From the Heart

Saving a community's history before it's too late.

What's New on the KHC Blog

Make a date with KHC this weekend.

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Kansas help fund Kansas Humanities Council grants and programs. Please thank your legislators and members of Congress for their support. KHC also relies on donations from people like you. Please thank the Friends of the Humanities who support KHC.

Take a trip to explore South Hoisington in Barton County and you're going to have a hard time finding any traces of the town. No buildings exist in the former community, nor is there a historical marker to commemorate its existence. That's because today, South Hoisington exists only in memory. Now, with the support of a KHC Heritage grant, the Barton County Historical Museum is working to save South Hoisington's stories before it is too late.

South Hoisington, also known as South Town, was established in 1911 along the railroad on the south side of Hoisington when the Missouri-Pacific Railroad constructed division shops there. It was predominantly an African American community. Eventually, South Hoisington was abandoned. The museum's oral history project sets out to find former residents and document their memories about the community.

"These first-hand accounts, straight from the sources that lived in this vibrant community, create a rich story. It's a story filled with details, not only about the notorious, but also the everyday - family, church, community, hardships, hopes, and dreams," explained Beverly Komarek, executive director of the Barton County Historical Museum.

Results of the "South Hoisington: Stories from the Other Side of the Tracks" oral history project will be presented on February 24th. In the meantime, the museum continues to save the history of South Hoisington. One story at a time.

Banner photo: South Hoisington residents Fidel Torrez, Jesse Cushinberry, and Charles Gulliford, Jr., circa 1941. Photo courtesy of the Barton County Historical Museum.