Ernest Mourning
Creator: Charles, A. B.
Date: June 20, 1898
A portrait of Ernest Mourning taken at age 16. The portrait was taken in Blue Mound, Kansas.

Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas, Educational Convention
Creator: Oakley, Walter
Date: March 17-18, 1857
This item described an education convention held by the Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas at Blue Mound, Kansas Territory. The purpose of the convention was to "found a University." L. B. Dennis was chosen as the chairman and Walter Oakley was the secretary. The document stated the need for the university and indicated that proposals had been received from the towns of Blue Mound, Prairie City, Centropolis, Topeka, Palmyra, and Lawrence. The proposal from Palmyra was accepted and they promised to provide eight hundred acres of land and to purchase $20,000 in "university stock." The institution founded by this convention was named Baker University and the town of Palmyra became Baldwin City. An association was set up to support the "erection and endowment" of the university.

Plat book of Linn County, Kansas
Creator: North West Publishing Co.
Date: 1906
This atlas of Linn County shows congressional townships, civil townships, cities and villages, and miscellaneous material, including a patrons' directory.

B-M lawn mower
Creator: B-M Mower Company
Date: between 1940 and 1957
Model VD 17 B-M Power Mower. The B-M Mower Company of Blue Mound, Kansas (Linn County), produced power mowers from the mid-1940s until 1957. The company promised customers that its aluminum-body mowers would save time, work, and money "and make mowing your lawn seem like child's play instead of hard labor."

Report of Kansas U.S.O. Committee
Creator: United Service Organization
Date: 1941
This item details the amount of contributions to the United Service Organizations (U.S.O.) from cities and counties in Kansas during 1941. Totaling almost $90,000, the U.S.O. campaign in Kansas was quite successful and helped support a number of services for Americans serving in uniform during World War II. The report lists the contributions by city and the nature of the fund raising. There was a campaign in movie theaters that almost $9,000 from 84 cities. The list includes the names of the theaters. Local newspapers, which provided publicity, are often listed as well. The local U.S. O. committees are listed occasionally.