USA > Kansas > Smith County > Smith Center > The history of Smith Centre, Kansas, 1871-1971 > Part 4
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Smith Center was developing good players about this time. Among them were: Clare Shrader, Les Neal, Lloyd Mathes (Big Lloyd), "Little Lloyd", son of Bill Mathes, Roger Coolidge, Merrill Agnew, Clarence French, Loren Weltmer, Wardie Weltmer, Marvie Hays, Marion Hays, Ed Hays and Charlie Barger.
At the turn of the century, the Downs Baseball Tourna- ment was perhaps the biggest baseball event in Kansas. It always took place on July 27th. Smith Center par- ticipated in many of them and won our full share of first place money. One year we did it with all home grown material. Our pitchers that year were Dad White, Les Neal and Clare Shrader. Marion Hays was the catcher.
It was about 1908 that Ira Bidwell brought his Kansas City Red Sox out here, at a time when I was managing the Smith Center team after 1 had graduated from Law School. They were to play for three days for 75-5 of the gate money. We had written contracts with the Red Sox which 1 signed. Casey Stengel, later the famous manager of the New York Yankees, was playing with the Red Sox at that time. They were here 4 days, staying at the hotel. When they left town 1 found that I had not read the fine print in the contract and was stuck for the hotel bill. 1 had spent all the gate receipts for ball players to help beat them, 2 out of 3 in the series, and. it took all of my money to pay the bill. I remember Casey Stengel telling me that a lawyer always reads the fine print. 1 told him that there was one who would from now on. Clare Shrader left with the Red Sox and played with them the rest of the season.
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Two other traveling Kansas City baseball teams that came out here in the early days to play Smith Center were the J. J. Foster team and the Bruce Lumber Co. team.
At about this time the baseball diamond was moved to the ball grounds north of the standpipe and it was there for many years until the fairgrounds were built.
About the time 1 quit, "String" Niles, one of Smith Center's most capable and popular players, came into the spotlight of local baseball and played for many years here.
Big Crowd At Ball Game In 1900
A baseball game in Smith Center on Friday afternoon, July 13, 1900 attracted one of the biggest crowds of the year. The game was between Hummer and Smith Center and had been arranged as a result of a tie game at Park's Grove on July 4th. At the end of the ninth
inning that day the score was 8 to 8 and remained 8 to 8 through the 12th inning at which time the umpire called the game to an end.
So, at the play-off game on July 13 the crowd was tense with interest. At the close of the 4th inning the score was Smith Center 22 and Hummer 5. Then, the Hummer team began to pull together and gained rapidly until the last minute when Smith Center got an extra run and won 23 to 22.
All the players were strictly home grown Smith County young men. They were: Smith Center:
Hummer:
Art Nelson
Pete Mathes
Frank White
J. Miller
Ed Moorman
Dick Mathes
Percy Adams
Ansel Buzzel
George Pickler
Pete Carter
Art Relihan
Jess Mathes
Rudy Detwiler
Jim Buck
Will Morrow
H. Shaffer
Ernest Fleisher
F. Herman
ERS
12
doble
Ramblers
Narok
Rambler's
THE RAMBLERS, 1908 baseball team, all home players. Seated: C. B. French If, A. E. Nelson, 2b, P. C. Adams 3b. V. Burgess cf, Roger Coolidge rf, Dad White p.
H. L. Neal P. M. Agnew c, A. W. Relihan 1b. H. L. Wright ss, C. L. Seever utility.
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Football - 1899 - 1900 - 1914
In talking with Art Relihan he told that the early day football players made their own uniforms out of materials that would surprise the present generation. He also told of a trip to Franklin, Nebraska to play Franklin Academy. The team went to Franklin by wagon, was entertained by the Academy, played the football game the next day and drove the wagon back to Smith Centre that same day arriving very late that night.
The names of the young men of Smith Centre who played a football game at Phillipsburg on November 18, 1899 were:
Will Dannenbarger LE Harry Relihan RE
Frank Relihan LT
Danreith Bryum QB
Roland Christ LG
Fred Uhl LHB
Melvin Rinehart C
Rea Moore RHB
Charles Asbaugh RG
Otis Burgess (Cap't.) FB
Clyde Moore RT
Dr. Frank Relihan is the only one of the team in Smith Center now. :
Smith Centre's first town football team was in 1900- 1901. The players were:
Ray Taylor
Ray Wolfe
Harry Relihan
Roy Lattin
Vinton Burgess
Bill Dannenbarger
Otis Burgess John Sweeney
Harry Dean
: Danreith Bryum
Nelson Bryum
Theo. Lanman
Ed Moorman
Clyde Moore ..
Grant Hazeltine
Dan McCarty
Mack Werts wrote of the football team of 1914. The players were:
Lawrence Hammond
Dewey Hutcherson
Walter Lewis
Wardie Weltmer
Everett Garrison
Frank May
Hubert Smith
Fay Moberly
Roy Calvin
Glenn Lowery
Forrest Payne
Karl Ahlborn-Manager
Mack Werts
The schedule and scores that year were:
Smith Center 28
Belleville 7
Smith Center 14
Stockton 0
Smith Center 7
Franklin 27
Smith Center 0
Red Cloud 7
Smith Center 0
Jewell 7
Smith Center 0
Osborne 0
Smith Center 0
Jewell 18
Smith Center 14
Belleville 13
Smith Center 3
Osborne 0
For approximately the last 50 years football has been largely confined to high school football. A number of distinguished teams have been developed in Smith Center High School.
Basketball Started In 1906
Girls were the first to organize basketball in Smith Centre. The basketball court was an outdoor court because at that time there was no indoor court. The young men all played football until cold weather so the girls started basketball. In 1906 their first game was at Downs in a game which caused much confusion because the Downs girls played by men's rules and the Smith Centre girls played by ladies rules. They also played Osborne and beat them - they were invited to a return game but it was too cold for the girls to go to Osborne to play. The team members were - Crete Moorman, Kate Relihan, Mae Harwood, Eva Detwiler, Florence Reese, Crete Owens and D. H. Rose, Manager.
SMITH CENTRE's first basket ball team
In 1912 a boys basketball team was being organized. The boys bought their own suits, shoes ($7.00 a pair) and paid all of their own expenses. The boys played any place they could put up a basket. By 1914 boys basketball was really underway in Smith Centre. The games were played at the Opera House and the boys. had to move furniture before games and clean up after games. ·
At about this time a combination of high school boys and town boys started a Smith Centre town team and challenged all comers. They played a Kansas University .team which traveled the State by train during vacations. The first time the town team played K. U. they were mighty scared young men - they lost simply because they were so scared during the first half and let K. U. get too much of a lead. They outscored K. U. in the second half. The team members were: Vern Albrecht, Nate White, Everett Garrison, George Myers and Jim Weltmer.
Fairview Cemetery
When Center Township was platted 40 acres of land were set aside for a cemetery and it was named Fairview. It is located 1 mile north of the city in the northeast corner of section 16. The first burial there was on January 23, 1873, an aged lady named Mrs. Nancy Lindley. The grave was dug by L. T. Reese, John Goodale and Tom Burrow. Ben Warwick was a stone mason and made the head stone from native stone. Two more graves were needed in 1873 and they are located in the third tier on the north of the south driveway.
Not many of our citizens of the present time know that at one time there were graves within the townsite of Smith Centre. It was before the cemetery location had been selected. The burials were in the late months of 1872. Waite George was postmaster and the only government employee here at the time so he gave his consent for the temporary burial places until such time as they could be moved to the cemetery. These burial places were in the northeast part of town and there were very few houses in town at that time.
The first tree ever planted in Fairview Cemetery and the oldest cedar was planted by Cale Lloyd on the grave of his 2-year old son buried in September 1873. The grave stone is the first one to have a date on it.
On Memorial Day, each year a service is held, at the monument in memory of the Civil War dead and to pay tribute to our citizens of the last 100 years who are buried there.
The Garden Clubs of Smith Center built the entrance and exit gateways and have been instrumental in beauifying the grounds. In 1969 interested donors black-topped the main streets in the Cemetery.
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Community Hall
In 1921 the townspeople realized the need for a City Hall. An election was held to vote bonds and it carried by a large majority. At this time the Library Club had bought a small house and 4 lots from L. M. Dundas and had moved the library from the brick building on Main Street into the small house and had made plans to beautify the grounds. The Library Club and the City realized that this was an ideal location for a Community Building so the Library Club deeded the site to the City with the understanding that the library would be housed in the new building and operated by the City. The new brick 2-story building was completed in 1922 at the cost of $36,000. The City was very proud of the new building with an auditorium, a stage, rest rooms and a City Council room on the second floor and a well-equipped kitchen recreation or dining room and the Library in the basement.
The auditorium of the new Community Hall on Oct. 12, 1922 was opened with a musical comedy "Eve". This comedy had just finished a 6 month run in New York City, carried a cast of 35 people, a car load of scener, and several thousand dollars worth of costumes. This was the first time the show had ever played in a city of less than 10,000. It also carried its own orchestra. Tickets were priced at $2.20, 1.65 & 1.10. They showed to a full capacity. Local high school girls acted as ushers for all of the numerous entertainments at the new audit- orium.
The people of the town were entertained in the late 1920's and 1930's by traveling show companies, such as The Ted North Players, local programs and there were even wrestling and boxing matches promoted at the Community Hall. In the 1930's the Smith Center Little Theater gave plays at the Community Hall, directed by Carrie Peyden.
At present, in 1971, the auditorium and stage has been remodeled to serve as a beautiful and more adequate City Library, offering more room and added services to the town and county. The basement room, which housed the library, has been remodeled for the City Council chambers and an office for the City Clerk. The dining room and kitchen have also been modernized with paneled walls, new floors and new equipment.
Schools Of Smith Center
The first school class in Smith Center was a summer term taught by Miss Jennie Garrett in a rented room on the west side of Main Street in the upper story of the Uhl building, later the site of a hardware store owned by Henry Ahlborn and is the location of the present J. M. McDonald Store.
Five thousand dollars was spent to build the first school building where classes began in the fall of 1874. This was at the site of the present high school and was of stone construction, 2-stories high, with one school room on each floor. Members of the school board at this time were W. J. Jenkins, L. C. Uhl and A. J. Smith. The first teacher, paid the sum of $20 per month, was Cordelia Niles (later Mrs. J. S. McDowell).
As there were no other buildings in the city at that time large enough for gatherings, church services were held in the upper story of this building. It was also used for prayer meetings, shows and Masonic Lodge meetings.
The next teachers were Annie Ryder and lda A. Ahlborn, great aunt of Frances Ahlborn Gripton.
Edmond Hall Davis, sometimes known as Edmond Hall, was the first County Superintendent. In 1874, after holding office 3 years, Mr. Davis shot himself with a revolver. It was believed he came here from Maine and had deserted his wife and several small children and had fled from his creditors there. H. C. Ellis was County Super- intendent for the next 2 years and then, Mrs. Flora Morse. Mr. D. H. Fleming was elected to this office in 1880 and again in 1882.
Population in the county increased in 1884 and in 1885 a frame school house was erected where the stone building had been. While this school was under construction, classes were held in the Tabernacle, across the street north of the courthouse. The new frame building, 2- stories high, had 2 rooms on each floor and was first used in the fall of 1885. Dave M. Relihan, father of Art and Ted Relihan and Mrs. Karl Ahlborn, was the Principal. At this time, a subscription school for overflow pupils, was held where the First National Bank is now located. Mrs. Heck, the daughter of Col. L. F. Sherman(owner of the Sherman House), was the teacher and the tuition was $1 per month per pupil.
In 1891, one girl, Bertha Corn, became the first graduate of the Smith Center High School. Her commence- ment program was held at the Opera House. For several years the commencements were held there. Each graduate was expected to present an oration an essay or a musical number as part of the program.
The school house was enlarged in 1898, when three rooms and a recitation room were added and the high school room remodeled, making 8 rooms and 2 large halls. The board at this time was Alex Montgomery, Henry Ahlborn and W. H. Nelson.
Pupils and teacher of "Cookstove" school (Rising Sun, District 48) two miles south and two east of Smith Center (about 1900). Pupils pictured are Morton Yard, Will Simpson, Bertha Aldrich, Clyde Henderson, Mead Henderson, Russell Macy, Ernest Merriam, Beulah Macy, Lyla Yard, Musa Yard, Esthe Rorabaugh, Mina Howe, Charie Simpson, John Merriam, Julia Henderson, Howe, May Howe, May Smith, B. Yard.
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In 1899 there were no high school graduates as the course of study was changed to require 4 years of high school. At this time the salary for teachers was advanced to $45 a month for women and $53 for men. The Primary Grades were held for a time in the Odd Fellows Building on east Kansas.
Tom H. Hooper was Superintendent and Dean H. Rose was Principal in 1907 when the brick 2-story building, east of the frame school house was completed, at the cost of $20,000. This building faced north, had a full basement and a heating plant. There were 10 classrooms, 4 on each floor and 2 in the basement. The enrollment in 1907 was 398. The high school and the grades were all held in this building. After 10 years the high school moved to their new building and the grade school was held in the brick building until it was torn down for the present grade building. Board members were A. C. Coolidge, Joel R. Burrow and H. C. Smith.
In 1918 a high school building was erected at the site of the first stone school building. This was considered to be very modern and up-to-date, with 21 classrooms, steam heat, electricity, an auditorium seating 600 and a gym seating 300. There were 201 enrolled at this time. Charles Wright was Superintendent and the board members were Carl Lowery, R. E. Henderson and P. A. Moyers.
For 30 years, from 1920 to 1949, the high school girls wore uniforms of navy blue serge pleated skirts, with white cotton middies, trimmed with blue collar, cuffs and ties. These uniforms created a feeling of equality during the depression years and made a nice appearance when groups gave public performances. In 1920 when these uniforms were adopted the board was made up of G. M. Stoops, Mrs. Ed Barger and Dr. C. C. Funk.
The National Honor Society was started in the high school 1925. The students honored during this first year were Ed Cox, Raymond Barnes, Vera Faye Stoops, Franklin Hahn, Mary Mahin and Donald Moyers.
In 1931, when G. B. Kappelman was Superintendent and Merton Otto was Agricultural Instructor, a vocational agriculture building was constructed south of the high school.
The school district was 5 miles square and was the 4th to be organized in the county, so it was known as District 4. Rural schools in Center Township were Sheddy, No. 52, 3 miles east of Smith Center; Munsinger, No. 49, one mile west and one mile south; Little Crow, No. 5, 3 miles north; Logan, No. 139, 2 miles west and 2 miles north and Rising Sun, No. 48, 2 miles east and 2 miles south. Due to school reorganization in 1955, District 4 became a part of Unified District No. 237, which includes the middle third of the county. (The county was divided into thirds from north to south.) All the students from this section now come to Smith Center to high school. There remain two grade attendance centers, one at Gaylord and one at Smith Center. One by one the rural schools were closed, the last one closing in 1970.
A new grade building, which joins the old high school on the south, was dedicated in 1955. It has 13 classrooms, a fine gym and cost $147,000. At this time the old brick grade building was demolished. Vaughn E. McColey was Superintendent and the board members were W. E. Lee, Melvin A. Collier and Arden Dierdorff.
A building to house the high school and junior high school is under construction in the northeast corner of Smith Center at the present time. This building is expected to cost $1,695,000. When this is completed in the fall of 1972, the old high school building will be torn down and the kindergarten through grade 6 will use the present grade school building. The school board in 1971 was Pearl Conrad, Dr. Hugh Woods, Mrs. Joan Overmiller, Leland Lehmann, Dr. Kenneth Rundle, Joe Lambert and Dale Scott. Robert Wells is the Superin- tendent in 1971.
From the first graduate in 1891 to the close of the 1971 school year, there have been 2,811 graduates from Smith Center High School. The Class of 1934 had 69 graduates and this had been a record until the Class of 1971 which is expected to finish with 73 graduates.
School building erected in 1955 which was joined to high school building which was built in 1918. In this centennial year a new junior-senior high school is being erected at the northeast corner of Smith Center.
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Commencement 1896
The 1896 commencement class had five boys and two girls. The exercise was held in the Opera House. The stage had been handsomely decorated with flowers and appropriate emblems. On a white background at the rear of the stage was the class motto "More Beyond" in large evergreen letters and under that the figures "1896". In front of this the scenery was arranged to represent a distant range of mountains.
The curtain raised at 8:00 PM with members of the school board. R. M. Pickler, Professor Mosher and the graduating class seated in a semi-circle.
Each graduating student gave an oration and the music was given by undergraduates. The program consisted of: Carl Johnson, oration, "The Stuff That Makes Men". Rudy Detwiler, oration, "Giants Of The Republic". H. A. Makinson, oration, "Industry". Misses Eply and Simpson, a duet.
Edith Hutchinson, essay. "Action and Reaction". Will Henderson, oration, "Saw Wood and Say Nothing". Miss Emily Sanford, Instrumental Music. Eddy Wills, oration, "Ambition Or Truth".
Miss Edith Nelson, valedictory oration, "Be True". (Mr. W. H. Nelson, editor of The Pioneer, tells of his real pride of his daughter's talk.)
The band played a number and R. M. Pickler gave an address. The President of the Board of Education, Alex Montgomery, presented the diplomas to the class. The quartette rendered a beautiful song and the exercises were over.
Miss Jessie Dean had coached the class in their orations and it was told that the "delivery and gestures made them appear to good advantage".
Smith Center Bands
The first musical band in Smith Center was organized in October, 1872, a year when many people, seeking home- steads, were arriving, and a year before this city was named as the county seat. The ten members of this first band were S. M. Travis, who was the leader, Dan Travis, Trube Reese, William Rall, Emery Travis, Tom J. Burrow, William Garretson, Hank Batchelor, William Hodson, and Andrew J. Allen.
The band instruments were bought at Chicago, Illinois, for the sum of $200, with an additional expense of $20 for shipment to Russell, Kansas, the nearest railway station at that time. So the cost price to each member was $22. When notice was received that the instruments had arrived at Russell, Emery Travis went after them with a wagon and an ox team. It took him one week to make the trip down there and back.
In 1880 the band was reorganized and this time there were only eight members, with just one, Trube Reese, having played with the first band. The members of this band were W. D. Jenkins, Vern Webb, Trube Reese, Scott Eliott, Ed Edison, R. D. Prichard, W. H. Nelson and Ed Stevens.
In the late '80's Wardie H. Stone, at the age of 18. organized a group of boys into a band, called "The Young Band Corps". They were Charles Beaeom, Albert T. Reid, Fred A. Mix, Homer Pattee, Will Hagadorn, George Reid and Arthur E. Nelson.
A band, named "The Smith Center Ladies' Band." was organized in the early 1900's, with Wardie H. Stone as the leader and instructor. This group of twelve young ladies played for many public entertainments. At one time they attended a band convention at Phillipsburg and their banner read, "This band, she's here because Smith Sent Her." The girls wore shirt waists, black skirts and white soft hats. The members included Mabel Boughman, Sadie Owens, Mrs. George Hendricks, Myrtle Jarvis, Kitty Harwood, Flora Bryan, Anna Harwood, Lina Owens, and Ruth Bowen.
Also in the early 1900's a Smith Center Municipal Band was formed. The band, under the leadership of George E. Hendricks, was called the Hendricks' Military Band. Their summer evening concerts were always enjoyed and drew large crowds down town to listen to the music. When the Smith Center Library Club members were endeavoring to raise money for the payments on the brick building that had been bought to house the library, this band was always ready to play for the home talent shows, ice-cream socials, etc. So later to show the appreciation for the music they furnished, the library club ladies sponsored a campaign for funds to build a band stand. Soon there was a nice large covered band stand erected on the corner lot where the Pioneer building is now. The membership of the city band often varied, but these were the members in the early 1900's: George Hendricks, the leader, James McDowell, Frank Springer, Harry Relihan, Francis Relihan, Arthur Relihan, Arthur Nelson, Ben Baker, Ed Wentworth, Bob Dundas, Clyde Moore, Ray Moore, Wardie H. Stone, Bill Simpson, Walter Stevens, Louie Stevens, Melvin Rinehart, Fred Uhl. Archie Coolidge, Vete Hutchings, William Mahin, George Pickler. George Reund, E. Dahlgren, Lou Lyon, Vern Hendricks, (the youngest member and son of the leader). Fred Hutchinson, Willis Hutchinson, and Ralph Hutchinson.
Later leaders of the town band were Merle Thorp, Jim Boyle, Glenn Wolfe, Verne Bowman, and Walter Stevens, who later spent several years travelling with the Miller Circus as leader of the circus band.
The first high school band in this city was organized in the fall of 1928. There had been a music department in the school for years before and an orchestra, but no band. Raymond A. Samuelson was the organizer and director. In the school year of 1939-40, the band had their first uniforms. It was the first year, also, that the band had been trained for a marching band.
The directors of the school bands since Mr. Samuelson are as follows: William E. Seguine, Marjorie Henry Page, Lowell W. Clark, James Martyn, Orville Huddle- ston, Lee Smith, Conrad Banbury, and Charles Yingling.
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SECOND SMITH CENTER BAND formed i .: 1880's.
Back row: Will D. Jenkins, Vern Webb, L. T. Reese, Scott Eliott. Seated: Ed Edson, R. D. Prichard, W. H. Nelson, Ed Stevens. The flag in the background must have been 6 x 7 with 42 stars.
BOYS DRUM CORPS formed in late 1880's.
Standing: Charles Beacom, Albert T. Reid, Fred A. Mix, Wardie H. Stone, leader, Homer Pattee, Will Hagadorn. Seated: George Reid, Arthur E. Nelson.
SMITH CENTER LADIES BAND organized in early 1900's.
Standing: Mable Boughman (Hooper), Sadie Owens (Ray), Mable Bowen (Bedell), Blanche Boughman (Eyestone). Nan Owens (Fisher), Mrs. George Hendricks.
Seated: Myrtle (Wyatt), Kitty Harwood (Bowman), Flora Bryan (Strohwig), Anna Horward (Jackman), Lina Owens (Korenke), Ruth Bowen (Gladman), Wardie H. Stone, Claude Stone.
ITH
GE
LADIES
AND
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FARM LOANS.
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.of First one un Amith Central
1_ main street looking south from windnieff ! + intersection of main and hisusan
Water Supply Of The Early Days
In the early days of Smith Centre there was no public waterworks, of course, and very few wells in town. The first well in Smith Centre was called the "Harwood Well" and was located in the draw north of the present First Baptist Church.
Soon the residents of the city dug cisterns for their personal water supply. Often these cisterns, in dry years, would be nearly empty. Then tanks of water would be delivered on order. An ad in the newspaper gave the price of a tank of water to be 50¢. The water would be pumped by hand from the Harwood Well, hauled to the patron by a team of horses, so that price seems very cheap considering the work required.
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