125 Years

Thursday, May 5, 1898

D. D. Wickins has rented the Commercial hotel corner room. He will make a cigar, confectionery and news stand out of the front part, and the rear is partitioned off for a justice shop and insurance office. N.S. Smith will office with him. 

F. A. Zimmerman, the piano and organ dealer, is now in his new quarters, second door south of Hamman’s store, and invites the music loving public to call. He has a splendid stock of the world renowned Smith and Barnes pianos, and the well know reliable Lakeside organs, all of which are sold at remarkably low prices and on easy terms. Musical people are always welcome at the parlors and the general public is cordially invited to call and inspect the stock.

The barn of John Strahm, who lives northwest of Berwick, burned last Thursday evening about 5 o’clock. Two thousand bushels of oats, 500  bushels of wheat, 500 bushels of corn, two carriages, one of them brand new, a lot of a implements, harness, etc., were burned. The fire is supposed to have been started by a couple of small boys. Mr. Strahm will no doubt be partly reimbursed for his loss, as the Amish church, of which he is a member, has some sort of mutual insurance plan.

Miss Addie Hook entertained a number of young people last Thursday evening, in honor of her guest, Miss Florence Fitten. About twenty were present, and spent a very pleasant evening. Music was the predominant feature of the evening.

100 Years

Thursday, May 3, 1923

While pole vaulting Tuesday afternoon George Keir, jr. son of John aged 15 years, broke his right arm the second time it has been broken.

Fishing season opened officially and successfully Sunday. Every one who did not brazenly display fishing poles outside their cars, had stylish ones folded and tucked away in the tonneau.

Mrs. Barney Hatkey experienced the thrill that comes once in a lifetime at a fishing party on Cottonwood creek the first of the week by catching four fish, the first she had ever caught in her life.

An electric fire siren has been installed which is turned on from the switch at the telephone office.

Monday the steering gear of Mrs. J. A. Thompson’s car became disabled and as she was driving the car near the Dursine home on East Main Street the car was turned over. The three children were in the car with Mrs. Thompson. Sister was hurt painfully and was unconscious several hours. She is much better and at home now, no serious injuries developing. The rest of the family were bruised considerably but all escaped marvelously Mrs. Thompson is agent for the Kansas City Star.

75 Years

Wednesday, May 5, 1948

Ottawa, Kan. May 3–William Frear, star basketball and football player at Ottawa University, who will coach next year at Sabetha high school, has been one of the most popular and capable athletes on the Ottawa squads. He entered Ottawa from Chanute high school before the recent war and completed in his favorites before leaving for duty with the army. He returned in 1946. He was a member of the Kansas conference championship basketball teams of the last two years. He was captain of the 1947-48 squad. Frear majored in physical education. He and his wife expect to move to Sabetha late next summer.

Willis Shadel will open his ice cream parlor Saturday, he announced today. Most fixtures have arrived, and the balance, along with the neon lighting, will be in place by the opening date. The new establishment will handle the products of the Nemaha Cooperative Creamery Association. While eventually it will introduce the local creamery’s line of cheese at present the products handled will be confined to ice cream, frosty malts, ice cream sandwiches and malted milks.

Stanley and Stanton Margrave, twin sons of Mrs. Marie Margrave of Sabetha, were the only freshmen to make an outstanding showing in the annual intramural track championship meet of the University of Kansas at Lawrence Thursday. Jerry Waugh, Beta junior, “blond speedster, nosed out Kappa Sig’s Margrave twins in running a blistering 51.6 quarter mile” according to the University Daily Kansan. The K. U. track coach visited the boys later at their house to congratulate them.

The Sabetha Auto Parts store, which has leased the east half of the former Willard building from Arlie Gilbert, is installing fixtures and stock this week, and expects to be open for business by the first of next week. The new concern, a branch of the Hiawatha Auto Parts Company, will do wholesale parts and repair business. It will be managed by “Buster” Hundley of Hiawatha, nephew of Joe Hundley of Sabetha, with Paul Foley of Hiawatha as assistant. A small machine shop will be installed, and heavier repair work will be sent to the Hiawatha plant.

50 Years

Thursday, May 3, 1973

Turtles Stop Up Sewer Line in Bern. Recently there seemed to be a bit of a problem at the sewage plant for the City of Bern. Ben Leuthold had difficulty in finding the problem, so asked “Handy Andy” Strahm to help out. So the two of them went investigating and eventually came up with the culprits big turtles! How they had gotten into the pit was a secret, but they sure fouled up the works. There were big ones and four in number. No wonder there were troubles at the works!!

John P. Kramer of the Kramer Engineering and Surveying Co. of Topeka, met with the Sabetha City Commissioners recently to discuss proposed platting of industrial sites at the city Industrial Park located just east of the A&W stand. The commissioners approved the platting recommendation made by the Sabetha Industrial Development Commission for the acreage. They also approved a proposal from Mr. Kramer to survey the area and stake out the industrial sites as proposed. The cost for this service will be $800. The commissioners have been deluged of late with complaints regarding dogs running loose. Mrs. Williams Gahm, representing the Sabetha Garden Club, appeared before the commissioners and pointed out considerable damage is being done to flowers, trees and shrubs by dogs. She urged that the city ordinances regarding dogs running loose be enforced. The commissioners said they believed they had located a man who would be responsible for picking up dogs running loose, upon complaint, and they were in hopes this would ease the problem.

Eleven Sabetha High School Seniors traveled to Topeka to participate in the YMCA sponsored, Youth in Government Program, April 29, 30 and May 1. This was the 26th annual Kansas Hi. Y Model Legislature for Kansas High School students. It was the first year Sabetha has attended. The purpose of the Hi. Y Youth in Government Program is to prepare a selected group of over 200,000 young people for moral and political leadership in the American democratic process by providing guidance, training and experience in the theory and practice of determining public policy on the state level. It is called “a laboratory in citizenship and legislative activity.”

The Sabetha Future Farmers of America captured top statewide honors at the 50th annual Kansas High School Agriculture and Agriculture Mechanics contest at Kansas State University in Manhattan. The contest were held on April 29, 30 and May 1. Some 500 youth from over 100 Kansas High School FFA chapters participated in the 14 contests. Sabetha entries took the top position in both Livestock Judging and Dairy Products Contest Judging, and then added a second place finish in Dairy Cattle Judging. Sabetha FFA sponsor, Gary Brownlee, admitted Wednesday morning that he was still riding on “Cloud Nine.” “I really am proud of these boys,” Mr. Brownlee said, “to my knowledge this is the first team the school has ever produced that has captured a state title, at least I’m going to claim that until someone proves me differently.”

25 Years

Wednesday, May 6, 1998

More policing of Sabetha’s streets on Saturday nights could come if the city commission approves a schedule-adjusting policy submitted by chief of police Mike Hill.

Kickapoo Indians are teaming with cities and rural water districts throughout northeast Kansas in hopes of building a block-buster water distribution system that would serve thousands of residents in a seven-county region including Nemaha, Jackson, Jefferson, Atchison, Brown, Pottawatomie and Doniphan counties. As envisioned by Kickapoo organizers, the Pikitanoi Rural Water Project would be a $127 million supply network anchored by a pipeline between the Missouri River and the Kickapoo Indian Reservation near Horton in Brown County.

Jasper Frazee, a freshman at Baker University, competed in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships April 25 and 26 at Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Mo. Frazee won the men’s 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15:29 and placed fourth in the high jump at 6’ 2-1/4”. Frazee, a 1997 graduate of Sabetha High School, is the son of Dennis and Linda Frazee, Sabetha.

Preliminary construction work on the Sac & Fox Truck Stop has begun M.A.C. Corporation of Independence, Mo., employees have begun surveying a location for the new truck stop.

10 Years

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The Prairie Hills USD No. 113 Board of Education met in special session at 7 p.m. Monday, April 29, in the Sabetha Middle School auditorium. The board continued the conversation of possible switching Sabetha High School and Sabetha Middle School from block to traditional scheduling. Superintendent Bill Orth said the purpose of the meeting is not to take any action at this time, but to continue the conversation.

Photo: SBS Insurance’s John Jost, left, and Roy Frey, right, serve up hamburgers to the Clean Up crew on Wednesday, April 24, during the Citywide Clean Up project.

Sabetha Community Hospital was named a Critical Access Hospital in the Patient Perspectives category. “This is the second year in a row that SCH has been named by the NRHA for this award,” said Lora Key, CEO of Sabetha Community Hospital. “There is a strong commitment from our physicians and staff to provide the best care to our patients, and I think this award shows our commitment to that standard. Thank you to the community for the vote of confidence in your community hospital.

There’s no place like Kansas, as the new 2013-14 Official State Transportation Map illustrates by highlighting things to see and places of interest that are unique to the state. From the Kansas Cosmosphere to the Flint Hills Discovery Center, the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, and all the landscapes featured along the Kansas Byways, the map showcases many places of interest the state has for its citizens and visitors.