-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 […]
Photo Friday: Memories of Jake’s Place
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 […]
Eskridge Alumni Association Digitizes Eskridge High School Class Photos
The Eskridge High School Alumni Association recently contracted with Flint Hills photo historian, Greg Hoots to digitize forty-six graduating class pictures that once adorned the walls of Eskridge High School in Eskridge, Kansas. […]
Photo Friday: The Infamous Dr. Smith(s)
-by Greg Hoots- Here’s a great historic photo from the Bat Nelson collection. It’s a real photo postcard, postmarked 1909 showing the interior of Dr. W.H.H. Smith’s pharmacy in Alta Vista, Kansas. […]
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 […]
Tornado Strikes Eskridge
-by Greg Hoots- April 12, 1911 began like many spring days for the residents of Eskridge, Kansas as a strong, relentless wind was blowing from the southwest and a hint of clouds […]
Photo Friday: Haying at the Steinmeyer Barn
This rare image of men loading a barn loft with loose hay was taken at the Fred Steinmeyer farm, located five miles south of Alma, Kansas. The hay carrier had huge steel jaws […]
Louis Palenske Archives Presented on Kansasmemory.org
The digitized photos and manuscripts of Alma photographer Louis Palenske have been included in the Kansas State Historical Society’s digital archives and presented on their website, Kansasmemory.org. The collection represents 390 new items […]
Video: Volland Memories, The Kratzer Films
In 2015 the Kansas Humanities Council awarded a grant to the Wabaunsee County Historical Society to fund an exhibition of photography by Volland, Kansas shopkeeper and photographer, Otto Kratzer. The project also funded […]
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 […]
