Secret Santa Sightings

As we enter the month of December, we may be seeing more jolly men (or women) dressed in red with hearts full of cheer.  If you think Santa and his wife Mrs. Claus are relegated to indoor malls ala Miracle on 34^th Street, think again.  There are Santa Sightings everywhere, including the JoCoHistory Collection which contains artifacts from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County and Olathe Public Libraries, and the historical societies of Overland Park and Lenexa.

George and Jeanne Savage’s grandson Ben donned the famous red suit for a family gathering.

Ben Savage, 1990 (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCo History)

Carl and Alice Koch moonlight as dynamic duo Mr. and Mrs. Claus and stop to admire their handiwork.

Koch Family, 1970 (Photo courtesy of Johnson County Museum collection on JoCo History)

A life size Santa statue watches over the students at the Kansas School for the Deaf.

1962 (Photo courtesy of the Kansas School for the Deaf collection on JoCo History)

Young Jo Taliaferro gets an early visit from Saint Nicholas with her sister Jan and family friend Joyce Luthy.

Taliaferro and Luth Families, 1954 (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCo History)

A group of library patrons stop and pose with Santa outside of the Olathe Public Library.

ca. 1959 (Photo courtesy of the Olathe Public Library collection on JoCo History)

Even boy scouts enjoy the occasional Santa sighting.  When the big man in the red suit stopped by Antioch School, Gary McGee (seated on Santa’s lap) and his fellow scouts were quick to pose for a picture.

Gary McGee and other boy scouts, 1964 (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCo History)

You’re never too old to pay a visit to Santa.  Robert Sanders (standing to the right of Santa Claus) and his fellow bowlers pause their competitive game in order to visit with Kris Kringle.

Robert Sanders and other bowlers, 1947 (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCo History)

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus team up with the Shawnee Mission Sertoma Club to bring a little holiday cheer to a Veterans Administration Hospital.

Frank Buchan, Roger James, Kes Kesler, 1998 (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCo History)

The Legler Barn Museum is operated by the Lenexa Historical Society in order to honor the rich history of the Lenexa region.  Father Christmas stops by to take a picture with three members of the Lenexa Historical Society.

Gus Bogina, Velma Bogina, Mary McNerney, 1998 (Photo courtesy of the Lenexa Historical Society collection on JoCo History)

As you can see, you never know when or where Santa and Mrs. Claus pop up.  Be sure to be on the lookout for this famous duo during the holiday season.

-Heather McCartin, Johnson County Library

Emily Bluejacket and the Shawnee Indian Mission

Shawnee Methodist Mission (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum Collection on JoCoHistory)

The Shawnee Methodist Mission was originally located around present day Turner, Wyandotte County, but in 1839, it relocated to Johnson County at 3403 W 53^rd St, in Fairway.  At one time, there were 13 small buildings and 3 large buildings, but the 3 larger buildings, East, West, and North, are all that remain on the campus today.  Twenty-three different Indian nations were represented including the Shawnee from Ohio. Because of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, a treaty was signed giving the Ohio Shawnee lands in Kansas.  The Shawnee Methodist Mission was a manual training school, where they learned basic academics, manual arts, and agriculture until 1862.

The First Territorial Capital of Kansas was in Pawnee, part of present day Fort Riley, but those in the legislature wanted to move closer to Missouri, so for 23 days in 1855, the mission served as the second capital of the Kansas Territory.  After 1862, the location included “a boarding house, a brothel, a frequent gathering spot for rowdies and ruffians passing through the open spaces and as a speakeasy”.(1)   During the Civil War it served as barracks for the Union troops.  There was very little upkeep after the closing of the school.  However, in 1927 the state acquired the property.  Work to restore the property commenced and the North building was completed in 1942.

Women at the Shawnee Indian Mission (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum Collection on JoCoHistory)

Shawnee Indian Methodist mission under reconstruction (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCoHistory)

The North building was used as a dormitory and school for girls.  They learned spinning, weaving and other domestic arts.  Some of the Shawnee embraced the Methodist religion and approved their children’s attendance.  Some of the children were happy to go to a mission school because they were fed better than when they lived at home.  However, they also were given new names, new clothes, and their hair was cut on admittance to the school.

Shawnee Indian Methodist mission (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCoHistory)

One little Shawnee girl, Emily, whose parents were Reverend Lewis McNiff, a white man, and Math-Ah-Pease, attended the school.  Emily’s mother Math-Ah-Pease married again to a man by the name of James Blue Jacket, hence Emily Bluejacket. Records show she was at the mission in 1844 as Emily Bluejacket but they also differ on her age.  According to the 1857 Kansas State Census an Emily Bluejacket was at the mission was 18.

The 1854 Treaty with The Shawnee stated that each single Shawnee person was entitled to 200 acres.  Emily Bluejacket was entitled to 200 acres and part of her land was where Grinders in Lenexa is today, SE 1/4 of section 4, township 013S, range 024E.  We find that Emily married Charles Barth in 1859 who took off to seek his fortune during the gold rush in California, never to return.  She then married Joseph Nipp in 1866 and had 2 boys, and eventually moved to Oklahoma.  The land changed hands several times, including the owner Icy Snow Beard in the 1930s, until it was purchased by Endicott Properties and a restaurant, Stonewall Inn opened as a restaurant with a pub-like atmosphere.  This restaurant closed down in 2002 but Grinders Stonewall owned by Jeff Rumaner, opened in 2014 after 8 months of renovations.

Stonewall Inn (Photo courtesy of the Johnson County Museum collection on JoCoHistory)

-Terri Bostic, Johnson County Library

(1)Thomas Johnson’s Story and the History of Fairway, Kansas, by Joe H. Vaughan, pg 14

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/shawnee-indian-mission/11913

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Editor’s Note: There will be more JoCoHistory blogs in the future detailing a fuller history of the Mission, and the Johnson County Museum will host a travelling exhibit about Native American boarding schools in 2023.

Starry Memories: Starlight Theatre Prepares to Celebrate its 70th Season

For nearly 70 years, Starlight Theatre has entertained people from all over the country.  Currently located in Kansas City, Missouri (in the heart of Swope Park), Starlight’s official history began as early as the 1920s when funding began to take shape for an outdoor theatre.  The Kansas City Federation of Music Clubs oversaw the fundraising efforts and in 1950, the very first production was “Thrills of the Century” – a historic revue that coincided with the city’s Centennial Celebration. The following year, The Starlight Theatre Association took control over the daily operations of the now completed outdoor venue.  To this day, Starlight Theatre is city owned facility that is operated jointly with Kansas City Parks and Recreation.  It is currently the largest and oldest performing arts organization in Kansas City.

Starlight Theatre ca 1951. Photo courtesy of Starlight Theatre.

As a 501c3 (non-profit) organization, Starlight relies heavily on volunteers in terms of daily operations (ticketing, tending to the various horticulture, and assisting with auditions) and promotions for events (tours, guest information desk).   These giving volunteers are now considered to be ‘ambassadors’ and have grown to nearly 200 people strong and counting.

Last year, during the touring production of Love Never Dies, Starlight took the time to honor one of their longstanding ambassadors for her nearly 50 years of service.   Longtime volunteer and Johnson County resident Jan Morevitska  was given the surprise of a lifetime when she was recognized with a video tribute and a very special mention in Starlight’s Star Notes (their very special version of a Playbill).

Jan’s tribute in 2018. Jan is pictured with her husband Lee Morevitska; Photo courtesy of Barb Schulte and Starlight Theatre

This was not Jan’s first recognition for her decades of service to the theatre industry.  Jan and her husband Lee were previously recognized in 2011 by the National Broadway League with a ‘Star of Touring Broadway Award’ for their (at the time) over 40 years of service.  This super couple became affectionately known as ‘Mr. and Mrs. Starlight’ after decades of service to every area of Starlight Theatre.  Highlights of their service include: assisting with cast parties and picnics, hosting backstage tours of the theatre and the grounds, ushering on show nights, promoting the season in the local KC Metro area, and archiving Starlight artifacts for posterity.

Jan and Lee at a Starlight Gala in 2011.. Photo courtesy of Barb Schulte and Starlight Theatre

For Jan, her love of Starlight started very early, while she and Lee were high school sweethearts at Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri.  As a high school student, Jan could hear the sweet sounds of Starlight from her front porch.  In 1956, the theatre introduced half price ‘first-nighter’ tickets to metro area students.  Lee and Jan were quick to grab Orchestra seats for several opening shows that season for only $5 a ticket.  The couple hasn’t looked back since then; they became hooked as Starlight regulars, attending a number of shows every year.

In 1969, Jan was invited to join the Starlight Theatre Women’s Committee by one of her neighbors.  This group, formed in 1959 was established to promote civic participation and interest for Starlight.  During the initial years, members were only permitted to join by invitation only and by 1984, there were over fifty women that conducted backstage tours, hosted cast parties (Jan was often responsible for obtaining the food in her early years), and sold season ticket packages at various locations in the city (including Ward Parkway Shopping Center and Metcalf South Mall).  All members were required to be season ticket holders as part of their contribution to Starlight.  For Jan and Lee, it was never a difficult decision to become longstanding theatre patrons and supporters of the theatre.  In 1993, the committee was restructured and now known as Starlight Theatre Ambassadors.  Membership was now extended to men and was no longer offered by invitation only.  Lee was quick to become an Ambassador, though he had assisted with small projects before it became official.  Jan and Lee work as a pair to show off Starlight’s backstage area during the Thursday night tours, where guests can see the stage, lighting, and sound areas.  The backstage tours (performed on show nights) continue to draw in curious onlookers.  As of 2019, there are over 200 Starlight Ambassadors that keep Starlight shining through their volunteer service and dedication.  Their duties have since expanded to include daytime tours during the summer, which continue to be one of Jan’s favorite volunteer activities.

A program cover from Jan’s first year volunteering with the Women’s Committee. Photo courtesy of Barb Schulte and Starlight Theatre

1984 Women’s Committee (Jan is back
row center). Photo courtesy of Barb Schulte
and Starlight Theatre

Jan and Lee continue to be beloved by Starlight.  Jan has been the recipient of the ‘Ambassador of the Year’ award (assigned to her by her fellow volunteers) a total of four times – most recently last year in 2018.  The Morevitska’s even have a special room dedicated to them at the theatre.  The Morevitska room, established in the mid-2000s, serves as a break or visiting room for the Ambassadors.  Here volunteers check in and out of the building and relax during their shift.  Last year, the room received a well-earned renovation that included new furniture, paint, and a wall mural for the room’s namesakes.  This year, Starlight is placing a bronze plaque inside of Gate 3 to commemorate Jan’s 50 years of service.

Jan and Lee celebrate their years of service in 2015. Photo courtesy of Barb Schulte and Starlight
Theatre

Jan poses outside of the famed Morevitska room. Photo courtesy of Barb Schulte and Starlight
Theatre

Starlight’s history has changed over the years while the Morevitska’s have been volunteering and as Vice President of Education and Outreach, Barb Schulte is well versed in Starlight’s strong history.  In the 1950s-60s, there were roughly 8-10 shows at Starlight every summer, and they were all ‘Starlight produced shows’ versus touring productions.  The 1970s saw production costs starting to rise for the theatre, and variety shows were becoming more popular, leading to celebrities coming to Starlight to headline a new show.  The 1970s also saw the occasional regional and national tour coming to Starlight.   Starlight currently maintains a balance between booking tours and in-house productions.  Rich Baker (President and CEO of Starlight Theatre) keeps a steady pulse on what shows are currently touring, planning a tour, and what shows have not been on Broadway yet.  When tours come to Starlight, they are typically in the back half of their run as most tours tend to begin in the fall season.  In recent years, Starlight produces at least one per season.

When shows are locally produced by Starlight, there is an excellent chance for local artists to return to Kansas City or make their big professional debut on the Starlight stage.  Kansas City resident Jessica Alcorn and stylist at Indigo Rose Hair Salon has the fondest memories of Starlight’s production of Hairspray.  In 2006, a rainy visit to Starlight still held amazing memories for Jessica and her mother, Cathy.  Starlight’s policy is on weather is that the show must go on in ‘rain or shine’.  The outdoor stage is now enclosed (since 2000) to protect the actors while they perform.  There are a variety of places for attendees to stop at in order to get out of the rain, including pergolas (arbors that provide an open roof structure) above the walkways for guests to stand under and still get a view of the stage.  Jessica and her mother stayed through the rain and were enticed to come back the following night and watch from the terrace in the back.  When the final number came on the stage, Jessica was anxious to sit up front – there was someone performing on stage who looked just like her (the plus-sized and enthusiastic character Tracy Turnblad).  She left that night in 2006 wishing that she could perform on the stage, and got exactly what she wanted in 2018 when she headlined Starlight’s production of Hairspray, in the very same role that she fell in love with over ten years ago.  It was a grueling but fulfilling process for Jessica and the other performers who went through several rounds of auditions and callbacks before being told that they had a role in the production.  In-house shows are put together in roughly two weeks’ time, which means the cast learns several scenes and dance moves each day.  Alcorn’s role was recognized by Broadway World as ‘Best Professional Actress’ (Broadway World Kansas City Awards)  For Jessica and her fellow actors, it’s all worth it in the end when the lights come up at Starlight Theatre.

Jessica Alcorn as Tracy Turnblad in Starlight Theatre’s 2018 production of Hairspray. Photo courtesy of Jessica and Cathy Alcorn

One thing that does not change about Starlight is the joy and appreciation that patrons (and local actors and actresses) have for the playhouse.  For Jessica, performing on the Starlight stage was a lifelong dream that came true.  Her fond memories of coming with her family during the summer – they rode in a limo! – made Starlight a seasonal memory that impacted her personally and professionally.  For Jan, the appeal of Starlight lies in wide variety and ability to appeal to every age group.  After over 50 years of performances and variety show specials, Jan cannot pin down a specific favorite.  During our interview, she was able to joke that her favorite show was ‘the one she was watching right now’.  The Wizard of Oz, always holds a very special place in Jan’s heart, especially when Starlight is able to produce the show (it was the 2nd Broadway show of the 2019 line-up).

Part of Starlight’s celebration of nearly 70 years of entertaining the public includes the new addition of a Starlight Ovation Museum, which will be located in the spot traditionally held by the Ovation Gift Shop.  Barb Schulte and the Morevitska’s, along with dozens of other individuals have been busily preparing the space for a June 10 opening (coinciding with the start of The Wizard of Oz’s run).  The museum will share the story of Starlight with visitors through artifacts (programs, posters, photographs, props, and memorabilia) that will shed light on milestones, celebrations, and moments of remembrance. One of Starlight’s goals going forward is to build up their library of artifacts, which now currently include an original Broadway piano and telephone switchboard that were utilized during Starlight’s inception.

The memories of Starlight continue to endure for the staff, volunteers, company of actors, and visitors that grace the area each summer, all of whom are creating a Starlight memory of their very own.

-Heather McCartin, Johnson County Library

Sister Story: An Interview with Julie Galan, CSJ

Join the Johnson County Library at the Central Resource Branch on Saturday, September 22 at 1:00 pm for Sister Stories, a panel discussion of women religious who have ministered in Johnson County.

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Julie Galan, CSJ Source: Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas

Most people know the stereotypical nun from movies and TV shows such as “Sister Act” and “The Flying Nun,” but few know real nuns. There are seven communities of women religious in the Kansas City metro area and numerous Sisters minister today in our communities here in Johnson County. The following is an interview with one of these women.

Sister Julie Galan entered religious life March 18, 1946. Born in Chicago to Theodore and Anna Galan, she was received into the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas, as Sister Mariella. At that time, the Sisters of St. Joseph wore the traditional long black habits, complete with a veil and a white wimple and received a Sister name when they entered the novitiate.  However, these represent two of many changes in religious life since 1946. In the 1960s, Vatican II encouraged religious communities to return to their constitutions and founding to determine how to live out their calling in a modern world. Sister Julie now wears everyday clothes and has returned to her baptismal name, but her call to religious life remains the same. “The essence of religious life hasn’t changed, but the manner in which religious life is lived out has changed and that makes it look different to a number of people…My call was one of attraction,” she states.

After entering the convent, Sister Julie attended Marymount College in Salina, Kansas, where she received her bachelor of education degree in English before moving on to Webster College in Kansas City where she received a master’s degree in education. Many are surprised at the level of education of women religious, but a vast majority of them have advanced degrees. In their call to religious life, these women were often given the opportunity for higher education and travel that was not available to many. From 1951 to 1969, Sister Julie taught in the parochial schools of Junction City, Plainville, Manhattan, and Beloit. In 1969, she was assigned to the parish of Curé of Ars in Leawood where she continues to minister to the present day.

Curé of Ars Catholic School, Leawood, Kansas Source: Curé of Ars Catholic School

In 1985, Sister Julie changed positions at Curé of Ars and became the Religious Education Director. While students attending the parochial school receive religious education as part of their school day curriculum, a separate program is available for students who attend public school. As the Religious Education Director, Sister Julie is charged with the religious education of the latter group of students. She credits serving as an elementary school teacher with aiding the transition to directing the religious education program. She continued in that role until 2010 when she transitioned again into a ministry for senior parishioners called I Care. This ministry eventually transformed into Relax with God in 2015. The current program brings 100 to 125 parishioners aged 50+ together every three months for lectures, luncheons, and more. Sister Julie also assists in the parish with lectors, altar servers, funerals, and bringing communion to the sick parishioners of Curé of Ars. “I consider it exciting to be part of such a vibrant parish and thankful for being able to serve God’s people in multiple ways…I do what I love and I love what I do!”

P.R. Wreuster Murder

Have you heard of the P.R. Wreuster Murder of 1911?  It is a legend that has faded with time, but was once the talk of the town.

Picture of the murder victim from the December 28, 1911, Olathe Mirror

What started out to be a school assignment caused quite a stir in 1911 Olathe.  William “Pug” Ferguson, a student at the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas, was assigned to come up with an actual situation for a murder for his short story writing class.  Several students in this class all lived together in Lawrence.  They were sitting around discussing the class, each hatching their own murder scheme. Mr. Ferguson knew his plan was so good that he claimed it would bring the large city papers running within 4 hours.  He said anyone can write about an imaginary situation, but he wanted to be original.

William Ferguson, 1911 KU Yearbook
Source: Ancestry.com

1909 Senior Class from Olathe High School Source: Johnson County Museum Collection JoCoHistory.org

A graduate of Olathe High School in 1909, he found the perfect place for his scheme: the old abandoned Ott’s Mill.  The building was located on Cedar Street, not too far from the water works pond and Frisco Lake.  During Thanksgiving break, he enlisted Jim McKay, a high school friend, to help with his plan.  They took the blood from a Plymouth Rock rooster (hence the name P.R. Wreuster), and smeared it on the second floor of the structure.  Mr. Ferguson had previously snatched his sister Nanette’s hairpins, barrette, breastpin and a gold beaded necklace.  They placed these on the floor beside the blood, along with a blood-smeared pipe matted with hair.  They also positioned bloody handprints on the wall.  Upon leaving, they let the blood drip as they walked back down the steps.  The boys then went to the Olathe Mirror and wove a tale about the bloody evidence.  The newspaper man did not believe them and told them as much.  At this point the boys admitted to their experiment. They thought the matter was over, but later at Christmas, the building’s watchman came upon the blood.  He hurried to notify Deputy Sheriff E.G. Carroll (later known for the Bert Dudley lynching).  In addition to the Deputy, C.B. Little, the county attorney, rushed to the mill.  All Christmas Day, the deputy and a dozen assistants armed with long poles dragged lakes and ponds searching for a dead body.  They waded through icy waters and, of course, came down with colds the next day.   Shortly after the Sheriff’s office was notified, the big city papers, the Kansas City Post and the Kansas City Star, caught wind of the story and headed to Olathe.  Speculation was that the woman road the Strang line from the city before she was lured to the room and killed. She was then dragged down the stairs and thrown into one of the ponds. There was even an eyewitness to an unidentifiable couple walking by the mill at the time of presumed murder.

Ott’s Mill depiction of the 1874 Kansas Atlas
Source: Historical Atlases of Johnson County Collection JoCoHistory.org

Within 24 hours the murder mystery was solved.  The story of a murder hoax spread throughout the state.  Newspapers exploded with the story, Headlines read, “Boys Faked Mystery”, “’Murder’ At Olathe Work of U. Students” and “Planned Fake”.  When it was discovered that the blood was from a Plymouth Rock Rooster, the headlines started to get clever: “P.R. Wreuster of Olathe ‘Fowlly’ Murdered” and “Olathe Murdered ‘Miss’ Turns out to be a ‘Mr.’ Rooster”.  As if that wasn’t enough, there was a little newspaper rivalry going on between the local Olathe paper and the big city papers.  The Star claimed that the local newspaperman was deceived also.  The Olathe newspaperman was so incensed by this accusation that he printed a two-column front page story defending himself.  The young men were not prosecuted, but they both experienced notoriety afterwards.  Mr. Ferguson landed a job at the Atchison Champion before moving on to the Dallas Dispatch, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angles Record and the Los Angeles Examiner.  He was an early WWI pilot, and held a flying license with the army, the navy and the Marine Flying Corps.  While training in Florida it is said he fell 600 feet but sustained no serious injury.  Then he fell again 4000 feet in Tampa Bay, but this time spent four months in the hospital.

Professor Merle Thorpe, head of the journalism department at KU, denied there was ever such an assignment where students were expected to create an actual murder situation, they were only to create one on paper.

-Terri Bostic, Johnson County Library

Fun with Family at King Louie West

The Arts & Heritage Center’s 1^st Anniversary is on Sunday, June 10th. Come and celebrate anytime in the month of June! The Johnson County Museum, located inside the Arts & Heritage Center, is open Monday – Saturday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm.

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After visiting the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center last year at it’s opening, I had an episode of dejavu.

I had been to the building before, but it was completely different.  I hadn’t been there for fifteen years when my sons worked at the King Louie Bowling Alley and Ice Rink during their senior year of high school in 2002. They worked on weekends for gas money, and they said it was one of their favorite jobs.

King Louie West  Source: Johnson County Museum Collection JoCoHistory.org

One of the boys worked in the snack bar cooking up any kind of fried food you could order and the other worked in the little shop where you could turn in tickets for prizes. They made lots of people happy and were even able to get a discounted bowling ball. The rest of the family used to go over while the boys where working and go bowling.

One of the bowling balls the Kazmi boys bought while working at King Louie West. They were smooth balls so the owners could have custom holes drilled to fit their hand. Source: Melody Kazmi

This being near the end of the King Louie heydays I remember it being rather dark and considerably smokey-smelling. I remember it being very large, and usually not very busy when we went. Once my little girl even got to go down in the basement and go ice skating. I didn’t even know at the time that there was an ice skating rink down there!

It was the largest place of that type I have ever seen. Now that is has been renovated, cleaned, and made bright and shiny it has become a wonderful renewed source for the public to visit in a completely different capacity. But to me it will always be where my family and I spent some fun weekends bowling and skating and eating fried foods.

The Kazmi family, ca. 2002 Source: Melody Kazmi

-Melody Kazmi, Johnson County Library

Buddy the Deaf Dog

Your dog can sit, but can it answer its own fan mail? Can it play piano and wear a stylish cap? Buddy could!

Buddy answering fan mail in 1953 Source: Kansas School for the Deaf Collection JoCoHistory.org

“Buddy the Deaf Dog” was a touring stage act put on by Bob Parker and his famous performing dog Buddy.  Buddy and Parker made a splash in the 1950s, touring schools and stage events throughout the metro area and traveling as far as St. Louis. Buddy had total hearing impairment but, with some ingenuity and a lot of practice, the team were able to develop a series of tricks that were based on visual cues given by Parker. When asked how the two came to be, Parker claimed to have found Buddy wandering lonely on the plains of Kansas. He had a mean attitude and tried to bite Parker, but the two quickly became inseparable friends.

Bob Parker and Buddy Source: Kansas School for the Deaf Collection JoCoHistory.org

Buddy was particularly popular at Olathe’s Kansas School for the Deaf, where the duo performed a myriad of tricks meant to show that Buddy’s lack of hearing didn’t prevent him from excelling and learning new things. Some of Buddy’s best-loved tricks involved him writing letters, smoking a pipe, or joining Parker on the piano.

Buddy playing the piano Source: Kansas School for the Deaf Collection JoCoHistory.org

Buddy the Deaf Dog Source: Kansas School for the Deaf Collection JoCoHistory.org

The man behind the dog, Bob Parker, was born in 1899 as Parker B. Melluish in Ottawa, Kansas. Parker was a veteran of both World Wars, dropping out of high school to join the army at age 17. He fought in the Battle of the Argonne and was honorably discharged due to injury, at which time he joined the vaudeville circuit and toured the country as a song and dance man. When World War II arrived, Parker rejoined the service and took charge of theatre and entertainment for his regiment. He arranged USO shows, performed in variety programs, brought in the newest films, and was responsible for keeping up his company’s morale. He remained an active member of Olathe’s American Legion post and Veterans of Foreign Wars throughout his life. After World War II, he returned to Kansas and became a theater manager, touring with Buddy in his free time. He was a lifelong supporter of the Kansas School for the Deaf and continued his support long after he and Buddy had retired. Parker passed away in 1975 and requested that donations be sent to the school in his memory.

Postcard to Kansas School for the Deaf Source: Kansas School for the Deaf Collection JoCoHistory.org

 

“An Ideal Home in an Ideal Location with Ideal Surroundings:” Richard Hocker’s Suburban Developments in Merriam, Kansas

By the turn of the 20^th century, industrialization in Kansas City resulted in overcrowding, pollution, and disease. Looking to escape these less-than-desirable conditions, Kansas City’s upper-middle classes sought homes in new suburban developments in northeast Johnson County. The advent of the electric trolley led to “streetcar suburbs,” which made transit into downtown accessible and convenient.

One such suburban neighborhood was planned by Richard Weaver (R.W.) Hocker, who was a banker and real estate developer in Kansas City, Missouri. Envisioning early suburban development in Johnson County, the “R. W. Hocker Subdivision” was platted in 1910 for eight 5-acre lots. One of two houses originally built, the “Walker House,” was added to both the State and National Registers of Historic Places in March 2017.

This image from Google Maps shows the Walker House as it appears today at 5532 Knox Street.

The Walker House is a single-family dwelling built between 1906 and 1911 (the Kansas State Historical Society estimated 1910). The home, located at 5532 Knox Street, was built as a “spec house,” short for “speculative,” essentially serving as a model for the neighborhood’s intended development. The home’s first occupant was Mrs. Azubah Denham, the wife of Rev. B.Q. Denham. Rev. Denham was a popular pastor in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in the 1890s. Between 1904 and 1910, however, he had become infamous for adultery and indecency scandals in Buffalo and New York City. In 1911, Azubah Denham purchased the Walker House in her name only for $5,500 ($137,500 in 2015). In 1920, many working class families lived on less than $1,500 per year, so the home’s price illustrates the intended middle-class nature of Hocker Subdivision.

Architecturally, the Walker House is indicative of the Kansas City Shirtwaist Style, named for ladies fashion at the beginning of the 20^th century. Shirtwaist dresses included a seam at the waist where the material often changed. The Shirtwaist influence is evident in the Walker House: a single-floor local limestone exterior, an upper floor and a half of cedar clapboard, and flared gable eaves on the eastern face and one-story porch. Inside, original woodwork, including oak and pine hardwood floors, contribute to the historic character. The Walker House originally sat on a large 5-acre lot, but today occupies just .31-acres.

This excerpt from the 1922 Standard Atlas of Johnson County, Kansas, shows both of Hocker’s residential developments. The Walker House occupied Lot K, located in the upper right. (Johnson County Museum, http://www.jocohistory.org/digital/collection/atlas/id/138/rec/4)

Hocker also platted “Hocker’s Grove” in 1915. This neighborhood contained 1-acre lots for modest—but still middle-class—Craftsman bungalow homes. Just seventeen were originally constructed. Both neighborhoods were within a half-mile walk from the “Hocker Line,” an inter-urban, electric trolley that was speculated to extend from Kansas City to Lawrence and even Topeka (it reached as far as Mill Creek, to the east of Zarah, or about two miles west of I-435 today). By 1907, the trolley ran the the seven-and-a-half miles between Kansas City and Merriam. Residents could reach Union Station in 35-minutes, the intersection of 12^th and Main Streets in 45-minutes, and make connections to Kansas City’s urban trolley line along Southwest Blvd.

The Hocker Line Trolley Station near Merriam. This image appeared in the 1915 Hocker Grove promotional booklet. (Johnson County Museum, http://www.jocohistory.org/digital/collection/jcm/id/5594/rec/25)

Hocker promoted his neighborhoods with the slogan, “The Home For You.” A promotional booklet printed in 1915 testified that buyers would find “an ideal home in an ideal location with ideal surroundings.” The booklet indicated that the “modest, artistic homes in a restricted neighborhood” were equipped with natural gas, fronted on macadamized rock roads, and were located in “natural and picturesque beauty.” Buyers could take advantage of flexible deferred payment plans, as well. The “restricted neighborhood” wording communicated to white, middle-class buyers that the area was reserved as residential for a twenty-five year span, and that no African Americans could purchase or lease the homes there for 100 years. This developer’s tool of racial segregation, often referred to as a “deed restriction,” was used throughout Kansas City and Johnson County’s suburban neighborhood developments, as well as across the nation during the 20^th century suburban boom.

These Hocker Grove homes are located on the southeast and northeast corners of the intersection of Knox Street and Hocker Drive. Both streets were called “Avenues” in 1915. Image from the 1915 Hocker Grove promotional booklet. (Johnson County Museum, http://www.jocohistory.org/digital/collection/jcm/id/5595/rec/27)

An undated map of the route of the Hocker Line electric trolley. The trolley line followed the Frisco and Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad lines. (Johnson County Museum)

Both of Hocker’s neighborhood developments were located near Hocker Grove Park, a 40-acre amusement park that Hocker planned and built with O.M. Blankenship between 1907 and 1908. The park was located on Hocker Drive, north of Johnson Drive today. This amusement park featured roller-skating, dancing under a large pavilion with a Wurlitzer automatic band organ (the pavilion doubled as a basketball gym), and was the site of balloon ascensions, professional boxing matches, and picnics. Families rode the Hocker Line from Kansas City to enjoy picnics in the natural setting. There was also a 2,000-seat grandstand for watching baseball games, an extremely popular sport at the time. A “Trolley League” soon developed with six semi-professional baseball teams.

The Hocker Grove “Trolley League” baseball team, c. 1908. (Johnson County Museum, 1990.025.018)

A postcard image of the Hocker Grove Park skating rink, c. 1908-1915. (Johnson County Museum, http://www.jocohistory.org/digital/collection/jcm/id/11817/rec/30)

Hocker was not the only real estate entrepreneur working in the area. Increased real estate competition in and around Merriam at the time of Hocker’s developments may have limited the construction there. After all, despite the beauty and convenience of Hocker’s two neighborhoods, only 19 homes were built between them. William B. Strang’s competing interurban trolley line and his suburban developments, most notably Overland Park, were located nearby and were equally convenient, beautiful, and middle-class in nature. Hocker died in 1918, and his amusement park closed the following year. After more than a decade of financial difficulty, the Hocker Line trolley closed for good in 1934. By then the automobile had become accessible for Johnson County families.

In the century since the construction of the Walker House in the R. W. Hocker Subdivision and the smaller Craftsman homes in Hocker’s Grove, most of the empty lots have been built upon, the large lots have been subdivided, and many historic homes have been remodeled or razed. Yet it is still possible to discern the beauty of the location and, with Interstate 35 following the Hocker Line into Kansas City almost exactly, the convenience remains evident. Hocker’s suburban dreams for his neighborhoods nestled between Merriam and Shawnee have been thoroughly realized today, if not during his lifetime.

Path of the Shawnee

Living in Johnson County, Kansas, we see the name Shawnee all around us. Schools, streets, newspapers, neighborhoods and cities adorn the name. Our county’s namesake, Thomas Johnson, ran the Shawnee Indian Methodist Mission. The Shawnee were not originally from this area, so we pay our respect this Native American Heritage Month by taking a look at the path that led them to Kansas. It was not what we would call a voluntary path by any means.

According to the Shawnee Tribe’s official website, Shawnee are an Eastern Woodlands tribe. In Sauk, Fox and many other Algonkian languages the name for the Shawnee, Shawunogi, and its variants means “Southerners.” Before being forced west by European encroachment, the Shawnee lived in areas that include Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Tenskwatawa, a Shawnee who was strongly opposed to Indian removal and brother to the legendary Tecumsah. He was forcibly relocated from Ohio to Kansas. Image courtesy of the Kansas History Society.

In 1793, the Shawnee received a Spanish land grant near Cape Girardeau, Missouri and a large group of Shawnee headed west for that land. After the Louisiana Purchase, that land became property of the United States government. This prompted some of the Shawnee to leave and head even further west to Texas and Old Mexico. They are known as the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, and they later moved to Oklahoma.

For the Shawnee remaining in Ohio, the Treaty of Fort Meigs granted them three reservations in 1817. By 1824, there were 1,383 Shawnee left in Missouri and about 800 in Ohio.

Spanish Land Grant map from 1793. Courtesy of the Shawnee Tribe.

Not long after 1824, the Missouri and Ohio Shawnee would find themselves being forced out of their homes and onto 1.6 million-acres in eastern Kansas, part of which is now Johnson County. Relocation of the Ohio and Missouri Shawnee started in 1826. To begin cultural assimilation, missionaries were setup throughout the Kansas reservation, one being the Shawnee Indian Methodist Mission located in present day Fairway.

Girls at the Shawnee Indian Mission School. Photo Courtesy of KSHS.

By the late 1860s, the Shawnee would once again find themselves compelled to leave their home for several reasons. The 1.6 million-acre reservation had been decimated to 160,000 acres by the U.S. government after the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Shawnee were also antagonized by the settlers coming into Kansas during and after the Civil War. The Shawnee and Cherokee Nation were then forced into an agreement by the U.S. government allowing the Shawnee land and citizenship in the Cherokee Nation reservation in Oklahoma. It was not until the Shawnee Tribe Status Act of 2000 that the Shawnee Tribe was restored to its position as a sovereign Indian nation.

We didn’t address the fascinating history of Indian removal resistance that took place in Ohio or the Shawnee involvement in the War of 1812. Perhaps we can look into that another time.

-Beth Edson, Johnson County Library

Resources:

Howard, James. (1981). Shawnee!: The ceremonialism of a native Indian tribe and its cultural background. Ohio University Press: Athens.  

Kansas State Historical Society. Shawnee Indians. Retrieved from: http://kshs.org/kansapedia/shawnee-indians/19230

The Shawnee Tribe. History. Retrieved from: http://www.shawnee-tribe.com/History.html

 

In the Line of Fire, Part 3: The Trial

A cold snowy day, November 17, 1952, opened the trial of Merle William Martin, man of numerous nicknames including “Steve” and “Red.” People blowing hot air into their cold hands were seen hurrying into the brand new Johnson County Courthouse. Dedicated not a month earlier, this $985,000 building was for the next two weeks where the fate would be decided for the man previously known as the “pillowcase burglar” and murderer of Deputy Sheriff Willard Carver.

Johnson County Courthouse

Throughout a day and a half, 36 men were called in and questioned to be potential jurors. It finally dwindled down to 12. Many were excused because they did not believe in capital punishment, others for business reasons and some because they had knowledge of the case or were acquainted with persons involved.

County Attorney John Anderson indicated in his opening statement that ballistic tests proved the gun found in a vacant lot close to the apprehended Birmingham, Alabama, car was indeed the murder weapon. Deputy Sheriff Floyd Gaunt, Carver’s partner on the night of his homicide, was questioned for three hours describing the events of June 23. Others who testified included Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Van Schoelandt whose trucks were stolen, Mrs. Irene Bruce and Mrs. Moss Davis who identified stolen articles, Olathe photographer Guy Pierce who took pictures at the scene, and Mrs. Barth who initially called in the attempted theft of her car.

Fingerprints belonging to the defendant were found on stolen vehicles at the murder scene and in Birmingham.  When Roberta Rae Carter, Martin’s girlfriend, was called to the stand, all she replied was, “I refuse to answer the question on the grounds that the answer might tend to incriminate me.” Earlier Martin’s attorney, who visited Carter while she was incarcerated, tried to not include her as a witness, attempting to prove she was Martin’s common-law wife. This attempt was not successful.

Merle William Martin being lead to the courthouse

Martin’s attorneys used insanity as his defense. Three Psychiatrists testified throughout the trial, all appointed by Judge John L. Kirkpatrick. Two of the three psychiatrists found him sane and able to understand his position. The third psychiatrist found him to be suffering from a severe nervous disorder.

On Saturday, November 29, at 6:10 p.m., after deliberating only three hours and 40 minutes, the jury found Merle William Martin guilty of first degree murder, felonious assault, burglary and grand larceny. They recommended he be put to death. It was the first death penalty recommended by a county jury since the penal code of 1935 was enacted. After one stay of execution and another attempt, he was hanged by the neck on July 16, 1954. Before his execution he penned a letter taking full blame for the shooting: “Isgrigg did no shooting,” he wrote. He walked calmly and unaided to the gallows. The trap was sprung at 1:03 a.m., and he was pronounced dead at 1:16 a.m.

Three days after Martin was found guilty, Charles Wilford Isgrigg, Martin’s accomplice, entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.  After serving approximately 20 years, Isgrigg was paroled in 1973 and released from parole in 1975.  He died in 1981 in Joplin, Missouri.

Deputy Sheriff Willard Carver

Deputy Sheriff Willard Carver was a popular man. He served in World War II for three and a half years and was awarded the purple heart and a presidential citation for action during the Normandy Beach invasion. In 1949, he joined the staff of the Johnson County Sheriff’s office, and at the time of his death he was a sergeant. Also at the time of his death he was in the running for the Republican nomination of Sheriff.

-Terri Bostic, Johnson County Library

Resources:

Johnson County Archives

http://law.justia.com/cases/kansas/supreme-court/1953/39-055-0.html

https://news.google.com/newspapers