 35 minutes.

NOTE: German blackberries are different than regular blackberries. They are smaller, sweeter, and look a bit like blueberries. If none are available, blueberries are a fine substitute.

Lauren’s Lussekatter

(Saffron Buns)

½ c. butter

1 c. milk

1 packet (about 2 ¼ tsp.) active-dry yeast

½ tsp. salt

½ c. sugar

1 tsp. saffron (if threads, chop finely and soak in a few drops of water)

3 c. flour (or more)

2 egg yolks

2/3 c. raisins

Melt the butter in a saucepan with the milk and saffron over low heat (do not boil). Let it cool to lukewarm and then add the yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Combine the yeast mixture with the sugar, then add the flour and salt. Combine until it has come together.  Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth and happy, then fold in the raisins (spread the dough in a rough rectangle, add 1/3 of the raisins, fold the dough over itself, and add more raisins periodically until all of them are incorporated, saving some out for decoration).

Let the dough rest in a greased bowl, covered, for an hour in a warm spot. (It won’t rise very much.)

Divide the dough into 16 pieces. There are many traditional shapes, but the easiest to make is the fancy backward “S.” Start by rolling out a piece of the dough into a six-inch log. Starting at each end, roll the ends toward each other on opposite sides until they meet in the middle in an “S” shape. You can also roll the dough into a traditional American cinnamon roll spiral.

Let the shaped dough rise, covered, for another hour. Preheat your oven to 400F.

Whisk the egg yolks with 1 tbsp water and brush the egg mixture onto the buns. Stick a raisin into each curled nook for decoration.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Abbie Bright’s Marble Cake
(1870)

The whites of four eggs, cup and a half white sugar, Half cup butter, half cup sweet milk, half teaspoon full of soda the same of cream of tartar, mixed with two and a half cups of flower(sic).

The yolks four eggs, cup of brown sugar, half cup of molasses, the same of butter, and buttermilk, Teaspoon of allspice, same of Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Half teaspoon of soda, and a whole one of cream of tartar, two & a half cups of flower(sic). 

[Though Abbie does not include the baking instructions, we assume you are to swirl the batters together and bake in a moderate oven until done...we think.]

A note on old recipes:

Historic recipes can be difficult to work with. Ingredients and measurements have changed over time, so you may need to interpret the instructions. Some cooks assumed everyone knew how to make the recipe itself, so they just provided the ingredients. (Just pretend you’re on GBBS and “BAKE!”)

Again, let us say, thank you for your support, and we wish a very happy and safe holiday season. We’ll see you next year!

On the twelfth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Recipes

On the eleventh Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Decorative Collages

On the tenth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Playing Cards

On the ninth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Calendars

On the eighth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Wall Clocks

On the seventh Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Stationery

On the sixth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Bookmarks

On the fifth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Coasters

On the fourth Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: The Memory Game

On the third Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Greeting Cards

On the second Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Magnets

On the first Day of Archives, my archivists gave to me: Puzzles

By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records Archivist

If you took one of our behind-the scenes tours last year, the following items may look familiar. These four drawings, which we recently digitized, are proposed designs for the Kansas State Capitol’s  pediments, the triangle-shaped areas located above the building’s north and south entrances. While the original intent was to fill these areas with depictions of Kansas symbols and history, no plans were ever approved and the pediments remain unfinished today.

At first glance, the designs appear quite controversial, with nearly all of them featuring shackled slaves or frontier clashes with Native Americans. It is a common misconception that the inclusion of these subjects ultimately prevented their approval by the Board of State House Commissioners, the agency overseeing construction of the Capitol building. However, the board actually required artists to include such scenes, particularly on the north pediment. While the south pediment would focus on the great seal of Kansas, the board specified that the north pediment should depict “the strife that ensued to make the territory a free or slave state.”(1) Specifically, the design should contain a goddess of liberty in the center waving back pro-slavery forces “endeavoring to cross the border with their slaves” while free state forces stood ready “to repel the admission of slaves and slavery.” (2)

The first two drawings are the works of George Ropes, state architect (1885-1887, 1889-1891) and the superintending architect of the west wing of the statehouse. Ropes was highly respected for his abilities. The Junction City Weekly Union described him as “a master in his profession.” (3) Upon his reappointment in 1889, the Kansas City Gazette wrote with relief, “The State house commission, we notice, has returned to sense,” for without Ropes in charge, “they were undoubtedly making a botch of the building.” (4)

Among the renowned artists who submitted designs for the statehouse pediments were Lorado Taft of Chicago and Fyodor Kamensky of New York. Taft served as an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Shortly after submitting his pediment designs, he gained a national reputation after overseeing the installation of sculptures adorning the buildings at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In 1899, the Hanover Democrat and Enterprise described him as “unquestionably the most prominent sculptor living in the West.” Fyodor Kamensky was also a highly capable artist, having attended the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia, before becoming a professor at the American Art School in New York City. A celebrated artist in Europe, Kamensky’s reasons for immigrating to the United States are unclear. The Fairview Enterprise claimed he was exiled by Tsar Alexander III in 1874 for including the word “Liberty” on a toy locomotive in one of his sculptures. (5)

The public was quite critical of some of the submitted proposals. The Topeka Daily Capital wrote that the drawings of Kamensky and another artist, “show incompetency of conception in their pediments. It is impossible to pronounce the work of either intelligible…the details are ludicrous in some respects.” Nevertheless, these negative reactions did not doom efforts to complete the pediment. Rather, after considering the submitted designs for three days, the Board of State House Commissioners simply adjourned without making a selection. If the board intended to award a contract the following year, the delay proved fatal. In the spring of 1891, the Kansas House of Representatives launched investigations into the “useless and wasteful, if not corrupt, expenditure of money” associated with the construction of the capitol. Though the Senate later found no evidence of wrongdoing, the project was $75,000-$100,000 overbudget. As a result, the Board of State House Commissioners was abolished. In the succeeding years, no effort was made to adorn the capitol pediments and they remain bare to this day. (6)

---

(1)“The State House,” Topeka Daily Capital, November 7, 1889, 4.

(2) Ibid.

(3) Junction City Weekly Union, February 14, 1885, 3.

(4) Kansas City Gazette, May 8, 1889, 2.  In addition to his work on the Kansas statehouse, Ropes designed the courthouses of Gove, Linn, Republic (which was destroyed by fire in 1938), and Trego counties, the First Presbyterian Church of Topeka (817 SW Harrison Street), the Green and Hessin Building in Manhattan (228-230 Poyntz), and the John E. Hessin House in Manhattan (519 N 11^th Street).   Keith Vincent, Courthouse History, 2016, http://courthousehistory.com/gallery/states/kansas (accessed May 15, 2020); Riley County Historical Society and Museum, “Where the Adventure Began: Touring the Home Town of the Food Explorers,” November 2018, https://www.rileycountyks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17220/Food-Explorer-Driving-Tour-2018-pdf (accessed May 15, 2020); Manhattan/Riley County Preservation Alliance Newsletter, “The John E. Hessin House,” April/May 2011 https://www.preservemanhattan.org/uploads/8/0/7/7/8077603/may2011_newsletter.pdf (accessed May 15, 2020).

(5) Newspapers of the time also listed Kamensky’s first name as “Feodor” or “Theodore.” “High in the World of Art,” Hanover (Kansas) Democrat and Enterprise, April 7, 1899, 5.  Taft also sculpted the bronze statue of General Ulysses S. Grant located at Fort Leavenworth. “Lorado Taft,” WTTW, https://interactive.wttw.com/art-design-chicago/lorado-taft (accessed May 13, 2020). “Personal and Impersonal,” Fairview (Kansas) Enterprise, July 5, 1890, 3.  After immigrating to the United States, Kamensky lived for a few years in Kansas, although it is unclear where.  “Kamensky the Sculptor,” Topeka Daily Capital, November 14, 1889, 5.

(6) “An Art Subject,” Topeka Daily Capital, April 6, 1890, 9; Topeka State Journal, March 7, 1890, 1; “Kansas Legislature,” Pittsburg Daily Headlight, March 10, 1891, 1; “There Is No Crookedness,” Capper’s Weekly (Topeka), June 25, 1891, 6; “The Board Is Dead,” Topeka Daily Press, May 5, 1891, 4.

By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records Archivist

Recently, I was asked to weigh in on a question which instantly piqued my interest: did one of the country’s most famous Civil War generals, William Tecumseh Sherman, once live in Shawnee County? Though the question seemed like Topeka’s equivalent of “George Washington slept here,” I immediately started investigating.

The logical first step was to consult Sherman’s memoirs, which proved the legend’s authenticity. After his career in the U.S. Army and a four-year stint as a bank manager in California, Sherman came to Leavenworth, Kansas, in the fall of 1858 to join the law firm of two of his brothers-in-law. He related, “Our business continued to grow, but, as the income hardly sufficed for three such expensive personages, I continued to look about for something more certain and profitable.” The following spring, he agreed to develop 1,100 acres of land owned by his father-in-law, Thomas Ewing, for Ewing’s grandnephew and grandniece.  This land lay along Indian Creek, roughly four and a half miles north of Topeka. Within a few months, Sherman had erected a small, 11’x12’ house as well as a barn and fencing for 100 acres. By May 1859, Ewing’s relatives arrived and Sherman returned to Leavenworth. Ultimately, he wrote, the construction project “helped to pass away time, but afforded little profit.”(1)

Sherman’s letters from his time in Shawnee County can only be described as bleak. In an April 15^th letter to his wife Ellen, he lamented, “It is so cold I can hardly hold my pen. San Francisco can’t hold a candle to the prairies of Kansas for wind.” With few career prospects in sight he wrote, “I am doomed to be a vagabond, and shall no longer struggle against my fate…I look on myself as a dead cock in the pit, not worthy of further notice, and will take the chances as they come.” (2) Six years later, Sherman would be a household name.

Having answered whether Sherman ever resided in Shawnee County, two questions still remained: where was Sherman’s house located and was it still standing? Thankfully, numerous newspaper articles from the turn of the 20^th century provided clues. According to the Kansas Farmer and Mail and Breeze, the house was located in the southwest quarter of section 4, township 11, range 16. The Topeka Daily Herald even traced the ownership of the property, stating that Ewing’s grandnephew and grandniece only lived in the house one year before selling it to a man named Carpenter. It was then owned by a Plyley, David Shellabarger, and Peter Moyer. This information allowed me to compare the names with the names of property owners listed in plat maps and atlases in the Kansas Historical Society’s collection. Shellabarger’s name is listed in the 1873 Atlas of Shawnee County, Kansas and Moyer’s name appears in both the Standard Atlas of Shawnee County, Kansas (1898) and the Plat Book, Directory and Survey of Shawnee County, Kansas (1913). These maps indicate that the cabin was located not in the southwest but northwest quarter of section 4, township 11, range 16, just north of what is today Indian Creek Elementary School.(3)

By the early 1890s, the log barn was in disrepair and was torn down. The home was in good enough shape that the Topeka Mail argued for its inclusion in the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.  However, in the following decades it too fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1936. Today, no buildings or historical markers bear witness to William T. Sherman’s brief stay in Shawnee County. (4)

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner (at least we don’t have to worry about getting restaurant reservations this year)! We put together some of our favorite love letters in the archives.

From courting candles to bundling bags, courtship and marriage had their own rituals in the 19^th century. Letters and cards kept couples connected while apart, and locks of a loved one’s hair were as cherished as class rings and letterman jackets are today. 

A blog post about romance would be remiss without mention of these letters, a classic example of unrequited love. Written by John Brown’s associate, Aaron Stevens, while he was awaiting execution for his participation in the Harper’s Ferry Raid in 1859, Stevens wrote to his prospective lady friend, Jennie Dunbar, confessing his love and affection:

“….you seeam to fill my soul with what a woman ought to be. if you can love as poor a [mortal] as I am, it will be more than I expect, but if you doo I Shall strive to never have you sorry for so [dooing], for no love intrusted in my [ boson] shall ever complain [sic].” 

Jennie, a fellow abolitionist, visited him in prison in hopes of having his death sentence commuted, but she made it clear she was more concerned with his soul than his heart. Comforting Stevens as best she could, she nevertheless broke off their hasty engagement in the hours before his death by hanging, concerned that once he arrived on the spiritual plane, he would know that she only loved him with sisterly affection. Ever a romantic, Stevens brought a ring with him to the scaffold.

Absence, it seems, does make the heart grow fonder, as this Civil War valentine attests. Private Joseph Forrest kept his new bride, Elizabeth, in his thoughts as he fought with the 8^th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Forrest sent her several valentines during his service.

During the Civil War, the country suffered over 800,000 casualties in four short years, and Forrest’s promise to be “Faithful in Death” certainly had the potential to be binding.

To those who believe Victorians lived lives of stuffy repression, you’re partly right. But behind closed doors, they could let their corsets out. John Brown, Jr. (the son of the famous John Brown) travelled relentlessly during his wartime service. He kept up a dedicated correspondence with his wife, Wealthy Brown, during that time. While their letters include details of his service and his experiences during the war and are ostensibly family letters between husband and wife, they hide a titillating secret: The Browns wrote amorous coded messages to each other embedded in their correspondence. Discovered by researcher Bill Hoyt in 2010, the code is a basic numeric cipher that enabled the Browns to exchange private messages to each other while apart, without fear of the messages being intercepted.

While references to bosoms abound, the coded messages were also assurances between husband and wife that their love persisted through separation and war. “When the war is over if I live, it seems to me that my greatest [pleasure] will be to make a beautiful and happy home. It has come to be one of my strongest desires…Fondly your John.” He also writes, in code, that he has stashed away nearly $1,000 with which to purchase a home when the war ends. Thrifty AND an abolitionist? What a lucky gal!

While we can’t all have Brown, Jr.’s flair for correspondence, we’ve come up with some historical ditties for your own Valentine’s Day cards this year. What, don’t we all want to rhyme about disease?

Roses are red,

cholera is blue,

it's a good thing

you didn't live in 1842!

Poppies are red,

bubonic plague is black,

nothing will save you

when the germs attack!

Roses are red,

violets are blue,

I’ll sure be sad

if you get the flu!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bibliography:

Horwitz, Tony. Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War. Henry Holt & Co., 2011. 

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Flowers blossoming, trees budding, grass sprouting in abundance (the persistent sound of lawnmowers, the air rife with pollen) – when spring comes to Kansas, the world becomes, as Dylan Thomas opined, all “green and golden.”

Though the state is known for many things, agriculture is one of the most pervasive (next to Dorothy’s slippers and tornados). And with good reason! Kansas grows 23% of the nation’s winter wheat and is also a critical supplier of sorghum (a type of grain)*. Kansas and her cattle yards have historically been a crucial link in the nation’s beef supply.

Farming and ranching were mainstays for early settlers in Kansas, much as they are today.

In Kansas, the harbinger of spring is freshly plowed fields, the range stretching on and on in rows of dark, loamy earth. In the middle of the country, spring’s cerulean skies give way to tempestuous storms, which are just as quickly followed by dreamy white clouds and lustrous sunsets.

The sights and sounds of Kansas have inspired artists for generations. We’ve gathered a few items from our collections to share how others expressed their appreciation for the 34^th state. 

A member of the Prairie Print Makers group, artist Hershel C. Logan created this woodcut image in 1923, immortalizing these bales of hay in a Kansas wheat field. Anyone who has driven through Kansas recognizes these ubiquitous features of the landscape.

How else to celebrate the bounty of a successful harvest than a county fair? A time-honored tradition, fairs give local farmers the opportunity to showcase their crops.

Kansans aren’t without a sense of humor. Though we’re fairly certain these cucumbers weren’t the size of a railway car, if they’re grown in Kansas, you just never know!

This image, submitted for the Happy Birthday, Kansas Student Photo Contest in 2014, is a familiar sight to anyone passing through the state. Crucial to harvesting and storing grain and corn, grain elevators dot the landscape of western Kansas.

Now we want to know, what says “spring” to you? What changes do you notice in your community when the weather turns warmer and the flip flops creep out from the closet? Let us know in the comments below!

*Statistics courtesy of the Kansas Department of Agriculture: https://agriculture.ks.gov/about-kda/kansas-agriculture

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Did everyone spend 2020 spring cleaning? Our reference desk has received several questions lately about what to do with family heirlooms and documents, so if you’ve recently discovered an old trunk full of memorabilia, this post is for you.

Every family has a unique story and history, and we want to help you preserve your family heritage for future generations. We’ve compiled a list of storage tips for your family memories.

Please note: this blog post is meant to help you find the resources to preserve your material. If you need to conserve or rehabilitate an item, please contact a professional conservator in your area. Do not attempt to repair an item at home without first speaking to a professional.

 -  Make sure your items are stored above the floor. Dampness can creep into boxes from the floor, so it’s good practice to store items at least six inches from the ground. Mold can grow quickly in damp environments, so make sure to keep your items dry.

 - Periodically assess your material for any signs of mold or pest damage. One hungry mouse can turn grandma’s love letters into tomorrow’s Hantavirus-laced droppings. Bugs, like termites and silverfish, can also infest a collection. (And you really don’t want termites in your house.) If the material has been stored in a questionable location, make sure to inspect it thoroughly for pests and mold before moving it into long-term storage.

-    Keep your storage space at a consistent temperature and humidity. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity can be very damaging to materials in the long-term. 

-       Invest in high-quality, acid-free archival storage boxes (available online, links below). Yes, they are slightly more expensive than regular bankers’ boxes or plastic tubs, but they are designed to extend the life of your valuables. 

-       Store papers vertically, not horizontally. If you stack items, like papers or books, the weight of the items will press down on the material at the bottom of the pile and accelerate the lifespan of the material. 

-       DO NOT STORE ITEMS OUTSIDE. (Sorry, we didn’t mean to yell.) Nothing ruins materials faster than exposure to water, debris, wind (tornados, anyone?), and pest activity. While the shed, barn, or garage is a great space to store lawn mowers and last year’s unfinished remodeling project, it is not the space to store fragile items. Also, don’t store your items in an attic or basement for the same reasons. 

-       Store items out of direct sunlight. This is especially true if you’ve decided to put something on display.

-       Sometimes, a frame has special meaning to us, or it’s an antique that we’d like to preserve. A frame can also be a part of the image, like the backing on a daguerreotype. You can save space by removing the frames, but sometimes it’s not possible to remove the object from the frame without damaging it. Photographs, especially modern prints, can adhere to the glass or plastic and degrade the image. If you can’t peel the photograph from the glass, scan it through the glass, or take it to a professional conservator for removal. (This also applies to scrapbook items held in with adhesive - for the love of all that is holy, please stop using adhesive.) 

 -       Despite the Little House on the Prairie appeal of nestling quilts and diaries into a cedar chest for future generations, please don’t. If you have a favorite quilt that you’d like to display, you can absolutely lay it over the guest room bed (out of direct sunlight), and when you’re not viewing the quilt, cover it with a white cotton sheet to protect it. 

At the State Archives, we use a variety of methods to preserve materials, but you’ve already seen the best way in this blog post: Digitization. We produce high-resolution scans of our items and make them available online on KansasMemory.org (this website!). Through digitization, we are able to study the material without disturbing the original, which extends the life of the material, and makes them available to a wider audience.

Here are some tips to digitize your family material at home:

-       Invest in a scanner. If your cell phone takes decent photos, that’s fine, too. (We said that you should keep your items out of direct light, but the seconds it takes to scan an item won’t hurt your material.

-       If you have many items to digitize, make sure you have the digital storage space for them. Also, make sure to wipe your scanner with a microfiber cloth periodically. Dust can accumulate and muddy your scan. Also, don’t run your items through a document feeder. 

-       Create a storage system. Don’t save your scans willy-nilly to your desktop. We also recommend backing up your scans on an independent hard drive and in a cloud-based system. (Because: redundancy.) 

-       If some of your items are saved on obsolete storage systems, we encourage you to transfer them while the technology exists to do so. This includes floppy discs, records, and in some cases, compact discs. Programs, like Microsoft Word, are continually updated, so something saved in a Word document 15 years ago may no longer be accessible through the newest version.

-       Digitizing is a great tool for artifacts as well! On our website, you’ll find many images of furniture, clothes, toys, games, and a trove of archaeological treasures, all photographed and made available for research online. If your mother’s wedding dress never sees the light of day (good for you, out of the sunlight!), take a photograph and display the image somewhere special.

 -       This applies to antique photographs and documents, as well. If you’ve recently found a photo of Great Aunt Ethel and want to hang it over your fireplace, we suggest making a quality copy for display and storing the original picture. Sunlight, temperature variations, leaks, sticky fingers, and crayons happen, so keep your originals tucked safely away.

While this isn’t an all-inclusive list for preservation and digitization, we hope this will help you get started.

And if you decide that you don’t have the space for your family memories, don’t fret! We accept donations, so if you’re interested in speaking with our staff about donating your family memories to the Kansas Historical Society, you can email us at kshs.reference@ks.gov.

Here are some trusted archival supply retailers:

https://www.hollingermetaledge.com/

https://www.gaylord.com/

https://www.universityproducts.com/archival-storage

Here are more helpful links for preservation and conservation:

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator

https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html