By Dr. Ferrell MillerGeary County Historical Society Board Member“Growing Up In Junction City – Some Reflections By Mary Louise Scothorne”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599407921060.jpeg" alt="Mary Louise Scothorne" />
 <figcaption>Mary Louise Scothorne</figcaption>
 </figure>	In 2003, Mary Louise Scothorne, shared some of her childhood memories of Junction City with Gaylynn Childs, retired Executive Director of the Geary County Historical Society.	Mary Louise was a retired school teacher who moved to Junction City from Hutchinson, Kansas when she was eight years old. The family’s first home here was at 310 North Jefferson, which was formerly owned by Judge George Scott. One of her favorite playmates was Fannie Fern Federlin. She was the granddaughter of Harry Montgomery who lived across the street. Mr. Montgomery was the owner and publisher of the Union newspaper. The Montgomery family kept a little donkey that became a favorite pet of the girls. They would climb on the donkey’s back and ride double all over town from Sixth Street south to Hicks Hill (Ash Street today) stopping to visit and chat with all the ladies they could find at home. 	Another favorite location of Mary Louise was the Rizer Sisters’ Dress Shop, located where Jim’s Men’s Wear (Tom’s Men’s Wear is today at 625 North Washington Street). “I’d go down to the shop with my mother and we’d sit and everyone would visit. That is where I learned all my stories. Miss Josie Rizer was a regular encyclopedia of knowledge about J.C.”. 	Mary Louise went on to say that she “loved to ride the Interurban or the streetcar. It went from Junction City through Fort Riley to Manhattan and then turn around and come back. When we came back, we would often go to one of the drug stores – Flower’s Candy Kitchen or one of the other places and have our refreshments.	A social occasion for the younger set that was popular with the girls was the Crawford Sister’s Dancing School. Mona Kessinger’s stately home at 237 W. Vine Street was finished with a lovely ballroom on the third floor that was the talk of the town. The house had been built by Hal Pierce. Mrs. Pierce’s two sisters, known as the Crawford sisters, decided to run a little dancing school in the ballroom and I was invited to come. About 15 little girls and 15 little boys would go on Saturday afternoons and they would teach us how to ballroom dance. The boys didn’t like it, but the girls thought it was wonderful.” 	Mary Louise Scothorne never married. She was 88 at the time of her death in 1993. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599408035393.jpeg" alt="Elizabeth and Robert Henderson" />
 <figcaption>Elizabeth and Robert Henderson</figcaption>
 </figure>“Elizabeth Henderson and the Organ (Melodeon)”According to George Martin, editor of the local newspaper: “During the term of service of the Rev. David Clarkson as Chaplain at Fort Riley, an organ was presented to the Episcopal parish at Fort Riley (now St. Mary’s Chapel). This is believed to have been the melodeon which Mrs. Jeb Stuart played for the Episcopal services during the time her husband lived at Fort Riley. There was a change in the chaplaincy at the Fort. Before leaving, Chaplain Clarkson left the organ (melodeon) with Mrs. Robert (Elizabeth) Henderson. With the explanation that the organ belonged to the Junction City parish, St. John’s Parish (now Church of the Covenant). Upon the new chaplain’s arrival, he claimed the organ as property of the fort and there being evidence of some trouble over the little instrument, Mrs. Henderson carefully nailed down the windows at her house and awaited the outcome. 	A sergeant and five men came to the Henderson house at the corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets in Junction City on the fifth of May in 1863 with orders to seize all fort property. Mrs. Henderson, with rifle in hand stood in the door of her house defying the soldiers from entering. She prevented the sergeant from entering, but while he complimented her on her soldierly qualities, a detachment was on the opposite side of the house. The soldiers gained entrance and made away with the organ. 	Two days later, Mrs. Henderson, accompanied by the constable with a writ of replevin, went to the fort to reclaim the organ but they were driven off by the guard. The following October, the case came before a justice of the peace and the verdict was given by the jury to have the organ returned to the town folk. It was appealed to district court, where the case was dismissed for “informality”.	Following this decision, a party of soldiers seized the instrument, put it in a wagon and started to carry it off. It was retrieved before the team left town. To provide against further seizures, merchant P.Z. Taylor sewed it up in army blankets and hid it away in his store. The most thorough search failed to reveal its hiding place. Two years later the court declared that the ownership was to be the town parish.”

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