Business Commons^™

Kendell, David J., Collection, 1933-1974, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The David J. Kendell Collection consists of photographs, letters, diplomas, contracts certifications, pamphlets, new clippings, and other items all pertaining to Kendall’s time as a student at the Kansas State Teacher’s College, and his subsequent teaching career.

David Kendall was born to David E. “Al” and Lottie Kendall in 1929 in Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1933, his father opened a small grocery store (Al’s Grocery) on 112 E Williams St, where Hughes Hall on the PSU campus is now located. Kendall attended the Horace Mann School and the College High School, both run by the college. He then attended the …

Pittsburg Industrial Revenue Bonds Collection, 1971-1994, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of legal and corporate paperwork, correspondence, and industrial revenue bonds granted by the city of Pittsburg, Kansas from 1971-1994.

Maxwell And Panknin Coal Company Collection, 1900-1919, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Maxwell & Panknin Coal Company Collection (also spelled Pankinin on some documents) consists of a ledger book, letter, receipts, meeting minutes, and a loose ledger pertaining to a business operation with the Clabourn & Baugh Drill Contractors.

Approximately 1916, Henry W. Panknin (1885-1944) and John Maxwell (1853-1924) and their brothers took over a mine on a 40-acre lot south of Scammon, Kansas. The mine, which was about 50 feet deep (dug by Grant Clabourn and Hale Baugh’s drills operated as the Maxwell and Panknin Coal Company until the late 1920s.

Kemper, Lucille Sturm, Collection, 1912-1994, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The is collection consists of photos, post cards, and newspaper clippings largely relating to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy) Railroad and the “Katy” depot and office in Parsons, Kansas.

In 1870 the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (M.K.T.) Railroad was incorporated in Junction City, Kansas. The railroad connected several military forts in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. In 1870, the town of Parsons, Kansas was founded for the purpose of being a hub where the lines to Junction City, Kansas and Sedalia, Missouri met. The original M.K.T. Station was built in 1871 and was torn down and replaced by a new building in 1895. On March …

Hashbarger, Elmer E., Photographs, 1890-1895, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Elmer E. Hashbarger photographs consist of several albumen print photographs of Hashbarger’s work as a cattle driver.

Elmer Ellsworth Hashbarger was born in Richland, Ohio in 1866 to Andrew and Mary Hashbarger. His family eventually moved to Kincaid, Kansas. Harshbarger worked as a cattle driver in the Oklahoma panhandle. In Beaver, Oklahoma, he married Ida Scott, a marriage that produced four children. In his later years he moved back to the township of Rich, east of Kincaid. Elmer died in 1935.

Cowgill Family Collection, 1861-1880, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of the personal writings of Mary Alma (Stevens) Cowgill, Paulena (Stevens) Janney, and Lillian (Cowgill) Blair.

Henry Clay Cowgill (1844-1914) was born in Ohio. He married Mary Alma (Stevens) Cowgill (1845-1907) in Ohio on September 19, 1865. They moved to Carthage, Missouri in November 1868. Henry owned milling, banking and mining operations in and around Carthage, including the Cowgill Milling Company. He and Mary Alma had three children: Lillian (Cowgill) Blair (1866-1931), Henry Stevens Cowgill (1877-1946), and Lloyd Cowgill (1881-1930). Mary Alma & her sister Paulena (Stevens) Janney (1840-1873) attended Earlham College in Indiana. Paulena married William …

Simoncic, Anthony, Collection, 1884-1941, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of photocopies of records of mining locations, accidents, maps of southwestern, Kansas, and the memoir “WW-1 Baby” by Anthony Simoncic.

Anthony John Simoncic was born in Weir, Kansas in 1907, and grew up in Ringo, Kansas during the 1920s. As an adult, he worked as a truck driver. Anthony married Rose Ann Oblak (1908 - 1991) and together they had a son in 1939. Simoncic passed away in his home in 1993, unable to complete his memoir. This collection was donated to PSU in 2000 by Linda Knoll.

Memorial Auditorium Collection, 1999-2004, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of Personal correspondence, newspaper photocopies, newsletters, brochures and other miscellaneous materials relating to the Memorial Auditorium & Convention Center of Pittsburg, Kansas.

Pittsburg’s Memorial Auditorium was built as the Mirza Temple (Masonic) for the Pittsburg Chapter. Construction of the building began in 1923 and finished in 1925. In 1945, the temple was purchased by the city of Pittsburg after voters approved the use of bonds in the purchase. The Memorial Auditorium was dedicated to the servicemen of WW1 and WW2, as well as the devoted women and Red Cross nurses who accompanied them. Various influential entertainers have …

Ruff, Walter Glen, Collection, 1883-1962, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of sheet music, guides, books, and other materials related to W. Glen Ruff and his music shop.

Walter Glen Ruff (1904-1989) was born in Kansas and graduated from Fort Hays State Teachers College. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1940. Following this, he taught instrumental and vocal music on both the high school and college level. Ruff served with the American Red Cross in India and Ceylon during World War II. Afterwards, he was head of the music department at Western Carolina Teachers College. In 1950, he moved back to Kansas at opened …

Coffeyville, Kansas Schools Collection, 1915, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Photographs of various grades in the Coffeyville, Kansas Schools from 1915 depicting students in classes and clubs.

Beginning in 1907, the National Education Association began a movement to combine industrial and commercial education with the present education systems to prepare students for jobs within their communities. By 1914, Kansas incorporated “Industrial Training” into the standardized Course of Study for Graded Schools Having Nine Month Terms. The classes were implemented at every grade level to “train constructive imagination” and “to prepare more directly for industrial efficiency.” Though schools in Coffeyville were not officially integrated in 1915, four African American students …

Bowen, Sarah R., Ledger, 1897-1908, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Sarah R. Bowen Ledger consists of a ledger book, three loose ledger sheets, three deposit receipts, five new clippings, three photograph negatives, and a letter.

Sarah R. (Baird) Bowen was born in 1843 in New York. She married Thomas C. Bowen (1841-1875) in 1867. They ran a shipping company together in Colfax, Illinois. Sarah died in 1919.

Mock, Eugene P., Collection, 1927-1928, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Eugene P. Mock was born on August 28, 1904 in Illinois. Early in life, he lived in Zanesville, Ohio before joining the new formed Air Corps. He later became a train conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad in Los Angeles, California. Late in life he was a mail carrier in Trona, California. Mock married Juanita Charlotte Wikoff in 1938 and had two children. Eugene Mock died while visiting Colorado on September 11, 1970.

The Eugene Mock letters consists of letters to Eugene Mock from his future wife Juanita Charlotte Wikoff (who signed them as “Lulu” or “Lu”), and includes some …

Skelton, Edward, Collection, 1875-1879, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Edward Skelton diary consists of daily entries from January 1^st, to November 14^th, 1875 with purchases and expenses registered from 1878-1879. Most diary entries mention daily farm work, hangouts, the weather and Sunday School. The entries are short and also describe daily activities of plowing, cutting timber, going to the market, and visiting the neighbors.

Edward Skelton was born in 1854 and lived in Labette County, Kansas with his parents. Edward worked as a farmer and was married to Artie Storey in 1880. Edward Skelton died in 1915.

Kennedy, Mary, Collection, 1935-1985, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of Correspondence, Newspaper clippings, Photographs, and other miscellaneous materials related to Mary (Goble) Kennedy.

Mary B. (Goble) Kennedy (1918-2008) was born and raised in Weir, Kansas to J. C. (Jonah Corban) and Evah Butler Goble. In 1935 she was crowned as Coal Queen II, during the Pittsburg Coal Festival. Mary was one of the first hostesses on the Kansas Southern Railroad. After attending school at Kansas State University and the University of Oklahoma, she began a career in teaching. In 1944 she married Jack A. Kennedy, who had served the Marine Corps in the Pacific during WWII. Mary …

Mcnally Pittsburg Collection, 1952-2013, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of records, guides and booklets, and photographs related to the McNally Company of Pittsburg, Kansas.

Thomas McNally Sr. and his wife, immigrants from Ireland and boilermakers in Wisconsin, accepted the Pittsburg Board of Trade’s offer to build a 40’ by 80’ wooden boiler shop for the McNally’s. Local coal mines needed his trade because they ran on steam engines and were growing in size and number. McNally expanded business to general repairs and machinery. Following his father’s death in 1906 Thomas McNally Jr. took over the business at the age of 23 and studied and worked under other …

Fort Scott Foundry Collection, 1894-1919, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of record and ledger books of payments and shipments from the Fort Scott Foundry and Machine Works of Fort Scott, Kansas.

The Fort Scott Foundry and Machine Works was established in 1869 by George A. Crawford, proprietor, and Frank J. Nutz, superintendent, in Fort Scott, Kansas. A. W. Walburn (1852-1930) built up the factory and foundry in the 1870s, later becoming proprietor with F. J. Nutz as superintendent. The foundry produced processing equipment that serviced many fields of production, including boilers, mining machinery, stoves, coal trucks, evaporation systems, sugar processors, saw mills, ore treatment, and farm equipment. The …

Mccune Fraternal Organizations Collection, 1886-1962, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes forms, notes, by laws, checks, and journals related to the McCune, Kansas Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen of America fraternal organizations.

The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was founded in Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1868 by John Jordan Upchurch as an organization to improve work environments and provide insurance for its members. By 1869, insurance became a main priority of the group as it was usually reserved for businessmen and manufacturers. By 1885, the AOUW was the largest fraternal group in the United States.

The Modern Woodmen of America (MWoA) was named after …

Andrade, Audrey B., Collection, 1862-2014, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of genealogical records, school records, work documents, music, photographs, and books related to Audrey Andrade and her friends and family.

Audrey Beatrice Edge Andrade was born in Stockton, Missouri on January 15, 1917 to George W. and Maud Ritter Edge. Andrade grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas, attended Lakeside Elementary School, and graduated from Pittsburg High School in 1934. She received her two-year education degree from Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) in 1936. She married John F. Andrade who served as a staff sergeant in the US Army during World War II. They had five children. …

Stilwell Heritage And Educational Foundation Collection, 1891-1997, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Hotel Stilwell Hotel collection contains documents regarding the original establishment of the hotel, the history of the building, blueprints, architectural plans, proposals, financial records, legal matters, press releases, newspaper clippings, magazines and other publications, board and agenda notes from meetings of the Hotel Stilwell Board, historical registry papers, loans, grants, correspondence, and information from similar corporations including Camptown and the Little Balkans Foundation.

St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company Collection, 1915-1920, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of correspondence, completion reports, authority for expenditures, and sketches related to the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company in Fort Scott, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri.

The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company, also known as SLSF, or the Frisco, was incorporated in Missouri on September 7, 1876. Its rail lines operated through the Midwest and the South-Central United States. Originally a division of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, it reincorporated after bankruptcy in 1896 and reorganized into the SLSF in 1916. The company ran passenger lines including the Texas Special. Although it has San Francisco in its name, the railway …

Chambers, Gene, Collection, 1952-2013, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Gene Chambers Collection includes personal and professional papers and documents, including work from his time as a professor at Pittsburg State University and consulting work he did on engineering matters.

Cuendet, Harry, Collection, 1923-1988, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of documents, papers, publications, and items related to Harry Cuendet, his work, and Pittsburg State University.

Harry B. Cuendet, born in 1944, grew up in Mt. Vernon, Missouri and received his business degree from the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1967. Living in Frontenac and Pittsburg, Kansas, Cuendet worked with insurance companies such as the Fidelity Union Insurance Company, the Principal Financial Group, as well as with the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, YMCA, and the Salvation Army. In 1986 Cuendet married Karen Clark. Cuendet passed away in 1988 during …

Meiszner, Woody, Collection, 1890-1948, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of approximately 190 black and white, tinted, and color postcards of places and buildings in Pittsburg, Kansas. Examples of the postcards include views of Broadway, Pittsburg State University, parks, and public buildings. The postcards donated were published by Souvenir Post Card Co., New York Souvenir Post Card Co., Acmegraph Co., and S. H. Kress and Co. A list of the postcards is included in the collection. Housed in the Kansas Collection, call number 741.683 P589.

Kabie Tour Collection, 1961-1962, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of a schedule, magazine, programs, brochures, and other items related to the annual KABIE Study Tour in 1961.

The Kansas-Agriculture-Business-Industry-Education (KABIE) Tour was an annual tour, conducted from 1950 to 1967, sponsored by the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the state universities and other Kansas businesses and associations. The two-week tour took teachers and students to forty communities in Kansas, travelling 2,100 miles. The theme or goal of this tour was to have Kansans see Kansas and all its attributes or a “free society in action” as Dr. M. C. Cunningham, past president of Fort …

Housing For All Collection, 1994-2002, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes professional correspondence, official business documents, financial papers, photographs, and other miscellaneous materials related to the Housing for All organization.

Housing for All, Inc. was formed in 1994 in Pittsburg, Kansas, a non-profit organization to serve as an emergency/transitional shelter for people in need. The organization operated until 2002, when it was merged with the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program (SEK-CAP).

Rash, Harry E., Collection, 1941-1958, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A scrapbook about the history of the banks of Thayer and Stark, Kansas, their fiftieth anniversaries, and Harry E. Rash’s career as a banker in the 1940s and 1950s. The scrapbook is comprised of newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, and cards.

Harry Edgar Rash was born on November 24, 1910 in Atlanta, Kansas. He began working as a bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Thayer, Kansas on June 1, 1927 and was elected to cashier in 1936. Two years later, following the death of Edgar Rash, his father, Harry was elected president of the First National Bank of Thayer. In …

Blunk, Robert And Katie, Collection, 1890-1930, 1951, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of magazines from the 1890s and 1900s.

Robert Blunk was born in Salyard, Kansas on December 14, 1923. He attended multiple colleges but received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Kansas City Institute of Arts in 1950 and a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the Kansas Teacher’s College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1952. Robert worked as an art professor at colleges for 40 years and taught at Pittsburg State University from 1962 until his retirement. While teaching, Robert painted and sculpted many works, taking inspiration from landscapes, seascapes, Egyptology and art, and …

Davis, Hiram S., Collection, 1946-1957, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of publications and works written by Hiram S. Davis and other authors covering wages, production, and unions in the 1940s and 1950s.

Hiram Simmons Davis, born on October 8, 1903 and brother of Edna Davis (see collection MS 180), grew up in Longton, Kansas. He was a graduate of the Kansas State Teachers College (1924), now Pittsburg State University. Hiram became a professor of economics and business at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, and from 1945 to 1953 was the director of the Industrial Research Department at the school. He later …

Pittsburg Pottery Company Collection, 1983-1994, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of legal papers, financial statements, and correspondence relating to the final decade of the Pittsburg Pottery Company.

The pottery business in Pittsburg began in 1888 when a smelting company provided a section for stonemasonry. In 1913, this section became independent and was named the Pittsburg Clay Works. Originally owned by A. K. and E. V. Lanyon, the company was bought by a group of people, including Henry Matarazzi, in 1925. Matarazzi gained complete ownership in 1944 and the name changed to the Pittsburg Pottery Company. Matarazzi passed the business on to his son in 1952 who sold it …

Murray And Burwell Family Collection, 1870-1951, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of correspondence, newspapers, photographs, and other writings related to the Murray-Burwell family in the early to mid-1900s.

David James Murray was born on October 19, 1873 in Pennsylvania and moved to Kansas when he was three years of age. In 1896 David married Mary Selvey (1878-1959) in Cherokee, Kansas. They would have five children. In 1902 their child Marguerite was born in Weir, Kansas. In Weir, David worked in the mines until 1930 when he transferred to the McNally plant in Pittsburg, Kansas. David passed away on December 12, 1943. Jack W. Burwell was born on July 25, …