USA > Nebraska > Adams County > Past and present of Adams County, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 29
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Hastings again became a member of the state league in 1910. Baseball supporters were incorporated February 25 of that year and the following were elected directors: F. C. Babcock. C. G. Lane, II. E. Stein, P. R. Renner and Will Neimeyer. Herman E. Stein was elected president and C. G. Lane vice president. Subsequent
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presidents of the organization were C. J. Miles, Ed. Deines and John M. Teeling.
About $2,500 was subseribed in the spring of 1910 and a elub was assembled under the management of George Harm. The team was christened "The Brickmakers." In addition to The Brickmakers the state league comprised the elubs of Fremont, Grand Island, Supe- rior, Seward, Kearney, Columbus and Red Cloud. The league con- tinned until about the middle of the season of 1915, although in the meantime there were a number of changes in its makeup. York pur- chased the franchise of Red Cloud, Seward sold to Beatrice, Fremont to Norfolk and Superior to Fairbury. The state league pennant was won by Fremont in 1910 and then successively by Superior, Kearney, Hastings and Grand Island. No pennant was awarded in 1915, when the league disbanded.
C. J. Miles, of Hastings, was a strong supporter of the game and became known as one of the principal fans in Nebraska. He was president of the state league in 1914 and 1913.
An interesting ineident of baseball in Hastings was the visit of the Chicago and All-American eluhs. These teams stopped en route upon their tour around the world. Being guaranteed $500 they stopped in Hastings and played a game October 26, 1888. The gate receipts upon that day totalled about $1,300. The seore was 8 to 4 in favor of Chicago. The players were, for Chicago: Ryan, Pettit, Sullivan, Anson, Pfeffer, Williamson, Burns, Tener and Baldwin. Tener is now president of the National League and one time gov- ernor of Pennsylvania. The All-American team were Hanlon. Wood, Hengle, Carroll, Van Haltren, Long, Brown, Flint and Fogarty. Some of the Hastings fans are positive that Billy Sunday was with the aggregation. His name, however, does not appear upon the score book.
Several baseball players who began their careers in the game at Hastings or became known in Adams County through being members of elubs of the state league have gone up in the game for longer or shorter periods. Besides those mentioned as having played in Hast- ings prior to 1888, there was Byron MeKibben, playing in Hastings in 1892, who was subsequently with the Western League; outfielder and cateher, MeFarland, played afterwards with the Eastern League and the American Association; Fred Clark, onee a fielder for Hast- ings, became distinguished in the Southern League and the National and was the manager of the Pittsburgh elub for years. Jake Gett- man began his career in Hastings and stayed in baseball for many years, playing in the Texas. American and Eastern leagues. Retir- Vol. I-20
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ing from baseball, Gettman now operates a cigar factory in North Platte.
Of the last state league players mention might be made of Mitch- ell, Red Cloud pitcher, afterwards with Detroit and Cincinnati; Agnew, catcher for Columbus, afterwards with St. Louis and Boston; Dazzy Vance, of Hastings, pitcher for Superior, afterwards with the New York Americans; Norton, pitcher for Hastings, subse- quently with Indianapolis: Riley and Hershey, both pitchers for Hastings, the former was afterwards with the St. Louis Browns and the latter with Boston; Piercy, another Hastings pitcher, climbed to the New York Americans; Mapel, a Hastings fielder, was bought by Cleveland; Lotz, pitcher for Kearney, became enrolled with the Car- dinals, while Noyes, another Kearney pitcher, was taken on by the Athletics. Will Johnson and W. U. Rohrer are other Hastings boys who made good in the game. Johnson was a center fielder. After leaving the Nebraska State League he played with Monmouth, Illi- nois, in the Central Illinois League. He played later with San Fran- cisco, going from there to the Southern League and the Texas League. Rohrer played with Oakland and other western clubs.
The managers of the Hastings club playing in the state league following George IIarm were John Kling, Bert Shaner and L. D. Bennett.
THE COUNTY FAIR
The holding of a county fair in Adams County dates back to the beginning of farming in the county. On May 6, 1872, an organization was formed for the purpose of establishing a fair. Of this organiza- tion W. W. Selleck was chosen president: Charles Bird and Walter West, vice presidents; John Bauchman, secretary and Gordon Edger- ton, treasurer. G. I. Selleck, L. G. King, W. F. Selleck, J. L. John- son and H. B. Munson were the directors. With the officers there were thirty-nine members of this organization.
No fair was held that year, but the next year, largely through the efforts of Charles K. Lawson, Samuel Alexander, C. C. Ingalls and others of Hastings, a fair was held at Kingston on the Blue about due south from Hastings, October 10th and 11th. This fair was so well attended and so much enthusiasm was displayed that it was seen that the county fair had possibilities in Adams County, a fact which not a few had doubted when the project was being promoted. A large num- ber of Juniata people now joined the organization and desired that the fair should be held in their town and on March 9, 1874, the Adams County Agricultural Society perfected organization at Juniata.
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E. M. Allen was president; H. C. Humbert and W. W. Selleck, vice presidents; D. H. Freeman, of Juniata and Dr. A. D. Buckworth, of Hastings, secretaries; W. B. Thorne, treasurer. The directors were Samuel J. Shirley, E. N. Noyce, A. D. Williams, D. S. Cole and C. G. Wilson. The other members were: R. S. Langley, Charles Kilbourn, William Caller, C. C. Babcock, John Stark, W. H. Burr, H. J. Savery, E. Warn, W. II. Gardner, W. B. Cushing. T. Bab- cock, W. L. Van Alstyne, Pliny Allen, H. H. Ballon, C. Morrison, C. H. Chapman, N. J. Smith, R. D. Babcock, Joseph Carr, A. C. Wright, J. McKelvey, Judson Burwell, George Brown, John Dun- can. A. C. Moore, George Kuder, D. II. Babcock, George W. Wol- cott, Abram Park, Ira G. Dillon, S. L. Brass, Lewis Keith, Robert . Ash, Peter Fowlie, William L. Kemp, M. C. Lindsey, John M. Cole, M. B. Kelley, Henry Shedd, Adna H. Bowen, Nathan Platt, A. H. Brown, J. M. Jacobson, James Laird, Charles R. Jones, J. S. Chan- dler, B. F. Smith, Nathan L. Brass, A. Clute, William B. Kelly, A. V. Cole, J. W. Stark and Conrad House. On the completion of this organization $50 was subscribed. By a somewhat later organiza- tion of the plan five vice presidents were chosen, the first elected to have seniority in office. The first group of vice presidents were M. K. Lewis, of Hastings: Robert Ash, of Juniata; A. C. Moore, of Silver Lake; G. H. Edgerton, of Little Blue: and V. Darling, of Kenesaw. This provided one vice president from each of the voting precincts. D. H. Freeman, of Juniata, was the first recording and financial secre- tary, and W. A. Smith, of Hastings, was the corresponding secre- tary. W. B. Thorne was treasurer and O. H. Wright, of Kenesaw, was elected general superintendent. The board of directors were com- posed of one from each of the congressional townships, sixteen in nun- ber. The first board were the following: W. S. Moote, William Willoughby, J. H. Vandemark, L. B. Palmer, John Waldeck, W. M. West, William B. Cushing, Henry Shedd, J. P. Duncan, M. B. Kelley, William L. Kemp, E. J. Hanchett, E. C. Shellhammer, Jacob Spindler, F. Phillips and W. V. Miller, S. J. Marshall was appointed marshal.
Within this board of officials there was a difference of opinion as to where the fair should be held. There were partisans of Kingston and partisans of Juniata. As a compromise the fair was twice held on the prairie midway between Juniata and Hastings. Then the fair grounds were located in Juniata. By 1878 Hastings, confident that the county seat contest then pending in the court would be decided in its favor, was desirous of having the fair in Hastings, but the Adams County Agricultural Society still clung to Juniata. Accordingly
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there was organized in Hastings the Hastings Fair Grounds Associa- tion. This association was incorporated August 6, 1878, with the fol- lowing members: R. A. Batty, A. D. Yocum, A. L. Clarke, Samuel Alexander, J. N. Smith, C. H. Paul, B. Martin, W. A. Camp, G. W. Warren, Oswald Oliver, J. D. Crans, A. L. Wigton, O. V. Weir and A. J. Millett. This corporation issued 300 shares at $10 per share. A forty-acre tract, now Thompson's Addition, was purchased by the association and fitted up as a fair grounds. This tract lay between Third and Seventh streets and California and Elm avenues. A pavil- ion for the exhibition of agricultural and horticultural products was erected and provision made for the exhibition of live stock. Around the grounds a racetrack was built and races were a feature of the annual show.
This fair was calculated to be of wider scope than a county fair: it was a district fair planned to draw from all Central Nebraska. A county fair was carried on at Juniata for a part of the time that the district fair was maintained. On April 15, 1884, the association sold the fair grounds to George Pratt for $3,000 and the area was platted by him. With the passing of the district fair steps were taken at once to reorganize the Adams County Agricultural Association. A number of the Hastings people who had been the promoters of the district fair joined in the reorganization which retained many who had been members of the first organization. Davis Lowman and William M. Lowman were active supporters of the reorganized association.
Acting for the agricultural society C. K. Lawson bought from James H. Knight a tract of forty acres in the northwest part of Hast- ings; that is the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 1, township 7, range 10. This transaction was on August 1, 1885, and on June 7, 1887. MIr. Lawson transferred this property to the agricul- tural society. The society sold ten acres that year and upon the remaining thirty acres the fair grounds was established and a fair held until the dry years in the early '90s forced the project to be aban- doned. In an effort to tide over the enterprise the property of the agricultural society was mortgaged and eventually there was a fore- closure.
The fair grounds had a very good racetrack and for several years considerable interest was manifested in trotting horses. The trotting association was a separate organization from the Adams County Agricultural Society and was formed about the time that the latter was reorganized in 1885. Among the members of the trotting asso- ciation were C. K. Lawson, A. L. Clarke, M. L. Alexander, E. C. Webster, Fred Benedict, A. H. Farrens and Oswald Oliver. Racing
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tournaments were revived after the county fair had been abandoned largely through the efforts of A. H. Farrens who also became for a time a breeder of trotting animals. Last-At-Law, a horse that made fast trotting records in Illinois and other eastern circuits, was raised by Mr. Farrens. The last trotting tournament held in Hastings was in the summer of 1910.
STREET FAIR
After the abandoning of the county fair there was a lull for several years in the matter of county entertainment and no permanent insti- tution has been since established, though several kinds of entertain- ments have drawn large attendance from time to time. The Hastings Street Fair was held September 18-23, 1899, and drew many thou- sands of people from far and near. Adam Breede, the editor of the Hastings Tribune, was a prime mover in this fair project. The streets were closed and lined with midway attractions. The fair was opened with a grand ball, at which Mrs. William Lowman was crowned queen. The maids were Georgia Fowler, Effie McIntyre, Eleanor Kirby, Flora Fisher, Rachel Alexander, Edna Cramer, Jessie Pease, Eugenia Hudson. B. M. Parmenter was prime minister. The fair was notable in that the window decorations were the most elaborate that Hastings merchants had yet attempted, and the impetus in that direction given then is yet felt. Prizes were given for the best-decorated carriages, single and double turnouts, and nearly fifty carriages were in the floral parade. They were followed by a hundred bicycle riders with decorated cycles. Mrs. Biles and Miss Stewart won first prize for double turnouts, and Miss Mary McCreary second prize. In single turnouts, Mrs. Fred Renner and Miss Laura Buchanan won first and the Misses Pickens second.
FRONTIER FESTIVAL
In the fall of 1907 and 1908 a frontier festival was held at the fair grounds in the northwest part of the city. The festival was patterned after the frontier festival of Cheyenne. A. W. Borden headed a large number of Hastings business men in promoting this enterprise. Roping and riding contests were participated in by famous riders among the cowboys of the western ranges, attracted to Hastings by large cash and other prizes. One of the prizes offered for riding was a $500 saddle given by the J. H. Haney Company. Among the outlaw horses at the exhibition was "Steamboat," who
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remained unconquered by the most skillful cowboys. The frontier festival drew visitors from all Central Nebraska, the number of vis- itors aggregating, it was estimated, fifty thousand for the week.
FALL FESTIVAL
In 1910 the fall festival was projected by a large organization of Hastings business men. Of this organization Herman E. Stein was the first president and Will S. Trites secretary. A large number of committees were formed, all the townships in the county being represented. The festival was held in the business section of Hast- ings. It combined street fair and agricultural fair features. The first festival was held in October, 1910, and in the next two succeeding autumns. The festival was designed to interest entire Central Nebraska.
The chief social event of these festivals was the Yt-Nuoc-Smada ball, held at Ingleside, where the king and queen were crowned. None but the court officers knew the identity of the king and queen until they were crowned. The monarch was crowned King Lartnec. The name of the realm, Lartnec, is formed by reversing the word "central," and signified that the king's domain extended over Central Nebraska. Yt-Nuoc-Smada is Adams County reversed. Clarence J. Miles was crowned King Lartnec I, October 14, 1910; Miss Helen Stein was crowned queen with him. The next year A. W. Borden and Miss Beatrice Langevin were crowned, and Judge Harry S. Dungan and Miss Florence Dutton the last year of the festival. This social event was brilliant and witnessed by large numbers. In addition to the king and queen, there were ambassadors, ladies in waiting, and a host of courtiers in costume. The fall festival, however, was aban- doned as, on the whole, not satisfactory, chiefly because of the incon- venience attending the closing of the streets and the difficulty of obtaining street shows that met with the approval of the patrons.
The first fall festival was notable for the large number of deco- rated automobiles that partook in the floral parade. Nearly one hundred machines were in line. The farmers' parade also won general commendation, especially township floats, such as West Blue and some others entered. The festivals lasted a week each.
THE FIRST AEROPLANE
No exhibit ever made in Adams County, perhaps, was accorded such breathless attention as was the aviation meet held in the summer
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of 1911. The college grounds were fenced in for this meet, and seats for several thousand were erected. The meet lasted three days. "Jimmy Ward" of Chicago was the aviator. The flights were made in a Curtiss biplane, the aviator encircling the college campus in circles several miles in diameter and at an altitude of about three thousand feet. On one flight Ward soared to 5,000 feet, amid thun- derous applause. This was the first time that the majority of the spectators had witnessed a flight. Three years later the aeroplane figured in the daily news dispatches and was the eyes of the armies engaged in the greatest war in history. The meet was held on the Hastings College campus.
POULTRY SHOW
The annual show of the Nebraska State Poultry Association has been held in Hastings twice. First during the week beginning Janu- ary 17, 1910, and again in January, 1915. The first show was held in the Auditorium, now a garage, located on the southeast corner of Denver Avenue and Third Street. The second show was held in the Stephen Schultz garage on Second Street, between Burlington and Lexington avenues. About three thousand birds were exhibited at each show.
G. A. R. REUNIONS
The first state reunion of the G. A. R. was held in Hastings in September, 1883. It was the first reunion to be held in Central Nebraska and the attendance was very large, veterans assembling not only from Nebraska, but from Kansas and states bordering on the west. The reunion was held about a mile southwest of Hastings, along the Red Cloud branch of the Burlington. Tents were erected, sham battles fought, and the soldiers recalled in many ways the days of the Civil war. Prominent speakers addressed the veterans daily at the campfire. The enjoyment of the occasion was marred, however, by an accident by which N. A. Nash lost his life. The premature explosion of powder to be used in a sham battle caused the death.
The reunion was held again in Hastings, beginning August 10, 1895, and lasting for one week. This time the encampment was placed north of the Burlington track in the northwest part of Hastings. The last state reunion of the veterans of the Civil war was held in Hast- ings in September, 1898. The state reunion was abandoned because the weight of years borne by the veterans rendered attendance too onerous, notwithstanding the pleasure of meeting old comrades.
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THE HASTINGS GUN CLUB
Between the years 1886 and 1904 the Hastings Gun Club was a much heard of organization. Among the members of the first club, formed about 1886, were Capt. William Hayden, Col. Curt Alex- ander, "Poker" Bill Duer, L. A. Kinney, Sr., Judge J. H. Fleming, G. A. Gardner, William Beach and W. P. McCreary. This club maintained its organization for about ten years and staged many shooting events of great interest. Both target and live bird shooting events were frequent.
About 1896 the club was reorganized and to the list of shooters were added George W. Maxwell of Holstein; Charley Holsworth of Juniata; Al Miller, Prosser; Lou Zobel, Albert Bernhardt, Andy Mann, George E. Isaman, Ed Greenwold. Ran Yost, Carl Tinsley, Fred Binderup, W. P. Borden, Bob Carter (now chief of police of Hastings) , Walt Fisher and F. A. MeElhinney. Many big shoots were pulled off by this club, and the greater number of the member- ship could score 90 per cent. A clubhouse was built in the northwest part of Hastings. upon property of Andy Mann.
In 1903 the state shooting tournament was held in Hastings, and the following year the club disbanded. Among the members of this club was George W. Maxwell, who, although handicapped by the loss of one hand, has made some of the best scores in the United States with a shotgun. Mr. Maxwell resides in ITastings at present. For a number of years he has shot professionally.
HASTINGS CHAUTAUQUA
Among the far-reaching results following the visit of Lincoln McConnell, the Georgia evangelist, to Hastings was the organization of the Hastings Chautauqua Association. In the winter of 1905 Mr. McConnell conducted a series of revival meetings in Hastings, and through his influence and the activities of Rev. Hiram B. HIar- rison, pastor of the First Congregational Church, the association was formed and the following summer the first assembly was held.
The organization was formed February 13, 1906. Mr. Harrison was successful in interesting the business men and in securing their support. Stock subscriptions were secured to the amount of about $2,000. and the following officers were elected: President, James N. Clarke; vice president, William M. Lowman. These two, with W. T. Blackman. O. E. Von Oven, HI. B. Harrison, J. C. Hedge and O. H. Barr, constituted the board of directors. Subsequently Mr.
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Harrison was elected secretary and W. A. Taylor treasurer, and C. E. Higinbotham succeeded Mr. Von Oven on the board of direc- tors, the latter removing to Chicago.
The first assembly was held in a tent in Chautauqua Park and the attendance was very satisfactory. The first speaker was the Rev. Sam Jones, and when Senator La Follette spoke, upon the second Sunday, the attendance was given out by the officials as 8,000. Before the next assembly was held, a pavilion was erected at a cost of $5,000. The Chautauqua continued as an independent institution, with J. N. Clarke as president, until 1913, when the local management yielded to the circuit system, under which assemblies are still held yearly. While it continued independent, the Hastings association was classed as one of the "big fifteen" independent chautauquas in the United States. A gradual falling off in attendance and some rainy days finally led to financial deficiencies at the close of assemblies, which resulted in its abandonment by the local stockholders. The indebted- ness against the pavilion led to its being sold to the city in 1915.
MUSIC
There have been many musical organizations in Hastings. The Red Ribbon Club. organized in 1878, was partly musical. The Hast- ings papers prior to that date refer to a cornet band. In November. 1889, the Ladies' Quartet was organized. The members were Mrs. William M. Lowman, and the Misses Mamie Kerr, Freda Wahl- quist and Zora Horlocker. Miss Helen Officer was the pianist.
It was in 1889. also, that the Apollo Club was organized, with sixteen members, to promote musical education and to bring good music to Hastings. Doctor Waters was president of this organiza- tion; business manager, O. H. Gordon; O. F. Farnham, secretary and treasurer. T. L. Burger was the musical director, and Miss Maria Kerr pianist, with Miss Floy Work as assistant pianist. The first club concert was given December 30, 1889.
Prof. John Rees has been a leading figure in Adams County musical circles since his arrival in Hastings in the winter of 1878. Professor Rees was first introduced to a Hastings audience the see- ond night after his arrival in Hastings, at a musical program under the direction of Professor Love at Liberal Hall. That evening Mr. Rees played the violin and also sang a solo.
Professor Rees organized his first orchestra that winter, playing first violin himself. Other members of the orchestra were Jacob Bohnet, bass; Will Clarke, son of A. L. Clarke, elarinet; Charles
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H. Paul, cornet: II. HI. Cherry, trombone, and Charles Ingalls, piano. Professor Rees had charge of the music for many years- from 1889 to 1915. Mrs. Fred J. Schaufelberger played the pipe organ at the Presbyterian Church for some time after its installation. This was the first pipe organ to be installed in Hastings.
In 1888 a band was organized by Walter Chapman, who was also the leader of the band. Among the member of this band were Adam Breede, Adolph Binderup, Roy Royce, Bill Albertshardt, Harry Snively, Arlie Gardner, Hemming Binderup, Ben Boyd, John Snively, Bert Morledge, David B. L. Breede, Martin Boqett, Al Kennedy and some others.
The Gazette-Journal Band, as constituted in 1889, was under the leadership of Prof. F. W. White. J. W. Wigton was treasurer; J. H. Bassett, secretary; Messrs. McElroy, Wigton and Thacker, executive committee. The members of the band were G. B. Mc- Elroy, Al Boyd, F. W. Cooley, John Beardsley, C. F. Royce, S. W. McAtee, J. HI. Bassett, T. F. Sturgess, George C. Hensman. Fred Taggart, J. W. Wigton, Ed N. Thacker, B. H. Bowen, D. T. Evans, Samuel Payne and C. H. Taylor.
The members of Bandmaster Miller's band as constituted at the time of the Spanish-American war can be found in the roster of Company K. in Chapter XX. For several years prior to 1915 Will Bohnet was the leader of the Hastings Band. The Hastings Munici- pal Band, the present band, was organized in the summer of 1913. John S. Leick was in Hastings on his wedding journey, having mar- ried Miss Mabel Kieth, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Kieth of Hastings. Miss Kieth had made several tours of Europe and had won international reputation as a cornetist. Mr. Leiek had been with Sousa's Band and was the leader of the Kilties Band of Canada for two years, during which he with the Kilties toured Europe. Mr. and Mrs. Leick were married at the factory of musical instrument makers at Elkhart, Ind.
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