KANSAS HISTORY AND LIFE Exhibit Homepage
My research project is over early historical depictions of agriculture in Kansas 1887. I am trying to figure out if farms in the historical atlas of Kansas truly represented agriculture; did the farmsteads, livestock, and crops really look like the…
This study examines the role of the Kansas Central Railway in promoting small towns in northeast Kansas. Although ultimately failing in its charter, the KCR was critically important for tiny settlements. Research is based on legal sources, railway…
This paper is an in-depth documentation of where Kansas falls into the grand scheme of photography as the trend of hobby photography swept across the nation and the globe. This is accomplished by examining the different kinds of cameras that were…
This study analyzes the cases of smallpox in Clay County, Kansas, between the years of 1900-1925. Evidence suggests proactive prevention methods were used to limit and eventually eradicate Smallpox. Data and information is drawn from county disease…
Orchid Ramsey was a small-town African American girl born in 1910. She went on to marry Leon Jordan, a prominent Kansas City Civil Rights activist, and take over his position in Missouri’s General Assembly for sixteen years after his assassination.…
With Germanic and possibly surviving medieval European culture ways implanted in Pottawatomie County, a shared rural slaughterhouse in early Westmoreland provides clues. From oral accounts only, the author locates the site of the original…
This essay examines the military career of William Henry Harrison McCall, a typical Union officer in the American Civil War. Once the conflict ended, McCall participated in one of the most famous engagements with hostile Indian warriors in American…
The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is immortalized in Junction City, Kansas, by the grassroots efforts of both individuals and the community, in an annual celebration, marches, and a memorial park. This study was made possible using sources from…
This bio-essay focuses on the life of George Earl Adams, Sr., a veteran of WWI who returned to farm the family land in Brush Creek Township, Atchison County. George Adams left a legacy of committed military service and family and civic values,…
This study includes maps of the country, information from books and online articles as well as photographs and diagrams of homes. The I-House was an early form of architecture throughout the History of the United States. This home migrated with the…
This project analyzes the role of local Kansas ordinances in enforcing larger, national laws; it also makes connections between ordinances and community values, showing that different geographic regions in the state had different levels of ordinance…
This paper details the life of Morgan Snyder, from Clay Center, Kansas, with a focus on his baseball career. Most of the sources and material are courtesy of his nephew, Mr. Roger Mall, whose assistance made this project possible.
This paper covers the history of the Beefalo in Kansas, a cross of between the Bison bison and domestic cattle. It explains the reasoning for breeding the two animals to make genetic progress. Extensive scientific and popular literature sources were…
If we are fortunate in life, we may make a discovery that alters the face of human existence and society. The Historic Redmon Postcard Collection is not one of those discoveries. But nonetheless, it does provide a unique insight into early 20th…
This study uses two Justice of the Peace record books to correlate patterns in early Wabaunsee Co., crime rates with major regional and national events. The results of this study show spikes in crime rates following events that put strain on the…
This is a study of baseball in the early twentieth century and the diversity within town teams in Kansas. Research reveals that several Kansas towns housed African-American and women’s teams. This paper is based on fieldwork, journals, books, and…
This paper explores the history of the Kansas Fever Exodus of 1879 and profiles four African American farmers in Wabaunsee County: Franklin Glass, Daniel Swagerty, W. B. Officer, and George Rodman. Contrary to the common historical narrative, many…
This exhibition covers the history of The Clay Center Library Club, based out of Clay Center in Clay County Kansas. The Club was a charter of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and were responsible for many efforts to promote education, service…
Among the 713 newspapers in print in Kansas in the 1880s, a single short-lived newspaper provides insight into political shifts and battles in small towns. The Firebrand newspaper in Clay Center provided inflammatory rhetoric for a single year, also…
This study focuses on the impact that Dr. Dechairo’s Hospital had on the town of Westmoreland Kansas. The hospital was very advanced for its time and the doctor who ran it was entirely focused on his community. Research was performed at Rock Creek…
This paper explores the history of Kansas State University's Black Student Union, which was founded in 1968 by black K-State athletes as a site of solidarity in a time of social upheaval and racial progress. The author analyzes the founding of…
