Olathe’s 150 most Notable People

We here at JoCoHistory were not blogging or tweeting this time last year when Olathe was finishing up its Sesquicentennial celebration, so I was not able to share this fantastic article.   Olathe’s 150 Most Notable People presents bios of citizens, politicans, developers and businesspeople  as well as rabble-rousers, outlaws and criminals throughout the history of the city.

Corinthian Nutter

Chargers running back Darren Sproles is on the list, as is longtime KSD teacher William Marra, serial murderer Bert Dudley and civil rights leader Corinthian Nutter.

The article is a fascinating look at the ups and downs of a small Kansas city that is unique in so many ways but still provides a model for examining the culture at large.

History mystery: Three Men

Three men

This is a strange one. These three gentlemen appear to be posed in front of a nighttime backdrop, complete with a happy crescent moon prop. What could be the context for such a photo? Perhaps a fair or carnival of some kind? Two of the men are wearing overcoats which leads one to believe they are out of doors. Two of them have small bottles as well–health tonic? Liquor? Lots of questions here!

Urban Renewal: Not so new in Johnson County

An opinion piece by Fred Logan in last week’s Kansas City Business Journal begins with the sentence “Urban renewal is Johnson County’s next big deal.” And he is right: The Vision Metcalf plan is coming closer to fruition with its emphasis on walkable spaces, economic revitalization and attractive redevelopment. As the northern part of the county ages, municipalities are having to deal with aging infrastructure and building stock, not to mention the appeal of newer, larger developments in south Johnson County.

But Johnson County is no stranger to urban renewal. In the 1960s and 70s Olathe underwent a series of demolition and construction measures aimed at sprucing up downtown and nearby neighborhoods. As the oldest city in the county, it had to contend with these issues earlier than others have had to.

Olathe Urban renewal Office, 1967

A recent article from the Johnson County Museum newsletter described their plans thusly:

In 1965, Olathe’s Urban Renewal Agency was established. By the fall of 1966, the agency made public its tentative plan for redeveloping Olathe’s downtown—a plan which included relocating Santa Fe, Kansas, and Water Streets, providing space for a courthouse expansion and a civic center (which would house some departments of city government, the public library, and provide meeting rooms for civic groups and an auditorium for theatrical productions), creating additional parking lots, closing off downtown streets to create a landscaped outdoor mall, and acquiring land for the construction of major retail facilities.

The resulting plan was scaled back somewhat due to community frustration at the pace and extremity of the proposed changes. Over 100 homes and businesses were purchased and demolished in the effort to create a modern, livable city.

The fascinating article is available in its entirety on the JoCoHistory site, you can read it here.

These are some of the challenges that cities like Overland Park are contending with and the reason why endeavors like Vision Metcalf exist. In his piece, Fred Logan praises Overland Park for its work. Do you agree? What are some concerns you have about Vision Metcalf or other urban renewal plans?

History mystery: Portrait of two men

Portrait of two men

This image came from a photo album of an unknown family. Depicting an older and younger man, the subjects could easily be father and son, but we have no way of knowing for certain. The time period is certainly the early 20th century, we have estimated 1900-1920. Anyone care to take a guess?

Click to see larger image.

Selected favorite photos

These are some of my favorite photos from the JoCoHistory image database. I’ll periodically post groups of these these as I come across them.

This little lady is Beverly Williams, age 3 1/2 years. She was crowned “Little Miss Olathe” on July 29, 1937.

Little Miss Olathe

Here is a photo of an interesting promotion by the Jennings Mill in Overland Park. The display advertises a new kind of undercoat painting for homes.

Underwear for Houses

This is a dramatic view from 1967 at Kansas School for the Deaf. This old standpipe (A kind of water tower) was being demolished but had to be knocked over before it could be taken apart. This snapshot catches the fall happening.

Standpipe falling

This is one of my favorite characters in the history of Johnson County: Buddy the Deaf dog. His owner, Bob Parker made the circuit with Buddy in the 1950s, demonstrating that a deaf dog could be trained to excel in any number of things. In addition to writing letters, Buddy also smoked a pipe, wore hats, and performed a number of physical tricks.

Buddy the Deaf Dog

This photo below is great simply because of the dichotomy between the faces of the subjects and the message being conveyed.

Season's Greetings

This next photo has nothing to do with Johnson County, other than one woman, Mary Emma Bowles later lived in Olathe.

Wellesley Crew Team

I like the composition of this next photograph, depicting two players communicating in a huddle. Kansas School for the Deaf is sometimes identified as the birthplace of the football huddle as we know it today.

Football huddle

And here are three very tough looking women.

Three women

Last but not least, we have this very telling portrait of an unidentified girl.

Portrait of unidentified girl

She does not look thrilled to be in the studio having her portrait taken. I like moments like these that reveal that people 100 years ago had very different lives, but had a lot of the same problems and emotions that we do today.

Hardware stores

hardware store

See photos of hardware stores throughout the history of the county.

Go to photos now

Should Annexation law be changed?

Annexation has been one means of cities of all types to increase their land mass and tax base. Current state laws do not provide the citizens impacted by annexation the opportunity to vote or provide input on the issue. This includes existing city residents who will take on the added land to develop and maintain and the residents in the areas to be annexed .

What do you think of the existing annexation law? Do you think it should be changed, and if so how?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

Will JoCo have more jobs than KCMO?

Johnson County traditionally was a bedroom community — providing good housing stock and good educational systems — for middle and upper class residents.  A recent report in the KC Star cites Johnson County as the largest contributor of new jobs in the KC metro area, and very close to surpassing the number of jobs in KCMO proper.

With the stagnation of growth in KCMO, experts predict JoCo will be the largest employer in the future. How does that economic factor play into future growth? Transportation needs? Housing needs? other infrastructure needs for the community of workers AND residents?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

Should we contain growth?

Johnson County has both aging and new growth communities. Should more be done to contain growth considering the increasing energy costs predicted in the near future?

Do you there is a pending energy crisis? On what level? What can suburban communities, which by definition are not dense like more urban areas, do to address that potential crisis?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event

Infrastructure of Northeast Johnson County

The NE section of Johnson County developed first in terms of suburban neighborhoods, and now much of the infrastructure (from water & sewer lines to housing and retail stock) is aging.

What do you think should be done to ensure those areas don’t fall into blight? Think in terms of neighborhood advocacy or govemental policy.

How can the area be revitalized without changing the historical/community character? Or is that at all important? How do initiatives like Overland Park’s Vision Metcalf plan fall into the future success of these older areas?

This is a discussion question for the Local History Round Table Event, held at Johnson County Library on October 7, 2009. RSVP for this event