Medium: PhysicalObject
Neon sign
Date: between 1955 and 2000
Neon sign reading “TOPLESS DANCERS”. Made by Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka first came to Topeka in 1954 or…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Apron
Date: between 1918 and 1919
White linen apron. Mid-length skirt. Short bib without neck strap. Worn by Marie Inez Walker (1899-1974) while working at Topeka’s Cremerie Restaurant from 1918 to 1919. The Cremerie (occasionally advertised…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Neon sign
Date: between 1970 and 1985
Neon sign reading “SHINE ON”. Made by Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka first came to Topeka in 1954 or…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Neon sign
Date: between 1955 and 2000
Neon sign reading “BAR-B-Q”. Made by Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka first came to Topeka in 1954 or 1955,…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Trunk
Date: between 1847 and 1873
Leather trunk with brass hardware. Believed to have belonged to Seth M. Hays (1811-1873). Hays was the first white settler of what would become Council Grove, arriving in 1847 to…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Neon sign
Date: between 1955 and 2000
Neon sign reading “EAT”. Made by Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka first came to Topeka in 1954 or 1955,…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Neon sign
Date: 1982
Neon window sign advertising Miller High Life beer. Belonged to Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka first came to Topeka…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Neon sign
Date: between 1955 and 2000
Neon window sign advertising Coors Beer. Belonged to Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka first came to Topeka in 1954…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Standee
Date: 2016
Standee advertising the 2016 movie “Nuts!”, a documentary feature film by Penny Lane that uses a combination of historical footage, interviews, and hand-drawn animated re-enactments to tell the story of…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Anti-New Deal handbill
Date: 1936
Anti-New Deal political handbill.John C. Hughes, a writer, humorist, and atheist activist, created this handbill. Upon his retirement, he moved to Squirrel Island, Maine, and wrote anti-religion books and pamphlets.…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Glass blower
Date: between 1955 and 2000
Crossfire burner for bending glass tubes in the production of neon signs. Two banks of five burners, each bank mounted to an arced manifold and pointed inward. The burner is…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Parker Amuseument postcard
Date: 1948
Christmas-themed postcard advertising the C.W. Parker Amusement Company. Charles Wallace Parker was living in Abilene, Kansas, when he bought his first used carousel in 1892 and began doing his own…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Glass blower
Date: between 1955 and 2000
Ribbon burner for bending glass tubes in the production of neon signs. Belonged to Emil Kutka of Topeka, former owner of the Neon Advertising Company. City directories indicate that Kutka…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Hatbox
Date: between 1940 and 1960
White hexagonal cardboard hatbox for a Marche hat sold Crosby Brothers Company department store of Topeka. Belonged to Dorothy L. Rude of Topeka. Crosby Brothers opened in Topeka in 1880…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Pillow cover
Date: between 1943 and 1995
WWII-era souvenir U.S. Army Air Force pillow cover from Liberal, Kansas. The Liberal Army Air Field trained B-24 Liberator heavy bomber pilots during WWII. The Field was closed in October…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Colmery desk
Date: between 1943 and 1944
Wooden desk with green leather top. Harry W. Colmery (1890-1979) sat at this desk at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. while hand-writing the first draft of what would become…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Woman’s hat
Date: between 1940 and 1960
Woman’s pink straw hat. Belonged to Dorothy L. Rude of Topeka, who bought it from the Crosby Brothers Company department store. Crosby Brothers opened in Topeka in 1880 and operated…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco Tin from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1907-1965
“Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” has been the start of many a joke since 1907 when the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company patented their Prince Albert Crimp…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Newspaper fragment from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1947
This fragment of a Kansas City newspaper was recovered from between the flooring at the Last Chance Store in Council Grove during the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program. It lists…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Buttons from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1857-1971
These six buttons are among the many that were recovered from the excavations at the Last Chance Store in Council Grove during the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program. The two…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Button Blank from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1857-1945
This small wooden button blank would have been used to create shell buttons, most likely for use on infant’s clothing. It was recovered during the excavations at the 2016 Kansas…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Trade Beads from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1857-1971
Shown are just a few of the dozens of trade beads that were recovered from the Last Chance Store in Council Grove during the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program. These…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Child’s Shoe Sole from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1857-1971
The sole to a small child’s shoe was one of many artifacts recovered during the excavations at the Last Chance Store in Council Grove during the 2016 Kansas Archeological Training…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Porcelain Doll Parts from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1857-1971
Two doll parts, among several, were recovered from the excavations at the Last Chance Store in Council Grove during the 2016 Kansas Archeological Training Program. Both pieces are made of…
Medium: PhysicalObject
Keys from the Last Chance Store, 14MO367
Date: 1857-1971
These keys are just two of the many that were recovered from excavations at the Last Chance Store in Council Grove during the 2016 Kansas Archeology Training Program. The larger…