Finding Aids

The First National Bank of Kansas City was started in 1886 by James Lewis Lombard and Colonel James L. Abernathy, and served Kansas City for over 100 years. The First National Safe Deposit Company was a subsidiary of the bank that offered safe deposit boxes for customer use. This collection contains items found in the former First National Bank and current Kansas City Public Library Central Branch building by library staff, as well as additional miscellaneous bank materials donated to the library.

The Forest Cover of Missouri County Maps Collection includes county highway maps, showing the forest cover in Missouri.

The topographic maps in this collection were printed by the United States Geological Survey, and show elevation, hydrography, geographic place names, and other features within quadrangles in the state of Missouri.

This collection contains files relating to organized crime in Kansas City from the 1930s to the 1970s. Contents include records from the Kansas City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, reporter’s notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs of local mafia members.

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church was organized in 1857 under the name St. Luke’s. The name was changed in 1879 to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, and it absorbed St. George’s congregation in 1989. Since its beginning, the Church has had a significant role within the Kansas City community and Western Episcopal Diocese. This collection consists of records created and maintained by church leaders and parishioners.

In 1908, the Central Presbyterian Church of Kansas City established a settlement house to assist Italian immigrants in the community. Commonly known as the Italian Mission, the initiative grew to offer a kindergarten, free health clinic, recreation center, dual-language publications, and a church to the Italian community and other residents living in Kansas City’s Northeast neighborhood. This collection includes the operational and financial records of the mission and related projects, as well as personal papers of its long-time leader, Dr. John B. Bisceglia, and his family.

This collection contains original artwork and other materials relating to S. J. Ray, who worked as editorial cartoonist for The Kansas City Star from 1931 to 1963. Ray’s cartoons depict a wide array of historical figures and events, including New Deal politics, World War II, and the Cold War.

This collection contains the printed text of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation issued September 22, 1862, and the final proclamation signed into effect on January 1, 1863.

This collection contains a menu from the Hereford House restaurant. The front of the menu is designed to resemble a cow's head, and is signed by actor George "Spanky" McFarland.

This collection consists of a black and white photograph of a dinner held by the Merchants Association at the Hotel Muehlebach on June 28, 1945. President Harry Truman is seated at the head table.

A collection of 117 pamphlets periodically published by the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts to promote special events held at the museums.

This collection contains a drawing of a pickup truck by Kansas City artist Frederic James.

This collection contains a Bishop Lillis High School Class Poster for 1967.

This collection contains two copies of The Menu Guide of Kansas City as well as a menu for the Golden Ox Restaurant.

This collection contains Ashland School District records including information for Ashland, Kensington, and Manchester elementary schools.

This collection contains two postcards of Carnival Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

This collection contains items pertaining to the last program of the Penn Elementary School before closing its doors in 1955.

This collection contains a courtesy card from the Pickwick Hotel.

This collection contains the program to the 43rd dinner of the Knife and Fork Club at the Midland Hotel on February 25, 1904.

This collection contains two limited editions of offset-lithographic prints from the original color drawings of the Kansas City Museum of History and Science by George L. Lightfoot.

The Mrs. Sam Ray Album consists of a three ring album containing handwritten notes, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera documenting the friendship of Mildred Kittel Ray and Peggy Smith. Materials are arranged chronologically.

Open since 1900, the Folly Theater has assumed several names and identities over the decades, from a vaudeville, burlesque, and Shakespearean playhouse to an X-rated movie theater. Today, it serves as Kansas City’s oldest performing arts venue. The Folly Theater Collection contains photographs, scrapbooks, posters, administrative and financial records, building blueprints, and various artifacts that document the theater’s diverse history.

The Historic Kansas City Foundation is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods in Kansas City. This collection contains photographs and supporting documents, publications about preservation, and building and neighborhood pamphlets documenting the preservation efforts of the organization.

The Kansas City Star newspaper company was founded in 1880 by William Rockhill Nelson and Samuel Morss. Nelson and his family went on to retain ownership of the company until their deaths in 1926 when ownership was bought by employees of the newspaper. Local stockholders owned the newspaper until 1977 when it was sold to corporate ownership. This collection, made up of a portion of the company’s records, documents the history of the newspaper and its founding family.

This collection contains biographical material, correspondence, articles, reports, presentations, photographs, DVDs, and publications highlighting the career of healthcare administrator John W. Bluford III. Bluford served in multiple administrative roles in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before becoming the Executive Director and CEO of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1998. He retired from that position in 2014 but has since continued his work in the field as the founder and president of the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute.

This collection contains various sheet music composed by Charles L. Johnson and additional composers dating from 1895 to 1947. The sheet music consists of ragtime, cakewalks, waltzes, novelty, and two-step. The items in this collection were gathered by a local collector, Philip Stewart.

This collection of materials consists of items collected by Kansas City’s bowling
historian, Gary Katz. Items include scrapbooks of news articles and ephemera,
bowling publications, and photographs.

This collection contains DVDs and transcripts that were created as part of a Kansas City Garment Industry History Project. The collection consists of oral history interviews and supplemental audiovisual materials related to the Garment Industry.

This collection consists of correspondence, ephemera, and research materials related to the William Monroe Morton family that were collected, arranged, and donated by a descendant of the family. This collection documents the lives of a group of family and friends through their correspondence with each other about family members, everyday life, and financial matters through the years before, during, and after the Civil War. The correspondents found in this collection were writing from many areas of the country, but primarily Missouri, Arkansas, California, Illinois, and Virginia. This series consists of the transcriptions of 55 letters contained in the collection, along with additional research materials. The transcriptions were done by the donor of the collection, and a copy has been digitized and made available on our website at, https://kchistory.org/document/sc230-william-m-morton-family-papers-transcription-and-index.

This collection contains documents and records created by and related to the William Monroe Morton (1801-1870) Family. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between relatives, friends, and acquaintances, written between 1839 and 1905. These letters contain information on family members, financial matters, and life before, during, and after the Civil War. Sent from various locations around the country, most were written in Missouri, Arkansas, California, Illinois, and Virginia. Additional items include genealogical information, copies of Civil War records, and ephemera.

A unique feature of the collection is the research aids created by donor and Morton Family descendant, Ronald E. Holland, DMin, DD. In 1997, Mr. Holland transcribed and indexed 55 pieces of correspondence written between 1850 and 1865. While a physical copy of this transcription and index resides with the collection, it has also been uploaded here for researcher use. View the entire collection inventory at: https://kchistory.org/document/sc230-william-m-morton-family-papers?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=09e899a21f272616c51d&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=0&search=sc230