The Watkins Community Museum -Extra Credit-

The Watkins Community Museum in downtown Lawrence serves primarily to showcase items and history of interest to the Lawrence community. Watkins is located in a building built in the late 1800’s to house the Land Mortgage Company, as well as the Watkins National Bank. After serving a number of different functions, including at one point housing city hall,the building was turned into a museum in 1975.

As you enter the main floor of the building, the first significant object to great you is the car shown in the attached image. Information provided along with the automobile states that it is a Milburn Electric acquired by Albert Henley (then president of Lawrence Barbed Wire) for his wife for $1,045. Looking over this car it is interesting to note the forward thinking that was present among at least some of the residents of Lawrence during that time frame to be considering the viability of electric cars even though the internal combustion engine was so clearly superior at the time. Excerpts on the informational plaque echo an opinion that is held to this day about electric vehicles, when it quotes a newspaper as stating that the driver could not have been speeding because the Milburn would not get up to excessive speeds even if fleeing a burning house.

I most appreciate the museums significant preservation of architectural elements that are quite uncommon today. The stained glass windows with their ornate framing running along side the stairs the upper level, as well as the amazing decorative hinges present on the upstairs doors, provide a great view of the detail that was sought for the building housing successful businesses of the day.

The information and exhibit serve well as a supplement to the subjects that we have learned about during this term.  From the ornate building to the examples of early Kansas clothing and tools on the upper level, the exhibits provide not only a sense of scale, but also a significant sense of tangibility to the stories and history.

-Jeff G.

World War I Museum **Extra Credit**

For extra credit I decided to visit the WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial. It was a great museum and I had no idea it was so great! The museum is under the Liberty Memorial, and through doors that blend into the monument, if you weren’t looking you would never know that the doors were there. The parking is really easy, you park along the side of the “horse-shoe” shaped lot. The historical significance is pretty self-explanatory, it is a national museum. It is next door to the Federal Reserve Bank.

The majority of the museum is on a national level, but a small room in the exhibit focuses on the Kansas History part. The museum is divided into two parts: Before the U.S. involvement, and the War with U.S. involved. In between these two parts there is a video on a big screen, with an example of what war was like under it.

I have always been interested in WWII, so this was something sort of new. I know quite a bit about it but never a lot. The information was presented in a much more detailed and visual way. There was a replica of the trenches, which I never knew much about. It was one of the most interesting points. I liked how the museum used every piece of space they had. The exhibits on the floor, under glass/plexiglass were a different way of presenting the information. I think the information was presented in a more personal way, it focused on the people and the emotions.

This quilt was made by the Women’s Auxiliary in Harveyville in Wabaunsee County in Kansas. It was made in 1917, with the names of the soldiers in the city that served in the war. The quality of the picture is poor. (Sorry from my phone). An interesting fact I learned about WWI was the amount of soldiers from KS that served, which was 63,428, while 367,864 from New York served. It is no where near the amount of New York, but still a large amount of people.

The final exhibit is a section that has quotes from famous people. The quote that caught my attention was from H.G. Wells, a British Author. In 1935, he said “if we don’t end war, war will end us.” I think this is significant because WWI was “the war to end all wars” but did not succeed. It foreshadows WWII in a sense. It brought a sense of the emotion and turmoil the world was feeling at the time.

- Talia Kipp

 

***sorry I forgot to take a picture of myself, but I do have the receipt and ticket to prove I attended the museum. I definitely want to go back and spend more time!**

***EXTRA CREDIT*** Kansas Museum of History

For my extra credit assignment I chose to visit the KS Museum of History.  I grew up in Topeka and have been to this museum before.  The museum begins with exhibits of Native Americans and has many artifacts from that era.  There are great displays of their tools, housing, and really gives the viewer an idea of how the first inhabitants of Kansas lived. A great teepee stands in the middle and it is truly amazing in size.  The tour continues with artifacts from pioneers and those who first came through the state.  Next are Civil War displays and a majority of this exhibit is about ‘Bleeding Kansas’.  There is a cannon, weapons, uniforms, artifacts from the sack of Lawrence, and even some interactive displays.  William Quantrell and John Brown receive their due attention as well.  All the displays are very well done and give great information.  The museum proceeds with items and displays from the turn of the century, then the depression, WWII and on into the fifties.  One big display shows a sod house and other items from the dust bowl which is interesting since reading ‘Rooted in Dust’.  The biggest piece has to be the train inside the museum.  I know from previous visits that the museum owns a bike which my great uncle used as a child to ride to school everyday in Admire, KS, however it is not on display at this time.

The Kansas Museum of History is a great museum and is absolutely amazing.  Big displays, well preserved artifacts and the use of interactive add to the experience.  The gift shop also allows visiters to take home books and other interesting items from Kansas.  Overall this was a very enjoyable visit and I recommend it to anybody who lives in or near Topeka or is passing through.

The majority of the displays contain exhibits and artifacts of pre 1900 Kansas as this may be the most interesting to those who visit this museum.  Why do you think that is???  Is pre 1900 Kansas most interesting to you?  Are there more artifacts and information from this era?  Is it the most influential to Kansas today?  And how does it compare to other museums you have visited?

Kyle Brown-

German POW’s in the US

The idea of keeping POWs on US soil has come up with some frequency since Obamas election one year ago. Closing the detention center housed in the Guantanamo Bay military installation in Cuba was a promise made early on in President Obamas campaign for the Presidency. Housing detainees however has been one of the largest stumbling blocks for any move to close the center, as its closure would almost necessarily mean moving the prisoners to the continental US.

As we have learned in class however, housing prisoners in the United States during a war has happened previously. During World War II German POWs were housed throughout the US, but heavily in the Midwest. Many of these prisoners where conscripted to work as laborers for US civilians. Geneva convention requirements stated that a POW could not be forced to work without pay, and therefor the prisoners where paid, often to the tune of ninety cents per day, money which they where able to use to buy good in the camps. Civilians wishing to employ this inexpensive source of manual labor would pay the government around forty five cents per day which would go towards compensation for the costs incurred by their housing. The opinions presented in this article held by the citizens who interacted with these POWs are overwhelmingly positive. Holthus and Kerr recall the men as having been hard workers, and relieved to be out of the war, POWs are even listed who chose to return to US after the end of the war.

In closing, the author cites the reflections of one of the individuals with experience around the POWs, asking whether or not there might be something to be gained by interacting similarly with the detainees down in Cuba. It certainly makes you wonder, even with all of the ideological differences in todays war, if some of the same compassion towards prisoners might be to our own benefit.

-Jeff G.

 

 

Works cited:

Garcia, Malcolm. “German POWs on the American Homefront.” SmithsonianMag. Smithonian, 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2009. <www.smithsonianmag.com>.

Naval Air Stations in Kansas

Taking into consideration that Kansas is surrounded by nothing but land; it is surprising to see that Kansas had anything to do with the Navy during World War 2.  However, at this time, there was an increased need for well trained naval pilots and since there was a vast amount of airspace and land available in Kansas; it is not surprising why the navy chose to open two new Naval Air Stations in Olathe and Hutchinson.  Though these two bases were not the first of their kind in Kansas, these stations were crucial for quickly training thousands of pilots going off to fight in Europe.

The Olathe Naval Air Station was built off of the already established Johnson County Airport and its main function was to “provide primary flight training for naval cadets and quarters for traveling officials.”*  Between July 1942 and September 1944, approximately 4,550 cadets were trained by the newly established airfield and in 1943, the base was able to train 1,100 at one time.*  The function of this base continued to change throughout the war depending on what types of pilots were needed for supporting the troops (transportation or medical) in Europe and even after World War 2, continued training members of the naval reserve forces.  The Olathe Naval Air Station was not closed until October 29, 1969 for economic reasons.*

The Hutchinson Naval Air Station began construction in 1942, however, the Navy used many of the resources already available in Hutchinson to help house and feed the incoming trainees.  When this base was first established it was expected to only house men, but with the growing number of women enlisting to help the war effort, Hutchinson became one of the major bases for women enlisted in WAVES.  Just like the Olathe Air Station, thousands of pilots were trained in various areas of piloting that was fundamental to winning the war in Europe.

-Eric Wood

*Hurt, D. “Naval Air Stations in Kansas During World War II.” Kansas Collection: Kansas Historical Quarterlies 43, no. 3 (Autumn 1977): 351-362. http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1977/77_3_hurt.htm (accessed November 18, 2009).

Dust Bowl Troubles

I became very intrigued with the depression and the Dust Bowl while reading ‘Rooted in Dust’.  I knew that my grandfather experienced much of it so I called him to get some information.  He was born in 1924 and grew up near Hoisington in Barton County western Kansas.  His family was the common wheat and cattle farmers.  He told me all kinds of stories from what he calls the ‘Dirty Thirties’.  School was cancelled most of the time from the dust and depression.  He would help on the farm as a young boy with his 4 brothers.  He remembers being out in the field, at a neighbors house etc, and the adults nearest to them would get in their car and come looking for the boys before the storms came.  Just before the dust clouds came, his mother would put wet sheets and towels over the doors and windows in attempt to keep some of the dust out.  They were very poor during the 30’s and did whatever they could to get by.  He told me a lot about the rabbits and grasshoppers and how many there were.  He would help the adults with the drives which started 4-5 miles out.  They would round up thousands of jackrabbits into giant pins made by snow fences ( fences used to prevent snow drifts).  The policy was not to shoot them so instead they clubbed the rabbits to kill them.  The younger ones were saved to be eaten and the older ones were put into trucks and taken away.  His mother fried the rabbits for dinner night after night after night.  If the drought or the rabbits didn’t ruin their crops then the grasshoppers did.  They were so thick he said that there would be literally 3-4 inches of grasshoppers under their front porch.  What they would do was mix big bags of bran flakes with a poison and throw it out over the yard and in a big radius near the house.  This kept them away from the house as much as possible.  So I ask you, what would we do today?  How would we get by if jackrabbits and grasshoppers swarmed the campus and dorms and apartments day after day? Would you leave or stay and deal with it? And how would you do it?  I personally cant even imagine how awful it would be and think it would be miserable, but we would get through because thats what Kansans do!

Kyle Brown

Overalls… who knew?

Key Industries Inc. “Looking Ahead to the Next 100 Years”

Keys Industries in Fort Scott, manufactured  both cheaply and multi-purposeful overalls. It was founded in 1908 (as Lakin McKey Manufacturing) but shortened in 1938 to simply “Key.” Kenneth Pollock bought the company.

It’s large success was linked to farmers and miners alike. Overalls are very practical to farmers and miners, due to the large variety in pockets and loops, and the loose fit, allowing many layers in the cold winter months. Finally it had built-in suspenders, which when times were rough meant there was no need for a belt.

Even today the company continues to make overalls but has also expanded to new types of clothing. Overalls, jeans, shorts, jackets, shirts for men, women and children, in various colors.

This company shows the change in History and fashion, and how the company adapted to the consumers. Especially by making them affordable to the average person, and long-lasting. One story said that during the Depression, Dale McKale would wear his overalls until they were no longer able to be worn. His wife would patch them and sow until she couldn’t anymore. Even today Dale who is retired still wears the same overalls, with the holes and oil stains today.

I always picture my grandfather wearing his dark blue overalls, even though they are new. He told me he started wearing them in Pique, KS while he was growing up on the farm. Yet, he is almost 80 years now and still continues to wear them. It now makes more sense to why farmers would buy them, since it was supporting a local company.
-Talia Kipp

Works Cited:

Kansas Historical Society. “Key Overalls.” Kansas State Historical Society Cool Things. N.p., 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. <http://www.kshs.org/cool2/overalls.htm>.

Photo: Key Industries, Inc. Key Industries, Inc. Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. <http://www.keyindustriesinc.com/>.

Ellsworth Cattle Trail

Ellsworth Cattle Trail became popular when the city of Abilene no longer were allowing cattle. Abilene quit letting Texas cattle men from coming into the city because of the fever (“Texas Fever”) the cattle brought. This is when Ellsworth townspeople went and tried to recruit the cattlemen to come up to their city, which is about 60 miles southwest of Abilene.

The new path ended up saving the cattle drovers about 35 miles. They would cross the Arkansas River at Ellinwood, KS. The new trail was named the “Cox’s Trail” or the “Ellsworth Trail.” The Cox’s Trail” was named after William M. Cox, a General Livestock Ggent for the Railroad.

A quarantine line was created in 1867, but Ellsworth was thought to have been safe. The line was actually drawn farther in that they were hoping, and the city was in the boundaries. But due to the fear of the city not having these drovers and people coming through they assured the people that they were safe. This was only because the city of Ellsworth did not enforce the rule.  This lasted for a few years (different averages but about 2 years). They were forced to stop in 1875.

This city broke a lot of rules but was forced to, to keep up their economy and survival. After Abilene closed, Ellsworth became one of the biggest cattle trails in the state. It was much more important than most people think. I did not know much about Ellsworth, let alone any other trail. It is definitely something interesting and made Kansas famous in the 1860 to the 1880’s.

Talia Kipp

Source:

Weiser, Kathy. “History, Tales, and Destinations in the Land of Ahs: Trails.” Legends of Kansas. May 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2009. <http://www.legendsofkansas.com/trails2.html>

The Rescue of Jacob Branson

Though it describes incidents which occurred before the start of the civil war, this journal excerpt serves well to demonstrate the tensions and hostilities that precipitated the war:

The shooting death of a anti slavery soldier near Baldwin City at the hands of a presumably pro slavery blacksmith.  After this shooting tensions grew even greater when pro slavery soldiers took into custody Jacob Branson, one of the slain soldiers comrades, for supposedly threatening to kill the shooter.  What follows in the journal entries is a description of what transpired when the other Free State soldiers set out to rescue Jacob Branson.

What I find most fascinating about this situation is the absolute lawlessness that it seems to portray.  At the time, the presence of people in powerful positions on opposite sides of a very divisive issue made for a system in which justice could be very difficult to attain.  The fact that individuals could commit crimes like these and still be protected by others on their side is really suprising.

-Jeff Garfinkle

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/6902/text

The Kansas “Civil War” of 1893

Kansas "Civil War" of 1893

As we learned from lecture on Tuesday, there was a growing tension between the Republican and Populist Parties of Kansas in the late nineteenth century.  There was strong support by the people of Kansas for both parties and in February of 1893, we see how adamant both sides were to keeping power in Kansas legislature.  It is amazing that after only three years of being an “official party,” they were able to start the “Kansas “Civil War” of 1893.”  On January 10, 1983, the Kansas Legislature met and both “the Populists and the Republicans claimed a majority in the lower house.”  This created a lot of anger and concern between elected officials of the two parties.  As the tension increased, one party took a more extreme route in asserting their power in the Legislature.  In mid-February, the Populist Party “took sole possession of Representative Hall locking themselves in and Republicans out.”  On February 15^th, Republican Speaker of the House George L. Douglas bashed through the main entrance of the Representative Hall using a sledge hammer.  The Populists eventually left and no one was hurt, however, we see how this initial tension between the parties turned violent.  Both sides decided to bring in military support to help their parties cause.  Later that day, Governor Lewelling (Populist) “sent for Battery “A” of Wichita and instructed the men to bring their Gatling gun.”  The Republican Party called for help from supporters in Topeka.  These individuals came armed and ready to fight this new Populist Party.  This highly stressful time in our state’s capital lasted for three days and came to an end with “Governor Lewelling negotiating with Republican Speaker of the House George Douglas. They reached an agreement on February 17 which amounted to a Populist surrender.”  The Populist Party decided to have the Kansas Supreme Court decide who had the legal right to use the Representative Hall and the majority of the lower house.  On February 25, the Kansas Supreme Court decided that the Republican Party was the legal majority.  Though the Populist Party was short lived, it was very interesting to see how they attempted to gain political power in Kansas and how many of their policies are still around today.  For instance, we now have the direct election of U.S. senators and an election system with secret ballots.  The Republican Party in Kansas supported the “Populist legislation providing for a secret ballot and revisions in the state’s mortgage laws. They would not, however, embrace Populist proposals for railroad regulation.”

-Eric Wood

From:  Kansas Historical Society. “Topics in Kansas History: Politics & Government: Essay on Populism.” http://www.kshs.org/research/topics/politics/essay_populism.htm