Past Exhibits
"Strong Hearts: The Strong Family of Riley County"
This exhibit, opened September 1, 2015 through January 31, 2016, explored the history of the Henry Strong family and its associations with Riley County. Abolitionists, Henry and Eleanor Strong, arrived in Territorial Kansas and settled their family close to Manhattan. From the 1850’s to the present, the Henry Strong family has contributed to the education, culture and business of the community. Grandma Hoerner’s Foods was inspired by Henry Strong’s granddaughter, Mabel Hoerner, and is owned by Henry’s great, great grandson. The Henry Strong home, owned by great, great, great granddaughter Rachelle Routh, at 1916 Beck Street in Manhattan, is now The Strong Inn.
Family oral history maintains that as ardent Abolitionists, Henry and Elenora actively participated in Underground Railroad activity through Kansas prior to, and during, the Civil War. Due to the danger this presented, Henry dug a small cave into an embankment along a brush-filled ravine on the property, concealing slaves during the day. Once night approached, Henry and Elenora carefully made their way to the cave with food and guided freedom seekers to the next conductor to lead them north to Nebraska.
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Family oral history maintains that as ardent Abolitionists, Henry and Elenora actively participated in Underground Railroad activity through Kansas prior to, and during, the Civil War. Due to the danger this presented, Henry dug a small cave into an embankment along a brush-filled ravine on the property, concealing slaves during the day. Once night approached, Henry and Elenora carefully made their way to the cave with food and guided freedom seekers to the next conductor to lead them north to Nebraska.
"Host to Manhattan: The Gillett Hotel" The building that would become the Gillett Hotel, located at the corner of Houston and South 3rd Street (presently S. 4th Street), was initially the residence of William and Caroline Higinbotham, built in 1868. When William’s banking investments failed in 1889, the Higinbotham's converted their substantial downtown home into a hotel. Rooms at the Higinbotham Hotel were rented out to guests for $2.00 a night. In 1899, the home was sold to Rube Gillett who renamed it the Gillett Hotel in 1901. The hotel underwent two renovations with additions added, one in 1906 and another in 1912. In 1911, the hotel was sold to Howard W. Allman who would become the hotel’s third owner. Just fifteen years earlier, Allman was working as a bellhop in the very same hotel. Under his ownership, the 1912 addition was constructed at a cost of $125,000 which included three elegant store rooms occupied by a Rector’s Barber Shop, the Manhattan Gas Company, and Watson Bros. Shoe Store. In 1913, the Gillett Hotel consisted of three stories with a main dining room on the first floor which seated 100 guests. It also boasted a total of 96 guest chambers, 20 of which had private baths. Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s, business at the Gillett Hotel continued to prosper. Leading up to World War II, many visitors of the hotel were families visiting soldiers at nearby Fort Riley. After the war, however, business began to subside. In 1951, the Gillett Hotel, along with several other businesses in the vicinity, fell victim to a severe flood which resulted in substantial loss to the building. Additionally, with the rise of the new motel industry in the 1950’s, coupled with the Gillett Hotel’s lack of adequate parking space, travelers began finding alternative lodging in Manhattan. This landmark hotel was eventually razed in 1966 and replaced by a building constructed for the F. W. Woolworth Company.
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"Riley County Relics"
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In 1855, the Hair brothers—Tom, John, and Jonas—traveled to Kansas and settled near the head of Wild Cat Creek. By 1863 enough settlers had established homesteads in the area to organize a school district. A log cabin served as the first school building near the creek on Tom Hair’s land, which became appropriately known as Hair School. As charter members, Aaron Southwick, Tom Hair, Tom and Stephen Soars, John Locke, and Dr. J.W. Crans began organizing the Union Townsite Company and established a federal post office on April 19, 1870. On May 10, 1870, the town plat of Union was filed in the Register of Deeds office in Manhattan. The town name of “Union,” however, had already been claimed by another Kansas community. As an alternative, the name “Riley Center” was chosen, due to the post office’s location near the center of Riley County. Aaron Southwick constructed the first house in Union, located on a five-acre tract he sold to the Town Company. The house became known as the Union House, where Southwick provided lodging and a small store of goods to travelers. Other business enterprises soon developed in Riley Center through the 1870s. The last railroad built through Riley County was the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railway, constructed in 1887. The railway ran north out of Manhattan to a depot named “Riley,” just adjacent to Riley Center. As a result, the railroad generated renewed enthusiasm in the small community. With direct access to the railway, new businesses slowly developed and companies organized to help promote the town. In 1895 Union, Riley Center, and Riley registered combined plats with the Register of Deeds as the incorporated town of “Riley”. The primary north-south street was placed just five blocks east of Main Street. Streets were graded and boardwalks built along Broadway to the depot. Buildings left in Riley Center (the old Union) relocated to the new Riley. Enterprising men and women from Clay Center opened businesses and new families purchased lots to establish residences. Local farmers who had taken their trade to Leonardville returned to Riley to conduct their business. |
Rhythm in Riley: A Look at Music History in Riley County
In the community of Riley, established in 1870, music played a significant role in the lives of its residents. Whether in churches, at local picnics, the Riley Fair, political rallies, or for special events, community bands entertained local citizens through their music. In earlier years, community bands were commonly associated with the military, but as band music grew in popularity, more civilian bands began to form. The Riley Band, commonly referred to as the Riley military band, included a drum and fife corps. Their uniforms included elaborately trimmed scarlet coats and bright blue trousers.
During the late 19th century, community bands grew in popularity. Bands such as the Riley Band, provided music that was considered appropriate for nearly any event. Usually, most community bands consisted of brass instruments., though many also often relied on woodwind instruments such as the clarinet. The Riley Band consisted of approximately twenty-four to thirty members, and during the mid-teens, almost exclusively of members of the Odd Fellows fraternal organization. During the late 1890’s, Albert B. Walters, an Odd Fellows member and leader of the Milford Band for over forty years, directed the Riley Band. |
One notable event that relied on the entertainment of the Riley Band was the closing day of Riley Schools on May 30th, 1919. As stated in the Manhattan Republic, the event was all “anyone could wish” with a large crowd that gathered at the cemetery in the morning. For the afternoon events, a program was held in the grove near the school house where the Riley Band performed and the “community singing was much enjoyed.” The evening concluded with folk dances, flag drill, and the winding of the May pole by grade school pupils.
The Riley Band notably provided entertainment at the Riley Fair, and also made the trip south to Manhattan to perform. As stated in the Manhattan Mercury in September of 1909, “no county fair would be complete without music. There will be plenty of it at the fair grounds next week. It is probable that a different band will be engaged for each of the four days… The Riley Band of twenty-five or thirty pieces will be here Thursday, the big day of the fair.”
The Riley Band also undertook other roles within the community such as fundraising to finance a new theatre in 1920. This theatre was located in the former Riley Hotel. The band also played for community picnics which, combined with a dancing floor, provided enjoyment for all ages. One of Riley’s largest celebrations centered around the signing of the Armistice following World War I. The Manhattan Mercury reported on November 12, 1918, “There may be bigger towns than Riley in Kansas, but it is doubtful if any celebrated the signing of the armistice in a more enthusiastic manner than did Riley.” On this day, over 1,500 people assembled around a platform in the center of downtown Riley and marched in “triumphant procession through the streets with the air filled with music from the Riley Band and the bombardment of artillery.” Riley also boasted its own music store, the Riley Music and Furniture Store, owned and operated by B. F. Martin. This music store sold a variety of sheet music and instruments including fine Chicago Cottage Organs. |