Good Evening VVV Do you know where T E G your roots are? Tuesday, July 2, 2019 VVV PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895 VVV WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM ROOTED IN AMERICUS By Linzi Garcia problems. Elisha joined Americus [email protected] Town Company and opened “The Americus House” hotel, which Descendants of two of the 16 was later known as “The Goddard founding members of Americus House,” directly on Main Street. met for a historical tour and dia- The Goddards befriended the logue last month. Hills, and upon George’s death in The Hill descendants, con- the spring of 1858, T.C. bought sisting of the third- and fourth- George’s land and married Lucy in great grandchildren of Thomas October. C. (“T.C.”) Hill, came from New The Hill descendents visited Jersey, South Carolina, Montana the lot where The Goddard House and Florida. In total, they traveled formerly stood. Main Street was more than 6,000 miles to gain in- composed of 16 lots, one for each formation on, insight into and love Americus Town Company mem- for their ancestors. ber. T.C. Hill and William Grims- For about 20 years, Lucy ley were original members of the worked as the postmaster and al- Americus Town Company, an orga- legedly even lived in the back of nization established to locate and the building for a short time. The build upon land to create the town post office where this occurred is of Americus. There were many the current Americus City Hall, smaller settlements in the area pri- where the family gathered the or to Americus, but the town itself morning of the Americus tour. was established in 1857. “We have, as a family, so much history wrapped up in this little The Hill Family town,” third-great-granddaughter T.C. Hill, originally from Maine, Robin Boyle said. moved to Council Grove where he “I love history. They all love had a mercantile business. He then history too,” fourth great-grand- LINZI GARCIA/GAZETTE moved to a farm on Allen Creek, daughter Christine Dutton said. outside of Americus, and became “It’s a realization — okay, this is The Hill descendants gather near the graves of their ancestors during their historical tour of deeply invested in developing the where we came from. Our family Americus. town. was here.” her babies and what it was like to came along, too. T.C. initiated and supported Lucy and George had three said she has no intention of slow- build a life in Americus, the family Thomas Stanley was buried in multitudinous business endeav- children, all of which died early ing down and is excited to delve said. The food, decor and clothing Great Bend. The Hill descendants ors, including the construction on. She and T.C. had six children, deeper into the Hill family and in- were in period. visited his grave, coincidentally of a sawmill and a corn mill. T.C. three of which survived to adult- to the other branches of her family “Sometimes we don’t even re- exactly 102 years after his burial. was also a member of the Kan- hood, including Thomas Stanley tree. member what year we’re in,” Robin “We didn’t realize it,” Robin sas House of Representatives; He Hill. Next, the family would like to said. said. “I had no idea.” blamed the job and subsequent From 1905-1912, Thomas Stan- look into their ancestry in Maine In 1910, Thomas Stanley and She recalled that a newspaper lack of sleep for the illness that ley Hill owned the Saddlerock and Massachusetts, with a future his family moved to Wisconsin, article, published on May 31, 1917, quickly led to his death. Cafe in Council Grove, where the trip there in the works. where Donald Hill (a.k.a. “Pop- pronounced his death and men- T.C.’s wife Lucy Goddard Hill Hill descendants shared breakfast “It’s really neat to be able to per”) was born. Donald and his tioned that the funeral would take was previously married to George together. Also in Council Grove, come together and remember wife had Myrtle and Jean. Myrtle’s place the next day. Thatcher Goddard. the Hill descendants ate at Trail these people and remember what children, James Dutton and Robin “There we stood, June 1, 102 In 1855, Lucy, her sister, Days Cafe and Museum, where they did and learn about them and Dutton Boyle, and Jean’s children, years to the day of his funeral,” George, his brother Elisha and they were warmly welcomed as learn about everybody else around Jeannie Pritchett Bernstein and Robin said, visibly awestruck. their mother moved from Massa- family by Lucy Hill reenactor Shir- here,” Christine Dutton said. Kenny Pritchett, are the family After over 17 years of DNA and chusetts to Rock Creek, outside of ley McClintock. McClintock read members who participated in this ancestral research, Robin started Council Grove, upon the doctor’s from Lucy’s diary as she recounted trip. James’ daughter Christine planning this trip last May. She Please see Root, Page 3 request to assuage George’s health the family’s trek to Kansas, losing DEMOLITION WORK BEGINS AT ABIGAIL MORSE HALL HAYING DEMONSTRATION By ryann BrooKs BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE ON [email protected] With construction of Emporia THE TALLGRASS PRAIRIE State University’s Schallenkamp Residence Hall nearing comple- By Lydia Kautz Some of the grass cut in the tion, demolition on parts of Abigail [email protected] haying demonstration was baled Morse Hall began Monday morn- and set aside to cure and later be ing. In modern-day middle Amer- used for feed. The project will see the com- ica, the face of farming has In times past, the hay would plete removal of Northeast Morse changed drastically. have been raked up by hand af- Hall and parts of Central Morse However, there are still people ter it had dried and placed in the Halls. out there who try to keep history hayrack, according to Sommer- Major demolition work will alive and remind the world what feld. begin in the coming weeks, with it used to be like. “It’s done in order to preserve construction expected to be com- Saturday at the Tallgrass Prai- the crop for winter feed,” he said. pleted by Sept. 8. rie National Preserve, a haying “For horses, cattle, any kind of “The demolition company, demonstration was performed. livestock.” McPherson, their goal is to have Derral Sommerfeld was one Sommerfeld, who came to the their work complete before stu- of those who performed the Tallgrass Prairie from Tecum- dents return,” Director of Residen- demonstration, cutting down seh with his wife Sheila for the tial Life Cass Coughlin said. “It grass for hay with the use of two demonstration, has been doing will be a matter of reclaiming the draft horses and a 19th century historical reenactments such as site, fixing the roads and that kind mower. this for about 15 years. He has of stuff while the students are here RYANN BROOKS/GAZETTE He cut roughly acre and a been working with the Tallgrass hopefully.” Demolition began in the vicinity of Abigail Morse Hall on Monday half a patch of high, green grass Prairie since the national park Coughlin said the work will be morning. The oldest section of the building will remain intact while with the antique mower, starting was founded, doing demonstra- done carefully in order to preserve the north and south additions will be brought down. around 10:30 a.m. and finishing tions and offering wagon rides. and renovate the oldest section that afternoon around 3 p.m., “Part of it’s keeping the histo- of Morse, which was opened in There will be one major change the lawn will remain there on the with an hourlong break for lunch ry alive,” he said. “Not too many 1924 — a change from ESU’s 2014 from the original design, however. west side of Wooster Lake.” in between. That’s a total of people nowadays can see this master plan which called for the “In the original drawings for The university has yet to de - about three and a half hours to type of thing being done or un- complete demolition of the build- Abigail, there was a trunk room,” cide what will be done with the re- mow what, with a modern mow- derstand what it is or how to do ing following the construction of a Coughlin said with a laugh. “We’re maining open space once the oth- er, would likely take significantly it.” new dormitory. That original plan not going to have a trunk room. If er section of Central is removed, less time. Sommerfeld wants the young- was modified as university admin- only students showed up to school Coughlin said. Saturday was exceptionally er generation to be able to wit- istrators recognized the historical with one trunk, then I would love Coughlin said the work rep - hot, so he and the horses had to ness this part of their history and significance of the building. Still, to have a trunk room. They come resents a longstanding commit- take frequent breaks. understand what previous gener- some changes will be made during with a trunk plus some.” ment to addressing student needs “The horses are (probably) ations went through to do tasks the renovation process to enhance More changes will include in a way that honors the universi- more used to it than I am,” Som- that modern day people may take student experiences in the coming additions on both the north and ty’s history.