Stafford County Historical and Genealogical Society

Established 1976

100 North Main St.
Stafford, KS 67578

Phone: 620-234-5664

E-mail: schgs1976@gmail.com

MUSEUM HOURS:
9am-3:30pm weekdays,
weekends & special tours by appointment.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Marion L. Hearn
Vice-President: Suzie McMillan
Secretary: Silva Scholes
Treasurer: Jean Fanshier

Steve Hartnett
Don Hornbaker
Marceline Masten
Barbara Grimmett
Linda Westfahl
Pat Houston

FAMILY HISTORY WRITING WORKSHOP

Stafford County Museum in will host “Moment by Moment: Family History Writing Workshop,” a workshop by Kim Stanley on Sunday, March 3, at 1:00 p.m. at the Stafford County Museum Library, 100 N. Main St., Stafford, Kansas. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.
 
Genealogical records tell us a great deal, but they sometimes lack the personal details that communicate just how interesting families can be. Adding stories to genealogy can make family history more vivid and more likely to be read by future generations. In this workshop, participants are encouraged to write family history in story form.
 
Kim Stanley teaches writing and literature and is the chair of the department of modern languages at McPherson College.
 
“I love helping people tell their stories,” says Stanley. “Writing is how we make sense of our world, and how we pass it on to others.”
 
“Moment by Moment: Family History Writing Workshop” is part of Humanities Kansas's Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.

OUT OF THE DARKNESS: RECORDS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

Stafford Co. Museum will host “Out of the Darkness: Records of the Vietnam War,” a presentation and discussion by Audrey Coleman on Thursday, June 13, at 6:00 p.m. The program will be at the museum library, 100 N. Main in Stafford. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Refreshments will be served. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.

The United States had a presence in Vietnam as early as the 1950s and remained there until the dramatic evacuation of the American Embassy in 1975, but only now, as records are located, declassified, and cataloged, does a more complete story emerges. This presentation features historic material from the archive of Kansas Sen. Robert Dole, who served in Congress from 1961-1996.

Audrey Coleman is the assistant director and senior archivist at the Robert J. Dole Archive and Special Collections at the Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence. She holds a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Kansas.

“My grounding philosophy is that Senator Dole’s records are a powerful resource for understanding the perspectives of a surprisingly large swath of society – soldiers, senators, dissenters, women, and marginalized communities,” said Coleman.

“Out of the Darkness: Records of the Vietnam War” is part of Humanities Kansas's Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.

Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.


CRAWFORD ANNEX ROOF

The roof was repaired on the Crawford Annex in October, and the floor was repaired in mid-January. We also repaired the small windows on the west side of the old Masonic Hall, and replaced the floor in the foyer of the Farmers National Bank. These jobs ran us $2,800. Any donations to help offset these unexpected expenses would be most appreciated. Donations may be sent to Stafford County Museum, 100 N. Main St., Stafford, KS 67578. (Patrons may donate via Paypal using our email address: schgs1976@gmail.com.)

MILTON ANNEX NORTH WALL AND ROOF

Repairs were recently completed on the north wall and roof of the Milton Auto Museum. We were very pleased to have this building back in good shape and to mark this off of our "to-do" list!

PERMANENT QUILT EXHIBIT

Stafford County Museum hosted Chamber Coffee  May 18, 2018, at the museum library. It coincided with the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the museum’s permanent quilt exhibit. The ribbon was cut by Marceline Masten at 10 a.m. at the back of the Farmers National Bank (where the late great attorney Bill Goss’ office was once upon a time).
 
The exhibit displays all 39 quilts in the museum’s collection. Along with quilts, the display features many other exquisite hand-crafted textile artifacts, such as examples of tatting, and items in which the craftswomen raised and harvested the wool, spun the wool into thread, wove it into strips, and sewed the strips into bed covers. For more information and photos, look for Stafford County Historical and Genealogical Society on Facebook.
 
STAFFORD COUNTY SOUVENIR PLAYING CARDS

$12 per deck

Stafford County Souvenir Playing Cards, printed on high quality playing card stock. These cards make a fun & fascinating collectible as well as a wonderful gift. Each card highlights a different historical photo & fact about our County.

The tuck-box is adorned with a colorful 1929 architect's drawing of our Courthouse and the back of each card shows a colorized postcard photo of our museum building as it was in 1910.

We are grateful to everyone who participated in this fundraising project by sponsoring a card. Communities represented by our sponsors in the cards are Hudson, Macksville, Radium, St. John, Stafford and Zenith as well as our rural areas.

We can mail them for an additional $3.00 per deck for shipping/handling. Payment may be made by check or money order to the address above, or via Paypal using our email address: schgs1976@gmail.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gray Studio Glass Negatives On-Line
 
Gray Studio photos on-line at Forsyth Library (FHSU)

Gray Studio Glass Plate Negatives, film by Gizmo Pictures (Topeka),
commissioned by Kansas Humanities Council for its 40th anniversary
 
William R. Gray featured on Hatteburg’s People (KAKE-TV, Wichita)
 
William R. Gray featured on Sunflower Journeys (KTWU-Channel 11, Topeka)

Glass negatives project featured on Positively Kansas, Episode 1 (KPTS Ch. 8, Wichita)

 Glass negatives project featured on Main Street Kansas (KSN, Wichita)

This is the official website of the Stafford County Historical and Genealogical Society.
The mission of the Stafford County Historical and Genealogical Society is to collect, research and preserve the history of Stafford County, Kansas.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, familial status, sexual orientation, and reprisal. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.