Good press from Kansas guidebook
Marci Penner of the Kansas Sampler Foundation at Inman has put together a new guide for touring our state. It is called "The Kansas Guidebook for Explorers" and it has been on the market for several months. We gave a copy to the Married Daughter and What's-His-Name for Christmas. On their recommendation I just purchased a copy at the local book emporium. It is a terrific publication.
The introduction on the inside cover says Penner visited every incorporated community in the state as she gathered information for the guide. Imagine that! Marion County is well covered and Peabody hit the jackpot with 15 community businesses and attractions listed.
The beginning paragraph for our community is a congratulatory message to the town for making the effort to get the downtown listed on the National Register of Historic Places. "The entire 1880s downtown with numerous limestone buildings has received a national Downtown Historic District designation. Congratulations to Peabody and its citizens for their efforts in attaining this honor!"
That is truly a misleading statement because all the work was done by a couple of people devoted to promoting Peabody, its history, and its wonderful architecture. It took four years of research to satisfy the stringent requirements of the state and national historic organizations. But (as one of the Peabody citizens who did NOT help get the designation) I am pleased that I live in a town with people who worked hard to achieve an honor that reflects well on us all.
It is exciting to see that statement in print in Penner's book.
When the designation was given, Peabody was one of only two communities in Kansas with the whole downtown district named to the National Register of Historic Places. You have to admit that is an impressive achievement. There are certainly lots of neat old buildings, bridges, streets, and parks in towns across the state. Luckily, we have some of the best. Better yet, we've been blessed with an even more valuable resource — people willing to do the work to make sure that what we've got is identified and preserved.
Marilyn Jones and the late Muriel Wolfersperger were the ones who did the research, filled out reams of paperwork, and kept plugging away under the tutelage of Martha Hagendorn-Krass of the Kansas State Historical Society. We owe them a great deal. The project was done with little fanfare in the 1990s and the designation was approved in 1996.
Go buy a copy of Marci Penner's book and see for yourself how great we look in print! Her description and pictures of the buildings, museums, parks, and the community in general will please you, as it should. I think it would behoove all of us to listen to Penner, appreciate what we have, and treat it right.
— SUSAN MARSHALL
