Lecompton Capital of Kansas

Located on Highway 40 between Topeka and Lawrence, is the little town of Lecompton. The town may be small, but it packs a lot of history. Today, we stopped at the historical marker along Highway 40. We will revisit this little town to visit the "Constitution Hall" which is where the "Lecompton Constitution" was drafted.

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Inscription:
In 1855, the new town of Lecompton was named the capital of Kansas Territory. President James Buchanan appointed a governor and officials to establish government offices in Lecompton, and construction began on an elegant capitol building. In the fall of 1857 a convention met in Constitution Hall and drafted the famous Lecompton Constitution, which would have admitted Kansas as a slave state. The constitution was rejected after intense national debate and was one of the prime topics of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The controversy contributed to the growing dispute soon to erupt in civil war. The Lecompton Constitution failed, in part, because the antislavery party won control of the territorial legislature in the election of 1857. The new legislature met in Constitution Hall, now a National Historic Landmark, and immediately began to abolish the proslavery laws. The victorious free-state leaders chose Topeka as capital when Kansas became a state in 1861.

Erected by:
Kansas Historical Society and Department of Transportation

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Location:
the roadside rest area at the intersection of US Highway 40 and E 600th Road.

Handicapped Accessibility:
The parking in front of the marker is paved and it can be viewed from the car, so it is fairly accessible.

Charles Curtis - Only Topekan to be Vice President

Charles Curtis

Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was the 31st Vice President of the United States (1929–1933). Vice President Curtis, who served under President Herbert Hoover was the only Topekan to be Vice President, as well as the only Kansan and thus far was the only Native American to be Vice President of the United States of America.

Photo courtesy: Listal

According to Wikipedia,

Curtis ran for Vice President with Herbert Hoover as President in 1928. They won a landslide victory. Although they ran again in 1932, the population saw Hoover as failing to alleviate the Great Depression, and they were defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner.

According to the United States Senate website, the Hoover-Curtis ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of Alfred Smith and Joseph T. Robinson.

Photo from
"Greedy Gay Amy" on Soda Head

The Charles Curtis House Museum in downtown Topeka, near the State Capital grounds. With the Museum being open by appointment. Every year on January 25th, the mansion is open to the public, free of charge, to celebrate Charles Curtis' Birthday. The Charles Curtis home is the official meeting place for the Native American Indian Chamber of Commerce



Location: Corner of 10th and Topeka

Admission: $5/person

Phone: (785) 357-1371

Accessibility: The museum is NOT accessible to those who are mobility challenged.

Sources:
VP Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis Museum
Wikipedia
Kansas State Historical Society
United States Senate
Topeka Cemetery 

Iconic Folks of Northeast Kansas

Every town has at least one. Like the mumbling guy on the street. Those intriguing characters that always make you wonder. When I lived in Austin, TX there was the iconic "Leslie" a cross-dresser that was loved by many. He even ran unsuccessfully for mayor several times. When he passed away in 2012, it was big news on all the local news programs. In addition, there was "running man," who is often seen on Rundberg and North Lamar running (or dancing) in place. But, hey "Keep Austin Weird," right?

Here in Northeast Kansas, we have our share of them as well. Here is a look at some that make our communities a little more unique. 

Lawrence:

1. "Dennis"
 Twitter: @RealSherylTween
Facebook: The Friends of Dennis
Dennis Abbott is known around Lawrence for his manikin that he calls his daughter, Sheryl Tween. When we tried to find out more about him and his daughter, we were told that he wasn't iconic.  So as we write this, we ourselves, still don't really know who the man behind the persona is.
In an 2013 interview, he told KU Journalism Student Erica Marie Staab,

“My name is Dennis Abbott and I’m 48 years old,” he said in-between bites. As far as he is concerned, Abbott is a Lawrence native and has lived here his whole life. Currently he resides somewhere around 17Street.

photographer Unknown.
via Twitter @Sheryltween

According to the post, he lives with his brother John, and named his mannequin Sheryl, because he is a fan of Sheryl Crow.

But Sheryl doesn’t seem to be the only woman in Abbott’s life. Lying in the middle of the table were 3 different sized photographs of some blonde haired woman.
“That? That is just the girl,” Abbott said in reference to the pictures as he picked them up and showed them to me. After he gazed at them a moment he sat them back down and took a sip of his Dr. Pepper.

 Reportedly he is a fan of KU football, with a big blue Jayhawk in his room at his home.

2. "the Tan Man"

©Richard Gwin/Journal-World

This one comes from the 70's and 80's, so he is kind of retired from the unique local character scene. However, according to a Lawrence Journal World article John Schneider is still occasionally recognized, even in his 60's (he would be 69 or 70 this year). Back in the day, he spent time around the KU campus and Wesco Beach shirtless, soaking up the sun.  Thus becoming known as the Tan Man.

People still recognize him - even after all these years, even when he has a shirt on, he said.
A few years ago, Lawrence resident Tim Baxter saw Schneider outside his mobile home and knew immediately who he was. It was the first time he'd seen the Tan Man in years, Baxter said.
"He's aged, just like we all have, but I knew it was the Tan Man," Baxter said. "He's kind of a local legend."
- Lawrence Journal World (May 2006)

Topeka:

"the Lamp Dancer"
Twitter: @thelampdancer

Here in Topeka we have the Lamp Dancer, (aka "Trumpet") Rickey Hite. He dances all day, almost everyday down town. The guy is really nice and lots of people stop to talk to him and dance with him.




Do you know of any other folks that should be part of this list.
 In Lawrence?
Topeka?
Other Northeast Kansas cities and towns?
Add your comments in the comments section and tell about them.

8 Foot Faberge Eggs

In 2003 the Treasures of the Czars, Faberge Eggs made their second and last stop on their USA tour. As part of the tour, their were eight giant eggs, each being eight feet tall as part of the promotion for the tour.  Afterwards, they were sold.
I have not been able to find all eight eggs, but I have located two of the eggs still publicly visible from the street.  One of which is on the lawn of a public business.  That one is on the lawn of the YWCA in downtown Topeka.

YWCA Downtown

225 SW 12th Street 

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

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The other is in the front yard of a private home on a side street in Topeka's Central Park neighborhood.  The owners of the home, Eric Davis and his wife, said that the artist was in poor health, otherwise they would have him touch it up.

approximately 1214 SW Throop Street

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

We will continue looking for the other six, rumor has it one of the other eggs is in a private yard in nearby Rossville, KS.

Buffalo Sculpture

If you have driven down 17th or 15th just east of the Brown V Board Nation Historic Site, you have seen this statue of a Buffalo (Concrete Bison Sculpture) in Cushinberry Park. Near the area that 15th and 17th streets merge together.

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Originally at the campus of the now defunct Kansas Vocational Institute (KTI), that had been near 6th and Rice Road. It had been the schools mascot, that the students lovingly called "Old Buff."

about the institute:

The institute was known in Topeka as the “Western Tuskegee,” was the result of the work of Lizzie Riddick, a prominent member of the Colored Women’s Suffrage Association, and Edward Stephens. Riddick and Stephens successfully enlisted the support of Booker T. Washington and later the state of Kansas to establish the second oldest black college in Kansas (the first was Freedmen’s University, 1863).

Riddick and Stephens were elementary school teachers who in 1895 founded the kindergarten, sewing school, and reading room in Mud Town, an area of Topeka originally settled by black Exodusters from Mississippi and Louisiana in 1879. Booker T. Washington visited Topeka and endorsed their efforts in 1897, and in 1898, with funds from the black community, they purchased a building in the heart of Topeka's African American black business district on Kansas Avenue. The State of Kansas gave them $1,500 the following year. In 1900, Washington sent Tuskegee graduate William Carter to be the Institute's first president and the faculty began teaching industrial arts and scientific agriculture.
- See more at: BlackPast.org

In 1919 the State of Kansas had become the principle contributor to the school, took control and renamed it Kansas Technical Institute. 

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Location:  15th and Jefferson

Artist/Sculptor: Unknown

National Night Out Topeka 2015

Tonight was National Night Out in Topeka.  We attended two of the events here in town, one at Central Highland Park and the other at Central Park.  Below are some pictures from the two events that we attended. Central Highland Park handed out Back to School supplies and both locations gave away door prizes to those in attendance.

Central Highland Park

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Highland Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

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Central Park

Central Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Central Park, photo by Kevin Surbaugh

Overbrook Mural

 Don't Overlook Overbrook

A short drive from Topeka, is a mural along Highway 56. It is perhaps the best know attraction in this small community, of Overbrook, KS. The mural decorates a building in the heart of Overbrook, depicting the town’s history: city hall (which is still in use), the M.E. Church, the railroad that prompted the founding of the town site, and the thousands of wagons that crossed the area as they followed the Santa Fe Trail.

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

The Burger Stand - College Hill

We are on the search for the best burger in Topeka. Here is how we rate the burger joints that we will review. First we put heavy emphasis on where the joint is headquartered, Local (Topeka) will garner an automatic 10 bonus points. Kansas owned chains (headquartered in Lawrence, Wichita, etc) an automatic 5 bonus points and National chains (those headquartered outside the state) will garner an automatic 0 bonus points. The ten categories that we will use in our search for the best burger in Topeka will be 1.Burger Patties Quality, 2. Bun Quality, 3. Customer Service, 4. Garnish Quality, 5. Fries Quality, 6. Atmosphere, 7. Order Accuracy, 8. Cleanliness (Restrooms, Dinning area, Entrance, etc), 9. Building Accessibility and 10. Price. All categories will earn a score between 1 and 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 being the poorest.

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

 Bonus Points: 5
Headquartered in Lawrence, KS. The Topeka location is their second and newest location.

1. Burger Patties Quality: 9
 The patties were tasty and juicy, although neither were cooked as we ordered them. That aside they did have a fantastic flame broiled taste. Enhanced greatly, by the ice cold Coca-Cola™ we were drinking to was it down with.

photo by Kevin Surbaugh

2. Bun Quality: 10
 What can I say, the bun was nicely toasted and still had that excellent soft, fresh taste. 

3. Customer Service: 10
 Th staff was very friendly from the order taker at the counter/bar to the busboy cleaning the tables around us.

4. Garnish Quality: 10
 The vegetable garnish tomato, lettuce and onion) was very fresh and good. 

5. Fries Quality: 8
 The fries had a great taste with a hint of seasoning salt. Perhaps even a little to much.

6. Atmosphere: 7
 While promoted as a family place, even having a kids menu, the atmosphere is somewhat of a bar atmosphere. Which means some kids may find it to noisy.

7. Order Accuracy: 5
 We both ordered the "Classic", which doesn't come with ketchup or pickles. So the wife ordered hers with lettuce only, and I ordered mine plain (since they don't come with ketchup). Ketchup and mustard is on every table.  When we received our orders, one burger came with lettuce on, as ordered, and the other came with all the vegetables, despite being ordered plain.

8. Cleanliness (Restrooms, Dinning area, Entrance, etc): 10
Dining, entrance area and restrooms were all clean and well maintained, even during a busy lunch rush on a Saturday afternoon.

9. Building Accessibility: 10
 The building has great accessibility with two handicapped accessible stalls in the curbside parking on 15th street.

10. Price: 7
A little pricy. The Burger Stand fancies themselves a gourmet burger joint and their prices reflect that.  We ordered "The Classic" which was the cheapest burger on the adult menu.
Burger $8.50 each
Side order of fries $2 each
Soda $2.50 each

Total: 9.1

Address:
1601 SW Lane Street

Phone:
785-783-8900

Website:
 BurgerStandRestaurants.com

Horizons Hamburger Palace

We are on the search for the best burger in Topeka. Here is how we rate the burger joints that we will review. First we put heavy emphasis on where the joint is headquartered, Local (Topeka) will garner an automatic 10 bonus points. Kansas owned chhttp://www.2tourtopeka.net/2015/02/horizons0153.htmlains (headquartered in Lawrence, Wichita, etc) an automatic 5 bonus points and National chains (those headquartered outside the state) will garner an automatic 0 bonus points. The ten categories that we will use in our search for the best burger in Topeka will be 1.Burger Patties Quality, 2. Bun Quality, 3. Customer Service, 4. Garnish Quality, 5. Fries Quality, 6. Atmosphere, 7. Order Accuracy, 8. Cleanliness (Restrooms, Dinning area, Entrance, etc), 9. Building Accessibility and 10. Price. All categories will earn a score between 1 and 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 being the poorest. 

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It has been seven months since our last burger review. Recently, we asked on our Facebook and Twitter pages for your suggestions of where we should go next. We listened and had a hard time deciding on which of the excellent suggestions to go to next. We ended up, deciding on Horizon's, a classic in the cities Oakland neighborhood. Owners, former professional boxers,  Derrick and Damon Reed also own Reed's Lakeside Bar and Grill (29th and Croco) as well as Reed's Ringside Bar and Grill (just north of Topeka) incidentally, their family is no stranger to the Topeka burger community, they are cousins of the Mentzer family, who owns The Pad, in North Topeka.

 Bonus Points: 10

1. Burger Patties Quality: 8
Our burgers were nice and juicy, with a hint of tenderized meat seasoning.  No overcooked burger here.  The only thing to make the burger taste better would have been Coca-Cola™ rather then Pepsi™.

2. Bun Quality:10
Toasted bun, but not overly toasted. The bun was soft and fresh tasting.

3. Customer Service: 8
Very friendly. Attentive to detail, taking our order accurately. Biggest concern came while we were eating. The ice cream freezer, is kept in the dinning room, rather the kitchen area and was next to the table we were eating at. The employee, retrieving ice cream for another customer, decided she had to put her butt in our face to get ice cream out to make a shake. 

4. Garnish Quality: 10
 The garnish was fresh and complemented the burger very nicely.

5. Fries Quality: 9
 The fries was nice crispy and warm crinkle cut fries.  They however, were obviously, frozen french fries and had the same taste as the fries I prepare myself at home.

6. Atmosphere: 9
 The atmosphere is somewhere between a fast food place and a casual family diner. A TV  in the corner droned with some sports talk program, which would be fine for someone interested in sports, but for us that aren't sports fans, CNN™ or Fox News™ would be better.

7. Order Accuracy: 10
 The burgers were prepared exactly as the wife and I had asked.  I ordered mine with ketchup only.  The wife ordered hers with mayonnaise, ketchup and pickle only. 

8. Cleanliness (Restrooms, Dinning area, Entrance, etc):  7
The entrance and dining area seemed well kept and clean. We didn't use or check the restrooms on this visit. Our biggest concern was the entrance mat was picked up and thrown in a wad on a bench for customers waiting for to go orders.

9. Building Accessibility: 7
 The front doors were accessible. However, the issue was the parking lot.  There was only one handicapped stall, but was not accessible from the first drive we entered. Instead we had to turn around, exit the parking lot, re-entering the street, turning into the second drive that was signed drive thru, to access the one handicapped stall.  Since the parking lot is divided the way it is, it would be better if a handicapped stall was on either side of the sidewalk median.

10. Price: 8
 Pricing was pretty much in line with other places. Though, the drinks were probably the most overpriced item. We paid a total of $14.66.
the Horizon burger $3.29 each (we ordered 2)
Large fries $2.99 (we ordered one)
small soda $1.95 each (we ordered two)

The biggest issue in this area, was that they had a problem with the credit card machine, that resulted in my debit card having a hold for $14.66 placed on it not once, but three times. So cash would be the best option to prevent this.  Much like we had to do when we visited The Prize Package.

Total:  9.6


Address:
2500 NE Seward Ave
Topeka, KS 66614

Phone:
(785) 235-8800

Website:
horizonshamburgerpalace.com

Holley Museum of Military History

See a 4,000-piece military collection of dioramas, models and artifacts from the Civil War through the Persian Gulf War.

Hours: Sun-Sat 10 AM-8 PM

Admission: 

Website: http://www.topekaramada.com/hmmh/

Location:        inside the Ramada
                       420 SE 6th Avenue  
                       Topeka, KS 66603   

Phone:            785-272-6204