Autograph postcard
Date: 1909
Autograph remailing card. Card designed to be circulated to multiple people to collect autographs. The obverse has the image of an open book with blank pages for the signatures. The reverse has six blanks for names and addresses as well as six squares for postage stamps. The card has been circulated to Kansas City, Missouri, Newton, Kansas, and Smith Center, Kansas. Five green one-cent stamps on reverse, all cancelled. Additional postmark on obverse from Smith Center, April 4, 1909. Card copyrighted by "G&B" 1908.

Box scores from a baseball tournament in Smith Center
Date: 1914
These typewritten box scores document the results of games played in a baseball tournament held in Smith Center on July 15-17, 1914. Participating teams included Gaylord, Lebanon, Portis and Smith Center. On the first day of the tournament, Gaylord defeated Portis, 9-2, and Lebanon defeated Smith Center, 9-6. On the second day, Gaylord bested Lebanon, 4-3, and Portis won over Smith Center, 3-2. Lebanon defeated Portis, 6-0, on the final day and Smith Center beat Gaylord, 4-1. Since Lebanon and Gaylord each had two wins, the tie-breaker rule was applied, giving the tournament title to Gaylord. The rule provided that, in the event of a tie in the number of wins, the tournament championship would be awarded to the team with the fewest runs scored against it by opponents. Gaylord's opponents scored 9 runs, while Lebanon's scored 10 runs. Had Smith Center scored one more run in its victory over Gaylord on the final day, Lebanon would have won the tournament, since the next tie-breaker rule to be applied was total number of runs scored. The box scores were preserved in a scrapbook with items related to the baseball activities of Ray Stewart. Stewart was a Topeka pitcher hired to join the Lebanon team for the tournament. The winning Gaylord team was composed largely of players imported from the Kansas City area.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot, Smith Center, Kansas
Date: 1959
This photograph shows the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot in Smith Center, Kansas. The one-story wooden structure is no longer standing.

Congregational Church in Smith Center, Kansas
Date: Between 1910 and 1915
A postcard showing the Congregational Church in Smith Center, Kansas.

Dan Kelley
Date: 1880s
This black and white photograph shows composer Dan Kelley of the song "Home on the Range". Kelley a carpenter by trade was also a musician and composer for the Harlan Brother orchestra. His musical talents and the beautiful verses from the poem "My Western Home" by Dr. Brewster Highley, set to music one of the most popular songs ever written. On June 30, 1947, "Home on the Range" was officially recognized as the state song of Kansas.

Dan Kelley
Date: 1880s
This black and white photograph, taken in Providence, Rhode Island, shows composer Dan Kelley of the song "Home on the Range." Kelley a carpenter by trade was also a musician and composer for the Harlan Brothers orchestra. His musical talents and the beautiful verses from the poem "My Western Home" by Dr. Brewster Highley, set to music one of the most popular songs ever written. On June 30, 1947, "Home on the Range" was officially recognized as the state song of Kansas.

Edna Heim to Clarice Snoddy
Creator: Heim, Edna
Date: August 31, 1938
Tenant farmers Bill and Edna Heim of Kensington, Kansas, wrote this letter to farm owner Clarice Snoddy of Topeka regarding drought conditions and government soil conservation programs on the farm. The letter demonstrates the use of local and federal government programs to counter the removal of a dangerous amount of topsoil from farms on the southern Plains. Kansas began appealing for emergency federal aid in 1937 to counter sever drought and wind erosion in what is commonly known as the Dust Bowl.

Elementary school students in Smith Center, Kansas
Date: 1956-1960
Four photographs showing elementary school students and teachers in Smith Center, Kansas.

Fair of the Smith County Agricultural Society, Smith Center, Kansas
Creator: Smith County Agricultural Society
Date: August 31 - September 3, 1886
This poster announces a fair at Smith Centre, Kansas, sponsored by the Smith County Agricultural Society. Highlights include $2,000 in premiums, races, and a grand balloon ascension each day. The poster includes a color illustration of a sulky race with horses and riders. Fair officers are C. D. Hendrickson, president, and F. J. Patter, secretary. NOTE: Patter is listed as Pattee on the other 1886 Smith County fair poster.

Fourth grade class at Smith Center, Kansas
Date: 1960-1961
This is a photograph showing fourth grade students in Mrs. Gibson's class in Smith Center, Kansas.

Fred Iles correspondence
Date: 1906-1930
Fred Iles was assistant right of way and tax agent for the Kansas Town and Land Company which bought and sold lands on the right of way of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company. In 1917, he assumed Ernest Warren Cline's position as right of way agent, responsible for representing the railroad's interest in all matters concerning the acquisition and disposition of land on the right of way. This correspondence includes Iles' activities and expenses accounts at the behest of E. W. Cline and the CRI&P Railway.

G.W. Arbuckle to Governor John St. John
Creator: Arbuckle, G.W.
Date: November 18, 1879
G. W. Arbuckle recommends Kansas Governor John St. John employ Dr. Neely Thompson as an advocate for the temperance amendment.

Hendrick's Military Band, Smith Center, Kansas
Date: 1900
This is a formal photograph of the members of the Hendrick's Military Band of Smith Center, Kansas.

H. H. Reed to Governor John St. John
Creator: Reed, H. H.
Date: April 30, 1880
In this letter, Kansas Governor St. John has been invited to deliver temperance speeches on May 26 and 27, 1880, to the old soldiers and citizens of Smith Center, Kansas. The letter is written on stationery for the office of Probate Judge, Smith County, Kansas.

Kansas suffrage mass meetings for June
Creator: The Farmer's Wife
Date: May 1894
This article lists the upcoming suffrage meetings for June and their locations. The first section's meetings will have Carrie Chapman-Catt, Annie Diggs, and Theresa Jenkins as the speakers; the second section's meetings will be addressed by Susan B. Anthony, Anna Howard Shaw, Helen Kimber and Rachel Child.

Kansas Town and Land Company agent's statements
Date: 1888-1891
Lots lists and correspondence, arranged by townsite, relating to the business activities and sales of each townsite agent of the Kansas Town and Land Company. The Kansas Town and Land Company was chartered in 1887 to buy and sell lands on the right of way of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company. Townsites in Kansas include Agra, Aiken, Arkalom, Athol, Bonham, Brewster, Clayton, Dana, Dresden, Edson, Goodland, Groveland, Herington, Horton, Jasper, Jennings, Kanorado, Keats, Kensington, Liberal, Mahaska, Minneola, Narka, Neva, New Lebanon, Phillipsburg, Prairie View, Rexford, Selden, Severn, Smith Center, and Stuttgart. Townsites in Colorado include Arriba, Claremont, Limon, New Burlington, Peyton, and Siebert. Townsites in Nebraska include Murdock and Nora. Agents include G. A. Spaulding, F. O. Marshall, T. A. Scales, J. W. Weyand, G. B. Ohle, L. L. French, R. M. Day, Albert Harris, A. B. Montgomery, F. H. McClellan, Monroe Davis Herington, W. H. Kemper, George W. Ragon, R. M. Day, Hazen C. Ladd, E. W. Sandison, John S. Gillett, Edward Stone, E. W. Hall, W. J. Clark, P. C. Glenn, Ira Thompson, S. G. Hopkins, G. W. Buckley, Daniel W. Relihan, William A. Clute, R. S. Newell, C. A. Beery, J. H. Slater, C. G. McGhee, H. F. Hendricks, and Jacob Ritterbush.

Neely Thompson to Governor John St. John
Creator: Thompson, Neely
Date: October 26, 1880
A letter in which Kansas Free Press editor, Neely Thompson, calls Kansas Governor St. John's attention to a wording discrepancy in the voting tickets mailed to the State Central Committee.

Plat book, Smith County, Kansas
Creator: North West Publishing Co.
Date: 1900
This atlas shows maps of each township with the names of landowners. It has a patrons' directory and plats of towns as of the year of publication.

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 raised 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 members of the local U.S. O. committees are listed, occasionally.

Rock Island Lake in Smith Centre [Center], Kansas
Creator: Rinehart & Slagle, Importers & Publishers
Date: 1907
This is a postcard showing Rock Island Lake in Smith Centre [Center], Kansas. The postcard was sent to Louis E. Bixby in McPherson, Kansas.

Rock Island wheat festival special
Creator: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company
Date: 1926
This flyer advertises the dates that the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Company "Wheat Festival Special" will visit numerous Kansas towns along its route. It will in Kansas August 2 through 7, 1926. The train is operated in cooperation with the Kansas Agricultural College, the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, the Kansas State Grain Inspection Department, the Southwestern Wheat Improvement Association, the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Kansas Public Service Commission. The flyer lists speakers and their topics. Miss Vada Watson, the Kansas Wheat Queen, is one of the "special attractions" accompanying the train. A. W Large is in charge of the train for the railroad company.

Smith Center Band, Smith City, Kansas
Date: October, 1872
This is a studio portrait showing members of the first organized band in Smith Center, Kansas.

Smith Center Boys Band, Smith Center, Kansas
Date: 1872
This studio portrait shows members of the Smith Center Boys Band in Smith Center, Kansas. Albert T. Reid, who later became a well-known political cartoonist in Topeka, Kansas, is pictured. He is standing second from the left.

Smith Center Ladies Band, Smith Center, Kansas
Date: Between 1880 and 1900
This studio portrait shows members of the Smith Center Ladies' Band in Smith Center, Kansas. There is also a man and a young boy in the photograph. The instruments are primarily brass instruments. There is a bass drum in the lower right side of the photo.

Smith County Courthouse, Smith Center, Kansas
Date: Between 1887 and 1897
This photograph represents the first Smith County Courthouse in Smith Center, Kansas. The two-story brick building was constructed between 1887 and 1888. The facility served the community for nearly thirty years until a new building was completed in 1920.