One of the great inventions of the 19th century which improved the quality of life for virtually all Americans was the creation of the match in the early 1800s. The first modern, […]
Matchbook Memories
Greg Hoots Real Photo Postcard Collection
Postcards have a rich history in the United States and abroad with the first postcards being used in Europe in the 1840s. In the United States, the first postcard was patented by […]
A Flint Hills Story by Victor Palenske
Editor’s note: Victor Palenske, born in Alma in 1903, authored this story in 1973, recalling his youth in Alma. Palenske’s penchant for details is amazing and insightful. This editor has added period […]
Stanley Funeral Home, Eskridge, Kansas
Editor’s note: This story of the Stanley Funeral Home was compiled with personal recollections of Judy Stanley Hayes who was a toddler while her family resided in Eskridge, Kansas, supplemented with photos […]
You Coast Downhill
-by Greg Hoots- As a child, I often heard stories from my folks of what they always called “the bicycle trip.” The bicycle trip took place three years before I was born, […]
The Flint Hills Special Has Arrived
Welcome to the Flint Hills Special, your digital history magazine. Please scroll down the listing of stories or search for specific subjects while exploring Kansas history from the comfort of your home.
Minnie Palenske Zwanziger Memorial Museum Turns 50
Fifty years ago, on October 27, 1968 the Wabaunsee County Historical Society held the grand opening of their new museum in Alma, Kansas, the Minnie Palenske Zwanziger Memorial Museum. Present at the […]
1963 Wabaunsee County Farm Directory
For more than a half-century, rural directory companies in Kansas have produced county plat maps in a booklet form that feature all of the Townships of a particular county, while identifying all of the […]
The History of the Alma National Bank
-by Greg Hoots- The Alma National Bank enjoyed a prominent place in the history of the business community of Alma, Kansas, boasting a rich history in the very roots of the town. […]
Photo Friday: School District No. 20, The Cousins School
District 20 is a very early school district in Wabaunsee County, organized in 1867-1868. It is likely that the first school building was constructed of logs. In September of 1874 the school district held a […]
