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Archives Archives Menu Exploring the Archives World War I Posts Floods #108 Kinsleyites Go To Columbian Exposition Some months ago, I read in Dr. William Wolfgang’s manuscript on Charles Edwards, about the R. E. Edwards and the F. B. Hine families attending the World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, 130 years ago in October1893. In January, 1893 the Kinsley ladies formed the Woman’s Columbian Club. Their purpose was to aid the Women’s Exhibit at the upcoming fair. They encouraged all Kansas women to plan on entering their work in the following categories: Decorative-Art Needlework, House-Furnishing Articles, Fine Arts (painting, pastels wood carving), Domestic (canning, cheese, dairy), Charity & Church Work, Literature, Music, Statistics (history of women & employment), Live Stock (poultry, bees, domestic animals) Patents (granted to women), Taxidermy, and Press. Just like the men, it was really an honor to have work chosen for world-wide exhibition. Researching in newspapers.com, I found men were encouraged to participate in the Kansas Building at the fair because it would be a good way to promote Kansas agricultural and other products. Men exhibited their prize-winning grain, produce, inventions and manufactured items. An artistic recreation of train routes made from dried corn and grains lined the walls of the upper floor of this building. One popular exhibit was the University of Kansas’ panorama of 121 specimens of large North American animals. In the Forestry Building, Kansas provided a 15-foot walnut log, 78 inches in diameter, dating back to 1452. Huge pyramids of Kansas rock salt, lead ore, zinc and other rocks and minerals were arranged in the Mining Building. Kansas State Building at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 Because of the railroad, Chicago was very accessible and affordable for Kinsleyites. In July, the Santa Fe Railroad lowered its round way ticket to Chicago to $25.25. It advertised: The Columbian Exposition represents the world in miniature. You get a European trip without the ocean voyage.” (Kinsley Mercury, July 6, 1893) According to the social news in the papers, many of Kinsley’s citizens visited the fair during its six months’ run from May to October. I went to the Edwards County Museum to see if anyone had donated any souvenirs from the fair to their collection. I found a program from the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, but nothing from Chicago. Then I remembered that I had inherited souvenir spoons from my grandmother, Bessie Seeley LaRue (1887-1973), and I knew one was from the St. Louis Fair. I wondered if it were possible that I had one from Chicago. Opening the silver pouch, I discovered that I did, along with another one from the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo N.Y. in 1901 Top to Bottom: 1893 Comlumbian Exposition in Chicago; 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY; 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis Mark R. Seeley, July 15, 1929 My grandmother was too young to attend these fairs, but It is an interesting how she acquired the spoons. Her father, Mark Riley Seeley (1860-1955) raised Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle on his farm in Farmington, Michigan. He was the first to import this breed to Michigan after making a trip to Holland c. 1883. A couple stories have been handed down in the family about this trip. He told my father that he went to a party attended by Prince Edward (later King of England 1901-1910.) My Grandma Bessie also told my cousin that he was glad that he had to change ships for his return voyage with the cattle as his original ticket was on one that was shipwrecked. Mark Seeley became a respected breeder and a charter member and officer of the Holstein-Friesian Association of America which was formed in 1885 (and remains the Holstein Assoc. to this day). He was a judge of Holstein-Friesian cattle at state fairs, the Canadian National Exposition in Toronto, and I believe, the St. Louis and Chicago World Fairs. He would bring back a souvenir spoon for Bessie from these trips. The Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, depicted on this spoon was over 1/3 mile long and 1/6 mile wide and 200’ high. It covered 30 acres of ground. If this building were standing today, it would rank second in volume (8,500,000m 3 ) and third in footprint (130,000m 2 ) on list of largest buildings. I included this personal family history in this article to encourage all of you to document the family artifacts you may have. I would love to be able to talk to my father or grandmother to get more information about this great grandfather, but that is no longer possible. I encourage you to take some time to write down the stories that go with your family memorabilia before they are lost. Ox Yoke used on matched pair of Holsteins brought by Mark Riley Seeley from Holland by boat in about 1883 when he brought a boat load to Michigan. This entry was posted in Uncategorized on October 23, 2023 by Joan Weaver, Kinsley Library Director . Upcoming Program on Spiritualism Conjures 1883 Entertainment On Monday evening, October 30 at 7 p.m. the Kinsley Library will host Beyond the Veil: A History of Spiritualism” presented by Katie Keckeisen. Members of the community are invited to attend this free program offered through Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau which features humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement. I strategically planned this event on the night before Halloween, to fit in with the mood of ghosts and things that go tap in the night,” said library director Joan Weaver. Little did I know some local research would lead me to a fascinating story.” It seems one of the eternal questions that has plagued humanity centers around what happens to us when we die. Most modern religions try to tackle this question, but none did so with more fervor than modern Spiritualism. What started in a cabin in New York in 1848 with two young girls quickly spread across the globe. Soon, spiritual mediums who claimed they could communicate with the dead could be found in almost every town in the nation. This presentation examines the emergence of this religious phenomena, its connections to both the Civil War and World War I, and how it led to a battle of words between the creator of Sherlock Holmes and the greatest magician of all time. The early Kinsley newspapers have articles both explaining and decrying the practice of spiritualism. One in particular caught my eye, and led to the discovery of an exciting character. If you lived in Kinsley in 1883, you very well might have attended an entertainment at the Gem of the Valley Hall on Wednesday evening, August 14. This early community hall was on the second floor of an original wood-frame building at 217 E. Sixth St. (today the location of Midway Antiques). The Gem of the Valley Hall where Prof. Cooke entertained the citizens of Kinsley with his magic. An article in the Edwards County Leader announced that Prof. Cooke, the distinguished opponent of Spiritualism, …. will perform and explain all the celebrated performances of the Davenport Bros., and other celebrated mediums, among which are the ‘Handcuff Test’. Challenge Rope Test’, Clairvoyance, and the whole will conclude with the startling ‘Spirit Bride Séance’”. That set me off on a very interesting quest in other towns’ newspapers to find out more about this Prof. Cooke. The Hutchinson Herald of July 27, 1878 reported the following after his performance: The revelations by Prof. Cooke have opened the eyes of many who were disposed to give credence to the claims of mediums, who have for years been practicing upon the public…. While disclaiming any supernatural aid, he was bound hand, foot and neck in a dozen ways by a committee selected from the audience, and placed in the cabinet, in every instance releasing himself in a few seconds. The committee occupied fifteen minutes tying...