CONTENTS
As summer draws to a close, the Historical Society records another
busy season of accomplishments and projects. The first Ice Cream Social since 1997 was a
success thanks to the efforts of many people and businesses. The Museum is now equipped
with three new water hydrants that will prevent water from dripping on the restored
porches (thanks to McCann Plumbing and Heating!) The water lines and hydrants were paid
for by a grant from Hallmark Cards, Inc. We will be having exhibits and speakers at the
Riverfront Community Center for Riverfest September 9 & 10. Soon we will begin Living
Museum for the schoolchildren. Then comes the Fall Lunch & Learn and the Holiday
events capped off with the Christmas Candlelight Tour on December 10 as a busy year at the
Carroll Mansion passes into history.
On July 19 the Historical Society received notification of a grant award in the amount of $3,469.00 to assist the Museum in cataloguing and printing some of the glass plate negatives in the Everhard Photo Collection. The Kansas Humanities Council is the grantor. They stated in the award letter that "Our reviewers were very excited by the nature of your collection, and enchanted by the images submitted with the grant application. Their only ‘complaint’ was that the Society is too modest about its collection, and could do more to get the word out about this treasure. We suggest that you consider making this collection known to a statewide and perhaps even a national audience through press releases and the eventual development of a touring exhibition, a digital library, etc." The Historical Society appreciates the support of the Humanities Council with their funding and technical assistance. We view this as a pilot project that, when completed, will enable us to pursue larger grants with a proven track record of accomplishment in the advancement of this large collection.
We are very grateful to acknowledge the generosity of Fred Jameson of Topeka, who in late June made a donation of $10,000.00 to the Everhard Photo Collection. This gift will make it possible to further the cataloguing and inputting of the negatives and prints into the Past Perfect Museum Software. This will make them accessible by name, photographer or other keywords. As we continue work on this enormous collection, your help, either financial or in volunteer hours, are necessary. The cost of printing one contact print is $2.25. We have more than 35,000 negatives to be printed. We have a long way to go but we’ll get there with your help. Again many thanks Mr. Jameson!
Your wandering administrator spent the 12th to the 19th of August in Rochester, New York attending a seminar "Preserving Photographs in a Digital Age" cosponsored by the George Eastman Museum and the Image Permanence Institute of the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Among the attendees at the seminar were staff members from the Smithsonian Institute, American Museum of Natural History, Twentieth Century Fox Studios, Notre Dame University,
National Park Service and museums from Alaska, New Mexico, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and of course, Leavenworth, Kansas. The course work focused on the preservation of photographs and negatives and the digitizing of photographic collections. The networking with other museums possessing photo collections was invaluable. It was also interesting to see where the other Anthony (Susan B.) lived.
For anyone interested in preserving family papers, photos and documents, a new book is available in the Museum Gift Shop. "Keeping Your Past", published by the Kansas City Area Archivists, has the answers to many problems affecting our mementos. It explains how chemical, temperature and humidity can cause papers to deteriorate and what you can do to control these problems. Not only does the booklet identify the causes of deterioration, but it discusses recommended procedures to slow down the rate of damage.
P.S. The Cataloguing Committee is requesting that members bring the cardboard tubes under your rolls of gift wrap to the museum. We need them to wrap acid free paper and Mylar around.
On July 30 the Museum hosted the Ice Cream Social on a beautiful summer Sunday. We estimate attendance at between 200-250 people. Local officials served Stovall’s Homemade Ice Cream and delicious pastries donated by our members. The Henry Leavenworth Antique Car Club brought an old time atmosphere with their historic vehicles. Tim Daniels, the Banknotes, and the Community Band provided appropriate music. Wal Mart donated a gas grill worth $180.00 for the grand prize of the Historical Trivia Contest won by J. Biringer Miller of Leavenworth. A good time was had by all and the Museum netted $967.04. Special kudos to board member Gary Bradley who headed the Ice Cream Social Committee.
Many thanks to the following:
Donors and Sponsors
Volunteers
INFORMATION REQUESTS AND GENEALOGY by Wanda Holder
Information requests continue to be received in volume. Some of the more interesting ones answered in the past few months: A person inquired about the death of a relative in Leavenworth. Items in the "Leavenworth Times" revealed that he had murdered a woman over an unpaid debt and then committed suicide. Sometimes when you pursue genealogy you learn things about your family that you might have preferred not to know.
A happier response could be given to a woman asking about members of her family who might have resided in Leavenworth. We found seventy-one family members at Mount Calvary Cemetery.
Another person was convinced that her relative had been an instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. All that we could document was that he gave music lessons at his home.
Also of interest: we researched the history of the Statue of Liberty at City Hall; we provided authentication regarding the architect of the First Baptist Church.
We received one research request from the Microsoft Corporation.
A challenge to our expertise was a request that was written in Spanish. One has to be able to understand the question before it can be answered.
Jane Gies
The Carroll Mansion has an urgent need for volunteer help. We need docents to guide people through the building. We can use people to help with mailings (folding and stuffing envelopes). In the month of August, we had only staff to handle visitors on eleven of the twenty-five days that the Museum was open. Volunteers help the Museum staff utilize their time in the pursuit of balancing accounts, calculating and writing checks, grant writing, etc. If you can give us just three hours per month, we will train you to do whatever task you wish to undertake. Bring a friend and do it together.
Your last chance to win a Victorian Dinner for eight at a vintage Leavenworth home is fast approaching. Tickets will be on sale at the Men’s Waiting Room in the Riverfront Community Center on Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th. There are also two tickets enclosed with this newsletter which you can clip and redeem prior to the drawing on the evening of Sunday, September 10. Don’t miss this opportunity for an unforgettable evening!
| From | For |
| Judge & Mrs. Arthur J. Stanley | Marie Robarge |
| Brother Robert A. Holt | Margaret Russell |
| Brother Robert A. Holt | Lloyd Sundet |
| Tony Baker | Eugene Wentworth, Sr. |
September 9 & 10--Riverfest: Book signing and Exhibits at the Men’s Waiting Room at the Riverfront Community Center
October 20--Autumn Lunch & Learn: "Preserving Your Family Treasures" at the Museum
November 26--Children’s Holiday Party at the Museum 1-4p.m.
December 1--Membership Appreciation Party at the Museum 5-8 p.m.
December 10--Christmas Candlelight Tour 2-8 p.m.
Mark Bureman, Museum Administrator
* Grey Ink, Designer
The Historical Society Gazette is published quarterly for members of the Leavenworth
County Historical Society and Museum
Send comments/suggestions to:
[email protected]