Written by Lynn Marie Allen, Executive Director/Curator
On a journey, as usual, to uncover a few mysteries, and you may have already guessed there are a lot of history mystery gems that I am often on journies of history exploration. How many of you know that the Hiawatha Lake was also known as “Barnum Lake?” Now, if anyone has some gems in their family treasure chest, they might be willing to dig out and share more details about Barnum Lake. You certainly would not hear any complaints from me!
My second journey of the day was searching for a way to memorialize and pay tribute to an individual. Harlan “Nick” Newton Reynolds Jr. was born in Horton, Kansas, on May 28, 1937. Nick (the name he preferred to be called) was born in Horton because, at the time, Hiawatha did not have a hospital facility. Horton, as I have shared the story in the past, and as I grieve the passing of the facility in Horton now provided hospital care for the people of Brown County and Northeast Kansas as far back as the Rock Island Railroad where there was a makeshift first aid closet. To the second a house on the corner of 8th Street, to the first hospital facility located on 1st Avenue East to its final resting place on Euclid Avenue. The Horton Hospital facility now almost entirely destroyed but the history of the impact of early hospital care in Kansas is a story we can carry forward. Tearing down the facility that had so much of an impact on communities is a grieveous error from where I stand.
Many of these names are scattered among the history of Brown County. You may even discover they are a relative or distant relative of yours! The history of these families includes the family surnames of Reynolds, Peckinpaugh, Zavitz, and Lambertson. The Reynolds family were travelers and would explore other regions, namely Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs, California. Still, they always loved their roots and family connections in Brown County, Kansas, and Nick will return to these roots and connections and work much of his adult career in the surrounding region.
Nick was a Lions Club Member and served two terms as President! Nick loved music, and upon discovering that his grandmother had written poetry, Nick began to pen his own poetry! Nick was also a member of the Brookdale Poetry Club. Nick’s career consisted of managing various grocery stores and supply chains for grocery stores. Nick was also a father, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so much more to those lucky to know him. As always, this is only a tiny piece of the story that is Nick; get out there and find it! Be sure to stop by and share with me what you uncover! #HistoryMysteries
Pictured photograph of young Newton Reynolds, who will later serve as Mayor of Hiawatha for ten years. From left to right, Paul Veatch (Grace Peckinpaugh-Reynolds nephew), Grace Peckinpaugh-Reynolds, and Newt Reynolds
“History Mysteries” and “Chasing My Sparkle” are the intellectual property and creative inspiration of Lynn Marie Allen.
Forest of Words 