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What’s Happening at HCHM in September

Posted on September 2, 2016December 13, 2023 by hchm-curator

September is full of exhibits, programs and new activities at HCHM.

Calendar Postcard, 1907

Third Thursday-September 15

You could canoe on Sand Creek . . .

Sand Creek near Athletic Park, Newton, Ks ca. 1920. Photo taken by Richert.

or drive to Wichita . . .

“On our way to Wichita” fall 1915.

or join us for our first Third Thursday!

Starting on September 15, HCHM will be open additional hours in the evening on the third Thursday of the month.

The museum and archives will be open from 4:00- 8:00 pm in addition to our regular Thursday hours of 10-4.

Fathers of Invention – September 16

Our new exhibit featuring inventors will open.

They Rode the ‘Electric Way:’ the AVI Railway – September 18

Waiting for the AVI.

Ever wanted to know more about the AVI? Sunday, September 18 is your chance. The Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway served the people and businesses of Newton, Wichita, Hutchinson, and all of the communities in between. Vince Marshall will tell the stories of the AVI, who rode on it and what other interesting items were transported by this electric railway. Admission is $5 (HCHM members admitted free). The program starts at 2:00 at the museum, 200 Main, Newton, Ks.

Property Research – September 20

HCHM Archivist, Jane Jones, will join Shannon Reed, Historic Preservation Planner with the City of Newton, and John Thiesen, Co-Director of Libraries with the Mennonite Library and Archives of Bethel College for a discussion of strategies for researching the history of a property. The program starts at 7:00 pm at the Newton Public Library, 720 Oak, Newton Ks.

Taste of Newton – September 29

Taste of Newton is early this year! Don’t miss out, come visit our booth and enjoy a tasty meal while supporting the museum.

Bird’s Eye view of Newton from the Courthouse Tower, ca. 1930. Roof line of the 1st Presbyterian Church and looking south down Main, Newton, Ks.

Corner of SE 4th & Washington Road

Posted on August 26, 2016December 29, 2017 by hchm-curator

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

When looking at old photos, sometimes the background is as interesting as the subject.

In the HCHM Photo Archives there are large collections of photos of parades and street scenes. The person taking the photo was interested in the floats, but today those same photos have important clues about the buildings in the background.

The only photos in the collection of the corner of SE 4th & Washington Road, Newton were taken to record a collision on June 17, 1939.

Collision at S.E. 4th and Washington Rd, Newton, Ks 17 June 1939 between a Newton City Cab Sedan and a Mod A Coupe.

Basic details of the accident were included with the photos. At 3:40 pm, Cletus Snyder, Salina, Ks, in the Mod A Coupe, collided with Clifford Thomas, driver for the Newton City Cab, in the V 8 4-door sedan at the intersection of S.E. 4th & Washington Road, Newton.

Mrs. Ziegler, passenger in the cab, was injured. She was taken to Bethel Hospital “for treatment of injuries to her left foot and bruises sustained in a car accident.”

S.E. 4th & Washington Rd., looking southeast, Washington School in the background.

In the background of the photo, Washington School and various homes are visible.

S.E. 4th & Washington Rd., view of the west side of Main 300 Block, Newton.

Closer view of accident.

This small collection of photographs provides clues to the history of one neighborhood.

Intersection in August 2016.

A more recent accident on Christmas Eve, 2017.

Man airlifted following drag-racing accident

Sources:

Evening Kansan Republican, 19 June 1939, p. 2.

The Architecture of Learning: Newton Public Schools

Posted on August 19, 2016 by hchm-curator

A look back at school buildings in Newton, Ks from the 1880s to 1950.

The earliest school in Newton was opened September 2, 1872 with Mary A. Boyd as the teacher. Classes were held in the Ringolsky Building on the east side of Main between 5th & 6th Streets. A wood frame school building, located in the area of Military Park today, was constructed and in use by January 1873. In 1879, a six room brick structure was built near 1st & Pine in Newton.

Lincoln School

Constructed in 1884, the Lincoln School cost $15,000. This building also served as the High School for a number of years. The first class graduated in 1884.

Lincoln School, 1884, 4th & Ash, Newton. Torn down in 1914.

Lincoln School. Newton Kansan 50th Anniversary Ed, Aug 22, 1922 p. 70.

Lincoln School, W 6th, Newton. Newton Kansan 50th Anniversary Ed, Aug 22, 1922 p. 70.

McKinley School

McKinley School, 1st & Pine, Newton, 1910

McKinley School, under construction, E 1st & Pine, Newton, 1938.

McKinley School, March 1947

McKinley School, 1950.

Cooper School

Cooper School served as the high school from 1889 to 1914.

Cooper School, E 7th & Oak, 1900.

Cooper School, ca. 1900

Cooper School, 1937-38

Cooper School, 1939

Roosevelt School

Roosevelt School, 1920.

Roosevelt School, Newton Kansan 50th Anniversary Ed, Aug 22, 1922 p. 70.

Roosevelt School, E Broadway, Newton. Newton Kansan 50th Anniversary Ed, Aug 22, 1922 p. 70.

Washington School

Washington School, 1920.

Washington School located “at the foot of Main Street” in Newton.

Washington School in the background. June 17, 1939 two vehicles collided near E.E. 4th & Washington Rd.

Newton High School

In 1914, Newton High School was built, with a dedication ceremony on May 11, 1914. Samuel Greenebaum, a Newton High graduate, was the architect for the building that cost $95,000.

Newton High School, Newton Kansan 50th Anniversary Ed, Aug 22, 1922 p. 69.

Sources:

Newton Kansan 50th Anniversary Edition, Aug 22, 1922 p. 69-70.