The LHS Newsletter Archive

Volume Eleven, Issue Number 3

Originally Published in Lecompton, Kansas : Fall 1985 Digitally Archived August 2006

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'-../ sat!' ~aet~VOL. 11 No.3 FALL 1985LECOMPTON, KANSAS

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HENRYHIATT, A KANSAS PIONEER

Henry Hiatt was born in WarrenCounty, Ohio, December 30, 1815. Hisancestors were English Quakers, who forpurposes of rel i gi ous freedom, leftEngland for Holland, but when theirchildren began speaking the Dutchlanguage instead of English, returned toEngland. In 1690 they decided toemigrate to Pennsylvania in the NewWorld. They ultimately were part ofWilliam. Penn's Philadelphia QuakerCo1ony. They di d not bel i eve in armedconflict, but were deeply loyal to theirnew country so when the Revo1uti onaryWar erupted, they did their part bycaring for the sick or wounded soldiers.

~With such a background, it was strangethat Hiattt would decide to go to Kansasin 1856 where there was almost constantconfl i ct. However, he felt a strong

pioneering instinct and desired to liveon the frontier. He was living inIndiana when he decided to move toKansas. He had a small house preparedin sections in Cincinnati, Ohio thatcould be loaded on a river boat, broughtdown the Ohio, to the Mississippi, upthat ri ver to the Missouri, and thenceto Kansas City, where it was unloadedand freighted to Bloomington, Kansas.This was probably one of the first"pre-fab" houses erected in Kansas. Hehad hi red hi s 1i vestock dri ven toKansas, so he was well settled when theyarrived.

He lived in Bloomington for severalyears, operati ng a saw mi11 with twopartners. Later, he decided to sell hispart of the saw mi11 and move to TwinMound to start a gri st mi11, which heoperated for a number of years. Whileliving there his first wife died and hemarried again. He had eleven children.

Whenthe mill burned, the stones of thegrist mill were salvaged and used tomark Hiatt I s grave when he di ed at ageei ghty-fi ve.

Doris Hiatt Matney, hisgrand-daughter furnished the "BaldEagl e" staff witn a copy of hergrand-father's memoirs which werewritten for the State Historical Societyand are part of their collection. Theyhave given us permission to print thefollowing material in our "Bald Eagle".It is reproduced the way Hiatt wrote it.

Prepared by Sara WalterIllustrated by Ellen Duncan

HIATT'S LETTER

Twin Mound, KansasJune 2, 1893

F.G. Adams, Esq.Sec. State Historical SocietyTopeka, Kansas

Dear Sir:

Your communication of January 12was duly received, but have delayed,having doubts of my ability to recollectcircumstances and dates transpiring morethan one third of a century since, thatcould at all interest the reader oftoday. It is true I witnessed and wascognizant of many exciting and sometragi ca1 deeds duri ng my fi rst two orthree years residence in Kansas, some ofwhich you doubtless have on record.

I arrived in Kansas on the 26th dayof April, 1856, in company of P.R.Berkau and Subel Swain. We settled tenmiles Southwest of Lawrence, at a placesince called Bloomington, laying betweenthe historic stream Wakarusa on theNorth, and Rock Creek on the South. Weselected that locality on account of theabundance of 1arge and val uab1e ti mberon those streams for sawi ng. We inpartnership, engaged in constructing oneof the 1argest saw mi11sever bui 1tinthe State, under the firm name ofBerkau, Hiatt & Swain.

While engaged in construction ofsai d mi11, we were annoyed more or 1essby border ruffians, in the interest of,and worki ng for the i nsti tui on ofs 1avery, in small squads and companiesof from 50 to 500 or more. My firstannoyance was runni ng the gauntl et inhauling overland from Kansas City myhousehold goods, cottage house, and oursaw mi11 machinery, as our di rect roadwas infested by a gang of some 50 or 60armed ruffians, encamped six miles Westof Kansas City, and for two weeks werethe terror of most who travelled thatway, especi a11y those goi ng West. Somewere plundered, robbed, and their horsestaken, their wagons and harness probably1eft by the roadsi de. My fri endsadvised me not to go, to risk my lifeand team. The latter I would surelyloose, but I told them I never carri edarms, and would gi ve them no cause tomisuse me, besides we were needing ourmachinery.

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So I started with two teams: one oxand one horse team, my twelve year oldson (Alpharus Hiatt) driving the oxteam. When we arrjved at the IndianBlue Jacket Hotel, about half way toKansas City, we found a man who had losta pair of horses. He was awai ti ng theacti on of the Governor, to whom he hadwritten for assistance to reclaim hishorses. We arrived at the city next daywithout di sturbance from the ruffi ans.When our wagons were loaded, the KansasCity merchants warned me of the dangersof passing their camp, as those leavingthe ci ty with suppl i es were objects oftheir lawlessness. But we went outwithin two miles of their camp, where westopped an hour to rest and graze ourteams, where there was a well at aBapti st Church. While there, the camp(having been routed by the Governor)came marching up, and halted to drink atthe well, where they lounged around forhalf hour before starting for Missouri.I mingled with them freely, andendeavored to hi re a couple of them tohelp in the construction of our mill. Ifound them pleasant and sociablefe 11ows, who, under more favorablecircumstances would have been goodcitizens. My load consisted of a sheetiron smoke stack, 45 feet long, and 2

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feet in di ameter, fl atened at one endwith a s 1i ght angl e, to stand on thefurnace, gi vi ng it the appearance of ahuge musket or cannon. On my way home Imet fi ve ruffi ans, each armed with acarbine, two revolvers and a largebowie-knife. They were returning from amaraudi ng tri pin the Terri tory. Had Ibeen at all frightened, I would haverecei ved rough treatment. As soon asthe leader was near enough to speak, hebegan sweari ng as none but a ruffi ancould, saying I had the D biggestcannon he ever saw. IIYes, siree,1I Ireplied, IIjust give me enough ammunitionto load it, and I can do up the wholebusiness at once. II After a big Hah Hah,he said, IIBy G , that would kill everydamn abolitionTSt in the state at oneshot. You can qO on. yOUare a11 ri qhton the goose. II, and feel i ng sure I wasthoroughly pro-slavery, allowed me to,pass unmolested.

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Soon after thi s a company of some50 border ruffians took possession of ahouse parti ally forti fi ed in front by astone fence, some three mil es di stantfrom my residence, on the high prarie ofWashington Creek (Fort Saunders, nearwhat is now Lone Star) which was 1i nedwith hundreds of acres of brush andyoung timber, affording large facilitip.sfor hiding or escape. They remained inpossession of said house for a month ormore, in July and August, 1865, doing1i ttl e or no mischi ef that I nowrecollect, until they were visited by aMajor from Massachussetts, who wasstoppi ng in Lawrence. Have lost hi sname (David Star Hoyt) though he wasfrequently a guest at my house, andbeing a Free Mason, he believed he couldvi si t thei r camp and be permi tted toleave without injury, and doubtlesswould have succeeded if all at the camphad been Free Masons. But he wasfo 11owed by two or three who murderedhim, and partially buried him within ami1e of the camp, where he was foundthree days 1ater, and brought past myhouse, where I saw, but could notrecognize him. The neighbors wereimmediately aroused, and some 400 men,armed, were soon enroute for the camp,led by General Lane, determined topunish the' murderous invaders of theTerri tory, but the guards were on the

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lookout, and saw Lane's armyapproaching, and vacated the house withthe greatest possible celerity, anddispatch, leaving behind themprovi si ons, muskets, trunks, robes andblankets, in the house and scatteredthrough the thick brush, under cover ofwhich they were permitted to escape.

Before sai d camp was routed, oldJohn Brown of Harper's Ferry notoriety,stayed at my house overni ght. Certai nrumors just recei ved, 1ed our mill i ngcompany to anticipate an attack thatnight from said camp, but our fears wereall ayed by the presence and advi"ce ofold Mr. Brown, who said he would show ushow to make a substantial fortificationin twenty minutes, by rolling intoproper place a few larqe saw logs in ourmi11 yard, behi nd which three or fourmen armed with loaded shotguns ormuskets coul d defend the place againstattack.

About thi s time a few of myfree-state neighbors went across theWakarusa in the night, about threemiles, and drove and butchered a threeyear old steer, out of a herd belongingto a pro-s 1avery man, soon after whichanother party of free state nei ghbors,among them A. Curti s, who was once amember of the legislature, and Elex E.Love, went after night to the house ofan elderly woman, being alone, (herhusband having been a member of thefirst Territorial Legislature, electedby the Missourians, named G.W.Ward, andwho under press of exci tement had 1efthi s wife and home to seek protecti onelsewhere) ordered her out of the house.On receiving her positive refusal, they

threw her beds and household furni turein a pi 1e on the floor, and set it onfire, first selecting for themselvessuch articles of bedding, etc. as theycould carry away. The lady of thehouse, powerless, witnessed the burningof all her effects, walked slowly milesaway to the house of some fri end forshelter and protection. The burning wasfo 11owed up by p1underi ng and carryi ngoff a11 the chi ckens and butcheri ng apig or two in the pen, and the only cowin the lot, also dividing into a shareapiece his green corn in the field. Thelatter, however, was suddenly yieldedto

the owner on his return in time togather it in the field.

I was indignant at such criminalacti ons, and more so becauseperpetra tors set up for themselves ahigher standard in- favor of a freestate, one step in advance of the South.Other property was stolen, other housesburned, by free state persons, all ofwhi ch tended more or 1ess to thwart theefforts of those honestly 1abori ng forfreedom, tempered wi th justi ce andcorrespondingly strengthing the hands ofthose laboring to extend the institutionof slavery.

In the latter part of August, 1865,the road through which Lawrence obtainedher supplies from the river were blockedby border ruffians, so it becamenecessary for me to go to Lecompton forflour. Arri vi ng there at noon onSaturday, I found the town full ofborder ruffi ans. Someone spotted me,and I was made prisoner in half an hour,and thrust into a, low tent wi th half adozen others previously arrested. Onthe first night of our confinement, oursituation was the most critical. About11 P.M. we were surrounded by 15 or 20ruffians, about as rough a set offreebooters as could be found, and theywere goi ng to have it. Thei r objectdoubtless was to tear the tent from overus, and drag the prisoners into thebrush, rob us and murder us. Our guard,who was a small Kentucky Iri shman, wasarmed with a double barrel shot gun, arevolver and bowie knife, and was equalto the ocassion. His fearless pluck andcourage, mingled with oaths, was rarely,if ever equaled.

After remaining two nights inLecompton, the whole army, some 500 men,marched south in the di recti on of myhouse, some six miles, being full halfway, which alarmed my wife and millpartners, causing them to pack in trunksand boxes the more val uab1e householdgoods, and bury them in the cornfield.Whilst encamped in the latter place,General Stringfellow and ColonelRoberts, one of his officers, had aquarrel which came nigh terminating in aduel, on account of their scouts havingburned six of the best farm houses along

the road. Stringfellow endorsed,Roberts condemned the burni ng, stati ngthat he came with his company of sixtymen for the express purpose of putting astop to the burni ng of houses by freestate people, and if their party werepermitted to do the same thing, he wouldtake his men and go home, which he didwi thout delay, reduci ng the numbers inthe camp, and leaving them badlydi scouraged. After three days campingin the country, the balance of the armyin charge of their prisoners returned toLecompton on Friday by a differentroute.

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Soon after arri va1, General lane,with some 400 armed men, was seenapproaching the town over the prairie.Many of the border ruffi ans were badlyscared, but most of them were ready forthe fi ght under the protecti on of thebasement of the new Capi to 1, and othersuch hiding places as they could find.Of the seven pri soners, two, i nc1udi ngmyself, were immediately di scharged, oncondi ti on that we shoul d joi n nei thersi de in the approachi ng battl e. Themanner in which the National Guardintercepted General lane, and preventeda fight, is doubtless on record.

As soon as I learned there would beno fight, I returned to see Capt.Hampton, who was in charge of theprisoners, and who had souncermeoniously released me an hourprevi ous, to obtai n hi sassi stance inreclaiming my team still in posessionand claimed by the man who had mearrested. On arri val I found some 300ruffi ans who were most anxi ous to ki 11somebody, formed in a hollow square,wi th a man counti ng them, and ColonelTitus on horseback in the ringharanguing them preliminary to a pursuitof General lane. Captain Hampton sawand came to me, whispering in my ear toget back to my room, immediately, as Iwould not be safe there a minute, but asthose seeking abolitionist blood wereall in the ri ng, I was not recogni zed,and permi tted to escape. On 1eavi ng, Imet Colone 1 Richardson, commander, who1i kewi se charged me to get back to aplace of safety so I was placed incustody for the ni ght wi th otherprisoners taken near leavenworth, and

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who had not been released.

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In the morning, while marching fromour pl ace of confi nement some 100 yardsto our breakfast, two others and myself,a border ruffian was only prevented fromshooting one of us by the bursting of agun cap. Acti ng Governor Woodson atonce ordered him across the river.Through the efforts of Capt. Hampton, Iregained my team with a shower of abusefrom the man cl aimi ng it, to offset forthe loss of ponies he said abolitionistshad stolen from him. I arrived homewith my flour on Saturday evening,having been retained a prisoner oneweek.

P.S. I find in looking over what Ihave written. that it is mostly personalmatte~, h~ving little or no interest tothe general reader. I f there is anyi terns worthy of noti ce, a11 ri ght,otherwi se throw it asi de. I have beeninexcusably behind in promptly writting.

Yours truly,Henry Hiatt

~ GARCIA REMEMBERSLECOMPTON

The following communication was receivedfrom Joe Garcia in January 1984 inresponse to a request to the alumni ofLecompton High School to become involvedin our historical society. As itcontai ns much hi story, the wri ters forthe Bald Eagl e now present it to thei rreaders in hopes that more formerresi dents of Lecompton wi11 send thei rrecollections of their Lecompton life tous to share with our readers.

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"I Joe Garcia, when three yearsold, moved with my family from Beeler,Kansas in 1922 to Lecompton, Kansas. Mydad, Thomas Garcia, Sr., worked for theSanta Fe Rail road. Before moving toLecompton, he had been transferred tothe Wichita, Kansas roundhouse to workon engines. Being an outdoor person, herequested secti on work and so wastransferred to Lecompton. We 1i ved inLecompton from 1922 to 1945 when myfather was transferred to Lawrence,Kansas.

I When World War I I broke out fi veof us boys, Joe, Leon, Frank, ThomasJr., and Si 1veri 0 went into the armedforces. We had a11 been schooled andra f sed in Lecompton. I graduated fromLecompton Rural High School in June1937. I joi ned the Mari nes in 1942 andreti red from the U.S. Mari ne Corps in1972, after 30 years of service.

I When we moved to Lecompton, therailroad rented the Old Rowena Hotel forus until they could build us some housesby the railroad depot. I attendedLecompton grade school in the red brickbuilding on the south side of thestreet, and attended High School in theone on the north side. We used the LaneUniversi ty buil di ng to set up the woodshop, auto mechanics, and blacksmithshop between 1933 and 1937.

'A few of the people I knew inLecompton were:

Russell Schon, Sr.-butch~r shopNed Day-general storeJohn Taylor-Mayor, depot agentMrs. Cottrell-telephone operatorCalvin Maust, Sr.-doctorMr & Mrs Kreider-banker, W.C.T.U.John Lewis, only black manMr & Mrs Harvey Glenn- hog & cattle

farmer & teacherMarion Lasswell-horse traderIke Hartrup-shoe repair, goat milkMr & Mrs Wingfield-residentMr & Mrs C. Gibbens-orchardMr & Mrs Michael-residentThe White family-Ronald, Wina, James,

and EsterThe McRae family-sectionThe Traynor family-sectionOld Man Greer-lived next to grade

schoolMr & Mrs Starr Glenn-farmerMr & Mrs George Bahnmaier-farmer, and

Harvey Glenn's sisterMr & Mrs Herb Reynolds-farmerMr & Mrs Hall-depot agentMr & Mrs Dark-farmersMr & Mrs Jerry Schmitt, Sr.-MayorMr & Mrs Anderson-farmerMr & Mrs Morris-farmerFrank Walter-postmasterMr & Mrs Sutton-farmerMr & Mrs Brass-Stull farmersMr & Mrs Sulzer-farmersThe Harris family-elevator

The Sehon family-farmerThe Norwoodfamily-farmerThe Slavens family-postmaster

Other remembered fami1i es areGrandstaff. Shisser. Wilson. Brass.Goodri ch. Smith. Everet. Traxl er.Goodrick. Wes Crady. Wilson. Boydston.Dunn. Holmes. Foru. McClannahan. andWhipple. Some of my grade schoolteachers were Mrs. Everet. 1st and 2ndgrade; Miss Birtchinger. 3rd and 4thgrade; Mrs. Hanna. 5th and 6th grade.and Clarence Smith. 7th and 8th grade.My High School teachers were V.J.Cramer. Pri nci pa1; Miss Bruner. musi c;Mr. Smith. shop and math; MissWeatherby. bookkeeping ~nd algebra; Mr.Li nkl i tter. physi caT- educati on; MissBishop. Engl ish; and Miss GraceMarshall. typing.

II attended the Lecompton MethodistEpiscopal Church. then the LecomptonUnited Brethren Church. Rev. Stone waspastor at the time. Then with the helpof Mr. Bill Granel of the post office. Ijoi ned the Catho 1i c Church. Later Ijoined the Baptist Church at Ottawa.Kansas. At present I belong to theBaptist Church. no set church. just thenearest one to me when I travel or athome here in Riverside. California.

II took part in all athletics in highschool and grade school at Lecompton.

II was a committee man. assistantScout Master. Scout Master. Commissionerfor the scout troop. Monta Vista.California. a commissioner for theOrange County Scout Empire Counci 1 forseven years. I spent 30 years.1942-1972. in the U.S. Marine Corps(Master Sergeant). I fought inW.W.II-South Pacific. Korea. and Vietnambefore I retired.

I Myparents were the only Hispani cfami ly in Lecompton--Mr and Mrs ThomasSimona Garcia. Sr."

Prepared by Iona Spencer & Sara Walter

SOCIETYNEWS

Thi s has really been an exci ti ngsummer for the Lecompton Historical

Society. Many unique and complimentaryevents have occured which have promotedLecompton and the Lane Universi tyMuseum. One of our goals has been tomake the ci ti zens of Kansas aware ofthe historical significance ofLecompton at the state level as well asnationally. This is beingaccomplished. thanks to your dedicationand support.

June 29th was an historic day. as. Lecompton. for one day. had a post

offi ce substati on located in the LaneUniversity Museum. The specialcancellation stamp of Lane Universitywas a tremendous success. OurPostmaster Janice Rake and AssistantPostmaster Marie Traxler made over3.000 cancellations and we profited$464 from the sale of 408 specialcachets and other souvenir items. Thecachets were stamped with collectorstamps .provided by Glenn Kappelman.The Lecompton Post Office receivedrequests from 32 states and Belgium.Thanks to Jani ce Rake. Ell en Duncan.Glenn Kappelman. Marie Traxler. DonShockey. and you our faithfulvolunteers who helped sell the itemsand act as tour gui des for over 700visitors to Lane University on thatday.

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Territorial Day was once again asuccessful day. Thanks to ConnieRobertson. President and Evelyn Willis.Secretary-Treasurer and their volunteercommittee for making possible thiscelebration. Proceeds this year wenttowards the construction of a waterfountain in Rowena Park. The fountainwas designed and built by Eddie Smith.It looks great! Next year TerritorialDay will be June 28th. Maxine Dark isto be congratulated for engineering ourmost profitable ice cream social todate. We cleared nearly five-hundreddoll ars. Thanks to all of you formaking ice cream cakes or volunteeringto work at the event. We couldnI t doit without your support.

Thanks to the suggesti onconcerning the need for a chair lift byAll i e and Herman Banks. one has beeninstalled between the first and secondfloors. The 1ift cost $2375 and isbeing put to good use during the hours

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we are open. The Lecompton Histori ca1Society is accepting donations for thismuch needed equi pment. We appreci ateall those individuals who have donatedtowards this project.

Another milestone has been reachedby the Lecompton Historical Society.We now have 614 members and a 1i femembership of 298. Thanks to ourenergetic membership chairman IonaSpencer for all of her and your effortsin attaining this goal. [Editor1sNote: How many historical societies doyou suppose have memberships exceedingthe population of their hometown?] Ournext goal is 700 members. If you knowof anyone who might be interested injoining this progressive historicalorganization please tell Iona.

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The Lecompton Post Office now hasa magnifi cent 9 by 6t foot muralpainted by Ellen Duncan. PostmasterJani ce Rake suggested the idea whichmay be one of a ki nd in post offi cesacross America. The mural depicts mainstreet in Lecompton in 1905. Ell enused old photographs and interviewswith Herman Banks and Faye Glenn tohe1p develop the vi sua 1 concepti on ofdowntown Lecompton at the turn of thecentury. It was a great idea and" a jobwell done. This project was supportedby individuals, businesses &organizations and donations are stillbeing accepted.

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The curators have spent the pastthree months placing artifacts given tothe museum for display. One newdisplay panel contains originalspeeches made by various United StatesSenators and Representatives concerningLecompton in the 18501s. Thi s panelqi ves an i ndi cati on of the importantrole Lecompton played in the Civil Warhistory of the United States. Thesespeeches were donated by Ray Gieseman.We have received overwhelming publicacceptance of all the outstandi ngadditions to our museum this year.Thanks to David and Darlene Paslay,George and Arloene Simmons, DorothyShaner and Opal Goocirick for thecreativity which stimulates interest inthe museum.

We continue to have various toursfrom different parts of Kansas. If youknow of a group or organization thatwould 1i ke to tour a fantasti c museumplease contact Sara Walter at 887-6267.All of our special tour guides andthose of you who work on Sunday do agreat job promoting the museum andLecompton.

The foll owing programs areannounced by program chairman JuliaSpringer. September 12th: Carol Harveyfrom the Consumer Protecti on Divi si onof the Attorney General s Offi ce wi11discuss "Small Claims Proceduresll.October 10th: Mrs. Gean Snedegar,President of the Douglas CountyGeneology Society will discussproceedures to trace family history.November 14th: Mary Jane Hamilton,retired from the K.P.L. Home EconomicsDivi si on wi11 present humorous skits.December 12th: Michae 1 Beers, pi ani stwi1'1 present a Chri stmas program ofsongs and music. Also we will have ourannua 1 group pi cture. These are allexcellent programs. We hope to see youat our meetings.

The following weddings will orhave taken place in our beautiful LaneUniversi ty Chapel thi s summer: RobertaFlowers to Kevin J. Zirkle on June15th, AmyBunce to Max Baumgart on July3rd, Vesta Mathes to Samuel Lecuyer onAugust 3rd, and Brenda Stansell toShawn Morris on September 28th.Contratulations and best wishes tothese couples.

Lane Universi ty recently recei veda three piece communion set whichbelonged to the St. Lukes EpiscopalChurch in Lecompton during the 18501s.This set had been preserved in theGrace Epi scopa 1 Church i n Topeka andwas presented to us by Don Chubb amember of that church. This setcompliments the melodian from the samechurch in Lecompton that was gi ven bythe John Hoad Family last fall. Thanksto Daisy Wingfield for the contact withthe Chubb family.

Thanks to the following people formaking items to be sold in our souvenirshop or volunteering their help in

other ways. Iona Spencer for the dolldresses; Ruth Ice for the key chai nsand bookmarks, Mae Holderman for thebutterflys; Don Wright, Dick Hubert,Denzil Hackathorn, Mae and WallyHolderman and Dorothy Shaner for mowingaround Lane University; Charlie andlone Paslay, David and Darlene Paslay,Dorothy Beatty, Maxine Dark, OpalGoodri ck, Sara Wa1ter , George andArloene Simmons, Jeff Bird, Matt Birdand Paul Bahnmaier for cleaning LaneUniversi ty . Daryl Colton and GeorgeSimmons for installing the telephone inthe lower level that was donated byDaryl Colton.

The following items have beencontri buted duri ng the past threemonths to our outstanding collection ofartifacts in the Lane UniversityMuseum. It is through the efforts ofthese donors and those of you in thepast that have donated time, artifactsor made monetary contributions thathave made thi s an outstandi ngorgaization. Serving bowl by EthelGathereole and Dorine Johnson from theLeah and Joseph Glenn home; newsarticle by Rachel Larson; picture ofGovernor Stanton1s Home by O.K.Webster; antique mesh lady's eveningpurse given by Duane Robison;territorial news items and informationby Ray Gieseman; Plumb Geneology byEvange1i ne Page; fami ly stori es ofHannah Louisa Huff Snodgrass andMabeline Belcher Cain by Donald Cain; a1etter by Thurman Edmonds wri tten byhis Aunt while a student at LaneUniversity; hand tooled centennial beltby Walter Stauffer and wedding pictureof Mr. and Mrs. R.M. Grey by GraceDark; bill fold by Grace Hatcher;McClanahan Family and school pi cturesby Norma Jane Winburn; July 2, 1863Vicksburg Daily Citizen newspaper byJani ce Rake; butter paddl e by HaroldMilliken; Lane University Dairy by MaryAtkins Hambleton used. by herGrandmother Isabella Leaverton while astudent; christening dress used in 1870from Kenneth and Ester Matney; story ofthe stained glass windows in the churchby Daisy Wingfield; unique candleholder and other items by Herb andAudrey Rogers; fox muff and neck piece,beaded moccasins and jacket worn by

Ibba Staufer and rattl e snake by JoeStaufer; newspapers containingPresident Eisenhower's death andanti que waffl e iron by Ross andMargaret Wulfkuhle; Star School pictureby Homer Wulfkuhle; two empire stylechai rs by Earl and Frances Hupp; and adictionary stand by Christine Kraft.

Christine Olson presented theLecompton Historical Society with atranslation of the "Journal of the CityCounci 1 of the City of Lecompton fromits Reorganization". The book contains253 pages of minutes from 1888 to 1903.This was a time consuming effort and issomething we are very proud to have inour museum. Christine is the daughterof Ed and Pauline Baughman Dionne.Thanks to Chri sti ne for provi di ngsomethi ng that will be of greatinterest to many people.

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Still to come is the Civil WarDairy written by the grandfather ofWilma Morri s. Thi s wi11 be pub1i shednext year and will provide aninteresting insight into the dailylives of those who fought in the bloodystruggle between the states. Plan toadd this to your list of readingmaterials when it become available nextyear.

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The new format for the Bald Eagleprovided by Howard Duncan has made thebest historical society newsletter evenbetter. The recent article aboutGovernor Gear.y was repub 1i shed in thestatewi de pub1i cati on "Kanhisti que" .Thanks to Ellen Duncan, Iona Spencerand Sara Walter for providing ourmembership with a most informativenews1etter . Thei r efforts to provi dethis organization with a written recordof past historical events will besomething future generations willforever be grateful.

Paul Bahnmaier

THE GRASSHOPPERRIVER

The Indians or Native Americansliving in this area had named the riverslong before the arrival of the whitenewcomers. The rivers wereparticularily important both as a

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transportation mode and as geographicalreference points. In some cases theFrench trappers preserved the names bytrans 1ati ng them. Such happened with ari ver very near Lecompton. The Frenchcalled it the Soutrelle which was theirtranslation of the Indian name forGrasshopper. The early Kansans did not1i ke to pronounce the French name and

gave it the English translation ofGrasshopper. A community on this riverwent by the name Grasshopper Falls.With the later grasshopper plague~ thesenames fell into great di sfavor. Thestate legislature converted these namesto Valley Falls and the Delaware River.

Howard Duncan

DEATHS OF MEMBERS

the following

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We regret to reportdeaths of members:

Howard R. Harshberger~ 74~ diedJune 8~ 1985 in Lawrence. He was bornJuly 24~ 1910 at Mont Ida~ Kansas theson of Ferdnan and Maud ReedHarshberger. He was a Member of theUnited Methodist Church in Mont Ida anda faithful member of the historicalsocei ty. He was known for hi s 1eatherwork and has a picture of a Bald Eaglemade of leather on display at LaneUniversity. He married Ruth Wilson andshe survives. Also surviving are threesons~ Richard~ Gary and DaleHarshberger; and six stepsons Merle~Jerry ~ Charl es ~ Donald ~ Lauren and

Daniel Lamb. Burial was in Maple GroveCemetery at Lecompton.

Jeanne Winter Brass~ 89~ diedApril 29~ 1985 at Medicine Lodge~Kansas. She was born January 22.~ 1896in Lecompton the daughter of MiltonRichard and Louise Heise Winter. Shemarri ed Wi11i am Howard Brass November12~ 1918 in Lecomptonand they movedtosouth central Kansas in 1931. She wasa skilled business partner in the Brassranch and auction business. Mrs. Brasshad a wide range of homemaking talents~educational involvements and was awoman of immense faith and was agrateful participant in churchacti vi ti es. She is survi ved by threesons: Wi11i am~ Robert and James Brassand three daughters: Elizabeth Goforth~Mary Corliss and Barbara Henkels~ and asi.ster ~ Lee Gress. Buri a1 was in theHighland Cemetery~ Medicine Lodge.

THE LECOMPTONHISTORICALSOCIETY~ Lecompton~ Kansas 66050 is a non-profitcorporation for the preservation of Historical Sites. We are eager for continuedmembership and new members!

Individual membership is $2.50 per year~ from December to December. Lifemembershipis $50 per i ndi vi dua1. Contri buti ons are tax deducti b1e. Checksshoul d be made payable to the Lecompton Histori ca1 Soci ety ~ and mai1ed to Mrs.lona Spencer~ R.R. #l~ Lecompton~ Kansas 66050.

(Please clip and mail with your check)

$2.50 Annual Individual Membership--- $50 Individual Life or Memorial Membership--- Other Contribution $

Name Address

City Sta teI

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Zip Code

Note: If your name or address is not correct as shown on this copy of your BaldEagle~ please let us know.

MEMBERSHIPREPORT

Iona Spencer

New Life Members:

Evelyn (Houk) ConferClement A. (Butch) SchmittRuby (Rist) GrammerMildred B. (Chiles) LesterHarvey & Faye (Todhunter) GlennOlin K. Petefish

The following were made Life Members bythei r parents and grandparents, Me1vi nand Virginia (Wilson) Confer:

Marvin & Dianna (Confer) Grandstaff& daughter, Dana Lynn GrandstaffDenna (Confer) Grandstaff Johnsonand daughters, Shelley Renae andLeah Marie Grandstaff

Memorial Life Members:

J.W. & EmmaKreider by Una KreiderErvan J. (Robbie) Robison by hisson Duane RobisonAlbert G. & Anna (Noll) DeKat bychildren, Arolene & George Simmons,Lavina Hanna and RomanusJohn Neuschafer, Sr. by hi s wifeJosephine Neuschafer

Our many thanks for the abovecontributions and we would like tomention our new young members:

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Shelley GrandstaffLeah GrandstaffDana GrandstaffDouglas WingfieldLeticia Wingfield

We now have 614 members, which does notinclude our Memorial members of 39.Life members and Memorial members nowtotal 298.

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President - PAUL BAHNMAIERHistorical Writer - SARA WALTERTypesetter - HOWARD DUNCAN

Editor - ELLEN DUNCANGenealogical Writer - IONA SPENCER

Illustrator - ELLEN DUNCAN

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Published byThe Lecompton Historical SocietyLECOMPTON, KANSAS 66050

Address Change Requested

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S.POSTAGE PAID

Lecompton, KansasPermit No.1

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