Pfeifer, Kansas

Founded by Volga German immigrants, Pfeifer, Kansas, built its first church in 1879, but by 1915 they dreamed bigger. Families contributed two cents for every bushel of wheat they harvested, and donated countless hours quarrying and hauling stone.

The result, completed in 1918, is a breathtaking Gothic masterpiece with a 165‑foot spire, rib‑vaulted ceilings, and ornate stonework. Though the parish closed in 1993, the church remains open daily and continues to host weddings, funerals, and special events. It’s even been named one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas Architecture.

 

Pfeifer, Kansas and Holy Cross Church 

The "Noble Experiment"

On December 18, 1917, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibited the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors,” was drafted and passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.

Called the “noble experiment” by Herbert Hoover, 75% of the states approved the amendment, which was ratified on January 16, 1919. 

Prohibition in the United States

 

Tech Trivia: December 16, 2003

On December 16, 2003, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 was signed into United States law, establishing the nation’s first federal standards for commercial e-mail in an effort to reduce unsolicited messages, though waivers for political and religious content have led critics to question its effectiveness.

Can’t Live Without Coffee? Thank This Pope.

 

I can't live without my coffee. My all-time favorite comes from the Philippines. It's rich, robust and smooth with no acid taste, just coffee taste and smell.

Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks in the world, second only to water, enjoyed by millions every day. The drink was not always so ubiquitous, only becoming popular relatively recently during the 16th century. If you can’t start the day without first having your morning cup of coffee, then you should probably thank Pope Clement VIII.

Coffee was first introduced around the 9th century when Muslim shepherds noticed wild coffee beans were having a stimulant effect on their flocks of sheep. Clerics learned the techniques to cultivate the beans, and the drink quickly spread throughout the Muslim world.

When it inevitably found its way to Europe, the majority of Catholics treated it with a great deal of suspicion because it was the popular beverage of Islam, which Catholicism had been at war with for centuries. Because of its reputation, it gained the moniker “Satan’s drink.”

As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome, and coffee was first brought to Pope Clement VIII around the year 1600.

Initially, the pope’s closest advisers tried to get him to ban the drink, proclaiming it was “the bitter invention of Satan.” However, the pope wished to try it himself before issuing a papal decision.

After tasting it, the pope enjoyed it so much he declared that “This Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it. We shall cheat Satan by baptizing it!”

Allegedly, he formally blessed the coffee bean because the drink was deemed less harmful than alcohol. After his blessing, it quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe and eventually the world, becoming a chief crop and the most popular beverage. Next time you enjoy your favorite brew, thank God for Pope Clement VIII.

Kilroy Was Here

 

Kilroy Was Here: The Story Behind the Iconic WWII Graffiti

WHO WAS KILROY?

 

For many, especially those born between 1913 and 1950, the name "Kilroy" brings back a flood of memories. This piece of American history is immortalized in stone at the National War Memorial in Washington, DC, hidden away in a small alcove.

 

So, who was Kilroy?

 

In 1946, the American Transit Association sponsored a nationwide contest through its radio program, "Speak to America," to find the real Kilroy, offering a prize of a real trolley car. Almost 40 men claimed to be the genuine Kilroy, but only James Kilroy from Halifax, Massachusetts, provided the necessary evidence.

 

James Kilroy was a 46-year-old shipyard worker during WWII, employed as a checker at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy. His job involved counting the rivets completed by the riveters, who were paid by the rivet. To prevent double counting, Kilroy marked the inspected rivets with semi-waxed lumber chalk. However, riveters would erase his marks to get paid twice.

 

To combat this, Kilroy began writing "KILROY WAS HERE" in large letters alongside his check-marks, eventually adding a sketch of a chap with a long nose peering over a fence. This made it difficult for the riveters to erase his marks, and soon, his graffiti began appearing on ships leaving the shipyard.

 

With the war in full swing, these ships often went unpainted, leaving Kilroy's markings visible to thousands of servicemen who boarded them. The troops, amused and intrigued by the mysterious graffiti, began spreading the "Kilroy was here" message across Europe and the South Pacific, claiming it was already there when they arrived.

 

Kilroy became a symbol of the U.S. service-men's presence, appearing in unlikely places such as atop Mt. Everest, the Statue of Liberty, the underside of the Arc de Triomphe, and even in the dust on the moon. The legend grew, and it became a challenge for troops to place the logo in the most improbable locations.

 

In 1945, during the Potsdam Conference, Stalin used an outhouse built for Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. After emerging, he reportedly asked, "Who is Kilroy?"

 

To prove his authenticity in 1946, James Kilroy brought officials from the shipyard and some riveters to the contest. He won the trolley car, which he gifted to his nine children as a Christmas present, setting it up as a playhouse in their yard in Halifax, Massachusetts.

 

And so, the tradition of Kilroy continues, a testament to the spirit and humor of the WWII generation. 

 

The Tradition Continues...Details occurred from Groton historical Society Newsletter

North Carolina History

 

On April 12, 1776, North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress approves the Halifax Resolves. After the Patriot victory at Moores Creek Bridge, the Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress met in Halifax, NC. Members unanimously adopted the Halifax Resolves on April 12, 1776. The Resolves were simply entered into the Congressional minutes, and as such, are not "signed" documents. After adoption, the secretary of the Congress, James Green, sent copies of the Resolves to the North Carolina delegation assembled with the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia for execution.The decision was about as close to declaring independence as the state could come without actually doing so.

The colonial assemblies desired self-governing status within the British Empire in early 1776. However, North Carolina was an exception. The Halifax Resolves ordered North Carolina's delegation to the second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, not only to form foreign alliances, but also to seek and vote for independence from Great Britain. This action made North Carolina the first of the colonial governments to call for total independence. As such, it became a factor leading to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4, 1776.

North Carolina’s delegates to the Continental Congress were now authorized to vote for independence!

The state had changed its mind—drastically—in a relatively short period of time. Only seven short months earlier, the state’s Third Provincial Congress had approved a message to British citizens. That letter scorned the concept of independence:

“We have been told that independence is our object,” that Congress wrote, “that we seek to shake off all connection With the Parent State. Cruel suggestion! . . . We again declare, and we invoke that Almighty Being who searches the recesses, of the human heart, and knows our most secret intentions, that it is our most earnest wish and prayer to be restored, with the other United Colonies, to the state in which we and they were placed before the year 1763 . ."

That letter was written in September 1775. But matters moved quickly, and a battle was soon fought early in 1776. The Battle at Moore’s Creek Bridge has been called the “Lexington and Concord of the South.” The story concludes HERE: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-halifax-resolves

North Carolina Provincial Congress

The Halifax Resolves

Halifax and the Revolution

Continental Congress

Second Continental Congress

 

The Road to Tennessee Begins with the help of North Carolina  

 

 

On December 22, 1789, North Carolina formally ceded six western counties to the Continental Congress, a pivotal decision that set the stage for the eventual creation of the state of Tennessee.

 

These western lands—once part of North Carolina’s frontier—had a long and complicated history. Settlement in the region began in the late 1700s as pioneers pushed westward into what is now eastern Tennessee and parts of Kentucky. As populations grew, residents sought greater self-governance and protection from Native American resistance, while also feeling increasingly disconnected from North Carolina’s eastern leadership.

Between 1779 and 1784, the North Carolina legislature authorized the creation of six new counties in the western region. Frustrated by political neglect and taxation, settlers went a step further in 1784, organizing a breakaway government known as the State of Franklin, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin, in hopes he would support their admission into the Union.

 

Although Franklin functioned as a de facto state for nearly five years—with its own legislature, courts, and governor (John Sevier)—it was never officially admitted to the Union. The state’s short existence was marked by internal divisions, economic hardship, conflicts with Native American nations, and strained relations with both North Carolina officials and the Continental Congress.

 

By 1788, the Franklin legislature met for the final time. In 1789, the territory was formally returned to North Carolina’s control—only for the state to cede the lands to the federal government later that same year. These lands eventually became part of the Southwest Territory, leading to Tennessee’s admission to the Union in 1796 as the 16th state.

The Lost State of Franklin remains one of the most fascinating “what if” stories in early American and North Carolina history—an early experiment in self-rule that helped shape the nation’s westward expansion.

 

Source: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources

 

 

After the American Revolution, North Carolina stretched from the eastern seaboard all the way to the Mississippi River. The western part of the state was separated from the eastern part by a mountain range. Especially given the travel difficulties of the day, you can imagine that the westerners felt barely connected to the eastern side of the state—and vice versa.

 

The North Carolina legislature didn’t really want to be responsible for the western lands anymore, but legislators didn’t want to lose an asset, either. The legislature ended up passing an act known as the “Land Grab Act” by which western lands were put on sale. Much of the land was sold to legislators. Hmmm. Let’s just say that some of the sales that resulted probably weren’t entirely above board. Nevertheless, the state legislators passed an act ceding all remaining lands to the federal government. In return, the Confederation Congress was supposed to accept, as valid, all the grants of land that had already been made.

 

The cessation pushed several western counties into action. On August 23, 1784, residents met and declared themselves a new state named Franklin (for Benjamin Franklin). For a time, things seemed to be working. A state constitution was adopted, and John Sevier was elected as the first state governor. But then, unsurprisingly, matters became complicated.

 

For one thing, Americans were in negotiations with the Cherokee to determine who held which territory. Unfortunately, the outcome of these negotiations contradicted the outcome of Franklin’s negotiations. Other clashes occurred between the state and federal governments. Many Franklinites became tired of the situation.

 

In the end, a man named John Tipton became head of a movement to have Franklin reabsorbed back into North Carolina. But Sevier continued to advocate for the State of Franklin. At one point, Sevier even considered getting Spain to annex the state! A skirmish—the Battle of Franklin—brought matters to a head. Sevier was at first arrested for treason, but by early 1789, he had agreed to take an oath of allegiance to North Carolina.

 

After Franklin was dissolved, North Carolina ceded the land to the federal government. A few years later, the new territory became the state of Tennessee. I suppose Sevier got the last laugh?! He was elected as Tennessee’s first governor in 1796.

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