by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society


     Portions of this article are taken from an article in “The Voice,” an on-line monthly newsletter I write for the Grain Valley Historical Society. So, if you think you’ve already read it, maybe you have! While it may not be “the history of Grain Valley,” hopefully it will cause you to “look back” on your own growing up days.

     November 27th was the first day of Advent. Since I was a young girl growing up in the Grain Valley Methodist Church, we have celebrated Advent on the four Sundays before Christmas. Each Sunday we light a candle to remind us of the four advent themes —The Candle of Hope, The Candle of Peace, The Candle of Love and The Candle of Joy.
     On Christmas the fifth and final candle, called the Christ candle, is lit to remind Christians of the light Jesus brings to the world.
     On the secular side (activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis) the Sunday after Thanksgiving is usually set aside by me to begin my annual Christmas baking! Since I love to cook and bake, I do not consider this to be working on the Sabbath, thus my Sunday afternoon baking has begun.
     In a sermon last year, Pastor Mike reminded me of the kids table and the grownup table at holiday gathering. Did your family have separate tables? My family never had two tables as there were only 17 of us —2 aunts, 2 uncles, 3 cousins, and three sets of grandparents, which included the Napiers, Rumbos and Fristoes. A big table leaf and two people at each end of the table and we were good!
      We did, however, have food for the kids and food for the grownups. After all, what child among us liked rutabagas, plum pudding, pecan pie, and fruitcake? Certainly not fruitcake!
While the kids feasted on mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese (the old-fashioned kind with real cheese that was baked in the oven with crushed crackers on top) and corn, the “old folks” ate turnips, stuffing flavored with sage, and squash!
      So why do I now enjoy shortbread instead of chocolate-chip cookies, chocolate fudge instead of peppermint sticks, rutabagas instead of green beans, stuffing instead of potatoes, and cranberries? I guess I’ve officially moved to the big people’s table (food). I now prepare the rutabagas and I sometimes bake the pecan pie. And you cannot have turkey without cranberries!
     If you are part of the “big people’s table,” perhaps you would enjoy Grandmother Napier’s shortbread or Aunt Opal’s Ice Box Cookies.

Grandma Napier’s Shortbread Recipe
1 lb. unsalted butter                1 cup sugar
1 cup cornstarch                     4 cups flour                                                                                       
Pinch of salt

Soften butter. Add sugar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well with electric mixer. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time and mix thoroughly after each addition. Divide dough into 3 parts. Knead separately and roll into logs (1 1/2-inch circumference) Refrigerate until ready to bake, up to 1 week.

Cut into 1/4 to 3/8-inch slices and place on baking sheet. Bake at 250-degrees for 2 hours.
 
Aunt Opal’s Ice Box Cookies
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups melted shortening 3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each-cloves and nutmeg                                                                                   
1 cup nuts

​Mix and shape into a log about 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 - inches. Place in ice box overnight. Slice in thin slices and bake in hot oven. (It’s an old recipe, so maybe you will want to “refrigerate” overnight. I cook at 375-degrees for about 8-10 minutes) 

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
 
     Did your family enjoy turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner? Roasted of Fried? Growing up, turkey was synonymous with Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m told some families enjoyed ham at Christmas. For me, well, I loved ring bologna, and being the spoiled child that I admit I was, it could usually be found among the foods on our table.  Fortunately, I “grew up” and learned to eat turkey, although I still prefer the dark meat!
     Did you know that no 17th-century reference to Thanksgiving exists beyond a letter written by Plymouth colonist Edward Winslow?  The tradition is rooted in European harvest festivals and Christian religious observances when “days of thanksgiving” were fairly common among the colonists of New England. If fact, colonial American communities routinely held unofficial Thanksgiving celebrations, and few people associated them with the Plymouth settlers.
     Likewise, while turkeys may have been served in Plymouth, most historians think it was probably duck or geese which they ate along with the deer provided by the Wampanoag Indian tribe. So why is turkey our Thanksgiving fowl? Some credit Bradford’s stories of the early colonists hunting wild turkeys. Some credit Ben Franklin who wanted to make the turkey our national bird, rather than the Bald Eagle. Still others give credit to President Abraham Lincoln. On Oct. 3, 1863, he issued a proclamation declaring the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving.
     According to the internet (the authority!), by the turn of the 19th century, turkey had become a popular dish to serve on such occasions. There were a few reasons for this. First the bird was rather plentiful. One expert estimated that there were at least 10 million turkeys in America at the time of European contact. Second, turkeys on a family farm were almost always available for slaughter. Cows provided milk and chickens provided eggs, but turkeys, they were expendable. Third, a single turkey was usually big enough to feed a family. From a more practical perspective, turkey has also remained relatively affordable.
     While turkeys were roasted for years, future food historians will no doubt talk about the early 2000s as the beginning of fried turkeys! While I would not think of telling you how to cook your turkey, I will share an old recipe and a great use for your leftover turkey!
 
Turkey Tetrazzini
 
3 cups Spaghetti                                 2 cups of broth (chicken or turkey)
½ cup chopped mushrooms                Salt & Pepper to taste
½ cup chopped celery                         3 cups of cooked chopped turkey
½ cup chopped green pepper              1 cup of cream (can substitute 1 can
½ cup chopped onion                                      Mushroom soup)
½ cup chopped pimiento                    2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp flour                                          3 tbsp butter
 
Saute the mushrooms, celery, green pepper, onion and pimiento. Boil the spaghetti, until tender, in salted water to which 1 tablespoon cooking oil has been added. Make a sauce of the butter, flour, broth and salt and pepper. Remove sauce from heat and add cream (or soup). Combine all ingredients with the turkey and cheese; spoon into baking dish. Optional: add crushed potato chip topping and brown in over at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Serves 10-12.
 
Bon Appetit!

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
 
     First published as a poem entitled “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day,” Lydia Maria Child wrote the lyrics to this popular song in 1844. It represented her own childhood memories of going to visit her grandfather’s house on Thanksgiving Day.
     Today we sing “to grandmother’s house we go.” I have my own theory about that. We go to grandmother because she makes all of the excellent food that has become our Thanksgiving tradition over the years!
 
 
Over the river and through the woods,
To grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,
Through (the) white and drifted snow!
Over the river and through the woods,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and through the woods,
Now Grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

     So this column is supposed to be about Grain Valley History, but isn’t going “over the river” a wonderful memory of all our histories? While growing up in Grain Valley may only have been crossing over Sni-A-Bar Creek, it still meant going to grandmother’s house, or Aunt Opal’s house (substitute your own destination) for a feast. 
     Food is history. Grain Valley was named for the plentiful grain that could be grown in our valley. Through the history of the world, food was a huge part of our lives; feast and festivals! Food is part of our gathering from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve and beyond. So be prepared to read about food for the next few weeks in this column.
     I will begin with the appetizer. Today a veggie plate is carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, well you get the picture. Back in the day, did your relish tray include green and black olives? We also had Bread ‘n Butter pickles, home canned, of course. My mother always made pimento cheese to spread on the celery sticks. And there was the weird stuff that came in little jars like pickled vegetables and pearl onions. Another mainstay among our Thanksgiving appetizers were those cute little jars of Kraft cheese served with Ritz crackers. The jars could be washed up and used later as juice glasses!
     Next week I’ll talk about main dishes and I may even throw in a recipe or two! 

     It’s been over thirty years since a group of interested citizens first began to discuss a way to preserve the history of Grain Valley.  This group of amazing men and women became the backbone of our current Historical Society.
Winona Burgess was one of the organizers. During the first few years they met at the United Methodist Church on Capelle. Winona was joined by other church members and they reached out to “old timers” in the community. The Charter members included John and Barbara Washburn, Dorothy Greene, Harvey and Rosalie Kolster, Paul and Shirley Morganroth, Bill & Mary Gabriel, and Bob and Mildred Harmon, to name a few.
     In the early days they struggled with two issues, funds to support the society and a building to house their growing collection of artifacts. Early on, they depended on the City-Wide Garage Sale and an ice cream social to keep them afloat. By 1995, they added the Christmas in the Country Homes Tour. Participation in the garage sale only lasted a few years. The Christmas Homes Tour survived through 2016. The annual Ice Cream social is still going strong.
     By 1995 this group, which had grown to nearly fifty members, was seriously looking for a home. With stocks from the Harmon Family (Harmon Electronics) and help from Steve Gildehaus, land was purchased on the eastern edge of town and plans were made to refurbish an old Sni-A-Bar silo as a focal point for the museum.
     After several months, this land was traded for our current building at 506 Main Street in the summer of 1998. At the time of the purchase the society received $19,884 from the City of Grain Valley for restoration work. The Board of Aldermen turn over the money from the health fund tax levy revenue.
     With hard work and generous donations, today we have a great museum at 506 Main Street. As the City works with Main Street Missouri to revitalize our downtown, we hope the Grain Valley Historical Society can continue to play a key role in our town’s history as a legacy for the future!

Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society

     ​How old must this playbill be?  As was typical with most printed material in the early 1900s, i.e. grocery ads, and church announcements, there is a month and date, but no year.  Once again, I am left with a “wild guest” as to when this might have taken place.
     A quick look at the internet revealed that “The Old New Hampshire Home” is a melodrama in 3 acts written by Frank Dumont (1848-1919) and published in 1911. He was a popular American minstrel show performer, manager and playwright. Founded in 1889, the Epworth League, whose members made up the cast of the show, was a Methodist young adult association for people aged 18 to 35.
     If you read this column regularly, or you are a long time Grain Valley resident, you will recognize some of the names of the performers. When I was very young, Minnie Butler was the telephone operator in Grain Valley and lived in the back of the telephone office on Capelle Street next to the old Methodist Church. The McQuerry family (McQuerry Road) was very large by today’s standards. Maybe that is why there were three of them in the cast.  J. I. Belford was my great uncle. By 1920 he and his family had moved to Oklahoma.
     How old must this playbill be? I’m guessing around 105 to 110 years.  What’s your guess?

Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society

     Now that Halloween is over, people are already talking about hauling out the Christmas lights! While many folks put up artificial trees before Thanksgiving, the live trees usually don’t go on sale until Thanksgiving weekend.
     That was the case at Greene Acres Christmas Tree Farm. It all began in 1976 when the family planted 10,000 Scotch Pines on their farm just north of Pink Hill Road on Buckner Tarsney. Allowing for the trees to grow, the business opened in 1984. By the mid 1990s they were also growing white pines for their customers who preferred the softer needles.
     Frank and Dorothy Greene started the business as a way for their children and grandchildren to earn extra holiday money. It was also a hobby for them after retirement.
     The farm was immortalized on Hallmark holiday card, but in 1995 they were approached by Houghton Mifflin Company to have the farm included in a social studies textbook for second grade students.
     Sheila Horowitz, an editor with Houghton Mifflin, Co., at the time, stated that what they liked best was that it was a small (business), and the family worked together.
     The book was published in 1997 and included four pages which focused on the tree farm and business concepts. Words and definitions such as ‘consumer’ were highlighted in the text.
     The Greene’s granddaughter, Lori Affolter (Parish), 10 years old at the time, was featured and the four pages included a map of Grain Valley, pointing out vital spots such as the farm and Lori’s school.
     The following excerpt appeared in The Kansas City Star on Thursday, November 23, 1995:           
     "Students can identify with someone their own age. Lori likes to sell trees and serve hot chocolate to ‘consumers.’ Lori spends some money and saves some money. Lori works at the farm year-round, but she is busiest during the holidays. She has worked there with her grandparents, her mother, two brothers and a sister, four aunt and uncles and 13 cousins.”
     Many of you may recall the Greene Acres Christmas Tree Farm. Perhaps some of you purchased a tree or a wreath from the Greene Family. Over the years, I bought several wreaths there for my front door. But one of my fondest memories was of Dorothy’s delicious hot chocolate.  It was and still is THE BEST!

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
 
     Last week my book club discussed Eileen Garvin’s novel, The Music of Bees. The question was asked, “Do you know anyone who raised bees?” While I would be the first to admit I knew and still know people who raised bees, I’d also be the first to admit, I knew nothing about the process.
      My Grandmother Rumbo had a beehive behind the smokehouse at her home on Walnut Street in Grain Valley. So did her neighbor, Rhodie Pearson. I can recall from my youth several beehives in our town. I was afraid to walk down the alley between Walnut and Front Street west of the old Methodist Church.  At certain times of the year bees swarmed there and I had a fear of being stung.
             By the 1950s, bees were more of a hobby. Some years, depending on the forage and flowers the hives had honey, some years they did not.  I can only recall once, perhaps twice, when an old cake pan would set on Grandma’s kitchen cabinet with a honeycomb and dripping honey. (I thought it was gross!) Many years earlier, the beehives around town were probably there by necessity. Because sugar was in great shortage during the depression and rationed during World War II, I suspect many residents saw honey as a luxury during those years.
             Did you know that in 1926, Jackson County was one of the largest producers of honey in Missouri? It was stated that there was almost no cost in the raising of nectar honey and neither did it require a lot of land--only enough on which to set the hives. The bees ranged from one to five miles and gathered pollen from the plentiful wild flowers, clover and alfalfa. (Sni-A-Bar Farms provided plenty of the latter.) The average production throughout the county was from 60 to 200 pounds per hive taken from approximately 2,500 colonies. There were between 65,000 bees in the smaller colonies to as many as 200,000 in the larger hives.
             In 1926, beekeepers in the Grain Valley area included Ms. Vivian Hall with 10 hives, F. W. Sellmeyer with 4 hives, T.J. Corn with 22 hives, C.O. Webb with 20 hives, Major Luther with 12 hives, and Mrs. H. M. Hannon with 12 hives.
     Missouri’s annual honey yield comes from beekeepers, apiaries, and honey farms of all shapes and sizes. Many of them are large businesses and professional companies, of course, but at the same time, much of Missouri’s honey is produced by hobbyists and small local businesses
     Although its honey production is not as high as it once was, Missouri produces a notable amount of honey each year. A report by the US Department of Agriculture found that Missouri bees had produced more than 400,000 pounds of honey in 2018.

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

 
     I know I have read many “histories” of the school. I know I have written many articles about the history of the Grain Valley School.  Last week one of our members was “sorting thru some old boxes.” I always love it when that happens because often the Historical Society becomes the beneficiary of some neat stuff. Such is the case with the History of the School I am about to copy for your reading. While Ona Stephenson Baumgardner’s name is handwritten across the top of the page, it is a Xerox copy and unfortunately and I cannot tell you the source or the author. I still believe it’s a good history and worth the read.
     Three years after the Civil War, in 1858, (the author must have meant before as the Civil War began on April 12, 1861) one-half acre of land situated in the Northeast corner of the West half of the Northeast part of section 34, township 49, range 30, was deeded to the Board of Education, District No. 3 by Mr. and Mrs. Britton M. Capelle.
     In 1906, the people of Grain Valley and surrounding community were very much interested in establishing a high school
     The six school districts, Grain Valley, Pink Hill, Round Grove, Oak Hill, Stony Point, and Capelle were consolidated at the spring election and a three room, two-year high school was built.
     The proposition which had almost been defeated before was growing rapidly under the new school board officials with Dr. W. Johnson as president.
     The Board of Education received in July, 1907, an additional one and one-half acres of land from Mr. and Mrs. James H. Hall.
     When the first high school was opened at Grain Valley in September, 1907 only four students entered under the direction of Mr. Laurence Dimit.  Algebra, English, Ancient History and Physical Geography were the four subjects offered.
     The next year the enrollment increased to fifteen and another teacher was employee. Ora Morrison, Curtis Houston, Madge Butler Wagner, and Lily Ashcraft Tesch were the first to graduate from Grain Valley High School in 1909.
      Two years later it was made into a four-year high school.
     Athletics were brought into the school in 1914 when basketball was introduced. They did not attempt football until 1923.
     On November 7, 1925, the building was a total loss by fire. The school term was finished in business houses and churches while a bonded indebtedness of $60,000.00 was assumed. With the aid of the insurance the new $75,000.00 building was constructed and dedicated in the fall of 1926. The blue prints show that two additional rooms are partly constructed to facilitate a larger student body.
     During the past twenty-years the school has progressed and many things have been added.  A commercial department was begun. A music department was added with Mrs. John Hader as the first instructor. Now the entire school from first and second grade Rhythm Band, the Junior High Chorus, the High School Band, the Girls Glee Club, the Boys Glee Club, and the High School Chorus were added to this program.
     Three more schools were consolidated into the Grain Valley School. This eliminated buggies and horseback riding, therefore the barns west of the building were torn down,
     During the depression the EPA helped build a cistern northwest of the building. This was the first adequate water supply.
     Bibles were placed in the school by the Gideons.
                        The PTA was organized, May, 1941, and has proved to be very helpful. They helped to buy a
picture machine, to build up our library, and to purchase kitchen equipment.
            A trophy case, blackout shades, scoreboard, two radios, four pianos, a jukebox and stage curtains, steel chairs, venetian blinds, playground equipment, and the microphone, which was given by the 1945 Senior Class, help make our school more modern.
            The red brick building with the two-way drive, green terraced lawn, flower beds, shrubs and poplars is beautiful. Above all this flag pole stands with the American flag unfurled and the Minute Man flag flying beneath.
 
Note: Last week I hoped to start a series on alumni, “Where are they now?”  Although the article about Kathy Doty, our Historical Society President, generated a lot of chatter on Facebook, only one person reached out to me with a suggestion which I’m currently researching. Once more, if you have information on an alumni or suggestions for alumni to be featured, please let me know.

     In the past four years I have written over 200 stories “looking back” on the history of Grain Valley.  I’m running out of ideas! While the subject of this column may not always have interested you, someone almost always responds to my musings. But, once again, I’m stuck for topics to pursue. While I enjoy tracking down the facts, I don’t always have a clear vision for which facts to chase.
     Recently, someone suggested a “where are they now” series. This is where you, the readers, are needed. My question is two-fold. First, who do you want to know about; whom should I be featuring? Secondly, if you know some interesting information about someone from Grain Valley, PLEASE pass it along to me so it can be shared.
     Since I write this column for the Historical Society, I thought it only appropriate that I start with our president, Kathy Doty. I also thought it appropriate since she is president of the Grain Valley High School Alumni Association. Typically, the alumni officers are members of the 50-year class.
     Many of you will know Kathy. She is a fourth generation Grain Valley citizen. She was a senior in the Class of 1973. Kathy’s dad came from Illinois, but her mother’s ancestry in Grain Valley can be traced back well over a century to Robert W. and Minnie Louise (Sebolt)Stephenson, Kathy’s great grandparents. Her grandparents were Bryl and Ona (Stephenson) Baumgardner. Some readers will recall that Ona Stephenson taught school at Oak Hill in the early 1900s (Valley News, April 25, 2019). Kathy’s mother, Erma Doty was a teacher at GVHS in the early 1940s and again from 1963 till her retirement in the mid-1880.

​     In addition to being class treasurer, Kathy was involved in instrumental and vocal music, drama, business and publications. She was editor of the Treasure Chest (yearbook). She also played volleyball and was a varsity cheerleader.

     So where is she now? As previously mentioned she is president of the Grain Valley High School Alumni Association. And she still works tirelessly to promote Grain Valley and the Grain Valley Historically. She has also held many offices in FOCUS for Grain Valley (formerly Optimist, Internationally). She retired nearly two years ago after many years at Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas City.
     Kathy has one son, Nicholas Jackson, a 2011 graduate of Grain Valley High School. She and her husband, Roberto Parker reside in Blue Springs, Missouri.
         
I look forward to your suggestions as I learn about other present and former Grain Valley residents and discover “where they are now?”

     This is homecoming week at Grain Valley High School, so I thought it would be fun to look back at some previous celebrations.  Funny thing is, I forgot to check out the actual homecoming games. Who did Grain Valley play? Did they win the game? What was the final score?
     Instead, I looked for photos of the week and the memories that we all have of homecoming. Whether it is 1952 or 2022, whether Grain Valley High School had 135 students or 1,500 students, some things never change.

     I remember the Thursday night Spirit Rally and Bonfire, where we burned in effigy, a football player of the opposing team. I recall the Homecoming Parade lead by the Marching Eagles. “Back in the day,” the entire school marched down Main Street. From first grade through high school, we all marched.  There may have been more in the parade than watching the parade. And I remember half-time when the Homecoming Queen was crowned. Homecoming Kings didn’t exist until the 1990s.
     If you got a laugh from some of these old photos, come to the game on Friday night when our Grain Valley Eagles take on the Kewpies from Columbia Hickman. Yes, Columbia Hickman. When I was in high school, our entire town had fewer people than the student body at Hickman. Stop by the Alumni Tent and see more old photographs from GVHS!

​And, Go Eagles!