1855 map of Richardson (Wabaunsee) County, Kansas
Date: 1855
This map shows the original Wabaunsee (Richardson) County boundaries which existed prior to a realignment of the borders with Morris County in 1870 and Riley County in 1871. Approximately 72 square miles were removed in the first action and 54 square miles in the latter. Notice the Potawatomi Reservation in the upper right section of the county and the Kaw Reserve in the lower left portion.

1880 census of Farmer Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Creator: United States. Census Office. 10th census, 1880
Date: June 1, 1880 through June 2, 1880
This excerpt of a census schedule provides details--including the name, age, race, and occupation--of settlers in Farmer Township in Wabaunsee County, Kansas. The county included a black population (B=Black) who had settled there in 1879 with the help of the Freedmen's Relief Association.

1880 census of Rock Creek Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Creator: United States. Census Office. 10th census, 1880
Date: June 11, 1880
This excerpt of a census schedule provides details--including the name, age, race, and occupation--of settlers in Rock Creek Township in Wabaunsee County, Kansas. The county included a black population (B=Black) who had settled there in 1879 with the help of the Freedmen's Relief Association.

1905 tornado in Alta Vista, Kansas
Creator: McCoy, W. A.
Date: May 13, 1905
Photographs of a tornado passing over Alta Vista, Kansas, on May 13, 1905.

4th of July parade in Alma, Kansas
Date: 1893 and 1894
Three photographs of 4th of July celebrations in Alma, Kansas. In the first photograph, six girls in patriotic dress pose during Alma's 1893 4th of July festivities. The second photograph captures the 1893 4th of July parade from the balcony of the Alma Hotel as it proceeds north on Missouri Street. In the third photograph, children dressed in patriotic clothes pose on a float constructed in a wagon in this view from the 1894 Alma 4th of July parade.

4th of July parade in Alta Vista, Kansas
Date: 1905
Photograph of the parade held on July 4, 1905 in Alta Vista, Kansas. William F. Kahle is seen hauling a large log behind the Royal Neighbors and Modern Woodmen of America float.

4th of July parade in Eskridge, Kansas
Date: Between 1881 and 1889
Two photographs showing the 4th of July parade on Main Street in Eskridge, Kansas. The first photograph is a view of the east side of Main Street looking toward the intersection of 1st and Main. The town of Eskridge had moved to this location only six years before this photo was taken. The second photograph, looking south on Main Street from 1st Avenue, is a rare view of the west side of Main Street prior to the 1890 fire which destroyed all of the block down to the Trusler Building. In 1913, fire destroyed the exact same portion of that block. In this view, a re-enactment of Bill Cole's Last Ride, a story of Indians attacking Cole and the Smith boys, who were overland mail carriers.

7th and 8th grade class, Alma, Kansas
Date: 1923
Black and white photograph of the 7th and 8th grade students, with their teacher Mr. M. O. Wright, in Alma, Kansas. Some of the students have been identified as Esther Mathies, Art Thowe, Helen Johnson, Alma Heitzman, Leola Haller, Willie Johnson, Genevieve Graves, Wilbur Noller, Alberta Thoes, Norman Anderson, Lola Simpson, Selena Feiden, Dorthory Johnson, Carl Diepenbrock, Arthur Zeckser, Paula Geisler, Othmar Undorf, Gus Delfs, Jack Miller, Victor Cox, and Harold Kraus.

Abigail Walton
Date: Between 1885 and 1890
This is a studio portrait of Abigail Walton, a resident of Harveyville, Kansas.

A brief history of Caleb and Rebecca Harvey, missionaries in the Quaker Shawnee Mission in 1858
Creator: Duvall, Dorothy
Date: August 23, 1940
This item, written by Dorothy Duvall, the granddaughter of Caleb and Rebecca Harvey, provides a four-page history of the Harvey's missionary experiences at the Quaker Shawnee Mission. Duvall explains that the Harvey's went to the Shawnee Mission in 1858 after leaving Springfield, Ohio. According to Duvall, Caleb Harvey was an agricultural teacher, and Rebecca Harvey "taught the girls household duties of every sort and how to sew."

Abstract of census returns
Creator: Undersigned Citizens of Kansas Territory, John Stroup (first signature),
Date: 1859
This 1859 abstract of census returns shows information at the township level for most Kansas counties. Some counties are listed without data. The census lists the number of voters in three different ways--the number of votes cast June 7, 1859; number of voters on June 7, 1859 who were under 6 month provision; and number of voters under 3 month provision. It also lists the number of inhabitants. The election on June 7, 1859, was to elect delegates to the Wyandotte constitutional convention.

Ada Laverty residence in Alma, Kansas
Date: Between 1975 and 1985
Photograph of the stone house located at 403 East 4th Street in Alma, Kansas. Ada Laverty (1906-2003) lived in this house for nearly a century.

Ada Sage Laverty and Florence Palenske Hallgren
Date: 1930-1939
Ada Sage Laverty, left, an unidentified man, and Florence Palenske Hallgren are seated on the bumper of a car in this 1930s photo. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Ada Sage Laverty at Alma, Kansas home
Date: April 21, 1986
In this view dated April 21, 1986, Ada Sage Laverty is seen standing in the front yard of her home, located at 403 E. 4th Street in Alma, Kansas. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Ada Sage Laverty home at Alma, Kansas
Date: 1979
This exterior view of the home of Ada Sage Laverty, located at 403 E. 4th Street in Alma, Kansas, is dated 1979. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Address to the Voters of Kansas
Creator: Pomeroy, S. C. (Samuel Clarke), 1816-1891
Date: September 25, 1867
The numerous authors of this pamphlet (Republicans) support the constitutional amendments to approve voting rights for blacks, for women, and to restrict voting rights to "loyal persons." They offer arguments for their position as well as criticizing the Democratic Party in Kansas for their opposition to these amendments. Forty five men signed the document, which was the result of a meeting in Lawrence. The following signed the document S. C. Pomeroy, Atchison; E. G. Ross, Lawrence; S. J. Crawford, Topeka; N. Green, Manhattan; Chas. Robinson, Lawrence; Geo T. Anthony, Leavenworth; Lewis Bodwell, Topeka; R. B. Taylor, editor Wyandotte Gazette; J. P. Root, Whandotte; James Rogers, Burlingame; S. Weaver, Editor Lecompton New Era; L. R. Elliott, Editor Atchison Daily Free Press; W. A. Starrett, Lawrence; Wm. Larimer, Jr., Leavenworth; John Ritchie, Topeka; John Ekin, Topeka; Sol. Miller, Editor White Cloud Chief; A. H. Foote, Lawrence; C. B. Lines, Wabaunsee; R. G. Elliott, Jefferson county; G. A. Crawford, Bourbon county; John Speer, Kansas Tribune; A. Low, Doniphan; R. W. Jenkins, Pottawatomie county; Ed. Russell, Leavenworth; J. H. Pillsbury, Editor Manhattan Independent; S. D. Houston, Manhattan; W. K. Marshall, Atchison; F. G. Adams, Kennekuk; P. L. Hubbard, Atchison; A. Hunting, Manhattan; J. B. Abbott, De Soto; Joseph Denison, Manhattan; T. H. Baker, Manhattan, H. W. Farnsworth, Topeka; I. H. Smith, Topeka; D. R. Anthony, Leavenworth; G. W. Higginbotham, Manhattan; John Pipher, Manhattan, R. L. Harford, Manhattan; Jas. Humphrey, Manhattan; Wm McKay, Manhattan; R. P. Duvall, Manhattan; Pardee Butler, Pardee; and L. F. Green, Baldwin City. Only the language restricting voting to "loyal" persons was passed in the election on November 5, 1867. Blacks and women were not given voting rights as a result of the 1867 election.

Admiral F. A. Wendt
Date: June 30, 1971
This is an official Navy photograph of Admiral F. A. Wendt, Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Naval Forces, Europe, June 30, 1971. He was a grandson of Peter Thowe II and nephew of August Thowe of Alma, Kansas.

Adolph Maas' threshing crew, Alma, Kansas
Date: Between 1900 and 1910
A photograph of a crew threshing wheat at the Adolph Maas farm in Alma, Kansas. The crew uses a large steam engine fueled with wood that is carried in a short wagon behind the tractor.

Adults and children gathered for a parade, Alma, Kansas
Date: Between 1920 and 1929
A photograph showing adults and children gathered for a parade in Alma, Kansas. Visible on the street are businesses including Ketterman's Restaurant and a bank.

Aerial view of Houtz farm in Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Date: Between 1975 and 1985
This is an aerial view of a Wabaunsee County farm identified as the Ralph Houtz farm, located north of Templin School. The caption says it is also known as the Wolgast farm.

Aerial view of McFarland, Kansas
Date: August 17, 1962
An aerial view of the town of McFarland, Kansas.

A Flint Hills Story by Victor Palenske
Creator: Palenske, Victor
Date: 1973
This is a forty-page monograph, authored by Victor Palenske and signed and dated 1973. Palenske's document recalls his early days in Alma in the 1910s and speaks in detail of Alma business and life in the early 20th century in Wabaunsee County. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

African American woman tintype
Date: between 1860 and 1865
A tintype of an unidentified African American woman. This photo was passed down through generations of the Platt family. Jireh Platt was an active abolitionist in Mendon, Illinois. His sons Enoch and Luther, members of the Beecher Bible and Rifle Colony, settled in Wabaunsee County, Kansas Territory, where they operated a station on the Underground Railroad. The Platts may have helped this woman escape to freedom. The fact that she is wearing a wedding ring is significant, as slaves weren't legally allowed to marry.

Air-Dome Theater in Alma, Kansas
Date: Between 1914 and 1915
Photograph of the Air-Dome Theater located in Alma, Kansas. At the time the photograph was taken, the theater was featuring the Perils of Pauline, a famous American film serial released in 1914. The Air-Dome Theater was an outdoor theater owned by Arthur "Boss" Simon, located at 220 Missouri Street. Simon's brother, Charlie, had a small printing shop located in the stone building seen just to the left of the theater storefront, and the brothers constructed the theater building shell in 1910. The theater operated for about five years.

A. J. Skeen family in Eskridge, Kansas
Date: 1889
This is a studio portrait of Andrew Jackson Skeen and his family in Eskridge, Kansas. Skeen was the foreman of the Tanner Ranch at Eskridge. Other members of the family are identified as Ed, Patsy, Fred, Frank, John, Sarah 'Sally', William, Benjamin, Charles, Andrew, and his mother, Malinda Denning Skeen.