Something new.

     Over the spring/summer I was asked to do a film review for Kansas History:  the Journal of the Central Plains on Ken Sturgeon's new film series for the Kansas Humanities Festival.  I don't generally do this sort of writing that I do.  I don't enjoy this sort of writing.  It tends to be stiff, academic, unapproachable and off-putting.  My aim has always been to share my love of history and how the greatness of local people, warts and all with  as many people as possible.  I want others to be excited. I want people to research and to get involved in history.  I want what I write to engage and to be a call to action. Journals  don't often have that affect, they do collect dust on bookshelves and often seem primarily to exist to add to cv's (curriculum vitaes).  

    On the other hand, I too am always adding to my resume/cv and I am always looking to challenge myself/stretch. You learn at the end of your comfort zone.  So, off I went. Uncomfortable with the style of writing--I have never done a film review or a review of any kind and I knew nothing of Butler County.  As it turns out these films were a good match for me.  They are unpretentious and they celebrate the towns and people of Butler County.  They are a gentle call to action, a call to visit them, to dust them and their stories off.  I think that my writing style is still the same, I failed the challenge on that part, but I won by diving a little deeper into Butler County.  Neat place.  I even went to see the Oil and Gas Museum.  I plan to return after covid.  I plan to watch the films again. And I hope that Mr. Spurgeon does more of them.  My only real criticism is that they use a lot of drone shots. Drone shots make the towns generic and a flyover, but this could easily be changed, even now.  Anyhow, enough rambling, I think that the review is on page 183 or 138, it is inside a large group of reviews.  I hope a few people read it and despite my dislike of this kind of thing, I do think that it promotes research so I hope that these kind of articles get people to subscribe (subscriptions are free with your KSHS membership--a 2 for one), https://www.k-state.edu/history/kansas-history/,

Audel's and the Front Porch

 

 

Audels Guides.  There are a number of them  They began in the 1920's by Frank Graham and they are the compendium of knowledge about how to build.  They are small, about 4" x 5" each with faux leather binding, that is neither hard nor soft.  Our sets--each trade has it's own set- are worn but that perfect paperback size, but soft, supple and the epitome of what a beloved old books should be.  I am not sure how my husband found these, but he did early on when first bought our 1887, altered and imperfect Queen Anne.  Since then every project has begun with these guides and a lot of thought.  The current project by the way is the rebuilding of the front porch.  

The front porch.  One of my favorite features of the house and one of the most used "rooms", but one of the most f---up from a design standpoint.  I love it without regard, it is one of my must haves in life, there a lot of things that I don't need/could do without but the front porch is not one of them, I would give up the tv, dishwasher, car.....before I gave up the front porch.  Our front porch is an obvious alteration from the front porch that was originally on the house.  It has solid, blocky, craftsman style columns and instead of a railing it has fish scales. The fish scales formed a solid curtain around the bottom of the house from the porch railing down.   When we first moved in we took off the scales around the bottom and put on lattice, theoretically to improve air circulation but in reality because we wanted to see if there were  clues to the previous porch underneath, and with the dream of restoring it to a traditional Victorian wrap around.  No such luck.  We did find a couple glass bottles, some pieces of gas lighting (so we tend to think it was done at the same time as the house became electric) and a mummified cat skeleton (EECK!).  Over the years, other projects have taken precedence and to return the porch for the historic society we must find original pictures of it--which I have never been able to despite 20 years of off and on searching.  In those 20 years though I have come to appreciate the blocky porch, and it has  the benefit of hiding the person on the porch from passerbys both on the sidewalk and in the car.  Seeing without being seen.  It is a perk.  

Over the years we have painted the porch many times, and replaced the stairs once, maybe twice? or there are two sets of stairs (although looking at the porch foundations you can see  where there used to a third set on the other side, where we currently have screened in).  But, water has been pooling by one of the sets of stairs and there was rot--which we have unattractively nailed plywood over and lived with for the past couple years.  But, this summer is the summer.  My husband has taken time off work and we (really he) is doing it.  But, as with most of our projects all began with these little books, this is where the research starts. 

The original porch floor appeared to be fir.  We debated engineered lumber, but in the end we went back to tongue-in-grove fir, after all it had lasted 100+ years once, if we could do that well, it was good enough.  We then used a piece of guttering to soak the boards in a brine of borax (to keep out bugs--found this in the Audels) and silicone (waterproofing) and let them dry out and cure. Next I painted all sides with oil based primer and gave them a first coat. And the boards were ready, and other projects came up, so they waited patiently.  

Demo was relatively easy. It is always the fun part. And we held our breath.  The damage to joists doesn't seem insurmountable.  The sill plate of the house is intact. There is ANOTHER mummified cat skeleton.  EECK! OMG!  

Continued...Later

The exterminator was here today and we are all clear. (Due to the rain he could not find the hornets/ground bees--yes--this is just like the lawn mower. It doesn't work for me, my husband looks at it and it hums, in this case he completely disturbed the leaves that I barely touched and NOTHING. He is coming back again next week when it is sunny. Oy vey.) Now, we are waiting on the stone mason. He has done the other 3 sides of our houses so he is betting this will need redone, but he is running 2 months or so out.....patience, it is better to do it right than fast. (super glad he has not retired though).

Wormholes

I randomly off and on research our house. It is a wormhole. So, this week my big score is from the 1940 census. Our house was a "silver and linens" boarding house during the 1930s-1950s', anyhow, George Maas was a tenant here, when he lived in Topeka from 1939 to 1940. He was employed in Topeka as a WPA artist. He was from Kansas City, and had worked for Thomas Hart Benton (he grew up very near Benton's house) and briefly attended KU.  Later in life he moved to NYC where he became a album and book cover artist. He was also an editor at Publishers Weekly. Currently I am trying to find his projects here in town. I did find one from WWIII in the MAMO.  Here are some of his album covers.  Definitely a  60s vibe.  Fun stuff.

Topeka Place/Street Names

McEachron ELementary School was named after Mrs. D.L. McEachron. She served on the Board of Education from 1919 to 1938, and was the longest running board member. (her husband was a professor and dean of the college)

 

Rev. Peter MacVicar was the second president of Washburn University.

 

Dr. Norman Plass became President of Washburn in 1902 after Rev. MacVicar.

 

Harvey Rice was one of the members of Washburn's first board of Trustees.

 

John and Joab Mulvane were bankers and on the executive board of Washburn.

 

CB Van Horn was on the Board of Education in 1912

 

WE Atchison was on the Board of Education in 1912

 

Early Topeka Education TImeline

1855--First school at No. 32 Madison Street;  Miss Sarah Harlan was the first teacher, with Miss Jennie Allen and Miss Carrie Whiting teaching brief periods.

1856--Miss Allen teaches school in Constitution Hall (ousted so the legislature can meet there)

 1857 --New England Emigrant Aid Company builds school for $200 at SW corner of 5th and Harrison; schools supported by voluntary contributions although anyone could attend

1862--School tax levied

1864--Baptist Hall at No. 191 Kansas Avenue is rented for school

1865--S 6th between Kans as and Quincy is rented as a school for black children

        --2 room school at 6th and Harrison

1866--White children take over 1st floor of 6th street school and black children are moved to the attic

1867--Schools overflowing, classes held in Gale's Block and in the basement of a building on SW 7th and Kansas

    --North Topeka (Eugene) opens first school at 128 N Kansas Ave.

    --Topeka Board of Education organized

    --School session was 36 weeks;9 teachers; 695 students (KS census lists 710 children both black and white of school age)

    --No. 232 Kansas Ave, formerly a black church; was rented as a school for black children

1868--Emigrant Aid Company's school building is sold and rooms are rented at No. 241 Kansas Ave. 

    --Evening schools opened, one in Harrison and black school; session lasted 5 weeks

    --WH Butterfield superinedent

    --Lincoln School built at No.50-54 Monroe Street for a cost of $55,000

    --School built at 13th and Quincy

1869--2nd Annual Report from the Board of Education defines the school year as 9 months with 180 days including some holidays.  

1887-88--Individual student records 

1893--- A model High School building was constructed in 1893 on the northwest corner of Harrison street and Eighth avenue, at a cost of $85,000

1904-- Manual Training School was completed on the southwest corner of the same streets, at a cost of $100,000

1905--Other schools listed in King's History

     --Sisters of Charity  School at No. 723 Jackson street

    --German Catholic Church School at 3rd and Van Buren

     -- Studio of Voice Culture and Piano Instruction, No. 816 Kansas avenue

    -- Dougherty's Shorthand School, No. 118 West Eighth avenue

    -- Standard School of Shorthand and Typewriting, No. 63o Kansas avenue

    -- Topeka Business College, No. 523 Quincy street

    -- Pond's Business College, No. 521 Kansas 

    -- Homeopathic Night School, No. 704 Kansas avenue, Dr. Eva Harding, president

--Art Studio,	630 Kansas
--School of Dramatic Art, 816 Kansas

--Music Studio, 109 W 6th
--School of Pianoforte Playing, 722 Kansas Ave.
--Violin Studio, No. 704 Kansas avenue
--Reid-Stone School of Art, No. 501 Jackson street,

 

 1907--Topeka Grade Teachers' Club formed in secret as it was thought that Board of Education would not approve

 1910--Principals Club organized by LD Whittemore, Superintendent

1911--Teachers who have taught 30 years or more in a first-class city are granted a $500/yr pension . The pension was to be paid by contributions or assessments paid by teachers and appropriation by the Board of Education at a fixed ratio set by law.  This was part of the work of the Topeka Grade Teacher's Club.

1912--Parent Teacher Organizations began in elementary schools

1915--Topeka High School Guild formed (for THS teachers)

1927--Roosevelt Junior High opens at 200 Quincy (on the site of the old Nickel Plate elementary school)

1931--Topeka Teacher's Association organized--provided teachers with insurance and established the Teacher's Credit Union in 1939

1941--Topeka High School Teachers Guild was changed to the High School Teachers' Guild 

1952--Topeka Grade Teachers Club is formed

    

1730 NW Grove

 

 

  1730 NW Grove is part of what was the Belvoir Mansion property.    Belvoir was built by John Knox, a preacher, banker and real estate speculator.  His office was in the Columbian building downtown, which he also built.  The Belvoir Mansion property began at the corner of Woodlawn and Grove and stretched to what is now the highway on the north (then it was the Rock Island Railroad).  Belvoir sat atop the hill overlooking the river and CW Potwin’s new development. Surrounded by a hedge of cherry trees and the mansion featured an orchard with apple, pear, and peach trees and an extensive vineyard.  

            During the Panic of 1893, Knox lost everything, including Belvoir.  And the mansion passed through a number of hands, but much of the time was empty.  In 1922 the firm of Neiswanger and Wilson bought the property including the mansion and 55 acres. They subdivided the property into 25 lots which they named the  “Potwin Court”  subdivision.  They resold the mansion to LF Garlinghouse who proceeded to tear down the mansion, brick by brick. The materials from the mansion were then used by Garlinghouse to build  houses where the mansion stood and in the area. It is rumored that the brick from the foundation was used to build the first two houses on the west side of the street on Elmwood and Grove and parts of Belvoir can be found in many area homes. Parting out old homes that were slated for destruction and reusing the parts, down to the nails, was a common practice at this time.

The majority of the houses on Potwin Court were built by Garlinghouse or Neiswanger.  The building permits for this house have not been found at KSHS so it is impossible to say which of these men built 1730, but most likely one of them did.  It is very close in interior layout to several of the designs in Garlinghouse plan books, all of which feature a large screened in porch along the west side where currently the 3^rd bedroom and tv room are and this is consistent with the foundation.  The foundation also indicates that the kitchen was added on to at some point fairly early on.  During renovations the outline of the fireplace was found and a fireplace mantle has been returned to this location is within an inch of the original fireplace size. There is no indication that the fireplace was ever functional or had a chimney and the house next door to the east (which is very similar) has an original, non-functional fireplace. 

1730 is in the 1922 Hall’s city directory and then again in the Kansas census records in 1925. The owners are WA and Freda Hughes and their 2 year old daughter Margaret. He worked for the Bell Telephone.  This would put it at one of the early houses in the subdivision.

1930-1950  Polk directory lists Bror Unge and his wife Edith. 

In the 1948  Polk city directory lists  Glenn S  and Letha McCune as living there. He worked at the Jayhawk Service Station are listed as living there and Unge does not appear in the directory.  

Later in the 1950’s the house was owned by John and Ruby Campbell, he was the principal and she was a teacher at the Potwin School.

1991-2020  Dick and Inez Tasker

·         This information was obtained from city directories. City directories indicate who lived there, not who owned the property.

KKK

 Points of Interest form The Second Coming of the KKK  by Linda Gordon

Timeline:

1915 Release of Birth of a  Nation

        Lynching of Leo Frank, Jewish, Atlanta businessman

        Dr. William Joseph Simmons begins a KKK

1920s Henry Ford publishes "Protocols of the Elder Zion" and the "International Jew:  The World's   Problem"  

        Dr. Simmons hires the Southern Publicity Association--Elizabeth Taylor and Edward Young to promote the KKK.

        KKK diversifies, racial purity (includes ethnic groups and Catholics) combined with evangelical Christian morality promoted as saving the country.

1921--KKK leaders Hiram Evans and David Stephenson buy out Dr. Simmons for $140,000

        Dr. Simmons begins the Knights of the Flaming Sword and later the White Band. Dies in 1945.

        Congressional hearings conducted by the House Committee on Rules

1922--Hiram Evans becomes the Imperial Wizard

           Fires Clark and Tyler

           Begins publishing the Fellowship Forum

           KKK becomes a political party and politics are it's top priority

           Recruiters put on salary instead of commission