Remember When: A Community Review of Tonganoxie
10 years ago: Feb. 5, 2003
By late summer, Tonganoxie residents could have a few more shopping opportunities, including a Dollar General store and a video rental business.
Early Friday morning, Tonganoxie FFA members loaded up their livestock and headed to the fort. Fort Leavenworth, that is, for the annual Kansas Day celebration at Eisenhower Elementary School (The THS students were teaching the children about farm animals. The animals taken included a horse, sheep, goat, piglets, calf and chickens.).
Deaths: Helen Claggett Funkhouser, 99, Baldwin, formerly of Tonganoxie, died Feb. 2, 2003; Claire Edith Walden Engle, 100, Tonganoxie, died Jan. 30, 2003.
A day spent filling out an application for the Girl Scouts Wider Opportunities program paid off for a Tonganoxie girl. Paige Robinson, who is a ninth-grader at Tonganoxie Junior High School, didn’t get her first choice — a trip to London. But she did get a trip to New York. The July 7-18 trip will be based in Rochester, N.Y., with side trips that include Niagara Falls and tours of the homes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Harriet Tubman. The Girl Scout trip, which includes a visit to underground railroad sites, looks at the women who worked to free slaves, and later to advocate womens’ rights.
Births: Shawna and Charlie Gilmore, rural Leavenworth, a son, Charles Richard, Jan. 3, 2003; Brandon and Sarah Thomas, Tonganoxie, a son, Brandon Lee Thomas, Jr., born Dec. 3, 2002; Mark and Tammy Hill-Zydio, Shawnee, twins, Dane Alan and Jenna Marie, born Oct.. 29, 2002.
25 years ago: Jan. 27, 1988
Deaths: Angela K. Forshee, 24, McLouth, died Saturday night when the car she was riding in collided head-on with a pickup truck in northwest Atchison county, the Kansas Highway Patrol said; Virginia Arlene Waters, 63, rural Easton, Kansas, died Saturday; Jerry C. Kelsall, 44, Lawrence, died Jan. 21, 1988; Irene H. Patten, 80, Tonganoxie, died Jan. 25, 1988; Gladys Mae Belt, 88, Tonganoxie, died Saturday.
Birth: Ernie and Becky Rust of Lawrence, a son, Jeffery Lee, born Jan. 24, 1988.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bryan Copeland, Leavenworth, will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary on Feb. 9, 1988. An open house will be 2-4 p.m. Feb. 7 at their home in Leavenworth.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim (Catherine) Carter celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 22, 1988.
On Dec. 29, 1987, members of the Happy Helpers 4-H Club conducted a Victory March in Tonganoxie for the arthritis foundation. They raised $166.75 and wish to thank all the merchants and individuals for their contributions. The monies were forwarded to the Kansas Chapter. Scott Rose was the chairman for the drive.
50 years ago: Feb. 14, 1963
Then there was this thoughtful old lady who wrote this on her income tax return: “I do hope you will give this to some nice country.”
Births: Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Brawner of Independence, Missouri, a son, Donald Earl, Jr., born Feb. 7; Mr. and Mrs. Loren White of Shawnee Mission are the parents of a son, Patrick Bryan, born Jan. 31; Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Bradley, Tonganoxie, a son, Max Leon, Jan. 25.
Deaths: Mr. and Mrs. Fred Angell have received word of the death of their niece, Mrs. Mildred Jacobsen, of Chico, Calif.; Mr. C.S. Mackey, Tonganoxie, died Feb. 11, 1963 at the age of 79 years.
Basehor: Mr. and Mrs. Earl Hensley a boy, William Keith, Feb. 2, 1963.
Linwood: Mr. and Mrs. Micheal Jamison, a daughter, Feb. 8, 1963.
75 years ago: Jan. 20, 1938
Deaths: Mrs. George Holland died at her home 2 miles northwest of Tonganoxie, Wednesday afternoon; Marion Woodward, 66, a former resident of this community died suddenly Tuesday afternoon at his home in Lawrence, following a heart attack; Jarbalo, William McGuire Jamison, 81, died Thursday morning; Basehor, John Larkin, retired farmer of Basehor, Kansas, died Sunday morning at the home of a daughter.
Birth: Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Dramann a daughter, Jan. 17 — Moore Station.
From “It Happened in Kansas” by F.A. Cooper: A small hill 8 miles south of Emporia once contained one of the largest snake dens on record. This den was discovered in 1876. For five days the killing continued and by actual count 4,150 snakes were destroyed without apparently diminishing the number of live snakes in the den. The snakes were all blue racers and adders.
100 years ago: Jan. 30, 1913
The city council has selected George Fisher for chief of the fire department with the privilege of selecting the firemen who are to serve under him. Eleven men have been chosen by Mr. Fisher as follows: Fred Angell, Chas. Cole, Al Conley, Dale Dessery, George Gardner, Ed Hoskins, John Lash, Dan Love, Thos. Loyd, Luther Modlin and Frank Zoellner.
Heretofore Frank Fairchild has been having a monopoly of the accidents in the family but last week while getting out of a buggy at the Steinmetz blacksmith shop. Mrs. Fairchild lost her footing and badly sprained one of her knees. Three bad accidents have befallen Mr. Fairchild in little over a year.
A second daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lenahan Sunday morning.
There will be no service at Reno next Sunday afternoon on account of the big Men’s Meeting in Tonganoxie in the afternoon.
Dr. W.R. Gladman reports births as follows: A girl to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Cox Monday and a girl to Mr. and Mrs. William Wilson Sunday. Mrs. Wilson is also a grandmother.
The Mackey school house three miles south of Reno burned Tuesday forenoon, the fire being discovered while the school was in session. The piano and the school library were saved and most of the children saved their books. The fire originated from a defective flue. The Mackey was one of the older school houses of the county and the school this year was being taught by Miss Mills.