The Fort Scott High School Swim Team, Feb. 4, 2021
Last week the Fort Scott High School Boys Swim Team competed at Coffeyville on Tuesday.
Oliver Witt took 1st in both the 500 Free and the 50 Free. He swam a state consideration time in the 50.
Bobby Kemmerer took 1st in both the 100 Free and the 100 Back, swimming a state consideration time in the 100 Free.
Sam Mix took 2nd in both the 50 Free and the 100 Breast.
The boys also were able to swim in the 400 Free Relay placing 1st as an exhibition team.
On Thursday, the Tiger Swimmers traveled to Hutchinson to compete in the Buhler High School meet.
Oliver took 1st in the 200 Free and 4th in the 100 Butterfly.
Sam took 3rd in the 50 Free and Bobby took 2nd in the 100 Free and 4th in the Breast.
Next week the boys will be preparing for their last regular-season competition, the League Meet in Osawatomie. This will be the last opportunity for earning State Qualifying times. The 5A-1A State Swim Meet will be on Saturday, February 21st in Shawnee Mission.
Shirley Hurd is a lifelong resident of Fort Scott and a researcher at Old Fort Genealogy Society (OFGS).
In 1995 she started to research the Mayhew Cemetery, she said in a press release. “This cemetery was set out in a deed in 1885, when the owner, Henry Mayhew sold all but a 100 x 100-foot section where his son-in-law was buried.”
The cemetery is predominantly an African-American burial site .
At the time she began her research, she and two others made a visit to Chet Ober (the property owner) of the site and asked if he could show them where the Mayhew Cemetery was.
“The location (Ober) took us to is where the Mayhew No. 2 cemetery is located,” she said. “Mr. Ober told us that he asked Bourbon County several times to fix up the cemetery. He stated that the county dozed the tombstone, sometime after 1961, into the river, and told him to use the ground as farmland.”
Others Have Sought Info About the Cemetery
Prior to Hurd, in 1973 OFGS Member Gerald Wood met with Ober.
“He stated that he tried diligently to get someone to help preserve the cemetery, but when they were unable to do so, they had it bulldozed since they needed the land,” she said.
In 2006 Hurd was asked for information about the Mayhew Cemetery by Sandra Dudley who was writing a story about the cemetery.
Hurd told Dudley all that she knew about the cemetery and Dudley attempted to view the site.
Dudley found a sign that stated “Do Not Enter – Hazardous Waste – Keep Out” and a Fort Scott City employee told her she was not allowed on the property, that it was private property, according to Hurd.
Dudley published a booklet in 2007 named “The Buried Roots of African-American Ancestry in Fort Scott, Kansas” which includes information on the Mayhew Cemetery.
Hurd Started Researching Again in 2019, After a Hiatus
Last year, she had another join in the research.
“In 2020, Ann Rawlins joined the research of the Mayhew Cemetery and we soon located Mayhew Cemetery No. 2 from aerial maps,” she said. “We believe that Mayhew No.1 could no longer hold any more burials in the 100 x 100-foot lot and burials were started north of the original site, and then to the east just south of the (Marmaton) river bank.”
The updated list of names is now about 175 buried in the two sites of the Mayhew Cemetery, she said.
“There is a Civil War Soldier buried in Mayhew, along with some that were freed as slaves and retained their slave owners’ names,” Hurd said. “There is an entire family that died in 1911 – 13 of whooping cough and other complications due to disease at that time. There are newborns, children, families, neighbors, and a couple (of people) that even lived to be 100 years old. There are so many stories of these families that need to be told.”
“Restoration of the cemetery is not possible,” Hurd said, “but there is a plan to have a memorial stone with all the names of the deceased on it placed in Fort Scott.”
A tombstone that had been located at Mayhew Cemetery. Submitted photos.
The memorial stone will be financed through personal and business donations.
“If you would like more information on the Mayhew Cemetery, please stop by OFGS Library or give me a call,” Hurd said.
OFGS’s phone number is 620-223-3300 or her email address is [email protected]. The office is located on National Avenue, in the basement of Memorial Hall.
Ann Rawlins is a librarian at Old Fort Genealogical Society and recently assisted Hurd on the project.
The site for Mayhew Cemetery No. 2 was unknown until Rawlins’ twin brother, Dr. Wayne R. Tucker, used lidar photography of the area. He found that there were two separate locations that were divided by a low channel.
“Once this was discovered…and we had located and recorded GPS coordinates of several surface items,” Rawlins said, “we have been authorized…to dig, but are still working on surface finds.”
“There are many buried in Mayhew who would never have been posted in the local newspapers or death records, so the total number of burials may never be known,” Rawlins said.
“Robert J. Hoard, Ph.D., State Archeologist of Kansas Historical Society is investigating the sites,” Rawlins said, “and has now classified them as historic and archeological cemeteries.”
Currently, a moratorium is in effect that Fort Scott city crews can only brush hog the area to maintain it, and no further damage to the site can be done.
The document is signed by former Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin and authorized by the Fort Scott City Commissioners, Rawlins said.
For an upcoming information event on the Mayhew Cemetery:
The City of Fort Scott announces another significant downtown rehabilitation has been completed. Fort Scott received back-to-back multi-million-dollar investments from Flint Hills Holdings which speaks to the character of our community and those who have represented us.
Elected officials, business owners, and community enthusiasts who supported the renovation are invited to tour the Union Lofts.
Tours will be on Friday, February 5th offered from 12pm to 2pm.
Allyson Turvey. Submitted photo. She was selected by the new city manager to become the Fort Scott Land Bank Manager.
At a Feb. 1 meeting, the newly formed Fort Scott Land Bank voted on the acquisition of 10 N. National Ave.
“This first acquisition marks a historic step for the Fort Scott Land Bank,” City Manager Jeremy Frazier said. ” It is important to note that this could not have been possible without the visionary leadership of the city commission and the hard work of many key employees such as Community Development Manager Allison Turvey and many others.”
Frazier’s first official day on the job as city manager was Feb. 1.
Jeremy Frazier. Submitted photo.
“The city would also like to express its appreciation to the principal owners of J&S Properties and Earth Always for allowing the Fort Scott Land Bank to acquire this property,” he said. ” When asked why the acquisition was allowed to proceed, the owner noted that first, he felt that this would be the best way to preserve the historic building on behalf of the community of Fort Scott, its residents, and the downtown business community. Second, he expressed that he had great faith and optimism in the current city commission and myself to make the best use of this acquisition in a way that would benefit and improve the community.”
The owner donated the property.
“His generosity has breathed life into the Fort Scott Land Bank which was once only a plan and now is reality,” Frazier said. Thank you J&S Properties and Earth Always. We have high hopes for this building and its location in the future.”
The Fort Scott Land Bank is an independent instrument of the city with the responsibility to efficiently buy, hold, manage, and transform surplus city properties and other underutilized or distressed properties to turn these properties into productive use, according to Allyson Turvey, the newly appointed manager.
The Land Bank Board is comprised of Joshua Jones, Mayor of Fort Scott; Kevin Allen, City Commissioner, Pete Allen, City Commissioner; Randy Nichols, City Commissioner; Lindsey Watts, City Commissioner; Jim Harris, Bourbon County Commissioner;
Gregg Motley, Bourbon County Economic Development Board, Inc. Director; Turvey, LandBank Manager, and Susan Bancroft, LandBank Treasurer
“At our next meeting (Feb. 9)I will be giving a presentation on the processes and objectives of the Land Bank,” Turvey said. “We will also be discussing priorities for acquisition of property.”
Turvey provided the following on the Fort Scott Land Bank:
The Fort Scott Land Bank focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.
Vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties are often grouped together as “problem properties” because they destabilize neighborhoods, create fire and safety hazards, drive down property values, and drain local tax dollars.
The Fort Scott Land Bank was created to strategically
acquire problem properties, eliminate the liabilities, and transfer the properties to new, responsible owners in a transparent manner that results in outcomes consistent with community-based plans.
These opportunities are a collection of parcels owned by the Fort Scott Land Bank.
Every transfer of property from the Fort Scott Land Bank will be accompanied by a development agreement, outlining the final use of the property as well as accompanying timelines. The purchase price
for Land Bank properties will be negotiated based on the cost to acquire the property as well as the details in the development agreement. The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees will approve the final agreement and purchase offer.
Students from Saint Martin’s Academy are from left to right, Jack Duffy from Nebraska, Kenny Ritson from New Jersey, Deneys Lategan from South Africa. Submitted photo.
Saint Martin’s Academy joins a growing list of community organizations and churches that are contributing to the success of Feeding Families in His Name.
Feeding Families in His Name started Ten years ago on May 11, 2011, at the First United Methodist Church serving a free weekly meal to the community in the Fellowship Hall to about forty people.
The meal currently serves an average of three hundred meals a week. Only to-go meals have been served since the first of March 2020 because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Each year the number of people who volunteer for the project has grown until now it encompasses more of the community.
The Bourbon County Network which includes United Methodist Churches of Fulton, Hammond, Uniontown, Redfield, Hiatville, West Liberty and St. John’s congregations have all supported Feeding Families.
Community Christian Church cooks and serves the Wednesday every other month; a small group of the Nazarene Church cooks and serves every third Wednesday; a group from First Presbyterian Church cooks and serves every fourth Wednesday; and Pioneer Kiwanis cooks and serves the fifth Wednesday of the month. Many volunteers bake desserts for the meal every week.
Feeding Families in His Name is supported by private donations from churches and individuals, commodities from USDA through the Kansas Department of Children and Families, and a grant from the Fort Scott Community Foundation.
Submitted by Jean Tucker, Coordinator of Feeding Families in His Name.
Chamber Announces Love Local & Chocolate Crawl Shopping Event
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Love Local & Chocolate Crawl shopping event will take place on Saturday, February 13th. Most stores in the Downtown Historic District and several additional locations will be participating in the fun.
Customers are invited to shop local retailers while sampling a variety of chocolate treats along the way, and many will also be offering drawings and promotions. Locations included in the event will have a Chocolate Crawl poster and red and white balloons displayed at their entrance.
The Chamber encourages the community to shop local, love local and join the Chocolate Crawl on February 13th to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A list of retailers will be posted on the Fort Scott Chamber website fortscott.com.
Contact the Chamber for more information at 620-223-3566.
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is in negotiation with the owners of the former Price Chopper building to acquire it, Krista Postai, CHC/SEK President and CEO, said in an email interview.
“However the details are not yet finalized,” she said. “Following the closure of the store in 2019, the health center identified the building as a potential site to house a future clinic based on the uncertainty surrounding the future of the existing hospital building at that time,” she said.
“The large size and convenient location would allow us to bring our medical clinic, walk-in care, and pharmacy into one location with enough space to allow additional expansions if needed,” Postai said.
The Price Chopper building is located at 2322 S. Main and has been empty since 2019.
The Price Chopper building Nov. 2017, prior to opening.
The CHC/SEK lease for the clinic space at the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills expired on December 31, 2020,Postai said.
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.
Postai said CHC/SEK needed to “move forward on determining a long-range plan for a permanent home for our clinic.”
“We did secure an additional two-year lease from Mercy Health System in December – who remains the owner on the building — on our existing clinic space, with the understanding from Mercy that there was no option to renew,” she said.
“Mercy also donated several acres of land behind the existing hospital to CHC/SEK and we were planning new construction when the opportunity to acquire the Price Chopper Building was once again raised,” Postai said.
“We had originally pursued the possibility of utilizing that space (the Price Chopper building) in collaboration with Ascension Via Christi when it first became available but were in the midst of transitioning both the clinic and the Emergency Room over from Mercy which was the priority for both organizations,” she said. “We did, however, remain in contact with the owners of the building who were anxious to see this space utilized once again.”
“With our plans to now move forward on acquiring the former grocery store, we have reconnected with Ascension Via Christi regarding the possibility of future collaboration and are in serious discussions with their senior leadership,” she said.
“We remain committed – as does Ascension Via Christi – to ensuring the residents of Bourbon County have access to primary and emergency care today and into the future,” Postai said.
Fort Scott Community College houses The Gordon Parks Museum.
Celebrating Black History Month
Mayhew The Forgotten Cemetery Virtual Lunch and Learn Event
The Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College will host “Mayhew The Forgotten Cemetery” a presentation and discussion by Shirley Hurd and Ann Rawlins on Friday, February 12 at 11:00 am virtual on Zoom.
Members of the community and the public are invited to attend the free Zoom online program. Registration is required.
To register for the free webinar Zoom event go to:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SO2BHwmiRme6rgfhTBffOA
Presentation Explores almost 70 years of a predominantly African-American abandoned cemetery’s history in Fort Scott, KS brought back to life with displays of artifacts, research notes, family history, maps, and aerial drone photos.
The abandoned Mayhew Cemetery was active from about 1868 -1937. The Mayhew is located in Fort Scott, KS. There are no tombstones to mark the graves of at least 176 early Fort Scott and Bourbon County citizens buried there.
A Mayhew Cemetery project fund has been established by both Shirley and Ann, in memory of the Mayhew Cemetery.
The donations will be used to build a memorial stone with all the names engraved and will be located for the public to view.
Donations can be accepted by Landmark National Bank, 2300 S. Main St. Fort Scott, KS, 66071 or online via the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce website.
For more information about the donation: Contact Ann Rawlins at the OFGS with any questions at 620-223-3300 or [email protected].
Shirley Hurd and Ann Rawlins are both members, librarians, and researchers for the Old Fort Genealogy Society in Fort Scott, KS
For more information about “Mayhew The Forgotten Cemetery” contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620-223-2700 ext 5850 or visit http:www.gordonparkscenter.org/
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The Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College,will host “Tribute Panel Exhibit” to celebrate Black History Month.
Gordon Parks Museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.
This consists of over 80 different posters, photos, and information of some of the great and important Black innovators and Leaders throughout history.
The exhibit also features some inspiring and moving quotes on display each day by different people.
The “Quote of the Day” provides a great opportunity to promote educational activities throughout the month to keep black history and diversity at the forefront along with encouraging opportunities to learn more.
For more information about “Black History Month Tribute Panel Exhibit”contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620-223-2700 ext 5850 or visit http:www.gordonparkscenter.org/
The city clerk added the approval of the bond sale, approval of an ordinance providing for the issuance of the General Obligation Refunding Bonds, and approval of the Resolution for the issuance of the General Obligation Bonds to the previously published agenda.
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR
MEETING OF
FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL
CITY COMMISSION MEETING ROOM
123 SOUTH MAIN STREET
FEBRUARY 2, 2021
6:00 P.M.
Call to Order
Roll Call:
K. Allen P. Allen R. Nichols L. Watts J. Jones
II. Flag Salute:
Invocation: Led by: Steven Cole, First United Methodist Church
Approval of Agenda:
Proclamations/Recognitions:
Consent Agenda:
Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of January 19th, 2021 and special meeting minutes of January 19th, 2021.
Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1281-A totaling $345,26816.
Certificate of Appropriateness – 6 N. Main – Paint color approval
Request to Pay – Suez Treatment Solutions, Inc. – Water Treatment Plant – $15,784.70
Public Comment:
(Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at Commission discretion)
Interim City Manager Reports and Comments
Director Reports: Doug Guns
Old Business: None
Appearances: None
New Business:
Approval of Notification of Bond Sale (General Obligation Refunding Bonds Series 2021-A)
Approval of bid
Approval of the Ordinance No. 3573 providing for the issuance of the G.O. Bonds
Approval of Resolution No. 4-2021 prescribing the form and details of and authorizing the directing the sale and delivery of G.O. Refunding Bonds
Consideration to solicit Aquatic Center Cleaning Bid
Consideration of Alley Construction Policy
Consideration of Assessment Waiver Policy
Consideration of Assessment Policy for County Tax Sale
Consideration of Kansas Municipal Utilities Training Program for 2021
Consideration to accept C.FA.P. Grant for $1,317.00.
Discussion of Charter Ordinance for replacing vacant Commissioner position
XII. Reports and Comments:
B. Commissioners Reports and Comments:
C. City Attorney Reports and Comments:
XIII. Executive Session – If requested, (please follow script in all motions for Executive Sessions)
