The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-20
L Copy of the First Topeka
Directory Discovered.
Tt Was Published Away Back i'm
the Year 1858.
MANY NAMES FOUND THERE
Whose Owners Have Long
Gone to the Beyond.
Contains Interesting History of
Founding of the City.

Topeka, when Kansas avenue was
a wagon-road lined with shade trees
is portrayed by a copy of the city's
first directory, published in 1868 by
Millison and He'll, which is owned by
c. E. Brunt and is now in the posses
sion of j. NJ. Brunt, owner OF the
Brunt drug store, Fifth and Kansas
avenue. and secretary of the Topeka
Rotary club. Three of the TOUR cor
ners on Fifth and Kansas avenue were
occupied by saloons. The city counclI
met in a building occupied Jointly by
the calaboose-as the city jail was
then called-and the council chamber
The building was located on the nortn
side of Fifth street between Kansas
avenue and quincy street, just DdSA
of a saloon.
Council meetings were held at night
and it was nothing unusual for the
CITY fathers to be interrupted by the
city marshal dragging a prisoner
through the room to the lookup.
The Topeka brass band, which was
the pride of the village and the envy
of rival communities was led by A D.
Batty. George o. Wilmarth, Topeka's
late famous fire chief, played the IN
strument known as first bass.
The Young Mems Christian assoc1a-
ton was located at Sixth and Kansas
avenue with Peter McVicar, president
Despite the large number of saloons
in the city at the time the directory
was issued, it is evident that prohibit
ton had gained strong foothold-
The Kansas State Temperance society
was Incorporated in 1868 and the di-
rectory contains a list of a dozen or
more flourishing churches and re-
Hgious organizations.
Woman Suffrage Society.
The woman suffrage idea was not a
thing of the future at that time. The
Topeka Women's Suffrage association
~, n
the following officers: Miss Ellen Nor
ris president; Mrs. S. A. Howard and
Miss E. Henry, secretaries, and Mrs.
e. A. Sain, treasurer. The rights of
the weaker sex were voiced at meet
ings of the association held every al
ternate Friday evening.
Nor was the town on the banks of
the muddy Kaw without it's baseball
fans. Two baseball clubs, the Shaw
nee baseball club and the Capital
baseball club, were organized in 1867.
Topeka was organized as a second
class city under legislative act ap-
proved March %, 1868. Elections
were held for both city and county Of
ficers annually. Grin T. WEIGH oc-
cupied the mayors chair and George
o. Wilmarth was city clerk. The
town was divided into three wards
with one polling place in each ward.
An interesting historical sketch
telling of the city's early growth and
its organization, written by Joseph c.
Miller, Is contained IN the directory.
The sketch follows:
I'm December, 1854, just thirteen
years ago, some persons who were not
quite satisfied with the existing state
of things in Lawrence, started out on
a tour of observation and bent their
course as all emigration tends, toward
the setting sun. In their journey they
came to what is now known as the
town of Tecumseh and found a set
tfement commenced; they entered into
negotiations with the settlers, and Of
fered to unite their energies in efforts
developing the surrounding country,
but all offers were Spurned with con-
tempt, the main reason being that
our party were lovers of freedom and
the settlers of Tecumseh were rabid
pro-slavery men.
Selecting the Site.
'.After their rebuff, they continued
their journey westward and when five
miles were reached, they beheId
spread out before them a vast expanse
of beautiful undulating prairie, like
waves of the sea that rose and fell in
graceful curves. AS our party stood
upon one of the crested waves they
beheld the raging Kaw,' the timber
that skirted it's banks, and the many
tributaries of the swelling tide. all Of
which were belted with oak, walnut
and cottonwood timber.
They resolved to stick their stakes
and found a city. Thew imme-
diately proceeded to put their resolu-
ton into practice by organizing an as
ISOLATION under the name of the To-
peka association The company as
originally formed, consisted of the
following persons: Cyrus K HoIli-
day, Fry w. Giles, Milton c. Dickey.
ErsrE