Notes from the President
Correction!
Notes updating you on current projects, future
plans, and exciting possibilities, from
Jeff Walker, President
PO Box 109, Fredonia, KS 66736
620-212-8309
oldironclub@gmail.com
Mark Your 2019
Calendars:
January 27 – KS Heritage Series – 2 pm
February 24 – KS Heritage Series – 2 pm
March 24 – KS Heritage Series – 2 pm
April 28 – Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
August 4 – Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
Sept. 15 – Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
Sept. 26-29 – Old Iron Days
October 20– Full Club Meeting – 6:30pm
December 7– Full Club Meeting– 6:00pm
Christmas Party, Auction, and
election of Officers and Board Members
www.oldironclub.org
April, 2019
Oops! In the previous edition’s article
about the 2018 Street Light Project, this editor
failed to acknowledge one of the donors for the
project. In addition to support from the previously
mentioned Fredonia Community Foundation Grant,
the street lights were made possible with a generous
donation from the 1st National Bank in Fredonia. Thank you, thank you! Every
person who has attended an evening event at the Town Hall (and there have
been many), has benefited from this addition to our facilities. We appreciate all
of the support we receive from this generous community.
Join us April 28 - Club Meeting
The first club meeting of 2019 will be held Sunday, April 28, at
6:30pm at the Town Hall. Potluck. Join us to find out what has been
happening since we’ve all been together.
The board has been working on updating the Operational Plan, and
are considering adding an additional goal: “Implement Practices to Develop
and Sustain the Long-term Viability of the Old Iron Club”. In other words,
how do we ensure that the club continues to thrive? The board is asking for
your input on how to achieve these specific objectives:
1. Recruit and Retain Members
2. Document Exhibitor Knowledge for Future Exhibitors
3. Maintain Antique Equipment for Authentic Exhibit
Demonstrations
4. Recruit and Develop the Next Generation of Exhibitors
5. Recruit and Develop the Next Generation of Club Leaders
Bring your thoughts and ideas and let’s work
together to make our great club even better!
* The board has also updated the Club Bylaws and they will be available
for you to look at if you wish.
Did You Know???
Do you enjoy learning about the past by reading old newspapers? Are
you looking for another research tool? One of the services the Kansas
Historical Society provides is free access to the website,
Newspapers.com. Follow this link to learn more about this service:
https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-digital-newspaper-program/16126
This link provides free access to all KSHS content on Newspapers.com
for Kansas residents and requires Kansas driver's license/state ID
verification.
The newspaper ads you will see scattered throughout this newsletter
come from the April 4, 1919 edition of the Wilson County Citizen, and
show a slice of life from 100 years ago this month.
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Notes from the President April, 2019

Rest Post Office Case Gets a Makeover

Do you know where Rest is/was? Or do you just need a rest?

At one time, Wilson County was home to many small but

thriving communities that had perhaps a general store, grocery
store, mill, and/or post office, often occupying the same few
structures. Rest was one of those communities. Located in
Pleasant Valley Township, it maintained a Post Office from July
18, 1877 until May 31, 1955. Over time, structures and their
contents get scattered, parts are demolished, or they generally
no longer exist. The Rest post office mail case was donated to
the Wilson County Old Iron Club several years ago by David
Marple and was recently refurbished by Don Edens and Byron
Githens. We would love to be able to tell more of the history
of Rest, the post office, or anything that will help to tell the
story of the time when this jewel of a postal case was in daily
use. It’s not hard to imagine the excitement that was
experienced when a patron saw a long -waited letter in their
mail slot, or the disappointment when the box was empty
again.

The permanent home for this postal case has not been found
yet, but it will be on display at Old Iron Days and we hope to
have more of the story to tell then.

www.oldironclub.org 2
Notes from the President April, 2019

Board & Officer Elections Held at December Meeting

Board of Director members serve 2-year terms, with no term limits. At the end of 2018, the terms of Connie Vail and Tom Vorhees
expired. As Justin Gorton was filling out an unexpired term, he also needed to be placed on the ballot per bylaws. There were also
several other club members who willingly agreed to have their names placed on the ballot. Connie, Tom and Justin were elected to
serve on the board. Thank you to all who agreed to be nominated.

The Board of Directors are: The club officers are:

Connie Vail Jeff Walker, Club President
Tom Vorhees Rod Vorhees, Club Vice-President
Rod Meckley Leanne Githens, Club Secretary
Annette Cranmer Joni Vorhees, Club Treasurer, Board Secretary
Justin Gorton
and the 4 club officers

Use AmazonSmile to
Support the Old Iron
Getting to Know . . .
Club
Club Member
Ron Burns
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic
way for you to support the Wilson County Old Iron We all know Ron Burns as our long-time broom maker, but did you know he also
Club every time you shop at no cost to you. When knows turkeys?? Yes, he does!
you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the
exact same low prices, vast selection and Ron Burns worked for the Bluebonnet Hatchery in Fredonia from 1959 to 1968.
convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com,
with the added bonus that Amazon will donate Floyd Raymond was the owner of the hatchery. The eleven Robbins incubators
.5% of the purchase price to your favorite hatched 50,000 to 60,000 eggs twice a week on Monday and Thursday for a
charitable organization. Every little bit counts.
yearly total of 450,000 to 500,000 turkey poults. Ron Burns delivered most of
How do I select Wilson County Old Iron Club the bronze and white turkey poults to farmers in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas,
when shopping on AmazonSmile? Oklahoma and Texas. He delivered them in a school bus converted to hold
On your first visit to AmazonSmile,
smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable
40,000 to 45,000 turkey poults after they hatched.
organization to receive donations from eligible
purchases before you begin shopping. Type in Farmers across those five states raised the poults up to the age where the toms
“Wilson County Old Iron Club” then hit the (males) and cull hens (females) could be delivered to Fayetteville Arkansas or Elk
“select” button. It’s that simple! Amazon
remembers your selection, and then every eligible
City Oklahoma for slaughter. Farmers saved the hens for eggs and sold the eggs
purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will back to Bluebonnet hatchery. Interestingly, they had to guarantee a certain
result in a donation. percent of fertility of the eggs. Fifty-percent fertility was the aim.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile, go to
In the early 1960’s, in the summer, after the hatching season ended, Ron would
Smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your raise up to 2000 hens at the Turkey Farm. In buildings 500 feet long, which
computer or mobile device. were 80 feet wide, the barns stayed bright with artificial light to encourage the
Which products on AmazonSmile are elibigle for turkey hens to lay their eggs as close to a year-round cycle as possible. The hens
charitable donations? could be housed outside too, with portable shade structures to shield them
You will see eligible products marked from sun and rain.
“Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their
product detail pages.
Thank you Ron Burns for a fascinating look into a part of Wilson County history
Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on that many remember. Those of us who weren’t a part of that time or who
AmazonSmile? moved here from other parts of the country find descriptive stories, like yours of
Yes, you use the same account on
Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping past events, people and places, educational and interesting!
cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other
account settings are also the same. - Story submitted by Pam Walker

www.oldironclub.org 3
Notes from the President
In addition to shopping locally
whenever possible, many of us
shop online frequently and use
amazon.com.
Please consider using
AmazonSmile as an automatic
way to contribute to the Wilson
County Old Iron Club.
www.oldironclub.org
April, 2019
2019 Kansas
Heritage Series
This year’s series included
programs on a variety of topics.
Jan. 27 – “World War I Veterans of Wilson County”, presented by Jeff Fehr of
Neodesha.
Jeff talked about the veteran’s project that the Neodesha high school
students have been working on. Lots of great learning is happening in the process of
honoring our county’s veterans!
Feb. 24 – “Foam on the Range”, presented by Isaias McCaffery of Independence.
Dr. McCaffery shared the conflicting societal forces at play during the
Prohibition era. Many German, Czech, Irish, Italian, Mexican, Croatian, Greek, and
Jewish immigrants frequently violated prohibition laws in an effort to preserve an
important expression of their cultural identity.
Mar. 24 – “The Cherokee Trail in Kansas”, presented by Brian D. Stucky of Goessel.
Brian presented interesting information about the Cherokee Trail that
entered Kansas in Montgomery County near “Little House on the Prairie”.
If you missed these programs, you missed something good! Special thanks to Pam
Walker for her work in organizing this series.
Each year we aim to present topics of local, regional, and/or statewide interest.
Often this includes historical information and how it relates to our present lives. The
board is looking for ideas for next year’s Kansas Heritage Series. Please let a board
member know the topics you are interested in learning more about.
Former member Clarence Tharp had a collection of old
toys that will be a delight for young people and those
“young at heart” to see! Sons Dale and Kenny Tharp
donated a structure that (with a few modifications) will
be perfect for displaying this collection. We hope that by
our 2019 show, “Clarence’s Toy Shed” will be finished.
Maintenance needs – what are you aware of that needs
to be taken care of now or before the show? Let a
board member know so that we can put our
“best foot forward”!
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