Friends...I would like to ask for your help! We don't have a working WCHS & M page, so let's get one going! I hope to post information often!
(3)
Operating as usual
Final post: You might have seen a previous "What's this?" post on this page. The strangest one, held by Arleen, was a rope braider--or so I was told! So I found a couple more items to share. It's a reminder to us of the inventiveness of our ancestors. If they needed something, they figured it out!
I guess we still do that, don't we?
Sorry--no mystery to these! They have labels!
JUST SAYIN- If you are interested in our efforts to preserve our history and can help: Many of our bills are paid by donations from the public. Your donation will get you a quarterly newsletter-- and our thanks! Time is running out to join this year--but postmarks count!
Thanks in advance! Our address is on the main page!
Greg was early last week! Here's a personal note!
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! Well, it's not quite Friday, but I'm sending it a few hours early. Tomorrow will not only be Christmas day, but it will also be the last Friday in 2020. I'm not digging too deeply to find a photo for today. Today's photo was taken eight years ago today, on Christmas Eve of 2012. That was the last day that I delivered packages for UPS after a career of 33 years, six months, and one week. Who's counting? This view, taken by Dennis Riley of Keene, Kansas, shows the Riley's dogs, Stormy, left and Mollie, greeting me on my last delivery to their home. One might say that I had them eating out of my hands.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season, and I know we are all hoping for a better year in 2021.
Merry Christmas!
Greg
Ah, Greg, I remember Charlie as well. Such a quiet man--with such talent! To add a little to his story, he also helped out the Hendricks Hardware crew after his "retirement"--carpentry and painting, etc. I didn't realize what a wealth of photographs he left until I worked at the museum. Amazing fella!
As always, Greg, thanks for sharing! People who have been with me have seen some of the other Herman photos!
It's Photo Friday! I'm sharing three photos with you today in memory of a lifelong Alma, Kansas resident and photographer, Charles Herman. Charles Herman was born in Alma, Kansas in 1922, the son and grandson of shoemakers. After graduating from Alma High School in 1940, Herman enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1942 where he served until his discharge in 1946. After the war, Charles returned to Alma where he was employed by the United States Soil Conservation Service until his retirement in 1981. In his job as a field technician, Charles traveled the rural areas of Wabaunsee County, and he always had his camera with him. Herman used a 35-millimeter camera, and all of his photos were taken on Kodachrome slide film.
The subjects of Charles' photography were varied; he photographed what he saw. He had notebooks of slides from vacations, visits to Topeka, and, of course, views taken in Wabaunsee County. When I published the first edition of the Flint Hills Special in 1998, I went to Charles Herman to obtain a color slide of a Wabaunsee County barn to put on the cover. Barns were one of Herman's favorite subjects to photograph, and today I'm sharing three of Charles Herman's views of Wabaunsee County barns, all taken in the 1970s.
The first photo shows an icy winter view of the Franz Schmidt barn, located on the south edge of Alma, Kansas. Schmidt was one of the early pioneer settlers who lived and farmed on the north edge of Mill Creek for a decade before the town of Alma was established. This barn and Franz Schmidt's house, which was located just north of the barn, were destroyed by a pasture fire which swept into Alma in 2016. The Schmidt barn was one of Charlie Herman's favorite subjects for his photography. He took numerous photos of it, primarily because of its location in Charlie's front yard. Schmidt's property was located next door to Charles Herman's house on West 1st Street in Alma.
The second view is a snowy photograph of the J. L. Schepp barn, located seven-miles southwest of Alma on Illinois Creek Road. Constructed for J. L. Schepp by Alma stonemason, August Falk, the "big barn" was completed in 1905. When Charlie took this striking photo, the barn was part of the Edward Brinkman ranch. This is one of my favorites of Charlie's photos.
The third photo is a view of the Henry Sump barn, located two miles south of Alma. Built with native walnut lumber milled on the site, the barn became the most photographed barn in Wabaunsee County, owing in most part to its unique paint design, featuring white circled stars on the doors of the barn. Sump, a prominent Wabaunsee County rancher, died in 1920 at the ranch when he was struck by lightning while driving a team of mules pulling a manure spreader.
Charlie Herman died ten years ago, tomorrow, on December 19, 2010 at the age of 88. He was a good friend who is missed by all who knew him.
Have a great weekend!
Greg
Winter hours change the pace at the museum! However, I really wanted to see the ladies--and the quilts! As you can see, they are as busy as ever! These two quilts are now (or soon will be!) under construction. The last picture is just a closer up of the quilt under plastic, so you can see the colors.
Sometimes I feel like our elections have deteriorated in depressing ways. However, here's proof that elections have had their ups and downs in the past, too. At least the legislators no longer carry walking sticks! And, as the other entry demonstrates-- violence has been the answer for some!
This comes from the display at the museum.
It's only Saturday! Here's Greg:
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! I have a fun photo for you today, it's a view from about 1950 of longtime Eskridge, Kansas resident Inez Dunn, seen standing in front of her and her husband, Dean Dunn's 1949 Crosley station wagon at their Eskridge, Kansas home. The Crosley Company, owned by Powel Crosley, (the owner of baseball's Cincinnati Reds) made its mark as a manufacturer of automobile parts and accessories, and by 1925, Crosley was the world's largest manufacturer of radios. In 1939, Crosley produced his first in a series of compact automobiles for the U. S. market, offering economical 4-cylinder cars when Detroit was pushing the new V-8 engines. Crosley produced cars from 1939 until 1952, and most notably, Crosley produced the first American-made post-war sports car with its introduction of the Crosley Hotshot in 1949.
The Dunn's Crosley is probably a 1949, the last year that the station wagon featured sliding windows rather than the roll-up windows introduced in 1950.
Inez and her husband, Dean, were longtime friends of mine, and it was always a genuine pleasure to get to visit with them at their Dunn Home Supply store in Eskridge. Inez passed away eight years ago this week on December 15, 2012, and I recall how saddened I was to hear of her demise. Every time I came into their store, it was like I was a long-overdue relative, whom they had been waiting to see. Today's photo, of course, comes from the Dean Dunn Photo Collection, a source I frequently use for our Photo Friday views from Eskridge and Lake Wabaunsee.
Have a great weekend!
Greg
WARNING! As I drove by the museum on Saturday, I thought I should drop in and find another special item or two for the week! NOT TO BE! It's December, after all! We are on Winter hours now! What was I thinking?
Winter hours--10-12 and 1-4 ONLY Tuesday and Wednesday.
So... here are my last two pictures from the table! This is the outside and the inside of a cookbook!
Photo Friday... again! Thanks, Greg!
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! I have a great Photo Friday view for you today, it's a scan of a poster from 1922, advertising the appearance of the world's first cowgirl, Lucille Mulhall, to the Pottawatomie Indian Fair and Rodeo on the Reservation at the Mayetta, Kansas Fairgrounds. Lucille Mulhall began her career as a rodeo star in 1899 at the St. Louis fair. Her career spanned more than thirty years as she toured with the Mulhall Wild West Show, operated by her father, cattleman and showman, Zack Mulhall. This rare poster was provided to me to scan by Charlie and Jan Waugh of Eskridge, Kansas and I really appreciate their sharing this beauty.
I've written an extensive history of the Mulhall family and their Wild West Show, and you can see it or read it on the Flint Hills Special website at this link: https://flinthillsspecial.com/2020/12/04/lucille-mulhall-and-the-mulhall-wild-west-show/
Have a great weekend!
Greg
Let's try another one! There were so many treasures on that table! A few of them I have posted before--the waffle iron to use over a wood stove (or open fire?) amazed me! Some cast iron there, but-- well, we still use that, don't we!?
Here's another "What's this?" item...Can opener was my guess, but not quite sure how it would work...And it's not very use-friendly!
Come on back... I have a few more to share!
I don't want you to think I ignored the quilting when I was in the museum. I was early enough that I only saw Arleen, and she hadn't really gotten around to the sewing. So we had time to check out some of the strange items that are waiting for a new home.
P.S. No idea what this is! We came up with some interesting possibilities, but no definite answer! Any help out there?
Things are changing! And, whether we like change... it happens! The kitchen is moving, for one thing. I heard that it was being relocated to the annex, but I'll have to keep you posted on that one. One thing for sure: when you move, you discover gems that you might not have realized were there! Here are a few, with more to follow!
Again, thanks to Arleen, who preferred not to be IN the picture!
I made an effort to get into the museum this week and --boy! Did I find the treasures! I will be sharing them over the week-end. Arleen was there to help!
These first pictures are a tribute to our Veryl, one of the long-time quilters. Her memorial donations were used to purchase the cabinet and allow the display of a couple quilts. Info included.
It's Friday...again! So here's Greg.
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! I have a couple of interesting photos for you today. The first one is a nice color view from about 1980, taken by a friend of mine, Michael Stubbs, showing the Woodman Hall located at the Snokomo community in Wabaunsee County, Kansas. As you can see, by the time that photo was taken, the building had fallen into disrepair and was no longer being used as a meeting hall. The second photo is from about 1910, showing the District 24 one-room school, located next door to the same Woodman Hall. Interestingly, not long after Mr. Stubbs took his photo of the hall, the building was moved about seven miles to the northwest and placed on Newbury Avenue in Paxico, Kansas, where it sits today.
Have a great weekend!
Greg
As always, Greg, thanks for sharing our history!
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! Today's photo is what is known as a cabinet card photo, and it is a particular type of view commonly called a banner photo. Banner photos are photographs where the subject is holding a banner which advertises a product. The subject of the photo may also be wearing a costume that promotes the same product. These photos were produced from the 1890s until about 1910, and they are a particular niche of historic photo collecting.
Our photo today is a banner photo promoting a particular brand of fountain pen. Notice that the woman pictured in the view is wearing a dress adorned with cutouts representing fountain pen tips, a decoration which also rings her hat, on which fountain pens are also attached. Notice that there is a string of inkwells hanging around the young lady's neck and of course, she is holding a very large ink pen. Her banner proclaims that a pen point "is mightier than the sword in the hands of J. A. Painter," perhaps the manufacturer of the ink pen.
Today's photo comes to us from a prominent postcard and banner card collector, Morgan Williams, and thanks to Morgan for sharing it.
Have an enjoyable and safe Thanksgiving.
Greg
If you would like to read a little more about Wabaunsee County, you might enjoy this website: https://wabaunseecomuseum.org. There are so many entries about the different towns and events--even the ghost towns! It is also growing! Here's an article about the newly discovered "cellar"--but I don't think you can expect to visit on a cellar tour! This is not a very deluxe (or safe!) cellar!
https://wabaunseecomuseum.org/2020/07/15/hidden-cellar-discovered-beneath-museum-annex/
Recently, while maintenance was underway in the Wabaunsee County Historical Society’s annex building, located at 223 S. Missouri Street in Alma, Kansas, a hidden underground cellar or “cave” was d…
We recently observed Veteran's Day--the 11th hour on the 11th day of Novermber.... Since I'm an Emporia girl, Veteran's Day has always been a big deal. After visiting Washington, D.C.-- well, no matter where you stand in politics, the city does offer many reminders of our veterans. Thanks to all who have served--and those who are.
Another Friday...another photo Friday! Thanks, Greg!
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! I have a great photo for you today. It's a view of cattle being moved through the Eskridge, Kansas stockyard while a waiting Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe cattle train waits at the far left side of the view.
When the railroad was opened for business in 1880, cattle was the single largest commodity that was shipped into or from Eskridge by rail. When the line opened, it was called the Manhattan, Alma & Burlingame Railway, but the railroad was owned in its entirety by the ATSF. The opening of the stockyards allowed Wabaunsee County ranchers near Eskridge to ship their cattle to market by rail directly, rather than having to drive them to a railhead in a neighboring county. The rail line ran originally between Burlingame and Manhattan, Kansas, but after 1895 the line was shortened to the section between Burlingame and Alma. The rail line closed in 1972.
Have a great weekend!
Greg
Whoops! Happy birthday to John Hund, Board member and past prez of WCHS & Museum!
Friday again--come and gone! Thanks, Greg!
Hi, Everyone,
It's Photo Friday! I have a great photo for you today. It's a view of the Rock Island Railway's depot at Alma, Kansas where a large crowd is seen. I believe that this is a view of the depot as a group of Wabaunsee County draftees are preparing to leave for induction into the U. S. Army. Groups of young men began being conscripted into the Army in June of 1917 in the first draft, and "calls" for men continued throughout the war.
The depot seen in this view was destroyed by fire on December 29, 1917, thus we know that this photo was taken before that date.
Next Wednesday will commemorate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918, marked by the celebration of Veterans' Day in the United States, honoring all men and women who served in the Armed Forces. I hope everyone takes time to remember those who served.
Have a great weekend!
Greg
There you go... try to be adventurous and the darned article disappears! Well, I'm going to try again!
Thank you, Eleanor, for sharing this article about the building once known as Haller Motors. This is a "before"--no doubt!
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kansasmemory.org%2Fitem%2F221104%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2JnCQFW96ke2fv2E5-xBuhaLlisKB7VyUpQJBgVnXjjh0HIZB_UkKvxQg&h=AT2eWSsP69xwYrluoqweJ9DwkLlsuofH98vW_FT5BnzS-PuGLgTJJ752AZrsLEXKzywA3U0Vk0bAG_JklrJDGI3tLidzLEfH60olu7SU2rQucVCa1ED6y_0gaPeBW0EhYAZ8&__tn__=R]-R&c[0]=AT1AElqKX-paATZ1fHfFXzV9xIWQI1xnM8NHx5TDlG5_WxnzxMP9129lvaUg-8BrLihQibMvyedT73EFPP7ZbbctoENuQvaC8TOjLtAHkXunO2D2M_sLQeckmKBsQmh5fEeGCzTjy2MpSAKF7jjkaWW1x9lsjkwVIfWmoSU5kaSIo8Iv0k3NVI6PZCfi7Iw60YlxVaI3I-0H5i3Nae_7BMlSbQ
The Opera House/Haller Motor Company, Alma, Kansas - Kansas Memory
What a story! Thank you for sending it in! She was a Paxico girl!
https://www.facebook.com/susankeewriter/posts/1451351165055779
HONORING LT. COLONEL VERENA ZELLER,
First Chief of the US Air Force Nurse Corps - Korean War
I found this story from the US Air Force website, about an incredible woman who served as the first chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps during the Korean War.
According to this article, "Verena M. Zeller, the first chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1950. Zeller led the Nurse Corps during the Korean War, overseeing its growth and evolution into an organization focused on flight care. At the onset of the Korean War, only 181 of 1,170 Air Force Nurse Corps nurses were designated as flight nurses. During the war, Air Force nurses in Korea served mainly as flight nurses. There were few fixed Air Force hospitals on the Korean Peninsula, requiring the Air Force to use aeromedical evacuation for most injured service members. At the peak of the Korean War, 2,991 Air Force nurses were on active duty."
Many were wounded so seriously that they had to be flown from the field or MASH hospitals in Korea to larger hospitals in Japan and America. The US Air Force flight nurses performed a critical role of caring for these seriously wounded men while they were being flown to Japan and the United States.
This post is dedicated in honor of Lt. Col. Zeller and all the incredible women who served as nurses during the Korean War. With utmost respect, love, and gratitude to these servicewomen who saved the lives of so many during the Korean War, Susan Kee at Susan Kee - Honoring Korean War Veterans
HERE'S THE ARTICLE FROM THE US AIR FORCE WEBSITE:
"First Chief of the Nurse Corps"-Written By Judith Taylor, Air Force Medical Service History Office
"Verena M. Zeller, the first chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1950. Zeller led the Nurse Corps during the Korean War, overseeing its growth and evolution into an organization focused on flight care.
Zeller began serving as chief of the Nurse Corps in 1949, while still a captain. Her promotion to lieutenant colonel was unusual, as she skipped over the rank of major to match the rank requirement for her position. In June 1950, just two months after her promotion, the Korean War began, signaling a significant change in the scope and mission of the Nurse Corps.
At the onset of the Korean War, only 181 of 1,170 Air Force Nurse Corps nurses were designated as flight nurses. During the war, Air Force nurses in Korea served mainly as flight nurses. There were few fixed Air Force hospitals on the Korean Peninsula, requiring the Air Force to use aeromedical evacuation for most injured service members. At the peak of the Korean War, 2,991 Air Force nurses were on active duty.
Zeller commissioned as a general duty nurse in the Army Medical Department’s Nurse Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas, in June 1936. The Army transferred her to Sternberg General Hospital, Manila, in July 1939, where she remained until October of 1941. Zeller departed shortly before the Japanese invaded the island.
“I was the last one out of our group of eight nurses that got to go home,” she stated. “I was the only nurse left in the Philippines that was on orders. And they almost didn't send me on this ship because it was the President Coolidge, and the President Coolidge had a ship's nurse on their crew, so they didn't need a nurse to go along.”
Zeller, however, was allowed on to accompany a seriously ill friend back to Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco, California. “Otherwise, I probably would have been a prisoner of the Japanese,” she stated.
In June of 1946, Zeller completed the U.S. Army Air Forces School of Aviation Medicine’s Flight Nurse Course at Randolph Field, in San Antonio, Texas. She later served with the Military Air Transport Service in domestic and foreign air evacuation. Promoted to captain, she started working in the Air Surgeon’s Office in January of 1949 and transferred from the Army to the Air Force six months later.
Zeller served throughout the Korean War and guided nursing in the Air Force Medical Service’s infancy. In August 1951, the Air Force Surgeon General, Maj. Gen. Harry G. Armstrong, promoted her to colonel and she officially assumed the duties of the chief of the Nurse Corps. She held the position until her retirement in 1956.
When asked about her Air Force career, she stated, “I look back on it many times as just a wonderful part of my life.”
Zeller passed away in 2007."
OBITUARY
(I found the following obituary online):
"Verena Zeller Seberg, 95, Topeka, died Sun., Dec. 30, 2007. Verena was born Nov. 1, 1912 in Paxico KS, the daughter of Michael and Mary Meinhardt Zeller. She graduated from Mount St. Scholastica Academy in Atchison in 1931 and received her diploma as a registered nurse from St. Francis Hospital, Topeka KS in 1934. During the spring of 1935, Verena served with the Red Cross in the dust bowl area of western Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas panhandle. After that she was assigned to general duty at Fort Riley KS on civilian status. Verena was commissioned in the Nurse Corps of the Army Medical Dept. at Fort Riley in June 1936 and remained assigned there three years.
She was transferred in July 1939 to Sternberg Army Hospital in Manila, Philippine Islands. She was assigned as Asst. Chief Nurse at March AFB, Calif. until 1944 when she was transferred as Chief Nurse to Walla Walla AFB, Wash. From there she went to Brandley AFB, Conn. as Chief Nurse and then to Mitchel AFB, Long Island NY as Chief Nurse. Verena completed the Flight Nurses course at the School of Aviation Medicine, Randolph AFB, Tex. in June 1946 followed by a year at Columbia University. Following that Verena served almost a year on a regular Army Integration Board in the Pentagon reviewing records of applicants for the regular Army Nurse Corps and presenting the recommendations to the Integration Board. Following that assignment, she served with the Military Air Transport Service in Air Evacuation of patients from Europe to the US and from coast to coast in the US.
She was then assigned to the Air Surgeons office in Jan. 1949 when the Air Force established a separate Medical Services and she was designated acting Chief Nurse of the Air Force Nurse Corps.
In Aug. 1951, she became Chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps and was promoted to the grade of Colonel. Among other citations, Verena was awarded the Legion of Merit upon retirement. During Verenas tenure as Chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, she traveled extensively, visiting AF nurses assigned to AF bases world-wide. This took her to England, Germany, Tripoli, North Africa, Casablanca, Saudi Arabia, Hawaii, Okinawa, Philippines, Japan, Korea, Alaska, Greenland, Newfoundland and AF bases in the continental US.
On Dec. 28, 1949, Verena and Col. Marco Pettoruto were married. He died in 1976. On June 23, 1990, Dr. G. Herbert Seberg and Verena were married."
#koreanwar #nursecorps #airforcenurse #flightnurse
227 Missouri Ave.
Alma, KS
66401
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A comment on another picture last week reminded me to do this... I worked as curator at the museum for a year. That was plenty of time for me to become better acquainted with these ladies. We dont live forever, but their craft might get close! So here you go, Tonda... memories...
Happy birthday to one of our quilters!! Arleen celebrates her special day today! Best wishes to you, Arleen! Keep sewing!
IT was suggested to me that I should put a little personal information here... just to avoid misunderstandings, if nothing else! Now I do prefer to be behind the camera, so I will have to look for a picture to post, but I can fill in some details in the meanwhile...
My name is Kathy Hendricks. I have lived in the Alma area for some time, though I was originally from Emporia. I first came to Alma to teach at Wabaunsee High School... oh, many years ago! I met Larry Hendricks and we were married the next spring! Life happened: I quit teaching for a while, had a couple kids, went back to work in Wamego, came back to Wabaunsee for several years and then retired!
Then I applied for the Curator’s job at WCHS Museum. Although I had visited the museum a few times through the years, I didn’t know much about it. I accepted the job and went to work in April--the same day as the big fire! (Memorable, that!) Later I learned that my father-in-law Marvin Hendricks was a true believer in the museum! He was a charter member, no less!
I worked as Curator for a year, during which I started this page. Although I resigned from the museum, I have kept the page going. I am so pleased that people can follow (and maybe even enjoy!) what’s happening here in Wabaunsee County!
A word of warning, however: If you have a pressing concern, please do call the museum at 785-765-2200. Or send an e-mail! I do try to answer questions and reply, but I’m not always fast! I will keep trying! Hope you will stay on for the ride!
The Columbian Theatre - Wamego, Kansas
521 Lincoln Ave, Wamego