105 Kansas County Quilt
Creator: Stitching Traditions Quilt Shop
Date: between 2010 and 2013
Commemorative quilt made by the Woman's Kansas Day Club, with a separate block for every one of Kansas's 105 counties. Each block was made by a representative from that county. The quilt was then constructed, bordered, and bound by staff at Topeka's Stitching Traditions Quilt Shop and custom machine quilted by Topeka's A Touch of Class Quilting.

1962 Wichita Dreamliners baseball bat
Date: 1962
These photographs show the commemorative baseball bat received by Gil Carter as a member of the Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners semi-pro baseball team in 1962. That year, the Dreamliners won state and national semi-pro tournaments sponsored by the National Baseball Congress. Both tournaments were held in Wichita. In the state tournament, the Dreamliners defeated Wichita Instant Glass by a 2-1 score in the twelfth inning of the final game. In the 33-team national tournament, the Dreamliners advanced through the loser's bracket to win the title by defeating the Fairbanks Goldpanners, 7-6, in the championship game. Gil Carter, the Dreamliners' left fielder, had a .484 batting average and six home runs during the national tournament, which earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. Carter played for the Dreamliners again in 1963, when the team successfully defended its state and national semi-pro titles (see Kansas Memory number 310424). Digital images of the commemorative bat were created through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.

1963 Wichita Dreamliners baseball bat
Date: 1963
These photographs show the commemorative baseball bat received by Gil Carter as a member of the Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners semi-pro baseball team in 1963. That year, the Dreamliner team successfully defended its state and national semi-pro titles by winning tournaments at both levels sponsored by the National Baseball Congress. In the state tournament, the Dreamliners defeated Wichita Service Auto Glassmen by a 6-5 score in the eleventh inning of the final game. In the national tournament, the Dreamliners bested Ponchatoula, Louisiana by a score of 5-4 in the title game. Both tournaments were held in Wichita. Gil Carter was an outfielder for the 1963 Dreamliners. He also was in the starting lineup for the Dreamliners in 1962, when the team won its first state and national semi-pro titles (see Kansas Memory number 310423). Digital images of the commemorative bat were created through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.

1st Kansas Colored Infantry flag
Date: between 1862 and 1864
Blue silk regimental flag of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, the first African American regiment from a northern state in the Civil War. Recruitment began August 1862, although they weren't mustered into Federal service until January 13, 1863. They saw their first action at Island Mound, Missouri on October 29, 1862. The flag bears the names of eight battle honors. In 1864 the regiment was redesignated the 79th United States Colored Regiment.

20th Kansas Volunteer Infantry flag
Date: between 1898 and 1899
Silk regimental flag of the Twentieth Kansas Volunteer Infantry, which served in the Spanish-American War from 1898 to 1899. The flag is blue with the State Seal in the center. Gold fringe is attached to three sides. The regiment saw service in the Philippines, both in combat and as an occupation force at the conclusion of the fighting. Frederick Funston served as its commander. The Twentieth was the only of the four Kansas regiments to see action during the war.

2nd Kansas Colored Infantry flag
Date: 1863
Blue silk regimental flag of the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry. The flag bears the names of six battle honors. The 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry was organized in mid-1863 and saw action in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Its commander was Colonel Samuel J. Crawford, who later served as the governor of Kansas.

34-star American flag playing cards
Date: between 1861 and 1863
This deck of thirty-five glossed paper cards depicts two 34 star American flags on the back. The reverse contains the suits with no numbers in the corners. Kansas is the 34th State admitted to the Union (in 1861), which dates these to the early Civil War between 1861 and 1863. Prior to 1880 playing cards typically did not have numbers in the corners.

6th Kansas Cavalry flag
Date: 1861
This national flag was carried by the 6th Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War. Established at Fort Scott, Kansas, in July 1861, the unit started out as a "Home Guard," meant to protect citizens living in counties along the state's eastern border from guerilla raiders. In the spring of 1862, the unit was organized as a cavalry regiment. During the course of the war, the 6th Kansas fought in skirmishes in Missouri and Arkansas, preventing Confederate troops from moving farther north. The unit also participated in the Camden Expedition, a Union military campaign meant to secure Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas in Northern hands. As part of the expedition, they fought in the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry and the Battle of Prairie Grove, among others. The 6th Kansas mustered out on August 27, 1865, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry flag
Date: between 1862 and 1866
This flag belonged to Eighth Kansas Volunteer Regiment, which was recruited in 1862 and mustered out in 1866. The Eighth Kansas went farther east than any other Kansas unit, fighting in the battles of Chickmauga and Chattanooga, and taking part in the Atlanta campaign.

Abbott Howitzer
Date: 1850s
This black and white photograph shows the artillery piece known as the Abbott Howitzer. The cannon, manufactured by the Ames Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was purchased in 1855 by free-state activist James Burnett Abbott. The howitzer protected Lawrence, Kansas, during the sacking of the city on May 21, 1856. It was later used during the Civil War by James Henry Lane's brigade in Missouri. At the end of the war, the cannon was returned to Lawrence where it remained until Abbott donated the artillery piece to the Kansas Historical Society.

Abernathy desk chair
Creator: Abernathy Furniture Company
Date: between 1918 and 1925
Oak desk chair with a blond finish, made by the Abernathy Furniture Company of Leavenworth, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. LaVern Clair Noyes of Osborne acquired the chair from the Larosh Family of Osborne County, possibly in trade for services. Noyes was a custom harvester who also sold insurance and real estate.

A Corner of Bryce Canyon
Creator: Coy Avon Seward
Date: between 1935 and 1945
Small vertically oriented intaglio print on white paper. Penciled artist's signature below print. The artist was a founding member of the influential Prairie Print Makers, a group dedicated to promoting print making and offering affordable art to collectors. Seward was a tireless promoter of the arts in Kansas. He painted more than 30 canvases of landscapes, but his main interest was print making.

Admiral Byrd
Creator: Herschel C. Logan
Date: 1936
A black ink on rag paper woodcut, portrait of Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. in dress uniform by Herschel Logan. A member of the Prairie Printmakers, Logan executed this work in 1936. He was born April 19, 1901 in Magnolia, Missouri, and the family moved shortly afterwards to Winfield, Kansas. He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He worked as an advertising artist in Salina until his retirement in 1968. Logan moved to Santa Ana, California, where he died on December 8, 1987.

Admiral John E. Gingrich's hat
Creator: Unt Rankin Leather Company
Date: between 1945 and 1947
This U.S. Navy full dress bicorne hat belonged to Admiral John Edward Gingrich (1897-1960). Gingrich was born in Dodge City, Kansas. He attended the University of Kansas and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1919. As Captain of the cruiser Pittsburgh in 1945, he received a silver star for assisting the crippled aircraft carrier Franklin. He also received a Legion of Merit and gold star for safely sailing his cruiser following severe typhoon damage in June 1945. Gingrich promoted to Rear Admiral late in 1945. In 1947, he became the first director of the Division of Security and Intelligence at the Atomic Energy Commission. Gingrich commanded the Blockade and Escort Force in 1952, for which he received the Distinguished Service Medal. He retired in 1954 with the rank of four-star Admiral. He died in New York City in 1960.

Admit Me Free flag
Date: 1856
In 1856 this cotton and wool flag was used by Walter Whitehead in a rally at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for Republican presidential nominee John C. Frémont. The oversized 33rd star and the words, "Admit Me Free" in the canton of the flag are in support of Kansas admittance as a free state. It was also used in the 1860 presidential campaign for Abraham Lincoln and other political campaigns.

African American doll
Date: between 1937 and 1945
Handmade African American cotton cloth doll. The doll has short, black yarn hair, and her facial features are embroidered. She wears a simple light green cotton dress. The donor received the doll when she was a child from an African American neighbor. Her family lived in Topeka at the time of her birth in 1937. They left Topeka for California in 1946. She believes that she received the doll between the time of her birth and her fourth birthday.

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.

A Glimpse of the Smoky Hills
Creator: Coy Avon Seward
Date: 1927
Black lithographed scene on tan kid finish Bristol paper. Depicts the Smoky Hills of Kansas through an arch formed by trees. The artist was Coy Avon Seward (1884-1939), born in Chase, Kansas, and trained at both Washburn and Bethany colleges. Seward was a founding member of the Prairie Print Makers Association. This group believed art should be affordable for all people, not just collectors. Seward produced this print in 1927.

A Kansas Wheatfield
Creator: Herschel C. Logan
Date: 1923
This artwork is a black ink on rice paper woodcut showing a field of haycocks at dusk or dawn. A Kansas Wheatfield was drawn by Herschel C. Logan, who was born April 19, 1901 in Magnolia, Missouri. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Winfield, Kansas. He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts for one year. Logan was a commercial and advertising artist in Salina, Kansas, until his retirement in 1968. He was a member of the Prairie Print Makers. After retirement, Logan moved to Santa Ana, California.

Albert D. Searl's surveying chain
Date: between 1852 and 1855
Brass and steel surveying chain. Albert D. Searl used this chain to survey town sites in Kansas Territory. He came to Kansas from Massachusetts in 1854. He apparently was associated with S.C. Pomeroy, agent for the New England Emigrant Aid Company that organized antislavery settlements in the territory. Searl laid out the city limits and streets of Lawrence, Kansas, in September 1854, and three months later conducted the first regular survey of Topeka. Later he surveyed Manhattan, Osawatomie, Burlington, El Dorado, and other Kansas towns.

Albert D. Searl's transit
Creator: Phelps & Gurley
Date: between 1845 and 1851
Solid brass Vernier transit on walnut tripod. Albert D. Searl used this transit to survey town sites in Kansas Territory. He came to Kansas from Massachusetts in 1854. He apparently was associated with S.C. Pomeroy, agent for the New England Emigrant Aid Company that organized antislavery settlements in the territory. Searl laid out the city limits and streets of Lawrence, Kansas, in September 1854, and three months later conducted the first regular survey of Topeka. Later he surveyed Manhattan, Osawatomie, Burlington, El Dorado, and other Kansas towns.

Album Patch quilt
Date: 1895
Album Patch quilt with numerous handwritten signatures inked on the top. Marks on the center block include the name of Rev. L. C. Schnacke, the notation he was pastor of the First Congregational Church in Great Bend, and the date May 2, 1895. Most of the other names are for residents of Great Bend. This quilt probably was a fund raiser, with a small fee being charged for names to be recorded on it. The marks all appear to be written by the same person.

Album Patch quilt top
Date: between 1854 and 1856
This Album Patch quilt top is composed of multi-colored pieced calico blocks set on a white muslin ground. Inked names handwritten on the center of each block include Lyda Davis, Sarah Emminger, Ellen Wiestline, and Mary Swartz. White paper fragments with handwritten names are pinned to the center of some blocks. Dates written on the top include 1854, 1855, and 1856. This top probably was made in Pennsylvania and later brought to Kansas.

Album sampler quilt
Creator: Rowden, Deb
Date: 2006
Album sampler quilt comprised of 30 blocks, each in a different pieced or appliqued pattern. Quilt incorporates a wide variety of reproduction 19th century textiles designed for Moda Fabrics by Kansas quilt historians Barbara Brackman and Terry Clothier Thompson. Machine quilted in a different pattern on each block. An inscription sewn to backing lists the pattern names, designers, and sewers of each block. This quilt was made in 2006 by members of the Kaw Valley Quilters Guild, Lawrence, to celebrate the group's 30th anniversary. The 30 blocks feature patterns taken from the Guild's block-of-the-month collection over 30 years. Patricia Ann Marlo Sullivan of Topeka won the quilt in a drawing.

Alexander Soule Johnson
Creator: Uhl, S. Jerome
Date: 1906
Oil portrait of Alexander Soule Johnson by artist Jerome S. Uhl. The subject was the son of Rev. Thomas Johnson who operated the Shawnee Methodist Mission in Johnson County, Kansas. He worked as a land surveyor in Johnson County and oversaw settlement of the region as land and tax commissioner of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway land grant. During the Civil War, Johnson served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Kansas State Militia and participated in the Price Raid. He was a lawyer and member of the first territorial legislature. Johnson took an active role in, and served as president of, the Topeka Club. This social group consisted primarily of prominent Topekans. Johnson's portrait hung in the organization's clubhouse until it disbanded in the early 1920s. The artist was a painter from Cincinnati, Ohio, who studied in Paris, exhibited in Europe, and painted portraits of a number of prominent Americans.