The Shawnee Indian Mission was established in 1839 in Johnson County and operated as a school until 1854. It then passed into private ownership and served different functions until it was acquired by the state of Kansas in 1927. In 1983, rehabilitation of the two-story East Building was begun. During the removal of a ceiling, a nest of an eastern woodrat or pack rat was discovered. A total of 80 items had been packed into the nest, including those pictured here: a clear square glass bottle; a blue transferware tableware sherd; a hand-painted buff-bodied earthenware bowl rim; a complete paring knife; a clear glass oval filial from a bottle stopper; a red wood and cork bottle stopper; a bone fine-toothed lice comb; sewing scissors; a coat or hat hook; a complete Rockingham door knob; and a complete straight razor. The wood and cork bottle stopper has the words "New York" imprinted on it. The razor has lettering that indicates it was patented in 1907.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Pack Rat Nest Contents from the Shawnee Indian Mission, 14JO362 - 2