Newsletter - Summer 2018

Hello, members and friends of CCHS:

I trust that you are keeping as cool as possible with the early heat in June.

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the workings of the CCHS Board of Di-rectors.

The twelve board members meet once a month for a regular board session. Special meetings or committee meetings can be called at any time.

The board is a working board, and everyone serves on a committee or two. Board members are also expected to take desk/greeter duty as often as one weekend day a month. The officers are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers are elected once a year.

Work is always in progress in the office with our museum director, Shawn Stover, and in the archives under the direction of Janet Hostetter.

The Building and Grounds committee is a very important one, and Hal Hinson and his commit-tee do very well. Other working committees are Membership, Oral Histories, Publicity, Events and Yearly Exhibits, Room Exhibits, Website, and Research.

Last year, through many fundraisers, we were able to put in a new parking lot and sidewalk. New trees and a beautiful garden were also planted.

Engraved bricks can be purchased to honor or memorialize special people. These bricks are in-stalled along the sidewalk.

Cowley County Heritage, Volume II will go to the publisher soon; it can still be purchased for a short time. The book committee has worked countless hours on this project, and are doing a great job!

This is not all that happens at the museum, but it should give you an idea of our many activities. The museum is always in need of volunteers.

I am personally very proud of the board, and will soon have served on it for seven years. My, time does fly when having a rewarding time. It is gratifying to work towards our goal of “Preserving the Past for the Future”.

Our president, Rick Hathaway, resigned from the board on May 29th. We will miss his guidance, kindness, and humor. Best wishes to him and Debbie as they start a new journey in life. Happy, healthy, and safe trails, dear friends.

As a result of this resignation, we now have a opening for a board member with a possible second position in the fall. If any of you members or friends of CCHS would like to be considered for a board position, please contact me at 221.2616, or call the office at 221.4811.

Have a nice summer.
Cheri Nichols

Voices From the Past-Civil War Era

Despite the Kansas heat, Voices From the Past on June 10 and 11 was a resounding success! We want to thank every-one who worked so hard to create such a special event. We also appreciate that so many of you bought tickets and attended.

Photos by Gloria Ulbrich: Clockwise, upper left: Roger Moon portraying L.F. Johnson; Jimmy Coyne, Brad Beeson, Stephen Markley; Katrina Tamsen portraying Julia Rosella Whaples Price Hopkins; Bill Mueller portraying H.H. Siverd; Brian Pekarek; some young re-enactors.

To Give Away
We have free material that we will to give to anyone who will come and get it. First come, first serve. No holds, please.

From the Frankie Cullison Archives by Shawn Marie Stover

I’ve been asked what used to be at the NE corner of 9th Ave. and Fuller Street before the building that is currently being razed (pictures at right taken on June 4 & 5, 2018). I love it when I am asked questions that I can answer. I will try to keep my explanation short and let the photos do the talking.

That corner had been the site of the Central Public School. It was first built in 1872. It went through several additions before it looked like this picture (shown at far left) taken in 1886 by photographer H. Beck.

In 1891, the monument was added to remember Thomas Morgan’s act of heroism in at-tempting to rescue a drowning boy.

In 1910, a new high school was built on the block directly east of Central School. Andrews Street was closed off between 8th and 9th Ave. to make the land between the schools continuous. The high school was added onto again in 1916 and 1923. The picture below is from the 1922 high school year book.

Eventually, the Central School building was no longer needed. The Winfield Daily Courier dated September 2, 1926, stated that the “old Central has become a discarded unit of the Winfield public school system.” The next month, the school board was considering bids for the building’s demise.

The picture at below and at the left appeared in the Winfield Daily Courier on February 16,1948. The lot must have stood empty and been used for various school events until 1951 when construction on the Vocational Building began (pictures below are from the 1953 high school year book).

This is what I know, and I know it all because of our archives. Visit our archives; we keep them for everyone!

The Cowley County Historical Society dates from 1931 with a major reorganization and move to our present location in 1967. The CCHS's mission is to preserve and make available the colorful history of the county. We also support and encourage activities pertaining to local history throughout the county. Our bookstore makes available an assortment of items dealing with local history. The historical society also maintains a fine collection of historical records and vintage photographs.

Fundraisers

The drawing for the Sunflowers Quilt by Janice Rhodes will take place at our annual meeting on October 14th. Tickets are on sale at Graves in Winfield and at the museum. The cost is $1 for one ticket, or $5 for six tickets.

On Thursday, September 27th, we will host a dinner at Baden Square, and our speaker will be Larry Hatteberg. Keep watching our web site, Facebook page, and the newspaper to find out when we will be selling tickets. You may also call the museum.

Cowley County Heritage, Vol. II Book Update —NOW is the time to order!!!

We are working hard to get this book done. We need to send it to the printers by the end of August so we’ll have the books for Christmas. We must to have all pre-orders by Friday, August 24th, so we will have accurate numbers as to how many books will be printed.

We appreciate your patience and support during this project!