99 10 1856 http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/bd043aa025fae053d29ae859e5ca254a.jpeg 1e94498bb0a527af3f24b01930e9e19a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Agricultural History Subject The topic of the resource Farming/Ranching Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Description An account of the resource Rossville is fortunately situated in many ways—we are near a large city, Topeka, but far enough away to retain our own identity; we can be considered a bedroom community to Topeka since so many residents commute to work to the larger city; we are just north of the Kansas River and enjoy the fertile “Kaw River Valley,” which has benefited agriculture in our community since its very beginnings. From the early days, Rossville Township was blessed with fertile creek and river-bottom land, combined with the upland, which consisted of bluestem grass. The early settlers broke and cleared the bottom lands and part of the upland prairie. The settlers of the 1860-70s began farming and found the soil fertile and productive. However, the task of clearing the timberland and breaking prairie sod must have seemed insurmountable. Corn and wheat, the main crops, and cattle, hogs and other livestock-raising, became the basic agriculture of Rossville township. Many of these early farmers came to Kansas seeking land. They traveled by ox cart and wagon before the railroad went through, following the Oregon and other trails. Settlers bought land from the Santa Fe Railroad or from members of the Citizen Potawatomi Band, who were selling their allotment land. The first mention of early agriculture in Rossville comes from Dr. Gabbey’s account, written in 1886: “The Pottawatomi as a tribe never took kindly to agriculture, four or five acres in corn was a large field. Their fields were usually cleared up from the edge of the timber along the streams, as the Indian had little use for the Prairie kind.” One account gives the cost of prairie in the early days from $2.50 to $4.00 per acre. Lumber was worth from $25.00 to $39.00 dollars per thousand feet. Oxen cost $100.00 a yoke, mules from $100.00 to $200.00, horses $75.00 to $150.00, sheep $2.00 a head and chickens 25¢ each. Masons and carpenters received $2.00 to $3.00 per day in wages. Wheat was worth $1.50 per bushel and flour $4.50 per hundred pounds. From newspapers of 1877: “New corn brought in for shipment is getting 18¢ to 20¢ and corn huskers have been in demand at $1.00 per day and board; 2.5¢ per bushel thrown on the ground or 3.5¢ in the crib.” “Mr. Lambert James, a farmer living a few miles west of town has this season manufactured 1,500 gallon of sorghum molasses, which he readily disposed of at 50¢ per gallon.” But challenges persisted for early settlers. Although this was an extremely desirable area for agriculture and the raising of livestock, it was not possible for the early settlers to procure manufactured goods from the East without paying an extremely high freight bill. It was also impossible to ship their grain and produce economically. River freight was tried but the Kaw River often times did not have enough water to make shipping dependable so the answer to this problem was the railroad. Rossville’s answer came May 18, 1866, when the first train passed through the town. Corn was the main crop and early editors gave much space extolling its excellence. Corn cribs were numerous along the south side of the railroad tracks and on the east side of north Main. A water powered grist mill was located on Cross Creek north of town. Mulvane Bros. built a steam powered mill south of the railroad tracks. One of the earliest farmers was Henry Ford, who acquired 80 acres southwest of Rossville in 1864. His wife was the former Mary Nadeau, who came to Rossville from Indiana in 1862. Henry Ford came to Kansas in 1863 and was a stage coach driver for the Overland Stage Company between Topeka and Manhattan. He met his wife at “Buttermilk Station” where she worked for her brother, Big Alex Nadeau. While working to clear their land of timber and build a log house, they lived in one room of a three room house, west of Cross Creek, north of the old Oregon and California trails. The other two rooms were occupied by Dr. and Mrs. R.S. Gabbey and Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Higginbotham. After the Fords moved into their log cabin, Mrs. Ford often rode horseback nine miles with her baby to the mission in St. Marys. The first flowers she had to plant by the cabin were given to her by the nuns at the Mission. Another early farmer, John DeGraff settled south of Rossville in 1865. He and his wife, the former Frances Navarre, lived in a small dugout until their house was built. The following is a list of early farmers: Name | Year to Rossville | Origin Archibald Abbott 1870 Kingston, Canada West Joseph Andrews Westmoreland County, Pa. W. Thomas Andrews 1879 McKay, Ohio Joseph Beseau 1875 Monroe County, Michigan John A. Bond 1872 Tyler County, W. Virginia William Bond 1873 Tyler County, W. Virginia John DeGraff 1865 James DeVinney 1880 Ross County, Ohio Benjamin Franklin 1869 Ross County, Ohio John Fritz 1877 Somerset County, Pa. Martin Hass 1877 Richland County, Ohio Henry Kassabaum 1877 Brookmell, Prussia T.J. Kiernan 1868 Elzey E. Kinsey 1877 Ohio Henry Lipp 1868 South Germany Isaac McCollough 1873 Holmes County, Ohio R. McCollough 1878 Holmes County, Ohio Michael O’halaron 1880 Samuel Oldfield 1878 Derbyshire, England S.J. Oliver 1876 Edward Partelow 1868 Newport, Kentucky Thomas L. Ross 1882 Cincinnati, Ohio M.M. Standley 1874 Carroll County, Indiana Bennett Swearingen 1868 Meigs County, Ohio Isaac B. Trostel 1877 Perry County, Pa. Frank Van Vleck 1878 William Wax 1878 Juniata County, Pa. Daniel Wilt 1876 York County, Pa. Henry York 1869 Zurich, Switzerland Peter H. Zickefoose 1874 Highland County, W. Virginia Samuel Beals 1867 E.S. Doud 1869 W.L. James Wm. Kirkpatrick 1871 Frank L. Sanders John Heslet Noel Graves W.W. Janes J.K. Conley 1870 Yates County, New York Startup, Ab Thomas Attebury 1877 George Hejtmanek 1880 Wisowitz, Moravia, Austria D. Hartzell 1872 Francis E. Williams 1876 New York Captain John Gutshall Col. A.S. Stanley 1880 Meigs Co., Ohio Martin Nason 1872 Jos. Van Vleck 1878 M.L. Cless 1876 B.W. Higginbotham 1861 Thomas Moss 1877 J.M. Parr Clay Co. Indiana J.A. Parr Clay Co. Indiana H.W. Lipp 1878 Illinois Samuel B. Zickefoose 1869 West Virginia Mrs. Jane Jackson 1875 Scotland Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 1959 4-H Rock Springs Ranch Camp, County & State Fair, Meetings, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource June 18, 1959 Shawnee County 4-H’ers attended camp at Rock Springs Ranch, State 4-H Center, June 7-10. Attending from Rossville 4-H were (back row) Linda Kelsey, Carol Adams, Carla Rasch, and Sandy Taylor. This camp session was for 4-H’ers of 14 years or older. 4-H’ers from Franklin, Leavenworth, Douglas, Johnson, Jackson, Osage, Douglas, Jefferson, Anderson, Wyandotte, Miami and Coffey counties were also represented at the camp session. Shawnee county 4-H’ers under the age of 14 will camp at Rock Springs June 21-24. July 2, 1959 Shawnee county 4-H'ers under the age of 14 camped at Rock Springs Ranch June 21. There were also 4-H'ers from Brown, Johnson, Doniphan and Douglas counties who camped at this time. Nine 4-H'ers from Shawnee county.who were elected as group leaders at Rock Springs are pictured. They are Jim Miller Bob Howell, Karen Carlin Sherry Kelly, Cheryl Hiller, Charlotte Schell, Billy Ciskey, Ronnie Conroy and Susan Nadeau. Three of the group pictured are Douglas county 4-H’ers and two are from Johnson county. August 13, 1959 The 4-H Fair is in full swing and Rossville Club is collecting first place ribbons. The Garden Booth under the leadership of Mrs. Ethelyn Lynde won a first again this year. The livestock judging team composed of Gene and Dean Davis and Sharon Davsi [sic Davis] was also a first place winner. These were only two of Rossville's high winnings at the end of the first day of the fair. ROSSVILLE 4-H CLUB MEETS by Jane Zickefoose Rossville Rustlers 4-H Club held their regular monthly meeting at the Community Center August 17 at 8:00 p. m. Roll call was answered by "What I Learned in 4-H". Every member of the club turned in a record book at the meeting. The program was as follows; Jant [sic Janet] Parr gave a project talk. Donna Reser gave a demonstration on Lawn Mower Safety. Debrah Patterson gave a safety talk on "Have Fun on a Bicycle." Charlotte Olejnik played two accordion numbers "Rangers' March" and "Sail Along Silvery Moon". Refreshments were served by the Stiles, Harper and Miller families. WINS IN WOODWORKING August 27, 1959 Tim Lynde, who it was reported won a top award for woodworking judging at the 4-H Fair, did not compete in the judging. But he won a top blue on a piece of woodworking exhibited at the fair in the over 14 years division. He also received a red ribbon on another refinished piece and one white ribbon. SIX ROSSVILLE 4-Hers TO STATE FAIR September 24, 1959 Six members from Rossville 4-H Club participated as judging teams representing Shawnee County at the State Fair in Hutchinson this week. Sharon Reser and Linda Kelsey were on the "Meats" judging team Monday morning; Linda Kelsey "Home Improvements" team on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Jane Zickefoose participated on the "Clothing" teams; Dean and Gene Davis on the "Livestock" teams; Douglas Kelsey on the "Crops" team. Rossville also had a number of exhibits entered at the State Fair. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights reserved Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0678 http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/0dbb24e71d47d6a272c4d2518ac2a186.jpeg 8db44b86d5ea1590ad14b85b77b2427d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Agricultural History Subject The topic of the resource Farming/Ranching Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Description An account of the resource Rossville is fortunately situated in many ways—we are near a large city, Topeka, but far enough away to retain our own identity; we can be considered a bedroom community to Topeka since so many residents commute to work to the larger city; we are just north of the Kansas River and enjoy the fertile “Kaw River Valley,” which has benefited agriculture in our community since its very beginnings. From the early days, Rossville Township was blessed with fertile creek and river-bottom land, combined with the upland, which consisted of bluestem grass. The early settlers broke and cleared the bottom lands and part of the upland prairie. The settlers of the 1860-70s began farming and found the soil fertile and productive. However, the task of clearing the timberland and breaking prairie sod must have seemed insurmountable. Corn and wheat, the main crops, and cattle, hogs and other livestock-raising, became the basic agriculture of Rossville township. Many of these early farmers came to Kansas seeking land. They traveled by ox cart and wagon before the railroad went through, following the Oregon and other trails. Settlers bought land from the Santa Fe Railroad or from members of the Citizen Potawatomi Band, who were selling their allotment land. The first mention of early agriculture in Rossville comes from Dr. Gabbey’s account, written in 1886: “The Pottawatomi as a tribe never took kindly to agriculture, four or five acres in corn was a large field. Their fields were usually cleared up from the edge of the timber along the streams, as the Indian had little use for the Prairie kind.” One account gives the cost of prairie in the early days from $2.50 to $4.00 per acre. Lumber was worth from $25.00 to $39.00 dollars per thousand feet. Oxen cost $100.00 a yoke, mules from $100.00 to $200.00, horses $75.00 to $150.00, sheep $2.00 a head and chickens 25¢ each. Masons and carpenters received $2.00 to $3.00 per day in wages. Wheat was worth $1.50 per bushel and flour $4.50 per hundred pounds. From newspapers of 1877: “New corn brought in for shipment is getting 18¢ to 20¢ and corn huskers have been in demand at $1.00 per day and board; 2.5¢ per bushel thrown on the ground or 3.5¢ in the crib.” “Mr. Lambert James, a farmer living a few miles west of town has this season manufactured 1,500 gallon of sorghum molasses, which he readily disposed of at 50¢ per gallon.” But challenges persisted for early settlers. Although this was an extremely desirable area for agriculture and the raising of livestock, it was not possible for the early settlers to procure manufactured goods from the East without paying an extremely high freight bill. It was also impossible to ship their grain and produce economically. River freight was tried but the Kaw River often times did not have enough water to make shipping dependable so the answer to this problem was the railroad. Rossville’s answer came May 18, 1866, when the first train passed through the town. Corn was the main crop and early editors gave much space extolling its excellence. Corn cribs were numerous along the south side of the railroad tracks and on the east side of north Main. A water powered grist mill was located on Cross Creek north of town. Mulvane Bros. built a steam powered mill south of the railroad tracks. One of the earliest farmers was Henry Ford, who acquired 80 acres southwest of Rossville in 1864. His wife was the former Mary Nadeau, who came to Rossville from Indiana in 1862. Henry Ford came to Kansas in 1863 and was a stage coach driver for the Overland Stage Company between Topeka and Manhattan. He met his wife at “Buttermilk Station” where she worked for her brother, Big Alex Nadeau. While working to clear their land of timber and build a log house, they lived in one room of a three room house, west of Cross Creek, north of the old Oregon and California trails. The other two rooms were occupied by Dr. and Mrs. R.S. Gabbey and Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Higginbotham. After the Fords moved into their log cabin, Mrs. Ford often rode horseback nine miles with her baby to the mission in St. Marys. The first flowers she had to plant by the cabin were given to her by the nuns at the Mission. Another early farmer, John DeGraff settled south of Rossville in 1865. He and his wife, the former Frances Navarre, lived in a small dugout until their house was built. The following is a list of early farmers: Name | Year to Rossville | Origin Archibald Abbott 1870 Kingston, Canada West Joseph Andrews Westmoreland County, Pa. W. Thomas Andrews 1879 McKay, Ohio Joseph Beseau 1875 Monroe County, Michigan John A. Bond 1872 Tyler County, W. Virginia William Bond 1873 Tyler County, W. Virginia John DeGraff 1865 James DeVinney 1880 Ross County, Ohio Benjamin Franklin 1869 Ross County, Ohio John Fritz 1877 Somerset County, Pa. Martin Hass 1877 Richland County, Ohio Henry Kassabaum 1877 Brookmell, Prussia T.J. Kiernan 1868 Elzey E. Kinsey 1877 Ohio Henry Lipp 1868 South Germany Isaac McCollough 1873 Holmes County, Ohio R. McCollough 1878 Holmes County, Ohio Michael O’halaron 1880 Samuel Oldfield 1878 Derbyshire, England S.J. Oliver 1876 Edward Partelow 1868 Newport, Kentucky Thomas L. Ross 1882 Cincinnati, Ohio M.M. Standley 1874 Carroll County, Indiana Bennett Swearingen 1868 Meigs County, Ohio Isaac B. Trostel 1877 Perry County, Pa. Frank Van Vleck 1878 William Wax 1878 Juniata County, Pa. Daniel Wilt 1876 York County, Pa. Henry York 1869 Zurich, Switzerland Peter H. Zickefoose 1874 Highland County, W. Virginia Samuel Beals 1867 E.S. Doud 1869 W.L. James Wm. Kirkpatrick 1871 Frank L. Sanders John Heslet Noel Graves W.W. Janes J.K. Conley 1870 Yates County, New York Startup, Ab Thomas Attebury 1877 George Hejtmanek 1880 Wisowitz, Moravia, Austria D. Hartzell 1872 Francis E. Williams 1876 New York Captain John Gutshall Col. A.S. Stanley 1880 Meigs Co., Ohio Martin Nason 1872 Jos. Van Vleck 1878 M.L. Cless 1876 B.W. Higginbotham 1861 Thomas Moss 1877 J.M. Parr Clay Co. Indiana J.A. Parr Clay Co. Indiana H.W. Lipp 1878 Illinois Samuel B. Zickefoose 1869 West Virginia Mrs. Jane Jackson 1875 Scotland Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 1959 4-H Judging School, Parents Night, Meetings, Rossville, Kansas Description An account of the resource ROSSVILLE 4-H MEMBERS ATTEND JUDGING SCHOOL by Jane Zickefoose April 30, 1959 Sharon Davis. Zora Wade and Jane Zickefoose attended a 4-H Home Economics Judging School at Lawrence, Kansas, Saturday, April 25. The girls judged seven classes and practiced using the written reason sheet. In the afternoon the girls enjoyed a style show featuring the latest spring and summer fashions. These Junior Leaders are expected to teach what they've learned to the younger members of the club. Three girls from each club in Shawnee County were invited to attend the school. Johnson, Franklin. Douglas and Wyandotte Counties also participated at this school. ROSSVILLE 4-H CLUB NEWS by Jane Zickefoose January 29, 1959 Rossville 4-H Club held its regular meeting January 19. Roll call was answered by an interesting fact about Alaska. It was announced that a Foreology I meeting will be held January 28 in the Kansas State Teachers Assn. Bldg. Also, the next regular 4-H Club meeting will be judged as a model meeting. The club voted to have the members drinking water checked as our health project this year. Project leaders for the year are as follows: Woodworking, Mr. Jack Patterson; Home Beautification, Mr. and Mrs. Walt Preble; Home Improvement, Mrs. Howard French and Mrs. Scott Kelsey; Livestock, Mr. Gerald Reser; Tractor Maintenance and Entomology, Mr. Scott Kelsey; Beginners Clothing, Mrs. Francis Davis and Mrs. Harley Hieland; Beginners Foods, Mrs. Joe Gresser; Advanced Foods, Mrs. Harold Reser and Mrs. Gerald Reser; and Advanced Clothing, Mrs. M. C. Rasch and Mrs. Frederic Zickefoose. The program was as follows: a song, "America the Beautiful” led by Lois McCoy; a home improvement demonstration on "How to Make Your Furniture Gleam Again" by Linda Kelsey; a health demonstration on" How to Use Simple Bandages" by Ginger Shannon; music appreciation" on "Barney Kessel" by Amy Jones; and Penny Rae gave a safety talk entitled "Safety With Electrical Appliances". ROSSVILLE 4-H CLUB by Jane Zicktfoose May 21, 1959 The May meeting of the Rossville 4-H Club was held May 18 at the Community Center. Annette Biswell, junior president, called the meeting to order. The Junior officers presided. Mrs. Marvin Davis passed out ribbons the club members won 4-H Day. The program consisted of the following: project talk on clothing, Laura Stiles; demonstration on entomology by Douglas Kelsey; demonstration on clothing, Carla Rasch; music appreciation on Mendelssohn, Carol Adams; health talk on the heart, Shirley Taylor; vocal duet by Sandra Taylor and Lilly Reser accompanied by Carol Adams and Sharon Davis led the club in recreation. An advanced sewing meeting will be held .May 25 at Donice Davis's starting at 7:30 p.m. ROSSVILLE 4-H INITIATES NEW MEMBERS by Jane Zickefoose February 19, 1959 Rossville 4-H held its regular monthly meeting February 16. Roll call was answered by a fact about Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. Eight new members were initiated into the club. Those initiated were Anna Sullivan, Diana Mitchell. Diane Ewing, Miles Preble, Linda Parr, Charlotte Olejnik, Connie Bahner and Debrah Patterson. 4-H JUDGING SCHOOL FRIDAY July 23, 1959 A,home economics judging school will be held in Rossville Friday, July 24, at 1:30 p. m. in the Community Center. The program consisted of the following: a foods project talk by Carolyn Gresser, a music appreciation talk on Elvis Presley by Annette Biswell, a health talk giving some rules of good health by Artie Campbell, a safety demonstration on artificial respiration by Sharon Reser, a home improvement demonstration on decorations with driftwood by Sharon Davis and for other program Albert Miller asked Linda Kelsey to play a number on her accordion. She played "My Happiness." Sharon Davis led the club in two games for recreation. Rossville 4-H Club was happy to have Yvonne Bowen, Don Conroy and Sue Eslinger, 4-H'ers from other clubs, present to judge our meeting. SHAWNEE COUNTY REPORTER Thursday, March 19, 1959 Page 10 CLUB NEWS ROSSVILLE 4-H HAS PARENTS NIGHT by Mrs. Christina Zickefoose The regular meeting of the Rossville 4-H Club was held March 16. Since it was Parents Night, the mothers of the officers presided at the meeting. Irene Davis called the meeting to order and Faye Kelsey acted as secretary. Roll call was answered by "Your Ambition in Life." The following announcements of meetings were made: a Learning to Sew meeting after school March 23, a Gardening meeting after school March 19, a Woodworking meeting at 7:30 p.m. March 20, an Advanced Sewing meeting Monday, March 23, at Elsie Rasch's home at 7:30 p.m. The program for the evening was as follows: a song, "America the Beautiful," led by Mrs. Donice Davis; a project talk entitled "My Childs Project" by Mrs. Wanda Parr; a foods demonstration, "Hav-a-banana," by Mrs. Letha Reser; a music appreciation talk on Chamber music by Mrs. Ellie Jones; a safety talk on fire by Mrs. Elsie Rasch; a health talk on poisons by Mrs. Donice Reser; a Conservation talk an the use of the Chinese Rose by Mr. Scott Kelsey; and for other program, Mrs. Dollie Heiland asked Carolyn and Beverly Davis and Sandra Heiland to play an accordion trio. Donice Davis led the recreation with balloon popping. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights reserved Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0679 http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/90b2648cc88864f52bab046b8ba830cc.jpg 0dcb03a7a241d7c31d8f767d34598eb9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Friendly Circle/Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) minutes from 1963 Description An account of the resource January 24, 1963: The Friendly Circle Class met Wednesday, January 16th at the home of Mrs. Stella Page with a covered dish luncheon at noon. Mrs. Amy Meade was the assistant hostess. The day was spent quilting. Those present were Georgia Lambert, Iva Stitt, Ethelyn Ferguson, Ida Pauley, Myrtle Colcher, Vida Whitney, Minnie Givens, Bess Conley, Amy Meade, Stella Henderson, Mary House, Mable Bruce, Esther Mansfield, Mildred Page and Roger and Ella Whearty. ------------------------------------ April 4, 1963: The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Stella Page with Ethelyn Ferguson and Iva Stitt as hostesses. The day was spent quilting. Those present were Ruth Page, Stella Henderson, Bess Conley, Amy Meade, Golda Cottle, Vida Whitney, Esther Mansfield, Linda Barney, Minnie Given, Mildred Page and Roger and Mary House. ------------------------------------ April 25, 1963: The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Ruth Page. The day was spent quilting. A lovely covered dish luncheon at noon was served to the following; Esther Mansfield, Amy Meade, Minnie Givens, Myrtle Colcher, Mrs. Hickey, Iva Stitts, Myrtle Lillard, Margie Hoobler, Mildred Page and Roger, Helen Herron, Phyllis Keller and Tammy, Stella Page, Bess Conley, Mary House, Stella Henderson and Vida Whitney. ------------------------------------ May 23, 1963: The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Stella Page on May 15th. Amy Meade was co-hostess and the day was spent quilting. Those present for the meeting was Seba Baird, Myrtle Colcher, Minnie Givens, Stella Henderson, Maude Hickey, Myrtle Lillard, Georgia Lambert, Esther Mansfield, Mable Bruce, Ruth Page, Ethelyn Ferguson, Golda Cottle, Vida Whitney, Mildred Page and Roger, Stella Page and Amy Meade. The next meeting will be at the home of Amy Meade. ------------------------------------ June 27, 1963: Friendly Circle Class met Wednesday, June 19, at the home of Georgia Lambert. A covered dish luncheon was served at noon. Iva Stitt was hostess. The meeting was called to order by the president for the year’s report. The election of officers was held as follows: president, Amy Meade, vice president Stella Page, secretary-treasurer Vida Whitnev, reporter Goldie Cottle. Present were Vida Whitney, Stella Page, Seba Baird, Minnie Given, Ethelyn Ferguson, Bess Conley, Myrtle Lillard, Iva Stitt, Georgia Lambert, Minnie Ellis, Maude Hickey, Opal Terrill, Amy Meade and Mildred Page. ------------------------------------- December 5, 1963: The Friendly Circle Class of the Rossville Methodist Church met at the home of Vida Whitney November 20 for an all-dav meeting. Lucy Anderson was assistant hostess at a covered dish luncheon. Those present were Georgia Lambert, Seba Baird, Myrtle Lillard, Opal Terrill, Stella Page, Ethelyn Ferguson, Mvrtle Colcher, Maude Hickey, Ruth Page, Ella Wheartv, Amy Meade and Stella Henderson. The next meeting will be with Stella Page for the Christmas meeting and gift exchange. Ruth Page will be assistant hostess. ------------------------------------- April 11, 1963: W.S.C.S of the Methodist Church will meet Thursday April 18 at 1:30 p.m. at the home of Ruth Page. Hostesses are Ruth Gresser, Rowena Gannon, Delores Hesse and Lorena Dick. ------------------------------------- December 19, 1963: The WSCS of the Rossville Methodist Church met Thursday, December 12, at the church for the Christmas meeting. The meeting was opened with Christmas carols played by Linda Bush at the piano. The program was given by Ruth Larson, Edna Spears and Eleanor Jones. A Christmas gift exchange followed the program and refreshments were served. Those present were Ruth Larson, Elsie Rasch, Irene Parr, Vina McCoid, Edna Bush, Opal Farrell, Stella Henderson, Mildred Page and Roger, Eleanor Jones, Grace Hartzell, Edna Spears, Bess Conley and Patricia, Theo Enochs and Amy Meade. Mrs. Emma Aushman from Elmont was a visitor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1963 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0532 Rossville United Methodist Church http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/7fa7e1a584e8608e15aa1f7794e60a30.jpg d8d1045764887b8a5e0196864c39d63e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Friendly Circle/Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) minutes from 1962 Description An account of the resource March 1, 1962: WSCS met at the home of Mrs. Rolland Parr on Thursday afternoon, February 23, The meeting was called to order by the President, Mrs. Ruth Larson. Worship service was given by Beverly Gentry and Betty Dick. The lesson was entitled, "The Mission of the Church of Christ in Latin America.’’ It was a well- prepared and very interesting program. Hostesses for the afternoon were Vina McCoid, Lila Bahner, Georgia Lambert, Stella Henderson, and Irene Campbell. Others present were Betty Dick, Ruth Larson, Beverly Gentry, Irene Parr and Howard, Eleanor Jones, Mildred Page and Roger, Pauline Conley, Amy Meade. The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Stella Henderson Wednesday, February 21, with an all-day quilting meeting. Those present were Iva Stitt, Seba Baird, Minnie Givens, Daisy Crow, Minnie Ellis, Vida Whitney, Ellie Jones and baby, Stella Page, Mildred Page and Roger, Linda Barney, Bess Conley, Amy Meade, Ethelyn Ferguson, Georgia Lambert, Golda Cottle, and the hostess, Stella Henderson. -------------------- March 29, 1962: WSCS met Thursday, March 22, at the home of Mrs. Luther McClain. The meeting was called to order by the president, Ruth Larson. Worship leaders were Mrs. Stella Henderson and Mrs. Erma Hoobler. Refreshments were served to Vida Whitney, Irene Parr and Howard, Ruth Larson, Eleanor Jones, Pauline Conley, Edna Bush and Cathy, Stella Henderson, Erma Hoobler and Janey, Georgia Lambert, Marjorie Hoobler, Myrtle Lillard and Amy Meade. -------------------- May 24, 1962: The Women’s Society of Christian Service of the Methodist Church met on May 17th at the home of Mildred Page. The meeting was called to order by the vice president, Vina McCoid. Lesson leaders were Pauline Conley, Stella Henderson and Amy Meade who gave the lesson on Americans of Spanish Speaking Background. Hostesses served ice tea and cake and ice cream. Those present were Lila Bahner, Stella Henderson, Ruth Page, Pauline Conley and children, Vina McCoid, Laura Gardner, Amy Meade, Mildred Page and Roger. -------------------- July 5, 1962: WSCS Installs Officers The WSCS of the Methodist Church met at the home of Mrs. Bill Larson on Thursday, June 28, for a covered dish luncheon at noon. Lesson leaders were Esther Sebring and Pauline Conley on “Deaconess and Missionary”. It was a well given lesson and a wonderful discussion. New officers installed for 1962-63 were: Vina McCoid, President; Elsie Rasch, Vice President; Ruth Hesse, Treasurer; Mildred Page, Secretary, and other officers. Those present were Mildred Page and children, Pauline Conley and children, Minnie Ellis, Lila Bahner and Connie, Vina McCoid, Stella Henderson, Esther Sebring, Ruth Hesse, Edna Bush, Vida Whitney, Laura Gardner and daughter, and Amy Meade. -------------------- November 22, 1962: The W.S.C.S. met Thursday, November 12th at the home of Mrs. Rolland Parr. A very interesting lesson was given by Irene Parr, Liz Hesse and Esther Mansfield. Katheryn Gresser and Jelene Kelsey gave a piano duet. Lovely refreshments were served by the committee to the following, Irene Campbell, Liz Hesse and Scottie, Myrtle Lillard, Eleanor Jones and baby, Esther Mansfield, Ruth Hesse, Vina McCoid, Irene Parr, Elsa Rasch, Stella Henderson, Mrs. Bush, Amy Meade and Ruth Larson. A gift exchange of $1.00 was voted for Christmas. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0533 Rossville United Methodist Church http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/d5e6800929d12653a0ec9bf0b07b1e6d.jpg 661a04e138e05edb839fb9ba0a6f02ca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Friendly Circle/Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) minutes from 1962 Description An account of the resource January 25, 1962: The Friendly Circle Class met with Stella Henderson January 17 for a covered dish luncheon at noon with Golda Cottle assisting. Those present were Mildred Rupin, Seba Baird, Bess Conley, Minnie Ellis, Minnie Given, Myrtle Lillard, Ethelyn Ferguson, Georgia Lambert, Stella Page, Vida Whitney, and a visitor, Mrs. Rupin. -------------------------- April 26, 1962: The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Myrtle Lillard with Ethelyn Ferguson as assistant hostess. A lovely covered dish luncheon was served at noon with a short business meeting conducted by the president, Amy Meade, following the dinner. After the meeting the day was spent quilting for Mrs. Page. Those present were Mrs. Cornelia Stevens from Topeka, Minnie Givens, Minnie Ellis, Iva Stitt, Bess Conley, Stella Henderson, Ella Whearty, Vida Whitney, Amy Meade, Georgia Lambert, Ellie Jones and baby, Golda Cottle, Stella Page, Linda Barney, Myrtle Lillard and Ethelyn Ferguson. -------------------------- May 24, 1962: Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Mrs. Stella Page on Wednesday, May 16, with a covered dish luncheon at noon. Hostesses were Minnie Ellis, Ellen Whearty, and Ruth Page. Those present were Georgia Lambert, Vida Whitney, Linda Barney, Stella Henderson, Iva Stitt, Minnie Givens, Amy Meade, and visitors, Esther Mansfield, Mildred Page and Roger, and Edna White of South San Francisco, Calif. -------------------------- July 19, 1962: The Friendly Circle Class of the Methodist Church met Wednesday, June 27, at the home of Stella Henderson with Minnie Givens as assistant hostess for a covered dish luncheon. The following officers were elected for 1962-63: Amy Meade, president; Ella Whearty, vice president; Vida Whitney, secretary; and treasurer; Golda Cottle, reporter; Minnie Ellis, card committee. The order of the day was quilting. Those present were Edith Ward, Minnie Ellis, Iva Stitt, Seba Baird, Ethelyn Ferguson, Stella Page, Ella Whearty, Goldie Cottle, Minnie Givens, Georgia Lambert, Stella Henderson, Amy Meade, Mildred Page and children. The next meeting will be July 25 at the home of Minnie Givens with Ethelyn Ferguson and Amy Meade as assistant hostesses. --------------------------- August 2, 1962: The Friendly Circle Class met Wednesday, July 25, at the home of Mrs. Minnie Givens with a covered dish luncheon at noon. Ethelyn Ferguson and Amy Meade assisted. Those present were Daisy Crow, Stella Page, Minnie Given, Stella Henderson, Ella Whearty, Iva Stitt, Eleanor Jones, Vida Whitney, Linda Barney, Minnie Ellis, Ethelyn Ferguson and Amy Meade. They all enjoyed quilting for the day. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Retter and family of Lawrence, Kansas, spent Sunday evening visiting Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Larson and family. --------------------------- August 23, 1962: The Friendly Circle Class met Wednesday, August 15, at the home of Stella Page, with a covered dish luncheon at noon. Hostesses were Georgia Lambert and Ruth Page. The afternoon was spent quilting. Last Friday the group enjoyed a watermelon party. Those present were Minnie Ellis, Ella Whearty, Stella Henderson, Seba Baird, Ethelyn Ferguson, Iva Stitt, Minnie Givens, Georgia Lambert, Ellie Jones, Myrtle Lillard, Esther Mansfield and Tommie, Ruth Page, Mildred Page and children, Stella Page, Vida Whitney and Amy Meade. ---------------------------- December 27, 1962: The Friendly Circle Class had a party December 14 at the home of Mildred Rupin. The house was beautifully decorated in the Christmas spirit. After a short program, several appropriate games were played and then a gift exchange. Dainty refreshments were served by the following committee, Minnie Ellia, Veda Whitney and Mildred Rupin. Those present were Darlene Berry, Ellie Jones and baby, Bess Conley, Ruth Page, Ethelyn Ferguson, Seba Baird, Stella Henderson, Stella Page, Iva Stitts, Myrtle Lillard, Georgia Lambert, Elsie Moran, Ella Whearty, Ester Mansfield, Mable Bruce, Amy Meade, Linda Barney, Golda Cottle, Opal Tillman and the hostesses Minnie Ellis, Veda Whitnev and Mildred Rupin. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0534 Rossville United Methodist Church http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/9adafc14f5f701439ceb4b9d7feeadd6.jpg 8081365641c3a6c0a6f679fb5abf59e2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville's Quilting Party Meets Twice a Week Description An account of the resource It’s a quilting bee twice a week for several members of Rossville’s Friendly Circle Class. Their fingers fly over the quilt, and all the while they are buzzing with the latest news of neighbors and friends, the town gossip, and tales of years gone by. The Friendly Circle Class is a Sunday School Class of the older ladies of the Rossville Methodist Church. Their monthly meetings are strictly for getting together to share a bountiful covered dish dinner and discuss the business of their group. The organization itself has as its president Amy Meade, who has held that position for 21 years; Ella Whearty is vice president and Vida Whitney is secretary. The reporter is Golda Cottle who notifies members of meeting times and reports for the club through the pages of this newspaper. The quilting parties started about 30 years ago as a money-raising project and also a means of togetherness for the members. At least five members of the Circle have been quilting for all of those 30 years. They are Stella Page, Amy Meade, Ella Whearty, Vida Whitney and Golda Cottle. The Friendly Circle quilters turn out ten to twelve quilts a year and have recently returned finished quilts to Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma, and other parts of the United States. Their quilting skill, which is fast becoming a lost art, is sought after by quilt piecers in many parts of this country. There is always a quilt waiting to be put in the frames. Amy Meade takes care of marking the quilts and getting them ready for the frames. It takes the Circle about a month to finish a quilt. Stella Page and Amy Meade are usually the ones to take turns keeping the quilting frames set up in their homes. Members come in twice a week or sometimes oftener to work on the quilt. Some of the newer members of the Class are not quilters but they enjoy the visits and the monthly get-togethers. [June 6, 1963] ------------------------------------------------ The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Stella Page with Ethelyn Ferguson and Iva Stitt as hostesses. The day was spent quilting. Those present were Ruth Page, Stella Henderson, Bess Conley, Amy Meade, Golda Cottle, Vida Whitney, Esther Mansfield, Linda Barney, Minnie Given, Mildred Page and Roger and Mary House. [April 4, 1963] Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 6, 1963, and April 4, 1963 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0540 Rossville United Methodist Church http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/b713a03cefe32491a79879b67e9f27ca.jpg e163678a97baada3a47af3e7618a8a50 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Friendly Circle/Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) minutes from 1959 Description An account of the resource January 29, 1959: WSCS met at the home of Mrs. Bill Larson Thursday, January 22. Lesson leaders were Elsie Rasch and Helen Queen, on “Rekindling the Gift of India.” Lovely refreshments were served to Esther Stickerod, Eleanor Jones, Elsie Rasch, Jean Lane, Stella Henderson, Amy Meade, Helen Queen, Ruth Larson, Greta Kelsey, Irene Parr, Mrs. Wehmeier, Betty Dick [sic], Vida Whitney. Hostesses were Irene Parr, Betty Dick [sic], Phyllis Keller, Irene Campbell. Greta and Fay Kelsey and Ella Whearty. ----------------------------- March 19, 1959: The WSCS met Thursday, February 26, at the home of Mrs. Walt Swenson. The meeting was called to order by the president, Mrs. Helen Queen. After the business meeting the lesson on Christian Frontier, Literacy and Literature was given by Evelyn Shannon and Amy Meade. It was a very interesting lesson. Hostesses were Ila Whitlock, Mildred Page, Myrtle Lillard, Helen Queen, and Mrs. Gardner. Refreshments of cherry pie alamode and coffee were served to Vina McCiod, Jean Lane and children, Stella Henderson, Grace Hartzell, Pauline Swenson, Evelyn Shannon, Vida Whitney, Mildred Irwin, Eleanor Jones, Amy Meade, Mrs. Gardner and daughter. ----------------------------- April 9, 1959: The WSCS of the Methodist church went to Topeka to spend the afternoon last Thursday at the Methodist Home for the Aged. Approximately 200 members of the Home enjoyed the program presented by the Rossville group. After a brief business meeting conducted by Helen Queen, the worship was led by Inez Richardson and Eleanor Jones. A program of music consisting of vocal trios and violin duets was presented by Irene Campbell. Marguerite Williams, Inez Richardson and Eleanor Jones. A social hour followed with cookies brought by the WSCS and punch supplied by the Home. Those in the group were Vina McCoid. Elsie Rasch, Stella Henderson, Mrs. Wood Rose, Grace Hartzell, Vida Whitney, Myrtle Lillard. Ila Whitlock, Helen Queen, Inez Richardson, Marguerite Williams, Irens Campbell, Eleanor Jones, and Jean Lane. ------------------------------ July 16, 1959: The WSCS met Thursday, June 25, at the home of Mrs. Vina McCoid. The meeting was called to order by the President, Helen Queen. The lesson was given by Esther Sebring and Marceil Lambert. The hostesses were Esther Sebring, Roxie Nadeau, Esther Stickerod, Ann Wade and Grace Hartzell. Lovely refreshments were served to Georgia Lambert, Marceil Lambert, Stella Henderson, Helen Queen, Rita Lou and baby, Evelyn Shannon, Amy Meade, Es-ther Stickerod, Roxie Nadeau, Velda O'Donnell, Grace Hartzell, Vida Whitney, Esther Sebring and Vina McCoid. ------------------------------- October 29, 1959: WSCS met Thursday, September 24, at the home of Mrs. Helen Queen. Worship and program leaders were Mrs. Grace Hartzell and Mrs. Jean Lane. Hostesses were Marjorie Hoobler, Edith McClain, Mildred Irwin, Stella Page and Velda Pardee. Since this was guest month, Belvue was invited. Guests were Mrs. Dean Henniberg, Mrs. Don Kurtz, Mrs. Frank Rischer, Mrs. Claude McCollough. Mrs. Wayne Shade, Mrs. Frank Weeks, Mrs. Arch Inskeep, Mrs. James Hiner Sr., and Mrs. George Most. Rossville members were happy to see so many as it was a rainy day. Rossville members present were Lila Bahner, Ethelyn Ferguson Vina McCoid, Betsy Hurley and Denise, Erma Hoobler, Inez Richardson, Eleanor Jones, Jean Lane, and children, Mildred Page and baby, Ruth Gresser. Evelyn Shannon, Grace Hartzell, Edith McClain, Marjorie Hoobler, Ila Whitlock, Velda Pardee, Amy Meade, Mildred Irwin, Bess Conley and Marguerite Williams. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0541 http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/47f4337c6e7787af9a8475c1854313f0.jpg af2b8d96cf0a2d48063fb820d677acf8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville United Methodist Church news of 1959 Description An account of the resource August 27, 1959: Church Addition Started--The foundation was poured for the new Sunday School addition at Rossville Methodist Church this week. Labor has been donated by church members. The addition which is to be 32 x 60 will include space for four classrooms. It will be attached to the church on the west side and will also have an outside entrance. ----------------------------- October 8, 1959: The Methodists have made nice progress the last few days on the new Sunday School addition to the church. The wet weather brought a number of farmers in to work on Tuesday and Wednesday to put the framing material in place. This may sound like a “believe it or not” - and it is - the largest nail ever used in constructing a building at Rossville will be used by the Rossville Methodist Church. ----------------------------- November 5, 1959: Thirty-one members of the Youth Group solicited the town for CROP Saturday afternoon and received $85.30. The response was very gratifying to the youth and they would like to express their thanks to all who gave to this worthy cause. Approximately 45 members and guests of the group had a Halloween party at the community building Sunday evening. Everyone arrived in costume and the judges finally decided on the fol¬lowing winners: ugliest, Carla Pasch; funniest, Doug Kelsey; most unusual, Barton Larson. Mrs. Robert Boughton assisted with the party and Mrs. Don Jones served as fortune teller. ------------------------------- October 1, 1959: The Progressive Class of the Rossville Methodist Church will act as host to a wiener roast Sunday evening at the Ira Williams farm northeast of Rossville. All friends of the church are cordially invited to attend. The group will meet at the church at 6:00 p.m. and proceed in a caravan to the Williams farm where a camp fire will be set up in pasture. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun. Each family should bring wieners and buns. ------------------------------- May 28, 1959: The Friendly Circle Class of the Methodist Church met Wednesday with Mrs. Ellie Jones. Myrtle Lillard and Georgia Lambert were the hostesses. Those present were Amy Meade, Linda Braney, Stella Page, Ella Whearty, Vida Whitney, Stella Henderson, Golda Cottle, Mae Moyer, Myrtle Lillard, Ellie Jones and Georgia Lambert. Mrs. Neva Biswell was a visitor. ------------------------------- July 16, 1959: The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Stella Page last Wednesday with a covered dish luncheon. Amy Meade and Stella Page were hostesses. Election of officers for 1959-60 was held. Amy Meade was elected president; Ella Whearty, vice president; and Vida Whitney, secretary-treasurer. Those enjoying the day of quilting were Vida Whitney, Vina McCoid, Stella Henderson, Ella Whearty, Daisy Crow, Georgia Lambert, Rose Smith, Iva Stitt, Ethelyn Ferguson, Stella Page and Cherie, and Amy Meade. ------------------------------- September 24, 1959: The Friendly Circle Class of the Methodist Church met Wednesday, September 16, at the home of Miss Vida Whitney for a covered dish luncheon. The meeting was called to order by the president, Amy Meade. Those present were Myrtle Lillard. Ella Whearty, Stella Page, Minnie Givens, Daisy Crow, Linda Barney. Vina McCoid, Ethelyn Ferguson, Amy Meade, Eleanor Jones, and Vida Whitney. They were happy to have a visitor, Ernestine Fauerbach. -------------------------------- November 5, 1959: The friendly Circle Class of the Methodist Church met with Golda Cottle Wednesday, October 28, for a covered dish luncheon at noon. Amy Meade and Mrs. Cottle were hostesses. Those present were Ruth Page, Vina McCoid, Eleanor Jones, Vida Whitney, Daisy Crow, Mae Moyer, Ethelyn Ferguson, Linda Barney, Stella Page, Ells Whearty, and the hostesses. The next meeting will be with Vina McCoid Nov 20. -------------------------------- March 5, 1959: The Friendly Circle class met Wednesday, February 18, at the home of Mrs. Minnie Givens. They enjoyed a covered dish luncheon at noon. Mrs. Ethelyn Ferguson and Mrs. Amy Meade were hostesses. Quilting was the order of the day. Those present were Vida Whitney, Ethelyn Ferguson, Golda Cottle, Ella Whearty, Grace Hartzell, Daisy Crow, Stella Page, Amy Meade, Stella Henderson, Minnie Givens and Ruth Rogers. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1959 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0542 Rossville United Methodist Church http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/8953935880d27947562cdc49d8fa6827.jpg 1b52b94b1aec63afdcc9b1df5b6055e2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Friendly Circle/Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) minutes from 1966 Description An account of the resource January 27, 1966: The Friendly Circle class met at the home of Stella Page last Wednesday for a day of quilting. Esther Mansfield and Amy Meade were hostesses for the covered dish dinner held at noon. Those present were Edna Bush, Bess Conley, Stella Henderson, Ethelyn Ferguson. Mabel Bruce, Minnie Ellis, Iva Stitt, Opal Terrill, Myrtle Lillard, Golda Cottle, Grace Hartzell, Louise Wilt, Vida Whitney, Stella Page and the hostesses, Amy Meade and Esther Mansfield. ------------------------------- February 24, 1966: The Friendly Circle Class of the Rossville Methodist Church met at the home of Stella Page with Stella Henderson and Golda Cottle as hostesses. The day was spent quilting and sewing carpet rags. Those present were Amy Meade, Opal Terrill, Ethelyn Ferguson, Grace Hartzell, Lenora Gresser, Edna Bush, Ruth Page, Mildred Page, Myrtle Lillard, Stella Page, Vida Whitney, Stella Henderson, Golda Cottle. -------------------------------- May 26, 1966: [26 May 1966] The Friendly Circle Class met at the home of Mrs. Stella Page for a no-hostess fried chicken dinner Wednesday, May 18. After the business meeting and election of officers for the new year the afternoon was spent quilting and sewing of carpet rags. Those present were Amy Meade, Stella Page, Myrtle Lillard, Opal Terrill, Minnie Ellis, Ethelyn Ferguson, Golda Cottle and Esther Mansfield. Visitors were Mrs. Mildred Page and daughter Cherie and Denise Crow. Next meeting will be June 22, also for a no-hostess dinner at the home of Mrs. Stella Page. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0552 http://www.recollectionsks.org/files/original/0d70ce490f73c4d348ee617289c8d1bf.jpg 3526606ff3f3ada34c1c26fa66d778eb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville Churches History Subject The topic of the resource Churches in the Rossville, Kansas, area. Description An account of the resource Among the various cultural developments in Rossville none was more important than the establishment and growth of organized religions. Shortly after the village of Rossville was started in 1871, some of the settlers felt the need for a church. The first known organized church was the Baptist Church started in August 1871 with nine members. A newspaper account, dated May 1879, about the school house in town says, “…at this time the building is used on Sunday by various church denominations as they are not supplied with church buildings. Six denominations have organized: The Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Methodist Southern and Advent. The Baptist have begun to erect a neat frame church building.” The Baptists built a small church on the approximate site of the Joe Navarre home on Spruce Street and dedicated this church on February 29, 1880. For a few years after that the Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian and Methodist shared this building—each having the use of it one Sunday a month, morning and evening. The Baptist church disbanded in 1910 and was torn down soon afterwards. Organization of the United Brethren was soon followed by the United Brethren Church, also known as the Olive Branch Church. The first church building in the community was built by its members in about 1877. The old landmark, five miles north of Rossville, was torn down about 1952. Some of the farm folk responsible for its organization and erection were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Marion Lasswell, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert James and their sons, Robert and James, Mr. and Mrs. W.V. Hook, who donated land for the church. A decline in membership prompted the church officials to sell the building to the Czech Christian organization and it served as a worship center for many years. Other denominations organized early, which have little recorded history, including the Colored Baptist, also called Second Baptist. A news clipping shows the Colored Baptist Church was in existence in 1885 and meetings were held at the old school house. At that time they were endeavoring to raise funds for a structure of their own. It was later erected in the southeast part of town on Orange Street. Their building was repaired in December 1904, but soon after the church disbanded. The only information available about the Cambellites, followers of Alexander Cambell, shows that they gathered regularly early in the city’s history. The Cambellites here and in other localities were the forerunners of the early Christian Church. A church was organized with the name Church of Christ in 1872 with Bennet Swearingen, an elder. In 1879 a group was meeting in the school. Between 1880 and when it was decided to build a church, it is believed the members met in the Baptist Church. A deed was recorded on June 29, 1887, for three lots for which they paid $50.00. The exact date of the erection of the present church is not known. Revered Alex Montgomery was a stone mason and laid the church foundation. Charles Bixby, father of the late Albert Bixby, was a carpenter and supervised the building of the church. Lumber was hauled from Topeka by Alex Nadeau and others. The supplies were purchased from the Thomas Lumber Company at Topeka. The first funeral held in the church was for William Lacock, grandfather of the late Albert Bixby. The oldest Sunday School record is dated September 7, 1884, with May Parker its first secretary. Due to an increase in the Christian Church's membership, in 1949 a large room was added to the north side of the building. Other improvements included new colored glass in the windows, and pews from the old United Brethren Church. In December 1960, another addition to the building was completed. As more settlers moved to this community, those who were of the Presbyterian faith organized their group in 1878 and met in the school in town. Reverend E.P. Sempel was the first pastor. A.C. Sherman, Richard Binns, Daniel Wilt, J.C. Bradley, William Bond, Henry Kassebaum, W.M. Mitchner, Sam Kerr, Dr. H.H. Miller and Isaac Trostle were the founders of the church. Later the Presbyterians met in the Baptist Church. In 1883, the Presbyterian group purchased the land on which the present church stands and began to build. The first church was built of red bricks which were made at a brick kiln located at the east edge of town. As the years passed a crack appeared between the bricks in the east end of the building. This fault was used as the reason for tearing town the old building. The present structure was constructed in 1917. The Reverend J.H. Naismith, the originator of the game of basketball, served as pastor in 1922 and 1923. Mr. Gus Kassebaum served as a Trustee for 39 years, from 1915 to 1954. His wife, Mrs. Lula Kassebaum served most of these years as president of the Ladies Missionary Society. The Rossville Charge was organized in the James School House, three miles west of Rossville in the year 1872 under the leadership of Mr. Paul Strimple, a local lay preacher. Shortly afterwards, another group of Methodists (Southern Methodists) met in Rossville and had services at the school in town. These two groups joined in planning construction of a church. Since the Baptists were the first to build a church, the two Methodist groups shared the building. The Methodist Church was chartered and registered with the Secretary of State, June 13, 1881. The first trustees and signers of the charter were: W.G. Gilbert, Isaac Larrance, Joseph Andrews, J.W. Miller, A.E. Strimple, J.T. Heslet, and T.M. Attebury. Building of the new church began in 1884, and it was dedicated on March 1, 1885. Nine years later the south room was added, and it was used as a dining room and meeting room. The Sunday School addition was added in 1960. The name was changed from Methodist Episcopal to Methodist, October 11, 1939. It was again changed in 1968 to United Methodist when the United Brethren and Methodist merged. The Election Day dinner was first served in 1882 and has become an established tradition. Dinner and supper were served to over 175 persons at a cost of 25 cents per person. Some of the men who took an active part in the life of the church were C.E. Gresser, E.G. Griswold and Frank Strimple. Before St. Stanislaus became a reality, according to Ellen Leonhardt of St. Marys, Kansas, Mass was held monthly sometime before 1894 in the Fritz Hall. She remembers accompanying Father Krier, a Jesuit priest, from St. Marys to Rossville along with other girls to sing in the choir. The first St. Stanislaus Church was built under the auspices of Father John B. Kokenge, S.J., who collected about eleven hundred dollars to procure the ground and put up the structure. It measured 42 x 30 feet with a sanctuary that added twelve feet to its length. The corner stone of this mission church was laid by Bishop Fink on June 18, 1899. Many notables from the St. Marys College were present as well as Reverend H.A. Schapman, S.J., former president of Detroit College. The document placed in the stone contained the following: “Leo XIII being Pope, William McKinley being President of the United States, W.E. Stanley being the Governor of Kansas, Joseph Calvin Bradley being Mayor of the city of Rossville, this church to be erected to the honor of God under the invocation of St. Stanislaus Kastka was begun today when the corner stone was laid this the eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.” The dedication of the completed church took place on October 29, 1899. In 1967, the parish purchased the home across the street from the church, so that the expanding catechetical classes would have a better place to meet. A $20,000 renovation project in 1975-1976 added a brick extension to the front of the church and a full basement. In 1998 Dekat Hall was dedicated and the mortgage was paid off. By 2009 the parish, which encompassed Rossville, Silver Lake, Willard, and Maple Hill, was in need of a bigger building so Don & Kathleen Damon donated a $1.1 million gift for the building of a new church. After raising the additional needed funds, the new worship space for 400 people was built in 2012 near the former church. In the early 1950s a group of believers who met together for weekly Bible Study grew in number so that they were encouraged to secure a property, call a pastor and organize a church. The Stewart property on the corner of Main and Pottawatomie was purchased in June 1952. After renovation, the first services of the Rossville Bible Church were held on September 7, 1952, with Reverend Clarence Swihart as pastor. Reverend Floyd Gee became the second pastor in June 1954. The church purchased a building site from the Hesse family that adjoins the Grade School in August 1960. Reverend Hugh Gardner, Wichita, superintended the construction of a basement to be used for an auditorium. A building was moved from Forbes Air Force Base and set on the basement. June 7, 1970, was a day of rejoicing for the congregation as they had a mortgage-burning service with Reverend Joe Arnedd, Des Moines, Iowa, evangelist, as speaker. Thus is the history of the early churches which no longer exist in the community and the churches which continue to function--though in somewhat different roles than in the early years. Once, the church, as well as the school, was the center of most family activities. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rossville Community Library Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rossville Centennial Booklet, 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain due to copyright expiration. Original narrative content by RCL is available for use by public. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rossville United Methodist Church news of 1965 Description An account of the resource February 25, 1965: The February 25th meeting of Rossville WSCS has been postponed until March 4 when the society will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The same service that was used at the first meeting of the organization will be used again at this meeting. The first meeting of the Women’s Society of Christian Service at Rossville was held on September 5, 1940 at the Rossville Methodist Church. There were 34 ladies present for this first meeting and the following officers were elected: president, Mrs. Harley McCoid; vice-president, Mrs. Joe Campbell; recording secretary, Mrs. Sarah Hawks; corresponding secretary, Mrs. Beth Hartzell; treasurer, Mrs. Daisy Crow; secretary of Christian social relations, Mrs. Dan Landis; secretary of literature, Mrs. C. E. Gresser; secretary of student work, Mrs. C. P. Broadfoot; secretary of missionary, Mrs. Fern Rogers. Those who became charter members of the new organization were Mrs. L. P. Hartzell, Mrs. A. F. Buchmeier, Mrs. Valinda Barney, Mrs. Amy Meade, Mrs. R. R. Simmons, Mrs. John Stevens, Mrs. Theo Fields, Mrs. Lila Bahner, Mrs. C. E. Steffee, Mrs. Earl Hawks, Mrs. Dan Landis, Mrs. C. E. Gresser, Mrs. Charity James, Vida Whitney, Mrs. Thora Young, Mrs. Irene Cleveland, Mrs. Minnie Bird, Mrs. Stella Page, Mrs. Fern Rogers, Mrs. Jessie Attebury, Mrs. L. B. Crow, Mrs. A. C. Goodrum, Mrs. Harley McCoid, Mrs. C. P. Broadfoot, Mrs. Allen Hartzell, Mrs. N. A. Cassidy, Mrs. Mildred Reed, Mrs. E. Perry, Mrs. Chettie Howard, Mrs. Matilda Hartzell and Mrs. Anna VanVleck. It is hoped that a good attendance will be present for the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of this organization. -------------------------------------- February 11, 1965: The auction sale sponsored by the Rossville W.S. C.S. Saturday evening at the Community Center was a big success although a small crowd attended. Proceeds from the event totaled approximately $300. Lunch was served by the Methodist women beginning early in the afternoon. The auction sale began at 7:00 and was conducted by Everett Hoobler, auctioneer. Rolland Parr acted as clerk assisted by Duane Parr. Mr. Hoobler donated his services for the sale. There was a variety of items donated for the sale, ranging from walnuts to a television set. Don Jones, minister of the Rossville Methodist Church, donated a water color painting which brought the largest bid of any item sold. Very few bids were under $1.00 and the food items sold from $1.00 to $4.00 each. --------------------------------------- April 29, 1965: Mrs. J. C. Campbell and Mrs. H. D. Richardson were presented orchid corsages Sunday morning during the worship service at the Rossville Methodist Church. Mrs. Campbell, church organist, and Mrs. Richardson, choir director, were given this recognition in appreciation for their work with the music of the church. The Rev. Don Jones, pastor, also read a statement from his Fourth Quarterly Conference report regarding the untiring effort of these members in bringing good music to the church. ---------------------------------------- May 13, 1965: The Rossville Methodist church will have an all-church basket dinner at noon on Sunday, May 23, in honor of the minister, Don Jones, and his family, who will be leaving this community the first of June. Members and friends of the church are to bring a basket dinner and join in the fellowship of the day. The dinner will be at noon in the church. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Shawnee County Reporter, Rossville, Kansas Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Rossville Community Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This work is copyrighted; the copyright holder has granted permission for this item to be used by the Rossville Community Library. This permission does not extend to third parties. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource newspaper clippings Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RCL0553