Photographer Tom Parish visited the site of the Alma Portland Cement Works, a late-19th century manufacturing enterprise, located near Alma, Kansas. Parish photographed the remains of the large kiln where ingots of […]
Alma Portland Cement Works
Photo Friday: Mill Creek Valley & Council Grove Railway Bond, 1873
No single force was so important to the development of the American West than the railroad industry. By the middle of the 19th century, the nation’s lawmakers realized that the development of […]
Photo Friday: Video, Halloween Parade, Eskridge, Kansas
This is a short 8-millimeter video of the Halloween parade in Eskridge, Kansas taken in the very early 1950s. It’s a great little video of an iconic parade in small town America. […]
Photo Friday: Artist, August Ohst
Today’s featured photo includes two views, both taken in 1888 by Louis Palenske, of his good friend, artist, August Ohst. August Ohst was born in Ratzeburg, Germany in 1851 and came to America […]
Number Please: The History of the Telephone in Wabaunsee County
In the history of Wabaunsee County, June 25, 1898 is a date of historical significance when the McMahan Telephone Exchange opened for business in Alma, Kansas with twelve subscribers. The telephone company […]
Shave and a Haircut
One of the most iconic small town businesses which thrived in the first half of the 20th century was the local barber shop. Every town had one. Some towns had two […]
Photo Friday, Railroad Trestle Construction
Hi, Everyone, It’s Photo Friday again! I have two photos taken of the construction of a railroad trestle. The location is unidentified beyond the assumption that it is in Kansas. These are […]
Photo Friday, Wabaunsee Tavern, Lake Wabaunsee
Welcome to Photo Friday. We have two photos today from lifelong Eskridge resident, Dean Dunn, both taken at Lake Wabaunsee in the early 1940s. These views are both of the Wabaunsee Tavern, […]
Gasoline Gallery
Before the development of the convenience store and the concept of self-service gasoline pumps, there were thousands of small gas stations across Kansas that pumped fuel, washed the customer’s windows, checked the […]
All Indian Trails Lead to Lawrence Photos
In 1926 Kansas photographer Louis Palenske was living and working in Burlington, Kansas when it was announced that Native Americans from across the country would be attending a four-day dedication of a new […]
