Recent donations to the Jackson County Historical Society

The Jackson County Historical Society is grateful to the people who support its mission to collect, preserve and make available to the public, materials that document our County’s rich history. Here are the items we accepted into the Society's two-and three-dimensional collections in 2002:

Description of Gift

450 letters written by John R. and Benjamin Broughton Blackford to their mother between 1941 and 1946. John was a private in the U.S. Army, and Ben was a Lt. In the U.S. Navy. A selection of photographs from John's scrapbook, plus one portrait of each serviceman. Another 200 (apx.) letters were written by donor's father Benjamin broughton Blackford Sr. while in the Philippines between 1910 and 1913.

Approximately 48 cubic feet of materials documenting the activities and achievements of the Mid-Continent Council of Girl Scouts, and the regional councils that predated its formation (namely the Santa Fe Trails, Winding River, Kansas City and Pioneer Trails Councils), ca. 1940s-present, including newsletters; membership cards; patches; photographs; camera-ready art for advertising; booklets; pamphlets; handbooks for girls and leaders; correspondence; public relations files; audio visual materials; notebooks; scrapbooks; and a variety of other materials. A small sampling of Girl Scouts U.S.A. materials are also included in the collection.

Items from the former Livesay residence, which the donor obtained many years ago. Included are canceled checks drawn on the Chrisman-Sawyer Banking Co., 1897-1940, by Mr. and Mrs. John Strother Livesay; receipts; telegrams; report cards for Mildred Livesay who attended Central High School in Independence, 1910-1914; teacher’s report of Elizabeth Livesay, Elm Grove 4th Grade, 1908; and misc. other documents of Strother E. Livesay; two World War II ration books, one issued to Stanley and Mildred Hifner and one to John Arthur Smith.

Marra, Dorothy Brandt, Marie-Laure Dionne Pal, and David Boutros. Cher Uncle, Cher Papa: The Letters of Francois and Berenice Chouteau (Kansas City, Mo.: Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City, 2001).

Kansas City Crossroads, Volume Two

Marra, Dorothy Brandt, Colette Marie Doering, and Bill R. Beemont. This Far By Faith: A Popular History of the Catholic People of West and Northwest Missouri, Volume I. (Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Publishing Co., 1992). Coleman, Michael, Rev. This Far By Faith: A Popular History of the Catholic People of West and Northwest Missouri, Volume II. (Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Publishing Co., 1992).

Loeb, Anita. Gone But Not Forgotten: A History of the Burials in the Jewish Cemeteries of Kansas City, Missouri. Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, 2001.

Griffith, Cecil R. The Missouri River: The River Rat’s Guide to Missouri River History and Folklore (Leawood, Ks.: Kenneth Canfield and Richard Sutton, 1974).

Reproduction of a painting of the Independence Square Courthouse by Vic Eskridge.

Heitzman, Richard and Joanie. The Post World War II Polly's Pop Advertisements in the Independence, Missouri Examiner (Independence, Mo.: Blue & Grey Book Shoppe, 2002.)

Patricia (Weeks) Duncan Brown scrapbooks documenting primarily her work to chair the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations in Kansas City, 1955; as Missouri State Chair for the American Mothers; and as Missouri Mother in 1961. Other information about her involvement with Church Women United, Women’s City Club, Young Mother’s Council, and Girl Scouts’ God and Community Award (which she developed).

William Chrisman High School Class of 1928 50th Reunion materials.

10 original, framed watercolor paintings by local artist Sidney Moore; 2 hand-made, twin-size quilts dating from the 1930s.

Hays, James C. The Sharon Kinney Story (Leawood, Ks.: Leathers Publishing, 1997).

Richards, William W. Andrew Drumm Institute: The Vision of Andrew Drumm (self-published, 1997).

Smith, Joseph Jr., author and proprietor. The Book of Mormon: An Account written by the Hand of Mormon, upon Plates taken from the Plates of Nephi. (Palmyra: E. B. Gradin for the author, 1830).

Kansas City (Kansas City, Mo.: The Kansas City Photo Supply Co., 1010 Grand Avenue, undated); a bound "album" containing 14 mounted images of Kansas City landmarks and scenes.

One photograph of Independence, Missouri, Police Force, ca. 1914. Includes identification of Chief of Police George St. Clair and Roy Dalton€”the youngest to serve on the force up to that time. Roy Dalton’s wooden night stick accompanied the photograph.

Pace, J. Bradley. Survivors: A Catalog of Missouri's Remaining 19th Century County Courthouses (Greyden Press, 2000).

Historical documentation for the MoDOT Job No. J4I350, Bridge No. L-249 (Ramp F) over Ramp D (originally constructed in 1949; located today near Broadway and Pershing Streets), including correspondence and photographs.

Double-barreled shotgun, ca. 1840s-1850s, belonging to John P. Webb; property records for the Webb family, ca. 1868-1870.

projectile point and hide scraper found in the Jail collections.

three pot shards found in the Jail collections.

small hide scraper found in the Jail collections.

charcoal drawing of William C. Quantrill; retrieved from having been on long term loan at the Lone Jack Museum; could not locate any original accession information; assigned photo number PHX 9241 and is on exhibit at the Jail.

Part of a donation completed at the Jail Museum and given the accession numbers 81-42-2; 81-42-2a; and 81-42-3. Independence High School Commencement invitations from 1911 (for May and Caroline Southern) and 1912 (for Mr. George Porterfield Wallace; card and envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Southern).

Papers of Drs. Sanford Artisan Peck and son, James Eugene Peck, consisting of veterinary account ledgers, 1904-1964 [the 1904 ledger also includes the practice of Sanford's brother, Martin Austin Peck]; photographs; Abstract of Titles for land in Jackson County, Missouri; Several veterinary-related tools and accessories (castration kit, syringes, microscope slides, medicines, & medicine bottles); J.E. Peck's veterinary class notes and graduation photograph from Iowa State College, 1931-1932; miscellaneous papers, clippings and biographical material of J. E. Peck's career with the Missouri and U.S. Departments of Agriculture; and curiosities for exhibit purposes, including a walking cane wrapped with a 39" bull's penis.

Papers of Arnold Garfinkle relating to his work to renovate several properties in the Quality Hill section of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, including: several color slides that Garfinkle took of downtown Kansas City and Quality Hill properties that have since either been razed, remodeled, or even re-built (other slides appear to be presentation transparencies for his work as general partner in The Quality Hill Partnership); several oversized architectural drawings, photographs and elevations prepared under Garfinkle's direction that detail his focus to restore particularly the Blossom House at 1032 Pennsylvania, but also other residential and commercial buildings in the surrounding area.

Papers of Ruby Short McKim consisting of approximately seven cubic feet of papers documenting her career as a quilt designer and doll manufacturer (Kimport Dolls), including: reproductions and some original McKim designs, which were widely syndicated in national publications during the 1920s through the 1960s; personal family letters, writings, and documents of Mrs. McKim, her father, Morris Trimble Short (an elder with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), her mother, Mrs. Viloa Iris (Vernon) Short, her husband Arthur E. McKim, and daughter Betty (McKim) Fullerton. A selection of family portraits, six dolls, and ___ quilt(s) are also included in the collection.

Funeral Clothes sheet music by Mobre Earle, orchestration by Charles L. Johnson (Kansas City, Mo.: Mobre Earle, 1927).

Papers of the Alternate Tuesday Club, 1884 to 2002, including: Minutes, 1887-1997; Treasurer's Reports, 1889-1956; Symposiums and Critics Reports, 1884-1916; Program books, ca. 1890-2002; historical and entertainment materials, 1884-1909; and miscellaneous materials (anniversary celebrations notebook, programs, pictures, constitutions, etc.) that document the many activities and programs of the Club from its origins to its current structure.

1 Abstract of Title and various legal instruments relating to Section 20, Township 49, Range 31, East Hollywood Subdivision of Jackson County, Missouri, Lot 113, where the Petre Service Station operated on 40 Highway in the 1950s.

Public Memorial Service and clipping for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, 1945; 1, 1940 clipping (obituary) for Rev. D. B. Bulkley (founder of City Union Mission); 2 Abstract of Title for Section 9, Township 49, Range 32, South Maywood Addition, Lots 218 and 219.

Papers of the Hickman Mills C-1 School District consisting of approximately 25 cubic feet of historical materials documenting the evolution of Missouri's oldest consolidated school district, including: grade books; year books; attendance books; administrative staff year books; photographs; newspaper clippings; school newspapers; Board of Education year books; project and program files; and, maps of district boundaries.

Abstract of Title (PHOTOCOPY) for Section 6, Township 48, Range 33, Wornall Homestead, Block 8, Lot 4, for 243 West 61st Street.

Abstract of Title for Section 32, Township 48, Range 30, Lot 29, Block R, of Lake Lotawana.

Jackson County, Missouri, Marriage Record, American Citizens of African Descent, 1865-1881 by Annette W. Curtis, 1992; Wills and Administrations, 1860-1870, Jackson County, Missouri, by Joanne Chiles Eakin, 1992; Jackson County, Missouri, Court Minutes Book I, 1827-1833, by Joanne Chiles Eakin, 1992; Birth Records Recorded in Jackson County, Missouri, 1883-1895, by Joanne Chiles Eakin, 1990; Pearl Harbor Child: A Child's View of Pearl Harbor, From Attack to Peace by Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson, 1993; Independence by Brent Schondelmeyer (Independence, Mo.: BJP, Inc. 1985); Westport: Missouri's Port of Many Returns by Patricia Cleary Miller (Kansas City, Mo.: Lowell Press, 1983); City Divided, A: The Racial Landscape of Kansas City, 1900-1960 by Sherry Lamb Schirmer (Columbia, Mo.: Univ. of Mo. Press, 2002); and Devil Knows How to Ride, The: The True Story of William Clarke Quantrill and His Confederate Raiders by Edward E. Leslie (New York: Random House, 1996).

1 photograph of the Past Presidents of the Missouri Press Association, Columbia, Missouri, 16May1917 (William Southern identified among others); and, 1 trophy cup, "Presented to Colonel and Mrs. William Southern, in recognition of their outstanding service to this community, with respect and appreciation by the citizens of Independence, Missouri."

Leaflet and VHS video "Triangle Untangles on I-435," discusses MDOTs work on the Grandview Triangle in 2002.

6 issues of Southwest High School's student newsletter, The Informer.

1 copy of Central High School's annual, The Centralian, for 1933.

Wilhelm, Thomas. Military Dictionary and Gazetteer, A. (Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co., 1881).

Short script for a play titled, Arthur Stilwell, by Sally Tranin.

Specifications for the 1859 Jail (typescript); photographs of original document are identified as PHL5252.

1947 Missouri State Highway Map for Jackson County, Missouri.

Tharp, James. Index to KANSAS CITY UND SEIN DEUTSCHTUM IM 19. JAHRHUNDERT. Original publication by the German-American Publishing Company, 1900; Cleveland, Ohio.

Bruce, Janet. Kansas City Monarch, The: Champions of Black Baseball. (Lawrence, Ks.: University Press of Kansas, 1985).

Tuohey, Kathleen. 40 Highway Biz Quiz. Prepared in April 2002 and shared with the 40 Highway Businessmen's Association, as interest in the preservation and development of 40 Highway in Independence grows. This fun, educational survey focuses on the history of 40 Highway between Noland Road and Blue Ridge Cutoff.

undated, unsourced newsclipping, "Pitcher School Changes as Community Continues to Grow."

Elmwood Cemetery's Outdoor Museum of Kansas City History, self-guided tourism brochure, 2002; Raytown Southwestern Bell Telephone directory, 2001; Entrepreneurs of the Old West by David Dary (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986).

Tillotson, Betty. History of Waldo, A. (Kansas City, Mo.: Almar Printing, n.d.); 4 black-and-white photographs of the Belleclaire Apartments before and after razing on May 5, 1979. The apartments, designed by Nelle E. Peters, were constructed in 1927 at 401 East Armour Boulevard, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Theta Sigma Phi (now the Association for Women in Communications), Kansas City chapter's organizational records, ca. 1918 to present, including: correspondence, programs, rosters, newsletters, etc. detailing the activities and evolution of the country's first professional chapter established to further the interests of women in journalism. This 3 cubic feet of materials accompanies the WICI records previously transferred to the Historical Society by Krista Rogers in 1994, and accessioned as A94.39.

Theta Sigma Phi (now the Association for Women in Communications), Epsilon (Lawrence, Kansas) chapter's Seedlings contest booklets for May 1965; April 1966; May 1967; and May 1972; and one newspaper clipping. These booklets will be added at the end of the collection of WICI records previously transferred to the Historical Society by the Kansas City professional chapter. Additional information about the Epsilon (Lawrence, Kansas) chapter of WICI have been donated to the Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas.

2 cubic feet of unbound Buckner, Missouri, newspapers, The Villager, dating from ca. 1980-1988.

Papers of the Kansas City Chapter of Church Women United-Kansas City, 1986-1998, including: scrapbooks, assembly rosters, programs, meeting minutes, and media coverage.

2 Abstract of Title: Ott & Moore's Addition, Lots 3 & 4; Pocono Manor, Lots 13 & 14.

1 Abstract of Title: Section 31, Township 49, Range 33, Westwood Park Addition, Lot 236.

4 Abstract of Title: Section 11, Township 49, Range 32, Clarendon Place, Lot 17; Lots 17 & 18 (2 abstracts); and Lots 18 & 19 of Block 6; 1 Abstract of Title: Section 11, Township 49, Range 32, Summit Addition, Lot 61; and 1973 appraisal of property at the southeast corner of 39th and Noland Road in Independence (text and photographs).

2 large photographs of the 8th grade graduates from Jackson County's rural schools. (One taken in 1910 is a duplicate of PHX 1435), taken in 1910; the other is one of 1906.

From the Heart: Life Before and After the Holocaust (Kansas City, Mo.: Kansas City Star Books)

Ellis Island: Gateway to the American Dream by Pamela Reeves (New York: Barnes and Noble, 2000).

Independence Young Matrons Yearbook; The Mirror of the Independence Young Matrons (9 issues); Holly & Mistletoe Homes Tour ticket; Children's Theater Production program, 2001-2002.

O. H. Cogswell account/day book of daily transactions at Independence, Missouri, 1851-1853. Ledger had been damaged slightly by insects years ago before being restored and re-bound by Independence resident and hobbyist bookbinder/antique press collector Arthur F. McClure. Previously, the ledger had been presented by a local lawyer to the donor's father, Thomas R. Chandler.

1 postcard of Union Station and Kansas City skyline by night.

Hanger, Robert C. Who's Gonna Live? A More or Less Accurate Chronicle of R. C. Hanger's 3-year Tour of Duty as a U.S. Marine during WWII. (Kansas City, Mo.: 1997.) donated as part of the Veterans History Project.

Teacher's Manual of Instructions and Suggestions, Levasy Public Schools, 1945-46 and 1946-47 by Carl Heuman; Faculty Bulletin, William Chrisman High School, September 1947; and personal account register of Carl Heuman of Grain Valley and Levasy, 1938-1946.

Five snapshot photographs taken by the donor in 1944 of German prisoners of war, who were put to work in the potato fields in Atherton, Missouri.

Independence Music Club, 1998-1999, including: newsclippings, programs, forms, by-laws, program booklets, notices and secretary's notes.

2 booklets documenting the 1951 Flood: The 1951 Flood in Greater Kansas City: A Picture Review, and Black Friday the 13th, July, 1951; 15 snapshot photographs of the flood primarily taken of Kansas City's West Bottoms. These items once belonged to donor's aunt, Ms. Patricia Powers, a long-time Kansas City resident.

4 color snapshot photographs of Maple Avenue on the historic Independence Square after urban renewal installed sidewalks, fountains, benches and landscaping. The photographs are labeled, "Woolworth, July 14, 1974," and show the facades of several buildings along Maple Avenue, including the Woolworth department store building. The Woolworth building is the Independence Square Theater as of 2002. Norman Atkins, the donor's father, was the architect for the Independence Square Theater.

Commencement Luminary, Central High School, May 1898, Vol. XIII, No. 9.

Waters, G. Poe. Fairacres: A Novel of the Shepherd Family and the Founding of Independence, Missouri. (Toronto: The University of Denver Press, 1952.)

Various land deeds and approximately 40 images from the John and Abigail (Farmer) King family of Oak Grove, Missouri. Photographs depict the King family, their home, and their farm. Today, part of what was the King farm is Monkey Mountain Jackson County Park, located west of Oak Grove and southwest of Grain Valley, Missouri.

Biggs, F. Susan and Shirley M. Brown, ed. Location Index for Missouri Cemeteries, A. Vols. I and II. (Ozark, Mo.: Missouri State Daughters of the American Revolution, 2002).

Burnes, Brian, Robert W. Butler, and Dan Viets. Walt Disney's Missouri: The Roots of a Creative Genius. (Kansas City: Kansas City Star Books, 2002).

Official Manual of Missouri: 1997-1998; 1999-2000, and 2001-2002

Papers of Grace Harris, local aviatrix, including eight photographs, 26 reels of 16mm motion picture film, three certificates and two plaques.

Fulghum, Gayle, with contributions from Frank and Janann Adams, Bill and Connie Larkin, and Eleanor Creason Shafer. Potatoes by the Carload. A 3-page study and recollection dated September 10, 2002, of Jackson County's potato farming industry. Copies of photographs and two newspaper articles are also included.

9 images documenting the devastation of the 1903 flood in the West Bottoms of Kansas City. These photographs were commercially produced, and affixed to dark card stock measuring approximately 8" x 5".

Spencer, Thomas M. 'Bit of Mardi Gras in Kansas City, A': The Priests of Pallas Celebration, 1887-1924. Northwest Missouri State University, May 10, 2002. (A much abbreviated version of this paper is printed in The Kansas City Stars' Sunday Magazine, October 6, 2002.)

Approximately two document boxes of Metropolitan Street Railway Co. payroll records for various Kansas City streetcar lines, 1888-1890.

Liston, Helen. The Dime Store: A History of the Dime Store in Brookside, Mo. 2002. The Dime Store is located at 314 W 63rd Street, Kansas City, MO 64113.

Anderson, Terry L. Come and Spit on the Floor and Make Yourself at Home: A History of Independence and Jackson County from the News Stories of the Jackson Examiner, 1919-1922. Volume VIII. Independence, Mo.: Waneek Enterprises, 2002.

The Papers of JoAnn Meierhoff comprising of approximately 10 cubic feet of materials relating to Meierhoff's work in the Kansas City entertainment business from the 1930s to the 1990s. Included are client files consisting of papers and photographs of entertainers who specialized in a variety of artistic expressions. Mrs. Meierhoff worked as an liaison between the talent she represented and local businesses and organizations seeking professional entertainment.

Five original letters, three land deeds, and one article of agreement (contract) relating to the John and Sidney S. Bartleson family of Jackson County, Missouri, 1848-1860.

Hunt, Cindy. James H. "Happy" Smith. Nine-page term paper (with copies of sources) about a local urban legend that grew from the death of a Kansas City police officer who was shot during the 1928 robbery of the Home & Trust Company. Written for class "Kansas City: City of the Heartland," (HI365) at Park College, Parkville, Missouri, 2002.

9 Jackson County high school year books.

Approximately 20 photographs, and various newspaper clippings, brochures, booklets and genealogical notes on the Daniel Boone family and descendants, as compiled by Oren William Breidenthal Sr., Ph.D., who helped start the local Boone Family Research Association. Several items are stamped with Mr. Breidenthal's signature. He lived at 3400 Norledge and operated a "genealogy gallery...pictures preserved 'forever'" depository for "Boone pictures, biographies, and relics." This home is across the street from R. A. Long's Corinthian Hall (at present, a site of the Kansas City Museum where Daniel Morgan Boone's log cabin is preserved). These are residual materials of a collection donated to William Jewell College by a member of the Breidenthal family.

One photographic scrapbook and numerous loose photographs assembled by Blanche (Landon) Browning when she was a performer in Roy D. Smith's "Five Ferris Wheel Girls," who billed "instrumental and athletic novelty," as the circus toured United States cities from around 1914-1920. Miss Landon married Joe Browning, who was a musician in Smith's "Royal Scotch Highlanders" band, of which there are several documentary photographs. The couple divorced after Blanche had an accident and injured her back. She returned to Kansas City and worked several years as a switchboard operator at the Kansas City Star. Joe went on to work in the band for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, before retiring in St. Petersburg, Florida. A few newspaper clippings and programs are included.

Eight color photographs measuring 4" x 5" documenting the 1967 fire of the Waggoner Gates Milling Company in Independence, Missouri. It appears that these photographs were taken shortly after the explosion, before the Independence Fire Department arrived on the scene. These photographs were probably taken by Raymond Blake, a local collector of historical items, who lived near the Mill on Maple Avenue and likely heard the explosion. The photographs were purchased by the donor at the final three-day auction of the Blake estate in November 2002.

One Abstract of Title to the residence at 1000 South Liberty located in Block 2, Lot 11 of French Park, a subdivision of Jackson County, Missouri (Section 11, Township 49, Range 32). Also included are five photographs of the house taken in May 1976. One envelope of deeds and legal paperwork for the residence at 1016 South Liberty located in Block 2, Lot 16 of French Park, a subdivision of Jackson County, Missouri (Section 11, Township 49, Range 32), to be included with the Abstract of Title previously donated.

One Abstract of Title to the residence at 521 East Devon Street in Independence described as Lot 179 of Gudgell Park, a subdivision of Jackson County, Missouri (Section 11, Township 49, Range 32).

Three Jackson County, Missouri, Abstract of Titles: Lot 104 of Ott & Moore's, a subdivision of Jackson County, Missouri (Section 34/35, Township 50, Range 32) for the residence at 1301 North Pleasant in Independence; Lot 7 of Woodland Place, a subdivision of Jackson County, Missouri (Section 3, Township 49, Range 32) for the residence at 902 West White Oak in Independence; and Southwest 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4 and Southeast 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4 and the East 1/2 of the Northeast 1/4 of Section 15, Township 50, Range 31; located near Blue Mills Road in Jackson County, Missouri.

One black and white photograph measuring 8" x 10" of the "Grand Avenue Station," the red brick train depot once located in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.

1 reproduction photo of the earliest known view of the McCoy House at 410 W Farmer; the location of the original is not known.

Ten archeaolgical/cultural resource investigation reports dating from 1986-2002 that
the donor has consulted with on Jackson County, Missouri, projects, including but
not limited to: John Anderson Park in Grandview, Mo.; Young Park in Blue Springs,
Mo.; Adams Dairy Parkway in Jackson County, Mo.; Little Blue Road project in
Kansas City, Mo.; and the proposed education center at Fort Osage in Sibley, Mo.
Also included in this donation are two issues of The Kansas City Archaeologist
Special Bulletins No. 2 and No. 3.

Dodd, Monroe. Splendid Ride, A: The Streetcars of Kansas City, 1870-1957. (Kansas
City, Mo.: Kansas City Star Books, 2002).

One 8" x 10" black-and-white photograph of Judge Brady.

Bank of Independence check paid to Clinton Pharmacy by Gottlieb Nagel July 12, 1920.

12 color photographs of Independence Square Courthouse restoration, including views of the square and beyond taken from the Courthouse's campanile.

Independence and Courtney School District's boundary divisions and maps.

Hansen, Duncan. Reunion in Death, A: Gravesites of the Quantrill Men and the James Gang. (Independence, Mo.: Two Trails Publishing, 2002).