Please join the historical society Dear reader, Imagine Ellsworth without the Hodgden House or the livery stable, or Kanopolis without the fort, or Holyrood without their depot. Notice Wilson’s efforts to rescue the walls of their Opera House. Those landmarks are important to each community.

Here’s a daunting fact: No one alive in Ellsworth County, not even our wonderful 100-year-old citizens, has ever not been able to see the Fort Harker Guard House (150+ years old) or the Hodgden House (145 years old). These are precious parts of our history, and the very reason Wilson is preserving what they can of that piece of their early years.

We all need your support. Preserving our very interesting history is most important. In 1962, a group of individuals who wished to be caretakers of the county’s history began the Ellsworth County Historical Society. Many of the founders are no longer with us, but, in recent years, very few have stepped into their shoes. We need your support.

There’s an excellent legacy to be seen at each of the county’s museums, but none of those organizations can function without caretakers, members, volunteers, donors, or interested individuals. We all need your support.

What can you do? Join us. Become a member of the county’s historical society or your community preservation group. Your membership dues help keep the lights on, the buildings maintained, the staff paid. Your donations do the same.

We’re often told, “I’m too busy.” We’d love for you to volunteer, but a donation or membership can help as well. You might be thinking, “Someone else will.” That’s not been the case lately. Bring your family and friends for a tour. Admission fees pay the bills too, and you’ll see and learn about interesting things.

Why does history need to be preserved? Items, pictures or written records of what used to be tell us about ourselves. For example, at one time there were 72 one-room schoolhouses in our county, Ellsworth had an opera house, Kanopolis had two hotels and was platted to be Kansas’s capitol city and so much more that one can learn or see.

We need your support. The Ellsworth County Historical Society has a membership drive each year at this time. Call us at (785) 472-3059. We’ll explain how to become a member. Come to the Senior Center on Feb. 26 for our fundraising soup luncheon and annual meeting. Join there.

To keep our history alive, we need your support.

We hope you’ll join us and provide your support.

The Ellsworth County Historical Society Board of Directors Cynthia Edgerle, President