Photographer and graphic artist, Tom Parish has created a collection of Volland, Kansas “re-photographs” which merge the images from historic photos with those taken today. Parish uses early Otto Kratzer photos from the Wabaunsee County Historical Society’s collection and then photographs the exact location today, from the same angle and point of view. Then, Parish digitally “stitches” the two images together to create a standard static image or an animated GIF-file image. Click on the images below to see a larger version of each animation.
Back Porch of Old Kratzer Store. Early Volland only contained buildings on the east side of the road, and the old Kratzer Brothers’ Mercantile was the center of activity in town. The back porch served as a social gathering place, and for the Kratzers the back porch was a spot to escape from the summer heat, the source of their water stored in a cistern, and a place to sit and visit with friends. The Kratzer’s house was located just a few feet south of the store and shared a common porch.
Gathering at Old Kratzer store. The Kratzer Bros. Mercantile was the center of social activity in Washington and Farmer Townships at the beginning of the 20th century. In this 1905 view, a large crowd gathers in front of the Kratzers’ store, posing for the camera.
Volland Depot, circa 1910. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway depot was located near the southeast edge of Volland, in the Rock Island yards. The CRIP stockyards was located on the west side of the depot.
Rock Island Rail Yards. Two Rock Island railroad workers stand at the west edge of the Rock Island rail yards at Volland in this view, circa 1910. In the background one can see the Volland depot and the water tower used to fill steam engines.
Old Kratzer Brothers’ Store, Volland, Kansas. The Kratzer brothers stand in front of Kratzer Brothers’ Mercantile at Volland in this view circa 1908. All of the brothers had worked in the mercantile business in Alma before Bill and his brother, Otto, opened their Volland store.
An Indian in Volland. A man riding a very early Indian motorcycle stops at the Volland Store in this view, circa 1908. This motorcycle is a one-cylinder model, the earliest of the motorcycles produced by bicycle builder, Hendee Manufacturing.
Volland Stockyards. The Rock Island stockyards were located on the south side of Bill Kratzer’s house and the Kratzer Brothers’ first general store. The new store, located on the west side of the road, opened in 1913, is visible in the background.
Kratzer Family Celebrates New Store Opening. Members of the Kratzer family gather in front of the new Kratzer Brothers’ Mercantile in this view from 1913.
Panorama of Volland. This panorama of Volland shows the new Kratzer Brothers’ Mercantile, the old Kratzer store to the right, and at the far right, the Rock Island stockyards and rail yards.
Friends in Field by Kratzer Store. Three couples pose in the field west of the Kratzer Brothers’ Mercantile in this photo, circa 1913.
The Volland School, District 26. Students and parents gather at District 26, the Volland School for the last day of school in this photo, circa 1920.
A re-photograph of the Kratzer Brothers’ Store at Volland by photographer Tom Parish is visible just behind the “Story Store”, an interactive story booth which is part of the “Going Home” exhibit at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas. The exhibition was created by the Chapman Center for Rural Studies at Kansas State University.
Parish, an accomplished photographer noted for his views of underground caves, recently partnered with the Wabaunsee County Historical Society as the designer and builder of the WCHS’s new website. Tom Parish is currently the Visiting Instructor of the Digital Humanities for the Chapman Center for Rural Studies at Kansas State Univeristy.
Categories: Blog, Featured Stories, Photographs
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