Kenneth Spencer Research Library

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created the series because I genuinely believe there is something in our collections for everyone, whether you’re writing a paper or just want to have a look. “That’s Distinctive!” will provide a more lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique materials at Spencer – including items that many people may not realize the library holds. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing a glimpse into the lives of early pioneer homesteaders in Kansas. Coming from the R.H. Gandivan and R. Hugobook collection are photos (1883-1884) of early pioneers in front of their homes in Kansas. The collection consists of 24 photos from around the state. According to the finding aid, “the photographs depict pioneer families and their homesteads in the following Kansas counties: Clay, Jewell, McPherson, Mitchell, Ottawa, and Saline. Subjects include early pioneer houses and farmsteads, family groups, landscapes, and individual portraits.”

An entry in the Kansas Historical Society’s Kansapedia notes that “after the Civil War and before 1890 the population of Kansas increased by the greatest amount in its history. More than one million people streamed into Kansas seeking a new life on the frontier…Free and cheap land provided by the Homestead Act and the railroads attracted many settlers.” The Homestead Act was passed in 1862. Under its provisions, “settlers could claim 160 acres of public land. They paid a small filing fee and then had two options for getting title to the land…The Homestead Act led to the distribution of 80 million acres of public land by 1900.” 

Houses in the late nineteenth century came in many shapes and sizes. The Old House Archives provide an idea of just how vast the design range was (though many have been updated as time goes on). Architectural Observer provides a brief glimpse into an empty late nineteenth century farmhouse.

If you would like a glimpse into the life of a Kansan in the late 1800s, check out our earlier post featuring a Kansas farmer’s diary from 1896 or this post about letters and diaries of Kansas women in the 1860s. The library also houses the diary of Maude Egbert (a Kansas farm wife during the 1940s) and many others from throughout history.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Any red-blooded Kansan holds these truths to be self-evident: the state flower is the sunflower, the state bird is the meadowlark, the state tree is the cottonwood, and Kansas Day is January 29. We celebrate this day as the anniversary of the entrance of the state to the Union in 1861. This year (2024) the state turns 163 years old (though she doesn’t look a day over 130). But as our comrades across the state and beyond observe Kansas Day, some may wonder how to properly celebrate.

Unsure of how to appropriately commemorate the anniversary of statehood, we can look to the Patriotic Manual published by the state in 1954. Under the section on Kansas Day, it is said that Kansas Day was born in Paola in 1877, when schoolchildren became so awakened to patriotism that they searched encyclopedias and called upon their parents and community to furnish local history and interesting facts about Kansas. When Kansas Day came, the school blackboard was covered with careful drawings of the state seal and maps, along with songs and poems, with the state motto “Ad astra per aspera” written in crimson and blue chalk.

Along with the fabled history of Kansas Day, the Patriotic Manual contains state laws describing the Great Seal of Kansas and the Capitol building in Topeka as well as a selection of songs and poems that embody the fine and glorious spirit of the state. These poems are reprinted below.

This patriotic manual from 1954 and an updated edition from 1973 are housed at Spencer Research Library. For digital access, the guide has been digitized by the Kansas State Library.

Ad astra per aspera and happy Kansas Day!

Phil Cunningham
Kansas Collection Curator

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created the series because I genuinely believe there is something in our collections for everyone, whether you’re writing a paper or just want to have a look. “That’s Distinctive!” will provide a more lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique materials at Spencer – including items that many people may not realize the library holds. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am showing something that may not be so relatable today. Below is an image of the first page of a pamphlet titled The Anti-Horse Thief Association: What It Is; What It Is Not. The pamphlet states that the association was founded in Clark County, Missouri, in 1854. According to the finding aid, it “was a grass-roots organization of U.S. citizens that emerged…as a vigilance body for prevention of theft, especially horse stealing.” The “effectiveness of such an organization quickly became apparent,” noted a 1912 history of Kansas, so “the order spread to other states, and in time covered a large expanse of territory. After the [Civil War] was over, when the conditions that called the association into existence no longer existed, its scope was widened to include all kinds of thefts and a national organization was incorporated under the laws of Kansas.” Law-abiding citizens over 21 years old could apply for membership to the AHTA. In 1926, the organization changed its name to the Anti-Thief Association in response to automation replacing horses.

The Anti-Horse Thief Association collection found at Spencer Research Library houses a couple of minute books, the pamphlet shown, a newspaper clipping, and a blank property description form (also imaged below).

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created the series because I genuinely believe there is something in our collections for everyone, whether you’re writing a paper or just want to have a look. “That’s Distinctive!” will provide a more lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique materials at Spencer – including items that many people may not realize the library holds. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing a collection of Lawrence Bank banknotes. According to the finding aid, “the collection contains four Lawrence Bank notes of three and five dollar denominations. These notes are imprinted with ‘The Lawrence Bank, Lawrence, Kansas’ but were probably issued by the Lawrence National Bank, which was established in the 1860s.”

Incorporated by the territorial legislature in 1858 and located on the east side of Massachusetts street in downtown Lawrence, the Lawrence Bank opened for business in 1860. According to an article in the Lawrence Business Magazine, “the Lawrence Bank issued currency in various denominations, but only bills for $1, $2, $3 and $5 are known to survive.” The existence of the Lawrence Bank was short-lived, as “Quantrill’s raiders robbed and burned the bank. It never reopened after the raid but continued to redeem currency presented for payment until it closed for good in January 1864.”

As seen in the images, the banknotes came into the library’s possession as fragments. They were pieced together and preserved by the Libraries’ conservation department. It’s not often that fragmented items are adhered to a secondary layer, but at times it is deemed necessary by our conservators and curators.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

Henceforth, it’s 2024, and we’re back at it again! Over the past year, the manuscripts processing team has been hard at work describing and housing one-of-a-kind collections. As a processor, you never quite know what you’ll find when you first open a box of dusty old records, but it’s always sure to delight! (most of the time…) Last year, the processing team worked through collections across Kenneth Spencer Research Library’s four collecting areas: the Kansas Collection, the Wilcox Collection, University Archives, and Special Collections. We even had an opportunity to further showcase a few of our favorite collections, including a Reuter Organ Company exhibit, a remembrance of a former colleague, and an in-depth look at the 1970 police shooting of KU student Nick Rice. This year we’re all excited to continue the process of processing new collections and additions, but first, here’s a list of new finding aids the manuscripts processing team published in the last six months of 2023:

Peggy Harrison papers, 1991-2002 (RH MS 1591)

Wilburn family collection, 1960-2023 (RH MS 1592)

Kij Johnson papers, 1975-2021 (MS 377)

Personal papers of Karen Severud (Pearson) Cook, September 1972-September 2021 (PP 648)

Personal papers of Amy Devitt, 1980-2013 (PP 653)

Personal papers of Dean “Deaner” Nesmith, 1935-1979 (PP 655)

Lorraine Co-Operative Oil Company records, 1930-1948 (RH MS D307)

U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association ledger, 1975-1977 (RH WL MS P3)

Take Ten, Inc. records, 1976-2013 (RH MS 1596)

Schubert, Funk, Cooper-Warren Mortuaries records, 1904-1966 (RH MS 1597)

Alvin Forrest “Fritz” Grauerholz papers, 1925-2009 (RH MS 1593)

Creed Shepard collection, 1992-2002 (RH MS 1598)

Marvin Voth collection, 1975-2009 (RH MS 1595)

Pamela Johnson Betts collection, 1969-2021 (RH MS 1594)

Courtship of the Ruff watercolor, 1923 (MS Q107)

Wagner family collection (MS P766)

Personal papers of Tom Skrtic, 1972-2020 (PP 651)

Personal papers of Tom Hedrick, 1947-2021 (PP 654)

Personal papers of Ellsworth S. Gray, circa 1930-1955 (PP 656)

Yusuf and Zoleikha = یوسف و زلیخا, Poem originally written 888 A.H. / 1483 CE; this manuscript copy inscribed 17th century CE (MS A9)

Barteldes family tree, [after 1963 and before 2021] (RH MS R542)

Alice Walker photograph, February 1, 2002 (RH PH P2851)

Kaw Valley Living Wage Alliance collection, September 25, 2000-January 17, 2006 (RH MS 1602)

Personal papers of Andrew Tsubaki, 1954-2001 (PP 650)

Records of the Kansas State Geological Survey, 1865-2022 (bulk 1950s-2010s) (RG 37)

Jane van Meter collection, 1923-2020 (MS 383)

Paul Schaefer poster collection, 1970-1985 (RH WL MS R19)

General records from the University of Kansas – Architectural drawings, approximately 1890s-2000s (RG 0 – AD)

Archery: Two Treatises, 1150 A.H. / 1737 C.E. (MS C33)

Marcella Huggard
Manuscripts Processing Coordinator

Charissa Pincock
Manuscripts Processor