Kansas Heritage Series
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Each winter, the Wilson County Old Iron Club hosts a 3 event series focusing on a different aspect of Kansas history and heritage. The premier series was held in early 2013. All events are held on Sunday afternoons at 2pm, in the Town Hall at the “Rollin ‘Red’ Vandever Memorial Park”.
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2023 Heritage Series
This year’s series focuses on three seemingly very diverse topics, yet
all will inform us about aspects of our shared history.
all will inform us about aspects of our shared history.
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January 29 – Last Stand at Rebel Creek: The Osage as Union Allies in Civil War Kansas
As conflicts between states increased during the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy tried to use the Osage to achieve their own aims. Initially divided over how their people should respond in the face of escalating struggles, the Osage eventually emerged as important allies of the Union forces, thwarting an 1863 Confederate expedition tasked with reviving Southern resistance in Colorado and New Mexico territories. This presentation explores the Osage contributions to the Union cause in Kansas during the Civil War. Presented by Isaias McCaffery, professor of history at Independence Community College. |
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February 26 – Fresh Produce: Kansas’s Orchardists, Market Growers, and Truck Farmers
In Kansas, agriculture is king. Our roots are connected to the land and crops harvested from the soil. This talk highlights Kansas’s commercial specialty crops, agriculture experimentation, horticultural “royalty” marketing, and the evolving local foods movement. Learn about Kansas’s nationally known heritage apple; the crabapple king’s downfall; the successful gardening secrets of freed slaves, entrepreneurs, and early suburbanites; the state’s connection to exotic fruit introduction; the 1960s counterculture influence on today’s market mainstays; future outlooks; and county-specific produce projection. Presented by Cindy Higgins, a journalist and historian of Kansas industry. |
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March 26 – Ghost Towns of Wilson County: Buffville – Bricks and More
Buff City, Buffton, Buffington, and finally Buffville, was a small community which evolved when the Kansas Buff Brick and Manufacturing Co. built a brick plant in 1903 between Altoona and Neodesha, making use of the unusual buff colored shale in the area. At one time Buffville was a thriving community, complete with a post office, railroad depot, and businesses and schools. This presentation will highlight the rise and fall of this Wilson County community. Presented by Leanne Githens, Wilson County Historical Society & Museum volunteer and amateur researcher. |