Author: Fred Atchison

Jim Peters made many trips to Arlington National Cemetery when he lived in Washington D.C. and he was inspired to write Arlington National Cemetery; Shrine to America’s Heroes. Arlington is a U.S. Cemetery operated by the U.S. Army. It is located just across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. Arlington was established in the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House which was owned by Mary Curtis Lee and Robert E. Lee. The land was confiscated during the war and used, in part, as a cemetery for the Union dead. After the war , Curtis Lee, heir to the property, successfully sued the government and eventually sold the land back to the government.

Decoration Day was first celebrated on May 30, 1868 due to the efforts of John A. Logan, Grand Army of the Republic, to honor the Union dead. Arlington became the resting place for the military dead from all our wars. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established after World War I. In 1971 Congress made the last Monday in May Memorial Day. Some 400,000 veterans are buried at Arlington and the cemetery has become a symbol for those many sacrifices. Jim Peter’s book is the top selling book at Arlington.

Sarah Bell, Watkins Museum Development Director, made a return engagement to talk abut women’s suffrage in Kansas history. Kansas women were active in community affairs in the early years and by 1861 women were serving on school boards. Susanna Salter was elected mayor of Argonia in 1889. Two years later Lucy Sullivan was elected mayor of Baldwin and served with an all woman city council. Together they undertook an ambitious community development program. Soon a number of other communities elected women to local office.

In 1867 a proposal to enfranchise black men and white women failed. This set off a debate about whether one group should be advanced ahead of the other. The rise of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in 1874 introduced prohibition as a progressive cause. The WCTU became identified with women’s suffrage. Full women’s suffrage was passed in Kansas in 1912, eight years before the national amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Kansas played a leadership role in the fight to secure the right to vote for women.

In 1956 a far-sighted group of women purchased twenty acres of hilly farm pasture for the use of the Girl Scouts. Today Hidden Valley Camp has grown to forty acres and is completely surrounded by the city. A screen of trees provides a barrier between the camp and adjacent city streets. Cindy Riling, Chair of Hidden Valley Friends, Inc., explained that the camp is a unique private nonprofit resource where scouts can gather to camp, do badge work, get training and have fun.

Friends support the camp through gifts of time and work days, fund raising, grants and endowments. The acreage is carefully managed to maintain a natural setting. The Friends have donated a memorial garden, a butterfly garden, a wetland feature and a stone fireplace and shelter. Cindy Riling became interested in the camp when she served as a Girl Scout Leader. She reports that s’moors and hot chocolate are still part of the campers’ fireside experiences.

Lawrence Central Rotary’s own Lori Trenholm, Community Development Director for Douglas County Community Foundation, introduced her boss, Executive Director Chip Blaser. Blaser explained that DCCF is a tax exempt charity serving Douglas County and several nearby communities by providing options for philanthropic giving. DCCF links donors to community needs and provides services and management of the process. Nonprofits may set up an organization fund or apply for grants to fund projects benefiting community.

Six to seven million grant dollars are awarded each year. Some recent grants include funding for Crisis Pet Retention, Community Garden funding through the Heart Department, and numerous pandemic relief projects. The DCCF is a valuable community asset that encourages, facilitates and leverages community giving. Chip Blaser has a law background and prior experience in managing nonprofit organizations. DCCF has experience significant growth under his leadership.

Lawrence has a proud early history of notable women according to Sarah Bell, Development Director at Watkins Museum. Bell has a passion for local history, especially stories about activist women. A number of profiles were shared of women working in the city in the 1800’s. The contributions of black women are often overlooked, but there was Ida Wallace who owned and operated a successful restaurant located on North Massachusetts. At the other end of Massachusetts, black entrepreneurs Amanda Johnson and Medor Renfro ran a popular bakery.

Mary McCullogh was also a successful business woman of the time who operated a restaurant and invested in real estate, making deals with prominent men of the community. Seamstress Mary Barnes taught her trade to young women and hosted Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony on their 1867 visit to Lawrence. There were a number of women doctors practicing in the late 1800s. Lucy H. Taylor may have been the first woman with a degree to practice dentistry.

Sarah Bell does historical walking tours and shares stories of remarkable women who contributed to the community. She earned a Masters Degree in Museum Studies and a Doctorate in History from the University of Kansas.