Medium: PhysicalObject

Tea Leaf or Single Lily quilt

Date: 1872

Pieced cotton quilt in Tea Leaf or Single Lily design. Pieced blocks feature printed diamonds in a floral design with appliquéd stem and leaves, all on a white ground. Pieced…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Crazy quilt

Date: between 1880 and 1910

Crazy Quilt featuring many irregularly shaped pieces of silk stitched to a foundation fabric. Pieces are outlined in a variety of embroidery stitches worked in cotton thread. Backing is blue/tan…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Wild Goose Chase quilt

Date: 1865

Pieced cotton quilt in Wild Goose Chase pattern. Design incorporates nine very large pieced blocks of orange fabric alternating with whole blocks of plain white cotton. Appliqued vine border on…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Crazy quilt

Date: between 1880 and 1935

Crazy Quilt made up of irregularly shaped multi-colored silks, satins and many printed silk ribbons from meetings of the Kansas Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Kansas Council of Women, State…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Carry Nation’s cane

Date: between 1890 and 1899

Carry A. Nation, a nationally recognized temperance advocate, used this unfinished wooden cane. Nation, a resident of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, achieved infamy for attacking saloons with a hatchet to discourage…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Ax

Date: between 1900 and 1904

Iron and oak felling ax marked along one side: “This axe used by Blanche Boise in smashing the glass cover to picture of Custer’s Last Fight.” Topeka resident Blanch Boise…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Arthur Capper’s pen

Date: 1917

Green dip pen with cork grip, manufactured by the American Pencil Company. Kansas Governor Arthur Capper used this ceremonial pen to sign the “Bone Dry Law” on February 23, 1917,…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Cup

Date: between 1861 and 1865

Tin cup used by Hiram Underwood during the Civil War. Underwood served in the 36th Iowa Infantry and was taken prisoner during the Battle of Marks’ Mills (Arkansas) on April…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Canteen

Date: between 1861 and 1864

Wooden drum canteen, taken by Union Captain John C. Collins from a Confederate soldier during the Battle at Laurel Creek, West Virginia, on February 15th, 1864. Collins commanded the 14th…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Prohibition button

Date: between 1940 and 1949

Small blue and white enameled pin promoting Prohibition. Designed by the Van Deusen Advertising Company of Kansas City, Missouri, and made by Geraghty & Company of Chicago, Illinois. The button…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Bible

Date: 1892

Markings on the title page indicate this large family bible was given to the Third Presbyterian Church of Topeka by Catherine Brosamer Briar in memory of her mother, Mary M.…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Bungstart

Date: between 1880 and 1930

Oak bungstart with bowed handle and detachable head. This bungstart served as a mallet to remove corks (bungs) from a beer keg.

Medium: PhysicalObject

Prohibition prize medal

Date: 1887

In the late 1880s, William Jennings Demorest often awarded these silver medals to schoolchildren for producing essays about Prohibition. After achieving financial success in New York through publishing and the…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Carry Nation souvenir pin

Date: between 1901 and 1911

This gold-plated and mother-of-pearl souvenir hatchet pin belonged to Carry A Nation. A resident of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, Nation achieved infamy for attacking saloons with a hatchet to discourage drinking.…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Wall mirror

Date: between 1889 and 1900

This unusually thick mirror is derived from a larger glass pane that was smashed by Carry A. Nation, a nationally recognized temperance advocate. Nation, a resident of Medicine Lodge, Kansas,…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Carry Nation’s broadax

Date: 1901

This steel broad ax was given to Carry A. Nation, a devout Christian and nationally recognized temperance advocate. Nation, a resident of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, achieved infamy for attacking saloons…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Home Defender button

Date: 1898

Small white “Home Defender” button. Followers of Carry A. Nation, a devout Christian and nationally recognized temperance advocate wore these buttons. Nation, a resident of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, achieved infamy…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Mug

Date: 1907

Cylindrical porcelain mug with slightly flared base and open handle. Landscapes painted on sides. According to marks on mug, it was painted by May Cropper of Pittsburg, Kansas, for Frank…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Bowling pins brooch

Date: between 1930 and 1959

Costume jewelry brooch featuring a braid-wrapped ball with dangling bowling pins. Ball is formed of pale pink/green/yellow braid wrapped in concentric circles and stitched to front of clear plastic disk…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Triangular bayonet

Date: between 1855 and 1870

Steel bayonet for U.S. rifle-musket model 1855-1870. This steel bayonet was transferred to the Kansas Historical Society from the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) headquarters, located in Memorial Hall…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Sword bayonet

Date: between 1858 and 1864

This steel bayonet has a curved steel blade with blood grooves, tapering to broken tip. It was used with an English Pattern 1858 short rifle. The crossguard has rounded finials…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Sewing kit

Date: between 1861 and 1865

Civil War sewing kit, also known as a housewife. Rectangular case of soft, dark brown leather with pointed front flap. Folded case opens to reveal machine-quilted dark blue silk interior…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Triangular bayonet and scabbard

Date: between 1855 and 1865

Alfred Larzelere used this steel bayonet for a U.S. rifle-musket model 1855-1870 during the Civil War. The bayonet has a 25/32” bore socket and L pattern mortise. Larzelere’s military service…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Sewing kit

Date: between 1861 and 1865

Hand-sewn Civil War sewing kit, also known as a housewife. Rectangular folded case of black-coated fabric resembling leather. Triangular front flap with two string ties. Interior compartments include needle storage…