Did You Know This About Geary County History?
By Dr. Ferrell Miller
Geary County Historical Society Board Member
“The New USO For African-American Soldiers”
The United Service Organizations (US0) was founded in 1941 by Mary Ingraham in response to a request from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to provide morale and recreation to US Armed Forces personnel. The government was to build the buildings and the USO was to raise private funds to carry out the mission.
The United States military was desegregated in 1948. The USO’s policy expressly forbade discrimination. However, it was not uncommon for separate USO Centers to be in the same town either because of local regulations or by request of African-Americans who deplored the tensions that arose when they entered the USO.
The “Junction City Republic” newspaper for October 20, 1949 announced that preliminary work had been started on the site for the new USO Club Building at what is now 339 W. 18th Street in Junction City. This building was intended for those who were then called the “colored” soldiers. The USO Club Building was erected on West Eighteenth Street at the same site of the wartime USO Club which had burned earlier.
Roy Hubbard had the contract to construct the building at a cost of approximately
$46,000. A modern metal and concrete structure would be erected. The side walls and roof were to be built of insulated aluminum. The front of the building was to be built of concrete blocks with large panels of glass blocks in place of windows. A new type of radiant heating through pipes imbedded in the concrete floor was planned and an asphalt tile would be used to cover the floor. The dimensions of the main portion of the building would be 50 by 120 feet with a wing on each side of the building. $15,000 was paid in advance and the remaining
$31,000 was to be paid by the city. It was anticipated that a one-mill levy over four years would cover the cost of the construction. This levy to taxpayers would produce between
$8,000 and $9,000 annually during the four years and would cover the construction costs.
Beginning in 1960 the building was used for Junction City Little Theater (JCLT) productions and storage of costumes and equipment. In 2008, JCLT moved into a portion of the C.L. Hoover Opera House and now has an annex for storage across the street from the Opera House on Jefferson Street. The 339 W. 18th Street address building is now occupied by the Turning Point Church.
“The Tradition of Quilt Making in the Fall”
The chill in the autumn air sends most of us to the closet to bring out extra blankets and quilts for more comfortable sleeping. Snuggling warmly under a patchwork quilt could almost be said to be a Kansas tradition. From the earliest days of our history, quilting has been a cherished art and skill in the Sunflower State.
Quilting is a process of sewing two or more layers of fabric together to make a thicker padded material. This process includes a quilt top, batting or insulating material and backing material.
For the pioneer women who settled on the plains and in the western mountains, quilting was not only about making a quilt to provide a source of warmth, but also was a social gathering of a group of ladies. Whether in the home, church or community, these quilting bees as they were called, often provided the only social contact female settlers had.
One elderly quilter recalled that “In the summer we’d put up the frame on the screened porch and leave it there. Then when the work was done mama would say, “OK girls, let’s get to it! That was the signal for good times and laughing as we quilted the afternoon away.”
A wedding was always an excuse for a quilting bee. In some parts of America, tradition required a girl to have 13 quilts as a part of her dowry. These patchwork coverlets were often produced with assistance from “bride-to-be’s” family and friends. The 13th quilt was not usually made until she was betrothed or engaged and often the other 12 tops of the quilts were not completed until then either. The 13th quilt was expected to be the largest and finest of them all. Often friends and family pieced a separate block and these were all put together and quilted into a special wedding keepsake quilt for the bride.
Quilting continues to be popular today in Geary County. Quilts are often beautiful works of art made with the care similar to that given to a painting. Groups of women make “Quilts of Valor” for military service members who have been touched by war. The quilts are intended to provide comfort and healing as well as be an expression of appreciation to those who served in combat for our nation.