ATCHISON POSTOFFICE—COURT HOUSE—COUNTY HOSPITAL—YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION—STATE ORPHANS’ HOME—ATCHISON PUBLIC LIBRARY—ATCHISON HOSPITAL—MASONIC TEMPLE.

The first postoffice in Atchison opened in a small, one-story, stone building, on the south side of Commercial street, between Second and Third. The room was about 20×26 feet in dimensions, but large enough for the purpose for which it was intended at that time. The location of the postoffice was removed in 1856 to the store of Messrs. Woolfolk & Cabell, on the levee. During the war in Kansas, in August, the headquarters of the United States mail service were removed to the law office of P. P. Wilcox. From there the office was removed to a building on the north side of Commercial street, between Third and Fourth, and it was there that in July, 1882, the free delivery system was inaugurated in Atchison, which, with her money order department fully equipped the postoffice. A number of years later agitation was started for the erection of a new postoffice, and through the efforts of Senator Ingalls a site at the northeast corner of Seventh and Kansas avenue was purchased from Dr. Cochrane by the Government, and the contract was awarded for the erection of the postoffice June 24, 1892, at a cost of $61,703.17.

The names and terms of the postmasters of Atchison since the founding of the office are as follows: Robert S. Kelly, March 15, 1855; John H. Blasingham, December 20, 1855; Henry Addoms, July 28, 1857; John A. Martin, April 26, 1861; Benjamin B. Gale, March 5, 1874; John M. Price, February 6, 1879; Melleville C. Winegar, March 10, 1882; H. Clay Park, March 30, 1886; Solomon R. Washer, March 20, 1890; Edgar C. Post, June 7, 1894; James M. Chisham, June 3, 1898; William D. Casey, December 14, 1910; Louis C. Orr, December 29, 1914, who is postmaster in 1916.
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COURT HOUSE.

The present court house of this county occupies lots 1, 2 and 3, in block 65, Old Atchison, and the contract for the building was entered into on the twenty-first day of May, 1896, and accepted by the board of county commissioners September 13, 1897. The total cost of building and fixtures was $83,154.48.
COUNTY HOSPITAL.

The present county hospital for the poor is located on the southeast quarter of section 14, township 6, range 20. The farm was purchased from R. A. Park October 7, 1903, for $9,540, and the hospital was erected January 3, 1905, at a cost of $27,501. The average cost of operating the hospital and farm of 160 acres is approximately $2,109.16 per year, and the average number of inmates is thirty. The present superintendent is J. S. Clingan.
THE YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

On December 2, 1911, there met in the office of C. S. Hull a small group of men interested in securing a modern Young Men’s Christian Association building for the city of Atchison. Although this is the first formal meeting of which there are any minutes recorded it is known that the idea of an organization and building had long existed in the mind of William Carlisle, and that encouragement was given him by many others. At the meeting held on December 2 the Atchison Y. M. C. A. Promotion Club was formally launched with Claude B. Fisk as president.

At the next meeting, held January 1, 1912, an executive committee, composed of R. W. Ramsay, W. B. Collett, Fred Oliver, and C. S. Hull was elected and the secretary was authorized to invite John E. Manley, State secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association, to be present at the next meeting of the club.

On March 6, 1912, the club met at the Byram Hotel for luncheon. Mr. Manley was present at this meeting and outlined a plan for a campaign to raise the necessary funds to erect a modern building. The luncheon meeting adjourned to meet at the office of H. H. Hackney at 4 p. m., at which time a business committee of twenty-five men was appointed. The following composed this committee: H. B. Mize, Fred Oliver, Eugene Howe, W. B. Collett, C. S. Hull, George Guerrier, R. W. Ramsay, Sheffield Ingalls, D. M. 320Cain, F. W. Woodford, A. F. Heck, August Manglesdorf, Jr., T. A. Moxcey, Eugene Pulliam, E. W. Clausen, Clive Hastings, H. H. Hackney, N. T. Veatch, W. P. Waggener, W. J. Bailey, Charles Linley, Roy Seaton, Claude Fisk, J. A. Shoemaker, Holmes Dysinger. This committee was later increased to twenty-seven, and the names of W. A. Carlisle and W. A. Jackson were added.

The first regular meeting of the provisional committee, as it was now called, was held at the Blish, Mize & Silliman offices March 13 and a permanent organization effected. State Secretary Manley was present. R. W. Ramsay, the present incumbent, was made president at this meeting; Charles Linley, vice-president; C. S. Hull, recording secretary, and George Guerrier, treasurer. T. C. Treat at this time tendered the use of a room in the Simpson building for an office for the organization, which was gratefully accepted.

At a meeting of the executive committee, held March 18, 1912. L. V. Starkey was employed as general secretary and took active charge of the building campaign April 15.

At the meeting held April 22 it was decided to raise $100,000 by public subscription, and the following team captains were elected: S. R. Beebe, O. A. Simmons, H. B. Mize, John R. Taylor, F. M. Woodford, L. M. Baker, Charles A. Brown, W. D. Casey, W. W. Hetherington, and W. A. Jackson.

The charter for the organization bears the date of April 6 and was duly acted upon and signed by the committee of twenty-seven at a meeting held April 22.

In a ten days’ campaign conducted May 15–25, 1912, an amount approximating $85,000 was raised by popular subscription. The headquarters of the campaign were in a room furnished by J. C. Killarney at 105–107 North Fifth street.

The latter part of June, 1912. the site at the northeast corner of Fourth and Commercial streets was contracted for and work begun at once on the building. On December 4, 1913, the splendid building which now occupies that corner was formally opened for the regular work of the association. The membership soon reached 450, and has been maintained at about that point ever since.

The entire cost of building, including site and furnishings, amounted to $113,000.

The Y. M. C. A. building contains thirty-four living rooms with a capacity for fifty men. These rooms are now kept filled practically all the time. A restaurant is operated on the ground floor and there are excellent 321facilities for handling banquets and committee meetings. The building is always at the disposal of church societies and other organizations for gatherings of any kind.

There is a gymnasium, 44×72 feet, thoroughly equipped with all necessary apparatus and a white tile-lined swimming pool, 20×50 feet. With a separate entrance on Fourth street, there is a special game room for boys ten to fifteen years of age.

The present board of directors is composed of R. W. Ramsay as president; B. L. Brockett, vice-president; H. H. Hackney, recording secretary; Charles Lanley, treasurer; Messrs. W. B. Collett, M. T. Dingess, Claud B. Fisk, J. A. Fletcher, C. C. Ham, W. W. Hetherington, Martin Jensen, J. F. Krueger, H. P. Shepherd, and F. M. Woodford.

The present general secretary, Ira J. Beard, came to the association in April, 1914. Emmett T. Ireland is the present physical director, and George Kassabaum is the assistant secretary.

On the fourth of December, 1914, an anniversary banquet was held in the gymnasium, celebrating the first year of the association in its new building, and the reports of the work accomplished at that time dispelled any feeling there may have been on the part of some that such an institution could not be successfully maintained in Atchison. This banquet was attended by 200 enthusiastic friends and members of the association, and Governor Arthur Capper was a guest of honor.

Membership in the Young Men’s Christian Association is open to any boy or man of good character who is over ten years of age. Membership in the Atchison association is accepted and honored in all other Young Men’s Christian associations throughout the country. The dominant purpose of the association is the building up of Christian character.
STATE ORPHANS’ HOME.

The legislature of the State of Kansas at the session of 1885 enacted the first law for the establishing of a Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home at Atchison, Kan. For the purpose of erecting the first building the legislature appropriated the sum of $24,300 on condition that the land should be donated to the State.

The act of the legislature provided that said Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home “shall be an institution for the nurture, education and maintenance, without charge, for all indigent children of soldiers who served in the army and navy of the union during the late rebellion, and who have been disabled from 322wounds or disease, or who have since died in indigent circumstances, and other indigent orphan children of the State.” The institution was located at Atchison, Kan., on the present site which was purchased from the late J. P. Brown and donated to the State. In pursuance of the act of the legislature a portion of what is now the main building was erected and by a subsequent appropriation was finished, and the first children were admitted on July 1, 1887.

The original building was a four-story brick building with a basement. The fourth story was made into a dormitory, with five rooms for employes. The third story consisted of a smaller dormitory, lavatories, rooms for employes and sleeping room for the superintendent. The second story had school rooms, superintendent’s office, parlor, lavatories and rooms for employes. The first floor rooms were dining room, kitchen, store room, school rooms. The basement was used for boilers, store rooms, laundry and boys’ lavatory.

The laws regulating the home were amended and enlarged by the legislature at its session of 1889, so that all children sound in mind and body and over two years of age and under fourteen years, belonging to any one of the following named classes shall be eligible for admission to the home: “First, any child dependent upon the public for support; any dependent, neglected and ill-treated child who is an object of public concern, and whom the State may have power to exercise and extend its protection and control.”

This act of the legislature so increased the number of eligible for admission to the home that it soon became necessary to enlarge the building. In 1891 the legislature again appropriated the sum of $7,000 for the erection of the west wing, to be the same width and height as the main building, and to increase the length by thirty feet and this gave play room, sitting room, school room and sleeping room for the kindergarten children, also a room in which the John A. Martin Memorial Library was placed, and a reading room in the upper story for the larger boys.

Connected with this appropriation was $1,000 for a hospi............