These are photos I have of Lee Bailey's. I would really like to know what G.A.R. stood for.
The first one is of the Star School house students and their first prize float.
Dana Denton is pretty sure that her Mom is in the picture. Photo was in Sept 1926.
(http://www.sktc.net/~lisat/kafir.jpg)
I don't know anything about this picture aside from its in the parade
(http://www.sktc.net/~lisat/kafir2.jpg)
The Ford info at the bottom of the picture is all done out of seeds. Sept 1926
(http://www.sktc.net/~lisat/kafir3.jpg)
This one is the Baptist Church's Stand where cold drinks and lunches were furnished according to
the back of the photograph. Those are members and one of those standing
in front is Rev. Hiner(I think that's what it says anyway)
(http://www.sktc.net/~lisat/kafir4.jpg)
A booth at the festival also done with seeds
(http://www.sktc.net/~lisat/kafir5.jpg)
The G.A.R. float whatever that stood for.
Hopefully somebody out there can help me out with that.
(http://www.sktc.net/~lisat/kafir6.jpg)
The G.A.R. stood for the Grand Army of the Republic. It was a fraternal organization composed of Union Army soldiers from the Civil War era. I've noticed the G.A.R. emblem engraved into several of the old tombstones in Grace Lawn Cemetery. You can probably find the same type of thing in the other cemeteries of the county, too.
One meaning of GAR was Grand Army of the Republic--veterans of the Civil War.
There was a department of Kansas with 498 posts.
According to the Kansas State Historical Society there was a post number 110 in Moline.
But there is no information on when that post went out of business.
There were 498 GAR posts in Kansas.
The last GAR post in the nation appears to have disappeared around 1949.
Thanks to you both. I knew what G.A.R. meant. My great grand father was a member. He was an interesting character.
Lisa, Thank you for the photos. What fun!
Ole, Old Granny, were you in those parades.
Frank
We lived in South Dakota for a few years, and these Kafir Korn Festival photos remind me of Mitchell, South Dakota, the home of the Corn Palace. It is really very interesting and was developed to commemorate the importance of corn to that part of the country. Obviously Elk County had a lot of Kafir Corn to build a celebration around. I wonder when Moline quit having the festival.
Thanks, Lisa, for posting the pictures.
Moline may have been ahead of its time.
That picture of the G.A.R. float if taken in 1926:
The property along the street shows concrete curbs and concrete gutters to take the rain away.
The street seems to be paved?
If that was in 1926 that was well before the NRA, WPA, etc., when I thought a good many small town benefited from Roosevelt's public works projects and it was then that all of the street work improvements were done in many towns.
I love these old photos. As you say, the backgrounds are as interesting as the main subject.
Some added info on Elk County G.A.R.
Post number, name of post, town
Post #23, E.M. Stanton, Howard
Post #26, Rawlins, Elk Falls
Post #91, Mulligan, Longton
Post #110, E.O.C. Ord, Moline
Post #217, Roanoke, Oak Valley
Post #289 Appomattox, Grenola
From Cutler's History of the State of Kansas:
In Elk Falls, the Grand Army of the Republic became established in February, 1882, and H. Welty was elected Commander, F. A. Stoddard, Adjutant. The society contains fifty members, and hold meetings in Barber's Hall on the first Thursday of each month.
For several years my wife and I have helped put the small flags and the cedar branch with a poppy tied to it on all of the Veterans graves at Gracelawn cemetery and there are G.A.R markers on some of the old graves.
Frank
Quote from: frawin on May 19, 2008, 02:45:21 PM
Ole, Old Granny, were you in those parades.
Frank
Actually, I was! These photos were just a little before my time. Not much but some. :D :D :D I remember decorating my bike or maybe tricycle and riding in the parade with my brothers. It was the happening time!
As Old Ole Granny is remembering ??? ??? I would guess the Karnival did not happen much after 1950. Could be wrong. :-\ :-\
I heard tonight that 1949 was the cut off, but that was a guess. That must have been lots of fun for you children! I always get a big kick out of the children in the Crazy Days Parade.
1949 could be correct. Yes, it was really fun. Wondered why it stopped. Suppose it was a lot of work getting it going.
Does anyone know what the Confederate equivalent of G.A.R. might have been?
On another note,
I recall seeing old films of hundreds of former Confederate and Union soldiers walking/marching, many in uniform, (some were riding, though) together in the streets of Gettysburg, Pa, celebrating the battle of Gettysburg, which occurred over a three day period in 1863.
The regular army apparently set up large tents and facilities on the old battlefield to accommodate them.
This get together took place every so many years and ended around 1933, or so.
W. It was the U.C.V. United Confederate Veterans. Don't ask me why I remembered that. Maybe from a trip to Gettysburg battle field.
Thanks, learn something new everyday.
Looked it up and it went out in 1951.
There is a successor organization to both the G.A.R. and U.C.V. called Sons of Union Veterans and Sons of Confederate Veterans that are still in existence.
When looking at the old films of the old Confederate and Union veterans encamped at Gettysburg, smiling, waving at each other, etc., I have wondered "What do they really think about each other."
During the genealogical craze, I discovered my great great Grandfather Gray fought for the south. Gave me a weird feeling at first but then, hey, he is my grandfather.
Waldo, I knew your Grandfather pretty well and my guess he would have fought for the South as well.
Frank
He was a character.