We've posted the November newsletter.
Kaw Point needs your vote!
The Kansas Sampler Foundation promotes rural life in Kansas. They sponsor a vote for the top eight Kansas sites in many categories. In this year's 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography finalists is Kaw Point Park, site of the Lewis and Clark Historic Park at Kaw Point and a marker placed in 2005 by the Native Sons and Daughters.
You can vote on your favorite 8 places in Kansas geography, and with your help, make the Lewis and Clark Historic Park at Kaw Point one of the top 8.
Vote on the Kansas Sampler web site.
Remembrance: Terry W. Chapman
We, the Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City, extend profound sympathy to the family of Mr. Terry Chapman, who recently passed away. Mr. Chapman’s abiding regard and commitment to preserving the historic record of the estates of Alexander Majors and Granddaughter Louisa Johnston have been essential and unequaled.
Mr. Chapman passed away Monday, January 11th, 2010. Mr. Chapman was President of the Alexander Majors Historic Foundation, and for years served as the Trustee for the Alexander Majors House and Park located at 83rd and State Line, Kansas City, Missouri.
He served the Kansas City area as a successful architect whose skills and devotion are reflected in the restored Majors' home and site. His presence in our historic preservation community will especially be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. A letter of condolence from the Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City shall be sent to the family of Terry Chapman.
We support the Alexander Majors home, and have a history of work with the site.
Fund Raiser Event for Projects in 2010
We hope that a signature fund raising event will be held in 2010 as a benefit targeted to fund our charity, advocacy, preservation, and education efforts. Those interested in serving on this important committee are asked to contact President Gary L. Hicks at 913-832-3200 or Executive Secretary Susie Hughes at 816-926-9397.
New Committee Chairs for 2010
We're pleased to announce the new committe chairs for 2010, as well as two new committees. Dave Baumgartner chairs the newly created Speakers Bureau committee, and Dan Sturdevant chairs the new Western Historical Manuscript committee.
- Alexander Majors Committee, Dr. Walt Swanson
- Program Committee Chair, Louise Hicks
- Membership Committee and Social Chair, John Hess, Jr.
- Communications Committee, Norm Besheer
- Historic Markers Committee, Paul Christiansen, with co-chair Roger Smith
- New Speakers Bureau, Dave Baumgartner
- New Western Historical Manuscript Committee, Dan Sturdevant
February 27 Member Event at the National Archives
We invite you and a guest to a tour of the National Archives exhibit, Mapping Missouri, at 400 West Pershing Road, at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday, February 27, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. For reservations, please email Susie Hughes, Executive Secretary, at 816.926.9397.
The National Archives preserves the permanent records of the Federal Government for the people of the United States. The National Archives at Kansas City is one of 13 regional branches of the National Archives and houses over 50,000 cubic feet of original records from over 90 Federal agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Visit their web site for more information
Following the tour, we’ll gather at 12:00 noon for an optional lunch at the Over There Cafe at the Liberty Memorial Museum, 100 West 26th Street.
Parking is free at the Archives. From Pershing Road across from the IRS offices, proceed down the ramp between the National Archives and Union Station. Park in front of the National Archives building, or in the Union Station parking garage just to the east. For the optional lunch at Liberty Memorial, drive south on Kessler Road and into the west parking lot. Map and directions.
Adminssion to the National Archives is free. Donations will be used to support programs and special events in the Kansas City area.
For those of you attending,here's a preview of the work of the National Archives.
In January, the National Archives in Kansas is hosting "Know Your Records" workshops. In partnership with the National Archives in Washington D.C., these "Know Your Records" workshops via videoconference, are free and open to the public. The workshops will be held at the National Archives at Kansas City, 400 West Pershing Road, in Kansas City, Missouri.
On Tuesday, January 12, at 1:00 p.m., learn how to search online using two tools found on the National Archives web site, Access to Archival Databases and the Archival Research Catalog. Valuable tools for historians and genealogists alike, ARC and AAD provide detailed information about the records held at the regional facilities and presidential libraries in the National Archives.
On Tuesday, January 26, at 2:30 p.m., learn about famous patent records held at the National Archives in Washington D.C. dating back to as early as 1836. These records include Thomas Edison's 1880 patent for the light bulb, as well as many others!
The National Archives at Kansas City is one of 13 facilities nationwide where the public has access to Federal archival records. It is home to more than 50,000 cubic feet of historical records dating from the 1820s to the 1990s created or received by nearly 100 Federal agencies. The National Archives at Kansas City is open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. for exhibits viewing and Tuesday-Saturday from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. for research.
More information about the National Archives in Kansas City can be found at their web site.
150 Years Later: Commemorating the Sequicenntenial of Kansas statehood and the Civil War.
The Civil War and Kansas statehood will be commemorated in 2011. As events are planned, we'll be posting links to articles elsewhere on the web, as well publicizing local events that may be of interest to members.
In the lead up to the Civil War, events along the border magnified the divisions in the country. A series of lectures at Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kansas, will illustrate the events between 1854 and 1861.
2:00 p.m. Sundays, free admission. These talks will be held at the Constitution Hall State Historic Site located at 319 Elmore, Lecompton, KS.
- Jan. 31 “We, the people of Kansas… The Wyandotte Constitution and the Birth of the 34th Star”, Virgil W. Dean, editor, Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains.
- Feb. 7 “Asa Reynard: My Family’s Original Jayhawk” , Timothy R. Graham, chief of staff, Kansas Senate Democratic Leader.
- Feb. 14 “Contested Ground: The African American Experience in Territorial Kansas”, Kristen Epps, Ph.D. candidate, American History, University of Kansas Feb. 21 “Jayhawkers: The Civil War Brigade of James H. Lane” , Bryce Benedict, author & historian (book signing following talk).
- Feb. 28 “Between Two Fires: Cass County Families, Chaos and Order No. 11”, Carol Bohl, executive director, Cass County, Missouri, Historical Society, Jackie Roberts, genealogy librarian, Cass County Public Library; and Tom Rafiner, independent scholar.
For more information, see http://www.lecomptonkansas.com
Women's History Event at Fort Osage, March 13 and 14th
The 2nd Women's History Event takes place on March 13 and 14, 2010, at the Fort Osage National Historic Site. The Native Sons and Daughters were among the first groups to promote the restoration and revitalization of Fort Osage at Sibley, Missouri. Fort Osage continues to attract people and events focused on this historic site and the life and times of the people living and working at the fort.
This event combines lectures and hands on workshops on culture, lifestyle, clothing, deportment and hygiene, cooking in the hearth and field cooking, firelock safety and training, and more for the period between 1800 and 1820.
The Federalist Ladies, all volunteers at the fort, are assisting with the event.
Special presentations and lectures include information about women and the US military. Women not only worked for the Army during this period as washerwomen and hospital matrons. In addition, in eastern cities, women were responsible for making many of the garments and accouterments used by the military.
Other workshops include:
- Handsewing 101
- Fire arms training for women
- Knitting mitts for beginners
- Making a fire-starting kit
- How to Chop firewood
- Molding bullets and making cartridges
- Knotting and netting – making trims for gowns
- Candle making – dipped and molded
- Pin cushion and scissor chatelaine with ribbon
Participants are welcome to stay on site in barracks (first come, first served) in their own tents, in the Native American Village, or in nearby motels, near I-70. A $20 food fee will cover all meals for the weekend, including snacks, tea, 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, and one supper. Meals will be prepared by those women participating in the hearth and open fire cooking workshops. You can obtain a brochure and registration form by emailing fortdearborn1812@yahoo.com.
Registration is required. Materials and supplies required list will be sent out after registration is received. Deadline for registration is February 28th, 2010.
Grinter House historic marker found!
Thanks to the efforts of several members, the historic marker for the Grinter House in Kansas City, Kansas, has been found. The marker is in excellent shape, after being placed in storage during a renovation of the Grinter House in recent years. A photo of the marker below illustrates the condition. The Marker Committee is making plans for reinstalling the marker.
Do you know a location to nominate for a historic marker?
We've posted an application form (pdf)on the Historic Markers page.
The Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City
Since 1932, the Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City has been on the forefront of historic advocacy and preservation in the Greater Kansas City, Missouri, area. Its goal, in the words of first President, D. Ralston Spaulding, is to "be a booster organization as well as a society for reminiscence...We intend to link the past with the present and the present with the future. We who are native best understand its problems."
Members come from a wide variety of backgrounds, professions and interests, but their common bond is an intense love of Kansas City and the desire to be part of an organization dedicated to the recognition, preservation and restoration of Kansas City's unique and rich heritage.