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October/November
2003 Newsletter
Ritchie House a SCHS Treasure
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The John
Ritchie House is currently owned by the Shawnee County Historical
Society. It is a local treasure. Under the directorship of Dr.
Bill Wagnon,
restoration work continues. The structure of the building has been secured.
Soon the home’s interior work will begin. The last time John
Brown
was seen in Topeka, he was shaking hands with John Ritchie in front of
this modest stone house. Brown had been a guest the night before, and he
left never to see his friend, or Kansas, again. He died on the gallows
later that year. Ritchie and Brown had much in common. Both were ardent
abolitionists: both were fearless in their opposition to those who would
make Kansas a slave state. But there was a key difference. While Brown’s
mission was to end slavery, Ritchie sought not only to end slavery but
to create a new society—an inclusive society with White and Black,
male and female, participating fully. This was his vision for Topeka.
Recently Deb Goodrich,
education development consultant for the Ritchie House presented a History
Day service day at the Williams school for area teachers and students
intending to create History Day 2004 entries. Regional History Day is
set for the Washburn campus, Saturday, February 28, 2004.
Ritchie Committee members have met to work
on a narrative for the capital campaign brochure being developed for a long needed
capital campaign for the Ritchie House. Another planning group is working to
design the rehabilitation of the Ritchie House. The home’s interior is
stripped down to the studs, and it probably will be restored to the way it appeared
from 1857 to 1869 when John Ritchie’s family lived in it. With the more
modern siding and a porch stripped away, the house has a red brick façade
on the front and limestone on the other three sides. As the footprint of the
design is finalized landscape architects will be involved working on the project
for a site rendering.
The Ritchie House is located at 1116 SE Madison.
If you haven’t been by, check it out today!
Your Ideas Wanted
Do
you have an idea for the Shawnee County Historical Society? We want to
hear from you. Send your comments and ideas to us via e-mail or mail them
to: SCHS, P.O. Box 2201, Topeka, Kansas 66601. Let us hear from you today!
History Book Sponsors List Grows…
The Shawnee County Historical Society announced recently it will publish
a new comprehensive illustrate history of Topeka and Shawnee County in
conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Topeka in 2004. The number of
companies that have agreed to participate in the “Sharing the Heritage” section
now includes: BA Designs, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Bob Florence Contractors,
Capital City Bank, Capitol federal Savings, Cardinal Brands, Commerce Bank & Trust,
DeBackers Inc., Designed Business Interiors, For-4-Less (Falleys), Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company, Gregg Tire, Hawkins Optical Laboratories, Kansas
Livestock Association, Kaw Valley State Bank, KCTV 92.5 FM, John Hoffer
Chrysler-Jeep, Kansas Mutual Insurance, Lawyers Title of Topeka, Lower
Heating & Air Conditioning, Martin Tractor, McElroys Inc., Metropolitan
Topeka Airport Authority, Midland Hospice care, Parrish Management Corp.,
Plumbing by Carlson, Payless Shoe Source, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine,
LL, Ramada, Security Benefit, Stormont Vail HealthCare, Strathman Sales
Company, TARC Inc., Topeka Blueprint Co., Topeka Transfer & Storage,
Vanguard Products Corp., Washburn University.
Monroe School Honored by SCHS
The Shawnee County Historical Society recognized with its last Preservation
Award the National Park Service for its work on the Monroe School. On October
26, 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-525 establishing Brown v. Board
of Education National Historic Site to commemorate the landmark Supreme
Court decision aimed at ending segregation in public schools. On May 17,
1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal and, as such, violate the 14th Amendment
to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens “equal
protection of the laws.” The site consists of the Monroe Elementary
School, one of the four segregated elementary schools for African American
children in Topeka, and the adjacent grounds. When the National Park service
acquired the site, it had changed greatly since the 1950s. Many of the
walls dividing the classrooms had been removed. The original woodwork,
tile, and flooring are still present. The exterior of the building is mostly
unchanged. Engineering studies showed the building to be structurally sound.
A multi-phased rehabilitation of the building began in 2000. The U.S. Supreme
Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is one of the most
pivotal opinions ever rendered by that body. This landmark decision highlights
the Supreme Court’s role in affecting changes in national and social
policy. Often when people think of the case, they remember a little girl
whose parents sued so that she could attend an all-white school in her
neighborhood. In reality, the story of Brown v. Board is far more complex.
In December, 1952, the United States Supreme Court had on its docket cases
from Kansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, and Virginia,
all of which challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in
public schools. The Court had consolidated these five cases under one name,
Oliver Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka. One of the justices
later explained that the Court felt it was better to have representative
cases from different parts of the country. This collection of cases was
the culmination of years of legal groundwork laid by the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in its work to end segregation.
None of the cases would have been possible without individuals who were
courageous enough to take a stand against the segregated system. Topekans
can be proud that the site, honored by SCHS, will open in 2004 on the 50th
Anniversary of the Brown decision. (
—Some of the material for this article
comes from National Park Service material.
At the Post Office:
Next time you go to the main post office at 5th and Kansas, check out the
room to the left of the main entrance. Our National Park Service has an
information center there about the Monroe site, including a video and numerous
other publications of interest. The video runs about 12 minutes and is
well done. You can also acquire information on “Bleeding Kansas:
A Battle for Freedom and Land,” as well as information on other National
Parks. Then go buy your stamps.
2003 Officers:
Rick Friedstrom, President
R.E. “Tuck” Duncan, President-Elect
Marcia C. Saville, Secretary
Matt Tomlinson, Treasurer
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