Category: Museum Blog
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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 opening to cut the ceremonial ribbon was the museum’s benefactor, Alma’s native-son, Fred “Fritz” C. Palenske. The building in which Fritz had been…
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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. The Alma National Bank, founded in 1898, had its origins in the Alma State Bank, established by Alma businessman and photographer, Louis Palenske. Palenske,…
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Don Mogge: Eyewitness to History
-by Greg Hoots- Note: This story was first published in the Flint Hills Special, 2012. For years I shared my lunch break with Don Mogge. I would grab a bite to eat in the early afternoon, and Don would usually meet me at the café in Alma, Kansas where I dined, and he would enjoy…
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The Great American Eclipse of 1918
On August 21, 2017, millions of Americans will view the total solar eclipse as its shadow sweeps across the country at midday. It is predicted that as many as 100-million people will view the 2017 eclipse, setting an all-time record. Twelve million Americans live within the swath of “totality” which stretches in an arc across…
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Herrmann’s Shoe and Harness Shops
-by Greg Hoots- Ferdinand and Christine Herrmann were a young German couple, married for five years when they immigrated to America in 1874, settling in Alma, Kansas, a rural Wabaunsee County town with a significant German immigrant community. Ferdinand was a cobbler by trade and opened a shoe shop and a harness shop in Alma shortly…
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Memories of Jake’s Place
-By Greg Hoots- When I met Jake Copeland, he was retired and living on “the point” at Lake Wabaunsee. He had closed Jake’s Place, his bar in Eskridge, and was enjoying life at the lake. Years later, after Jake’s passing, I met a few folks who told stories of Jake’s Place and their friendships with…
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Law and Order: The Anthony King Murder
-By Greg Hoots- Chapter 1 Anthony and Marie King were a typical young married couple. Anthony King, born in 1871, was a clerk in a store when the pair wed, and as many young couples do, the Kings hoped to buy a home and raise a family in Junction City, Kansas where they resided. King…
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The History of Wabaunsee County Newspapers
-by Greg Hoots- In April of 1867 Alma, Kansas became the county seat of Wabaunsee County, following two contested elections which found Alma and Wabaunsee vying for the placement of the county’s courthouse. The momentous event did not make its way into the newspapers. In the earliest days of Alma, growth was slow, and the county was…
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The Birth of a Town: Alma
Alma, Kansas is a thriving small town located in the center of Wabaunsee County and serves as the county’s seat of government. The town’s history dates to the middle 1860s when the town was first settled and almost simultaneously declared the county seat. In 1856 Gottlieb Zwanziger, a civil engineer, had settled on Mill Creek, building an…
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Alma Bottling Works
-by Greg Hoots- There are few of us that have never enjoyed a cold bottle of “soda pop” on a hot day. That simple pleasure has become a big business in the United States with revenue from the sales of soft drinks topping 100-billion dollars, annually. While soda pop seems as American as apple pie…