Did You Know This About Geary County History?

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member

 

“Libbie Custer’s Days At Fort Riley”

George Armstrong Custer and his wife Elizabeth, arrived at Fort Riley in October of 1866.  They each had nicknames for each other.  He called her “Libbie” and she called him “Autie”. 

Apparently Libbie was fond of living at Fort Riley.  She often wrote letters to her friends back in Monroe, Michigan.  In one of those letters dated December of 1866, Libbie wrote: “The climate of Kansas is very fine, so pure and free from dampness.  As yet we have not had a week of cold weather altogether. No snow, nor mud, nor rain, except a few small attempts at a feeble drizzle.”  

She went on to state that “We are living almost in luxury.  It does not seem like life in the Army, for you know I have had mostly a rough time.  This is not a fort, though called so, it is a garrison. For there are no walls enclosing it. There are five long stables, the Suttler’s Store and Billiard House, Express Office and Post Office, Quartermaster, employee’s houses, mess houses, a Superintendent’s house and an ordinance building.  All of them are near the barracks, which gives the post the appearance of a little city.    

Our houses are built side by side.  They are double except the Commander’s house next to ours.  It is a privilege to have a little chapel all by itself (St. Mary’s Chapel) and a chaplain who reads the service and preaches well.  The chapel has a little organ too. We are only a short walk from the Depot and Telegraph Office.  

We are three miles from a little town called Junction City where we shop and market.  The Smoky Hill River and Republican form a junction just below here and form the Kansas, which is below the post a little distance.” 

Several months after this letter was written in March of 1867, Autie (or George) and other soldiers rode out of Fort Riley to get their first taste of Indian fighting.  Nine years later George’s life ended in June of 1876 at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana. 

Libbie was nearly destitute in the aftermath of her husband’s demise.  She became an outspoken advocate for his legacy through books and lectures. Libbie Custer wrote three books:  Boots and Saddles  (1885); Tenting on the Plains (1887) and Following The Guidon (1890).  

Libbie never remarried.  She lived in New York City until 1933, where she died at the age of 90. 

 

“Junction City’s Own Currency”                            

The U.S. government has always had an interest in regulating currency.  It became heavily invested in regulating paper currency during the chaos of the Civil War.

After 1863 most private banks issued their own money.  However, when it was spent or exchanged there was an exchange rate much like when US dollars are exchanged for foreign money today. 

According to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing, “National Bank Notes were issued between 1863 and 1938.” The bank note in the picture was issued by Central National Bank with their name and location.  The rest of the design is similar to the five dollar bills prior to the year 2000. (See the picture included with this article.) 

Central National Bank was not the only bank in Junction City to issue National Bank Notes. First National Bank also issued currency bearing their name.  Don McWilliams stated in his journals that “Central National Bank Charter No. 4284 issued national currency totaling $980,400.” A complete list of these bills can be found in the Central National Bank Centennial Book.

After the US government began printing and issuing their own money, reports in 1935 stated that Central National Bank had $10,200 in large bills and $14,800 in small bills outstanding.  

There is a possibility that some of these bills are still in circulation today. Be sure to check your money.  You may have a valuable piece of Junction City’s history in your hands. 

                                      

Did You Know This About Geary County History?

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member

“Junction City’s Homecoming Celebration For Company L”

There have been many “Welcome Home” ceremonies at Fort Riley recently with the return of soldiers of the First Infantry Division.  Today’s story is about a celebration held in Junction City in 1899 for soldiers who returned from the Spanish-American War. Gaylynn Childs wrote this information, which may be found in its entirety on page 325 of the book Set In Stone. This book is available for purchase at our Museum located at the corner of Sixth and Adams Streets in Junction City.  

“Junction City attracted state-wide attention with the welcome it gave the soldiers who fought in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War.  Company “L” of the 20th Kansas Volunteers was made up of soldiers from Geary and Dickinson counties.  According to the accounts of several local officers published in area newspapers, the soldiers saw considerable action in battles fought in and near Manila.  In November of 1899, the war was over and the soldiers came home to a so-called “reception fit for a king”.  

Three thousand area residents waited at the depot for the train.  One account stated that “Early in the morning everyone was out decorating residences and businesses in honor of the 20th Kansas boys, who were expected on the 2:15 PM Union Pacific train.  The train was an hour late, but when it at last pulled in, such a shout arose as to almost shake the surrounding hills.

A 21 gun salute was fired by the artillery battery from Fort Riley.  Then, commanders quickly got the soldiers formed into a column for the parade.  The parade was headed by the Sixth Cavalry Band, then Mayor J.V. Humphrey and officers of the 20th Kansas and Sixth Cavalry in carriages.  They were followed by veterans of the Mexican War and Civil War.  The Board of Education followed by the pupils of the city and county schools came next. 

The parade ended at the Opera House where the 20th Kansas boys were ushered inside by way of the stage door.  When the Opera House doors were thrown open, thousands of people were waiting outside and in a very few minutes the house was filled to capacity leaving hundreds of people who could not enter.”

This was a celebration deserved by Company L and any of those who serve our nation’s armed forces upon return from combat.  We should be sure to thank those who have and are serving us to keep us safe, preserving our democracy and our freedoms. 

“A First Hand Description of Early Junction City”

Junction City was formally incorporated February 9, 1859. Today’s story comes from a description of Junction City as recorded in the journal of area pioneer Thomas J. Ingham.

Mr. Ingham wrote: “From Ogden we went up the river five miles to Fort Riley.  We passed a large unfinished stone house, which had been built upon the government reserve for the capitol when Governor Reeder located it in Pawnee, but now it is put to no use.  Long before we arrived at the fort we saw the buildings looking more like a town than anything we had seen in this region. As we came near, we found the fort on a ridge near the banks of the Republican River, about a mile above its junction with the Smoky Hill.” 

He went on to state that “I went on the road previously described, then ferried across the Republican River and went three miles up slightly rising flats to Junction City.  A bridge was once built by the government across the river near the ferry, but high water washed away that bridge.

Junction City is a very new place.  The first buildings went up only last summer. But it puts on the airs of “city” at an early age.  Several “Lager Beer” signs stand out and there is a ten pin alley and a billiard room. There is a printing office run by a Boarder Ruffian, another lager beer saloon and a tavern along with the land office.  But, I am told the place is unable to support a school although there are over 30 scholars.”

Advertisements in a newspaper publication listed an abundance of lawyers, land agents, wagon and carriage makers, boots and shoe merchants, carpenters and joiners, general merchandise and outfitters. Lumber was for sale at the steam saw mill owned by D.A. Butterfield.”

The main street gallery of the Geary County Historical Society’s Museum reflects these businesses in early Junction City.  Stop by and see these displays and maybe you will even hear the wagons pulled by horses and voices of people doing their shopping in downtown Junction City as it appeared in those early days. Our Museum is located at the corner of Sixth and Adams Streets where admission is free and open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m.

Did You Know This About Geary County History?

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member

 

“Some Stories About Early Fire Fighters”

October is Fire Prevention Month.  Seventy years ago the special month was marked in a unique way.  On October 27, 1949, a demonstration was given downtown by city firemen.  It included a simulated rescue of three girls from a burning building.

Two girls were lowered by ropes from the third floor of the Masonic Lodge building on North Washington Street.  The girls were Cynthia Meade and Nancy Shumate. The third girl was Dorothy Knapp. She was carried from the roof of the Cole’s store down a ladder by Fireman D.H. Comstock. 

An unintended display occurred when Floyd Young, who was operating the booster pump on a fire truck, caught a finger in a hand throttle device for the pump.  The flesh of his finger was torn as he pulled his finger loose and the throttle was opened so suddenly the increased pump pressure broke a hole in the hose line. 

The role of fighters has changed over the years.  They not only respond to calls related to fires, but also medical emergencies.  The Geary County Historical Society wants to thank all of our fire fighters at the Fire Department and those who volunteer as rural fire fighters for all they do to keep us safe and protect our properties in Geary County. 

We have a display of early fire-fighting equipment in the basement of our Museum.  Stop by and take a look at the hook and ladder, pictures of members of the early Fire Department when the Department was located in the Opera House, a trophy won in a fire-fighting competition and other items.  The Museum is open any day except Monday between the hours of 1 and 4:00 PM.  Admission is free.  

“Some Spooky Tales”

In the spirit of Halloween, the following local ghost story researched by a Junction City High School student, Wilma Roark, in the 1930’s was titled “The Haunted Bridge”.  “About a mile from Junction City was the South Bridge, which crossed the Smokey Hill River.  In 1910 a farmer by the name of James was returning from town at about midnight.  He  was riding in a one-seated buggy hitched to an old white horse.  When it was two o’clock and he had not returned home, his family became alarmed and started a thorough search.

Several days later his body was found in the river with his overcoat buttoned, but all of his money and watch was still in his pockets. It was an unsolved mystery how he came to be drowned. For years it was said that if you pass the bridge at midnight, you would hear a mournful wail from the river as if someone drowning was calling for help.”

Another “spooky” tale is told about a team of horses, which were stolen in September of 1865.  The horses were later discovered being driven by a man and a boy.  The man confessed to the theft, but pleaded for the boy stating he did not know him.  He was merely giving the boy a ride.  The boy corroborated the story.  The two were taken back to Junction City and the same night both were hanged at the Smokey Hill Saw Mill.  After those hangings, whoever ran the mill lost money until no one would take the property and it was eventually torn down.  

Did You Know This About Geary County History?

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member 

 

“Mass Transit Line Linked Junction City To The Prairie Post”

Today’s story is about the mass transit line that linked Junction City to the “Prairie Post” of Fort Riley. The information comes from an article written in the “Junction City Union” newspaper in 2001.  “The idea of an electric railway between Junction City and Fort Riley was not new in 1901. Community leaders had first attempted such a venture in 1886.  Although prominent citizens such as Bertrand Rockwell, A.H. Bartell, N.F. Greene, James Harvey and C.G. Thurston put $50,000 into the venture, it never materialized.  

There was another attempt in 1889, but that too failed to be realized.  At the beginning of the 1900’s a third group succeeded in organizing and actually got the trolley line construction underway.

  Permission was gained to run the streetcar tracks along Eighth Street, then north on Washington and out through the rural “flats” along the northwest side of Grant Avenue, which was then mainly a wagon road to the Republican River.  Construction of a four-span steel bridge set on a concrete-filled steel pier was built in order to continue the path to the ultimate destination of Waters Hall. Waters Hall was at that time the headquarters building on Main Post at Fort Riley.” 

We have a picture of the trolley in our train station gallery on the second floor of our Museum.  Stop by and have a look at it and the other artifacts from Geary County history. Our Museum is located at the corner of Sixth and Adams Streets and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1 until 4:00 PM. Admission is free. 

 

“Reflections By A Local Projectionist”

Doug Otnes of Dwight, Kansas remembered some of the best days of his life being spent at the “Junction Theater”, where he worked as the projectionist from 1936 to 1939.  He also worked at the “Cozy Theater”, where he earned $18.00 a week. When he began work at the “Junction Theater”, he earned $20.00 a week. “That was good money for those days,” Otnes said.  A person could get in to enjoy a matinee for 15 to 20 cents or see an evening show for 25 to 35 cents.  

The “Dickenson Theater” was originally called “The Uptown”.  The “Dickenson” opened its doors to the public on October 1, 1928.  It was located at 609 North Washington Street in Junction City. The theater was elite for its time with three sets of plate glass doors, a tiled ticket booth with a black marble counter and plate glass windows adorned with red velvet curtains.  The “Dickenson” was operated by Glen W. Dickenson. It was one of the first movie theaters in Kansas to be equipped for “talkies”. The “Dickenson” later became “The Junction”. That theater was demolished in 1985 and replaced by a parking lot. 

When Tex Ritter came to town for a promotion of one of his movies, he stayed at the Bartell Hotel, but was asked to move to the Harvey Hotel on East Seventh Street, because he got “sassy” about something, according to Otnes.  Mr. Otnes had opportunities to be around Tex Ritter and said he “liked Tex and thought he liked Otnes. He always called me lad”, Otnes recalled.

Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, Tex Ritter and Hopalong Cassidy are among some of the favorites of the old westerns. Remember  – the “good guys” usually wore white hats.  

 

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member 

“Junction City’s Violin Maker”

Vard Ramsour was a Geary County pioneer farmer and violin maker who was born in Maiden, North Carolina in 1866. Maxwell Ramsour, Vard’s father, came to Kansas in 1871 with a friend by the name of Tom Galloway.  When they arrived at their destination, which was the Briggs community eleven miles south of Manhattan in eastern Geary County, winter had set in.  

Margaret Ramsour, Vard’s mother and the other five children came one year later.  They arrived in Kansas in the fall of 1872 when Vard was just five years old. Max Schellner, the son of Vard’s oldest sister, Caroline, came to live or stay with the Ramsours for a time.  Max took an interest in learning to play the violin. Vard encouraged Max to take lessons and supervised Max’s practice time, even though Vard was only a few years older than Max. Soon, Max became one of the finest violinists in the area and looked forward to a career in music. 

Vard, however, became interested in the construction of violins. In about 1930 and after much experimenting and obsessive work, Vard perfected his art and began supplying instruments for many leading violinists in the Midwest.  The wood Vard used in making his violins was all native Kansas wood and each piece had a history all its own. Though the instruments Vard Ramsour turned out of his cellar shop were valued soon after his death at anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000, while he was alive he rarely got more than $100 to $200 for them.  Geary County’s violin maker died at the age of 76 in 1942.  

We have one of Vard Ramsour’s violins on display in the auditorium of the Museum.  Stop by any day Tuesday through Sunday between the hours of 1 and 4 PM to see it and the other displays about our rich Geary County history.  Admission is free. 

“The Rise and Fall of Army City”

Our story begins when the United States declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917. Immediately the whole country was mobilized and massive war preparations were begun.  One of the major areas to be developed was at Fort Riley where the large meadow along the Kansas River east of the Main Post was designated as the site for the largest of three mobilization centers planned for the nation’s heartland.  

The cantonment was started in July and completed by December of 1917.  It became home for over 60,000 doughboys of the American Expeditionary Force’s 89th Division. 

“Kellyville” was the name given to the prospective town site. It was to be built just north of the national army cantonment site on the Fort Riley military reservation.  The site was sold to H.P. Powers and the transaction occurred in 1917 shortly after the building of Camp Funston. Powers changed the name to Army City and proceeded to auction off lots to enterprising businessmen for the establishment of stores, shops and theaters. 

Army City was a boom town built primarily to satisfy the needs of the people living at Camp Funston.  The town offered closer business and recreation facilities than did either Manhattan or Junction City.  There were organizations such as the YMCA, YWCA and a church which held regular Sunday Services. Other forms of recreation included large theaters. The Orpheum had a seating capacity of 1,200 and the Hippodrome sat 3,000.  Both of these theaters had an unusually large seating capacity to accommodate the movie-going population of both Army City and Camp Funston.  

A.D. Jellison, of the Jellison Trust Company, was largely responsible for the financing and general layout plan of Army City.  Jellison named streets using military titles and names of famous soldiers and statesmen. Army City was composed largely of the businessmen and their families; temporarily employed men, who worked either in Army City or Camp Funston, and families of officers and enlisted men.  

Eateries, banks, and services were built up as both Army City and Camp Funston simultaneously grew.  Soldiers came and went and so did Army City. There were various epidemics and related quarantines, training and deployments, which made it difficult to anticipate or predict business patronage.  

By August of 1918 the Army City businesses were barely making ends meet.  Five years after the town was established, the headlines read “Taps Has Sounded For Army City.”  The 89th Division had shipped out, the war was drawing to a close and sweethearts, wives and others were going home.  There were flash floods and even a devastating fire, which wiped out portions of the business district in August of 1920. 

It was announced by the government in 1921 that Camp Funston would be closed and dismantled. In 1922, after only five years, Army City surrendered its charter as a city and passed out of existence.    

 

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.  

 

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member              

“Junction City’s Connection With Dwight D. Eisenhower”

Many of the stories used in “Our Past Is Present” articles come from the marvelous collection of stories found in the book Set In Stone, which is available at our Museum.  This is some of what may be found on page 144 of that book in a story written by Gaylynn Childs, retired Executive Director of the Geary County Historical Society. 

“Dwight D. Eisenhower’s brother, Roy, owned and operated a drug store at 622 North Washington Street for about 25 years. Net Quest Computer Sales and Repair is currently located in that building.  Roy always referred to himself as a “druggist”. Ike preferred the term “pharmacist”, when describing his brother.

Roy Eisenhower was a thirty-second-degree mason, a lifelong member of the Chamber of Commerce and was active in many service clubs and community organizations.  He was an avid sportsman and like his famous brother enjoyed playing golf whenever he could get away from the store.  

He was described as a “red hot Republican” and took an active interest in local politics.  Because of the relationship between Fort Riley and Junction City, Roy was much better known to the officers and men at the post than was Dwight. 

Roy died in 1942.  His widow, Edna Eisenhower, continued to run the drugstore.” 

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States from 1952-61. There are no documented accounts of Dwight (“Ike”) Eisenhower visiting in Junction City after he was President. However it was reported by Fred Beeler, that when Ike was in Abilene, during and after his presidential years, “he would drive his Secret Service guys nuts when he’d occasionally slip away and borrow a car from one of his Abilene friends and drive himself over to Junction City to pay a visit to his brother’s widow. She died in 1989 at the age of 97.”

 

“The Early Days Of Our Local Hospitals”

The first hospital facility in Junction was quite different from today’s hospital as we would expect.  In fact, until 1913, there wasn’t one.

In the fall of 1913, two of the leading physicians of Junction City, Dr. Walter Carr and Dr. E.A. Smiley, realized the handicap under which they were working by not having a hospital in town.  So, they opened a small hospital in the east part of Dr. Smiley’s residence on the northeast corner of 5th and Adams Streets.  

The need for a larger facility was soon apparent and in 1915 six of the community’s doctors and surgeons organized a hospital association.  They secured the old Grenter home at the corner of 2nd and Adams Streets with the intention of converting the spacious two-story house into a hospital. It functioned that way for 6 or 7 years.  

The flu epidemic of 1918 motivated the construction of the first hospital not in a residence in 1921.  This hospital was located at the south end of Jefferson Street. 

The new medical facility maintained its own dietary kitchen and each floor was supplied 

with hot and cold water.  The operating room was equipped with the most modern appliances 

of the day.  There were three nurses and a matron.  An ambulance service was operated by Mr. 

Durand.  Eighteen months after opening, it was reported that there had been 200 admissions.  

150 of those were for major operations and there had not been a single loss of life.  

The Junction City Hospital served the medical needs of the community until the new 

Geary Community Hospital complex opened in 1967.  At that time, Dr. E.A. Smiley was still on 

the staff.

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member

“Some Early Businesses In Junction City” 

Junction City became an incorporated city in 1859. Among the early businesses in town, which flourished for nearly sixty-five years was the B. Rockwell Merchandise and Grain Company. The current address for the Rockwell building is 723-725 North Washington Street.  

Captain Bertrand Rockwell was a Civil War veteran and began his Junction City dry goods and grocery business in 1865.  The building was constructed of pine lumber, which was hauled by ox team from Leavenworth, Kansas.  

The Rockwell’s store was open during typical store hours from 5 AM until 11 PM.  Bertrand lived with his father in a back room of the store during the first year after opening.    The Rockwell’s dealt in feed, grain, fine groceries, clothing dry goods and hardware. The Rockwell firm expanded until there was a staff of thirty persons.  They became internationally known as the first Kansas firm to ship grain overseas from the Gulf ports.

The original wooden building burned in 1888 and was replaced by another two-story brick and stone structure that same year.  That building still stands at the southeast corner of 8th and Washington Streets.  

Bertrand met his bride to be, Julia Snyder from Chapman, Kansas, who was a regular customer at the store.  They were married in 1870 at the Episcopal Church of the Covenant located at 314 North Adams Street in Junction City.  There’s was the first wedding held in that church. The Rockwell’s had five daughters. 

In 1897, Bertrand had the Ladies Reading Club building constructed at 3rd and Jefferson Streets and gave it to that organization. Bertrand also worked with Reverend Anderson to get the First Presbyterian Church on 5th Street built and the Highland Cemetery on Ash Street established.   

The Rockwell’s moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1906 when Bertrand retired. Bertrand’s brother George A. took over the business. While living in Kansas City, Missouri, one of their daughters, Mary, designed and had a house built in 1908 for Bertrand and Julia. Bertrand died in 1930 at the age of 85 with an estate of up to $400,000.

The store closed in the 1920’s and has since been a Woolworth’s, a Duckwall’s and is currently where the Rent-A-Center is  at 723 North Washington Street and the Allen B. Angst Law Office is at 725 North Washington.

“Some Memories Shared By Mrs. A.W. Bentley” 

Today’s story is about the birthplace of Mrs. A.W. Bentley.  Mrs. Bentley is probably the only person in Junction City who could boast that the Municipal Building marked the site of her birthplace. Mrs. Bentley was born in a frame building, located near what is now the southeast corner of the current Municipal Building in the days when Wild Bill Hickok was making regular visits to Junction City. 

She was born on June 13, 1868.  Her birthplace was a rooming and boarding house operated by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. Church.  The old house had been added onto and came to be known as the Central Hotel. There were eight rooms in the hotel.  Wild Bill Hickok was a frequent visitor at the hotel when he came to town from Abilene.  When Mrs. Bentley was a baby, Wild Bill would push her around town in her baby buggy.  She stated that she was “too small to remember much about it, but he used to take her downtown.  Every other building in town was a saloon in those days and sometimes he would take me into a saloon with him.” Mrs. Bentley also said that “Some of her mother’s friends, used to tell her mother that she shouldn’t let Bill take her with him because of that.  However, mother wasn’t afraid for me. He was a gambler, but he was a good man and a gentleman.”

Mrs. Bentley also recalled that “there were few buildings in Junction City when they lived in the rooming house.  To the east was the city jail, located about where the new fire department is situated (this is now the Opera House).  Above the jail was the school room where Mrs. Charlotte McFarland taught the children. Mrs. Bentley did not attend this school, but attended the “Ninth Street School”, which was built in 1918, which is now the Karns Building at 300 W. Ninth Street.  

Mrs. Bentley also mentioned that “the old town clock, (which was on the tower of the Opera House) has fooled me many times. Working as a telephone operator I used to pass it every day.  I’d look at one side of it and think I was late. Then I’d see another side and I’d still have plenty of time. Sometimes the hands of the clock would stick due to icy weather and cause the clock to display different times.  It just depended on which side of the clock you were looking up to on the tower as to the time.” 

Thanks to Joe and Sheila Markley, the C.L. Hoover Opera House Board and donors, the tower clock has been renovated and updated. It even has the same time on all sides of the towers.   

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member

“Remembering Some of Our Early Barbershops”

In our “Main Street” Gallery at the Geary County Historical Society Museum, we have some items from early barbershops.  There is a barber’s pole, a shoeshine chair and a large picture of men getting a haircut or shave. The picture was originally taken by J.J. Pennell.  Pennell was a local photographer who did his historic visual documentations between the years of 1888 to 1922.  

Barber shops have been a part of this town’s business community for a long time.  In the first Junction City Business Directory, published in 1887, four barber shops were listed on Washington Street.  One was the shop owned by A. Johnson, barber and hairdresser, who wished to “particularly call attention to facilities for ladies and children’s hair dressing and shampooing.”  

By 1905, eight barber shops were listed in the city directory and several advertised the additional hygienic amenity of…. a “bath room”. The “Junction City Sentinel” announced the opening of the first such operation here:  “George Lisk, the enterprising laundry man, has lately purchased several porcelain-lined bathtubs. Next week he will place the business in the building two doors from Miller’s Hardware Store on Washington Street. Mr. Lisk has employed first-class and experienced attendants.  Both hot and cold water can be indulged in.”

In 1909, the Kansas State Legislature passed laws intended to assure that diseases were not transmitted through either barbers shops or public baths.  The regulations ranged from basic sanitation guidelines for bathtubs and barber equipment to banning the use of either bathrooms or barber shops as sleeping rooms.  It went into great detail in giving instructions about sterilizing equipment used in the establishments. They were to be either immersed in boiling water or in alcohol of at least 60 percent strength or in either formaldehyde gas or solution after each use.  

Stop by our Museum and see our barbershop display in the “Main Street” Gallery Tuesday through Sundays between the hours of 1 and 4.  Our Museum is located at the corner of Sixth and Adams Streets. Admission is free. 

“The Monument in Coronado Park”

People who use Coronado Park at the corners of South Washington and Ash Streets in Junction City may have wondered about that large statue in the southeast corner of the park.  It is the Quivira Monument, which was erected to honor the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his expedition in 1541.

The Quivira Historical Society originated in Alma, Kansas in 1901.  Its purpose was to explore and investigate the ancient and more recent expeditions of the great explorers of the West and Northwest along and adjacent to the waters of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.  

Coronado was searching for the “Seven Cities of Gold”, which he never found.  Some believe that the expansive development of Quivira was in central Kansas near present day Lyons, extended northeast to Salina and south to at least Arkansas City.  Early 16th and 17th century maps of North America show Quivira settlements in what is now Kansas, Oklahoma, southeast Colorado, New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle.  In 2017 an artifact of a cannonball was found as evidence of Estanza, another part of Quivira, near present day Arkansas City, Kansas. The Quiviras as a people were forebears of the modern day Wichita Indians and Caddean tribes such as the Pawnee and Arikara. 

The location of the Quivira Monument  in Geary County was selected at the turn of the 20th century by several prominent archeologists and was where they (then) believed was the approximate center of “Quivira”.  

The original location of this monument was in Logan’s Grove, which was south of Junction City on the farm of Captain Robert Henderson.  The 171½ foot monument was erected by Captain Henderson at a cost of $500.00. On one side of the monument was an inscription, which read “Erected for the Quivira Historical Society by Robert Henderson in 1902.”

The Coronado Monument was dedicated with impressive ceremonies in September of 1902.  The monument greeted visitors to Logan Grove for nearly three-quarters of a century until the American Legion sold Logan Grove in the early 1960’s. The Legion presented the monument to Junction City and the Fort Riley Engineers moved the monument to Coronado Park in December of 1974. 

 

Did You Know This About Geary County History?

By Dr. Ferrell Miller

Geary County Historical Society Board Member

 

“Where Were You On 9/11/01?”

It has been 18 years since our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001.  It will be a day when many of us will remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news.  Terrorists deliberately flew two planes with passengers on board into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; a third plane into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  In today’s article, the GCHS staff has shared some of their memories about where they were and what they were doing on that day.  

Heather Hagedorn, our Curator was in the seventh grade in Mr. Fair’s history class at Fox River Grove Middle School in Illinois.  Students were getting ready to watch a movie in class, when Heather and her classmates observed teachers talking quietly about “something” that had happened.  Students had not been told and were curious. Since the school was 40 miles from Chicago, the school was put on a “Red Alert”, which meant they were on lock down and would not be permitted to leave the school.  

Jennifer Dixon, our Director of Programs and Education, was living in Germany where her husband had been assigned. She watched the television as the second plane hit the Twin Towers.  She stated that a German native who lived near them, but didn’t speak English, went around the neighborhood showing a newspaper article with pictures and gave each of the wives in the housing area a rose.  Jennifer said “every car going on Post was inspected to include the use of mirrors to look under vehicles for any explosive devices.”  

Katie Goerl, our Executive Director, stated that she and her classmates were not allowed to watch the television.  The teachers told students about the attacks and there was some discussion, but the emphasis was to keep the day as normal as possible.  After school Katie went to a friend’s house and then later went home. When she arrived home, Katie’s mother told her she was glad Katie was safe.  Katie responded with “Of course, I am safe, we live in Kansas.”  

Even if you were not alive in 2001, we hope you will take a moment to reflect on the day of 9/11/01 and join us in thanking those who keep us safe today and every day.

 

“Mayor George Patton – Really?”

The information in today’s story comes from an article written by Gaylynn Childs, retired Executive Director at our Museum and may be found on page 296 of the book Set In Stone.  She wrote that “during the closing days of WWII, General George S. Patton, Jr. made a statement which brought Junction City, Kansas to the attention of the nation and the world.  There was an article published in the Saturday Evening Post in June of 1945 that the famous and flamboyant military hero announced to the world that the only political ambition he’d ever had was to be the Mayor of Junction City.

The Junction City “Union” newspaper reported that the people believed “he would be a cinch for the job anytime he cared to toss his five-star-studded helmet into the ring.”  

In another report in the local newspaper, the City Commission had decided to facilitate Patton’s wish to be the Mayor of Junction City.  There was a meeting held in special session at which Mayor Roy More stated he would consider it a privilege to step down for such a famed and illustrious individual. More submitted his resignation to take effect as soon as the General qualified and was ready to take the oath of office. 

Notification was sent to General Patton, who responded on July 3, 1945.  General Patton wrote: “Dear Mr. Mayor: Thanks very much for your telegram.  However, my political aspirations are not exactly as stated in the Saturday Evening Post.  What I said was that the only political position which I could consider would be Mayor of the town where I had spent so many years, namely, Junction City.  However, as you well know my statement was from the heart and not from the head. With all good wishes to you and your city. I am, Most Sincerely, G.S. Patton, Jr. General U.S.A.” 

General Patton knew about Junction City, because while he was on duty at Fort Riley Patton actually lived in Junction City in the house at Third and Jefferson Streets.  That house is now owned by St. Xavier’s Catholic Church and was used as the home for the nuns that taught at the Catholic School. He also attended the Episcopal Church of the Covenant at 314 North Adams Street.  There is an inscribed plate on the pew in which General Patton frequently sat during the worship services.