Voices of Harvey County: August 2013

Thursday, August 29, 2013

A Gentleman and a No. 1 Artist: Pioneer Photographers Part 2

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

For Part 1 of this two part series on Newton's earliest photographers click here..

Two views of Newton's Main Street in 1882, photographer unknown.
View 1: looking south from the intersection of 6th & Main.
View 2: looking north from the intersection of 5th & Main.
HCHM Photo Archives

"A Gentleman and a No. 1 Artist"

The first photographer to advertise in the Newton Kansan was Charles Gillingham. Gillingham was married in Leavenworth County, Ks on March 8, 1871. By 1880 Gillingham is in Newton working as a photographer at the corner of Main St and Broadway. His regular advertisements in the Newton Kansan guarantee satisfaction with the photographs or the will be no charge. According to one ad, Gillingham had "more than four years of experience taking photographs in Washington City, D.C." His specialty was groups and baby pictures.

On August 12, 1880 disaster struck Gillingham. At around twelve o'clock in the night, a coal oil lamp exploded in the adjacent Golden Gate office. The resulting fire destroyed the building. Sadly, the photograph gallery belonging to C.L. Gillingham, "which stood at the southwest corner of the Gate office was, with its glassy contents, entirely demolished. . . . The loss to Mr. Gillingham is a rather serious one. A large number of valuable negatives were entirely demolished which can never be replaced." (Newton Kansan 12 August 1880, p.2)

Gillingham did attempt to recover from the fire. A week later, the Newton Kansan reported that he was erecting a 12 x 26 brick building at the corner of Main and Broadway. The editor encouraged people to be supportive of "Charley, a gentleman and a No. 1 artist." By August 26, he was "ready for business again in better shape than ever."

Newton Kansan, 16 September 1880

After September 1880, the advertisements for Gillingham, "the shadow catcher", no longer appear in the Kansan. Gillingham does not appear in the 1885 City Directory. None of the photos in our collection indicate that they were taken by Gillingham. This is likely due to the disastrous fire that destroyed much of his work.

Although there are no definitive answers to 'who' took the "Summer of 1871" photo of Newton's Main St., one possibility is Charles Gillingham, a photographer who was in Kansas in 1871. When he left Newton sometime in the fall of 1880, he may have left fellow photographer, F.D. Tripp, the negative. Tripp then reprinted the photo, mounted it using his logo and in doing so, preserved this brief glimpse at Newton's very beginnings.

Research Notes:
F.D. Tripp was quite hard to pin down. If we knew for certain his age in the summer of 1871, a clearer idea of who actually took the photo could be determined. Depending on which document is correct, his birth year is given as:

1856 (1887 Harvey County Tax Rolls & 1947 Obituary);
1857 (1886 Harvey County Tax Rolls);
1858 (1870 Census);
1859 (1880 Census);
1866 (1900 Census)

For the purposes of this blog post, a time span of roughly 1856-1858 was assumed for the birth year of F.D. Tripp.

Sources

Newton Kansan, 1872-1881.

Newton Kansan, 8 January 1880, p. 1
Newton Kansan, 12 August 1880, p. 2.
Newton Kansan, 19 August 1880, p. 2.
Newton Kansan, 26 August 1880, p. 3.
Newton Kansan, 16 September 1880, p. 2..

Evening Kansan-Republican, September 6, 1947, p.1.
Newton City Directories, 1885, 1887, 1902, HCHM Archives.
United States Census, 1870, 1880, 1900.
Newton Voter Registration Index 1882-1902, HCHM Archives.
Harvey County Marriage License Index, 1882, HCHM Archives.
Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, Vol. 27, Google Books, p. 382.

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

At the Corner of Main and Broadway: Pioneer Photographers, Part 1

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

"At the Corner of Main and Broadway" is Part 1 of a two part series featuring two early Harvey County photographers.

Pioneer Photographer of Newton

A small notice on the front page of the Evening Kansan-Republican on 6 September 1947 reported the sad news "another old timer passes." Frank D. Tripp, "pioneer photographer of Newton" died at the age of 91 in Pueblo, Colorado.

Tripp is credited with taking the earliest photo we have of Newton dated the "Summer of 71" and was a well known photographer in Harvey County throughout the 1880s and 1890s.

The 1880 Census lists Frank Tripp, age 21, living in Newton, Ks, working as a photographer. He was born in New York in 1859.

F.D. Tripp, ca. 1880

He, and another photographer, John Silverthorn, also 21, were business partners in 1880. The Newton Art Gallery was located in the "Diamond Block, Newton, Kansas."

Newton Kansan, 27 Jan. 1881, p.3

Silverthorn was only in Harvey County for a year, before moving on, leaving F.D. Tripp as the sole photographer at the Newton Art Gallery.

Perhaps one of the earliest photos by Tripp.

Unidentified Man
Photo by Tripp

In 1882, Tripp married Laura F. Purcell on December 26 in Harvey County. They established a home in Newton and had three children; Homer, George and Genevieve.

Tripp worked as a photographer in Newton from 1880 through 1900.

Photos by F.D. Tripp

Photo by Tripp

By 1885, Tripp's business was located at the corner of Main and Broadway in Newton.

Young John C. Nicholson by Tripp.

John C. Nicholson, 1886
HCHM Photo Archives

Newton High School Class of 1896

Newton High School Class of 1896
Photo by Tripp

He often displayed his work in the show windows of Main St. businesses during the Cin Quinto festivities. In 1897 he served as President of the Photographers Association of Kansas.

Sometime between 1900 and 1902, Tripp and his family move to Pueblo, Co, where he continued to work as a photographer at "Tripp and York Photographers". Laura, his wife, died August 5, 1929 and was buried in a family plot at the Roselawn Cemetery, Pueblo, Co.. Eighteen years later, Frank D. Tripp was also buried there.

While researching F.D. Tripp's life, a mystery emerged. Who was the actual photographer of the 1871 photograph? Because of Tripp's logo on the photo card, we have always given him credit for taking the photo. Research revealed that in 1871, Tripp would have been twelve years old based on information in his obituary, censuses and other records. An 1870 Census lists a 12 year old Frank Tripp in the household of George and Caroline Tripp in New York. It seems unlikely that a teenage Tripp took the photo in Kansas a year later.

Were there other photographers that could have taken the photo? Part two of Pioneer Photographers will be posted next week.

Sources

Newton Kansan, 1872-1881.

Newton Kansan, 8 January 1880, p. 1
Newton Kansan, 12 August 1880, p. 2.
Newton Kansan, 19 August 1880, p. 2.
Newton Kansan, 26 August 1880, p. 3.
Newton Kansan, 16 September 1880, p. 2..

Evening Kansan-Republican, September 6, 1947, p.1.
Newton City Directories, 1885, 1887, 1902, HCHM Archives.
United States Census, 1870, 1880, 1900.
Newton Voter Registration Index 1882-1902, HCHM Archives.
Harvey County Marriage License Index, 1882, HCHM Archives.
Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, Vol. 27, Google Books, p. 382.

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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Mystery Object

Sometimes we get questions from people wanting to know, "What is it?" Sometimes we can help, other times we are just a mystified as they. This is one of those occasions and we are asking for your help. A lady discovered this "Political Memento" in her grandmother's estate.

She sent us some photos.

Dimensions: Front to Back approx 2 & 1/4 inches and 1 & 3/4 inches high.

On the bottom it says "564 Neuton Kan".

One guess is that this could be a souvenir connected to the National Farmers & Laborers Union of America which held a "First State Convention" in Newton, Kansas on August 14, 1889. The researcher also discovered a notation about a 1890 meeting that "564 (state) delegates attended." Meetings were usually held in Topeka, but was one held in Newton?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Republican_Party

We have found references to an 1889 meeting in Newton and an 1890 meeting of the "Farmer's Alliance" (later the Populist Party) where 144 votes were cast in Newton, Kansas.

So, the question is - does this little porcelain elephant have anything to do with the 1890 meeting?

Can you help identify?

If you have information, please comment in the comment section of this blog or send an e-mail to HCHM Archivist at archivist@hchm.org.

Thank you for your help!

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Thursday, August 8, 2013

"No Place Like Newton, Even if it does have a Sand creek": The 1904 Flood

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

Tuesday evening, May 31, 1904, a large crowd was enjoying a street concert in Newton. Everything came to an abrupt end when rain drops began to fall. The crowd and band quickly scattered, but not everyone reached a place of protection "when the heavy fall of rain came and scores were drenched." The rain continued steadily the next morning, thoroughly saturating the ground. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, "the flood-gates were opened and the rain fell in torrents . . . it was a deluge. . . . For awhile, it was impossible to see the buildings on one side of Main street from the other, so heavy and dense was the falling moisture." The system of sewers and the gutters was completely overwhelmed. The editors of the Evening Kansan-Republican felt confident to report that although Sand Creek was "way out of its banks" and streets were flooded the main "flood effects as usual were worst at the Third and Fifth street corners."

Headlines from Evening Kansan-Republican, June 2, 1904

1904 Flood Newton
HCHM Photo Archives

The next edition of the Evening Kansan-Republican headlined with the statement that "Newtonians Have Never Thought Such a Flood as Yesterday's Possible Here."

"The unexpected has happened and Newton has had its first experience with flood conditions. During the floods that prevailed last spring in the eastern part of the state, Newtonians found satisfaction in the thought that their own town, of all others, was safe . . . being far from any river and apparently as high and dry as a town could be." (Evening Kansan-Republican, June 3, 1904, p. 1)

Headlines from Evening Kansan-Republican
June 3, 1904

Devastation was everywhere. From four o'clock in the afternoon until after nine o'clock in the evening on June 2, 1904, "Sand creek, the despised and ridiculed, spread over its banks and overflowed the north end, for once a raging destruction-dealing current." The worst flooding was roughly an area from the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks south to Main and Broadway and west to Sand Creek.

1904 Flood Newton
Jno. D. Riesen, photographer
HCHM Photo Archives

Bridges were washed away. The Tenth street bridge washed out and floated downstream striking the Ash street bridge. Both were a total loss. Also heavily damaged were the bridges on Main street and Broadway.

Many were unexpectedly trapped as their homes became islands because "it seemed so improbably that the water could possible reach to such a height." Rescue workers with "hacks and wagons . . . rescue men on horses" all worked to get everyone to safety. In some places the water was so deep that it reached "almost to the horse's head" and wagons could not be used.

Rescuers faced not only deep water and a swift current, but the hidden danger of "the barbed wire and the fences which they encountered." One rescuer, Ben Mears, was in the water for an hour and a half. Another rescuer, Harry Howes later admitted that he was nearly overcome while rescuing a frightened child that had fallen out of a rescue boat. Howes swam to the boy and "held the boy above the water" with one hand until help arrived. The rescuer later noted that "he was not conscious of his actions or his words at that time."

Those between the Missouri Pacific tracks and the Main street bridge were completely cut off. Most sought refuge at the home of Frank Wedel, which was the highest point in the area. At one point the flood water was almost to this point and people were frantic. Eventually the water receded and danger averted.

June 1904 Flood Bethel College
Graymaroon, Bethel College Yearbook, 1917
HCHM Photo Archives

Train service was also delayed, stranding passengers at Emporia and Strong City. Track washed out in several locations including between Peabody and Florence and a bridge was washed out at Cedar Point.

"Everybody has a story to tell."

Stories from the Flood

A good portion of the June 3, and June 4 Newton Evening Kansan Republican related stories of rescue and damage a few of which are included below.

"Such is the irony of fate that while there were many chickens and pigs drowned, one lot of pigs, which had been especially obnoxious to the neighbors were every one saved."

"At Rev H.R. Voth's home, No. 1211, the water was four inches above the lower floor. The carpets are ruined."

"One of the worst sufferers was James J. Norton at No 1222 Main. Mr Norton had just moved into the house, having installed the last load of his goods at noon . . . yesterday. . . .Mr. Norton got the family out. The water rose nearly two feet in the house. Carpets and most of the furniture were ruined. Many pictures, books and other articles were piled on the floor temporarily which made the loss particularly severe."

"Mr. and Mrs. Harry Trauber stayed in their house until late getting things out of danger and then waded in water waist high to dry land."

"Mrs. Jackson staid [in her home] until the water oozed through the boards of the first floor as she walked over them. By that time the water around the house was very deep and the work of rescue was dangerous."

Other Areas of Harvey County affected by flooding in 1904.

1904 Flood Halstead
HCHM Photo Archives

1904 Flood Alta Mill
HCHM Photo Archives

In a June 6, 1904 editorial, S.R. Peters noted that "There is no place like home. No friends like home friends. No scenes like home scenes. No skies like Kansas skies. No place like Newton, even if it does have a Sand creek."

Note: According to two "old settlers", A.B. Gilbert and W. J. Puett, there had only been two other times Sand Creek had flooded to this extent - in 1877 and 1871 - based on their observations.

Sources