Did You Know This About Geary County History?”By Dr. Ferrell MillerGeary County Historical Society Board Member<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590507848435.jpeg" alt="Jackson-McConnell House" />
 <figcaption>Jackson-McConnell House</figcaption>
 </figure>“The Historic House At 228 W. Fifth Street” The information about the historic house at 228 W. Fifth Street was written by Dr. Virlene Carlson. Dr. Carlson teaches English at Cloud County Community College—Geary Campus. Her husband, David, is a retired long-time educator for Geary County USD 475 Schools. 	The 2006 National Register of Historic Places listed “Mrs. Jackson’s House” at 228 West Fifth Street. This is the story of an early female settler and her house.“After Mrs. William R. Jackson of Richmond, Missouri became a widow, she moved almost 200 miles away (to Junction City, Kansas). Lucy’s husband, William Jackson, left her financially solvent. She had a house built for herself at the age of 63 and was then known as Mrs. Lucy Y. Jackson. Her house still stands as an American Foursquare.Mrs. Jackson bought the land on which the house would be built from the Stricklands for $1,500. The new house was built in 1911. Mrs. Jackson used a floorplan similar to one that Frank Lloyd Wright published in Ladies Home Journal in 1907. It was for a two-story house with no servants. It was common for two generations to live together, but not as common to build a fashionable house with no household help. Mrs. Jackson lived in the house for 18 years. Irving and Ella Miller, Lucy’s daughter and son-in-law, lived with her. Mrs. Lucy Jackson died at the home at age 81. She chose to be buried in Richmond, Missouri, where her husband was buried. The deed did not change hands in 1929. Irving and Ella Miller remained in the home at 228 West Fifth Street. The house at 228 West Fifth Street passed through eleven owners in the past 109 years. Susan Lloyd Franzen, author of Beyond the Façade of Fort Riley’s Hometown, spent her junior high and senior high years (grades 7-12) in the house. School Superintendent, Donald A. McConnell owned the house for 34 years (1954-1988). Others included D.E. Lacer and two military families. The present owners, David and Virleen Carlson, purchased it in 2006. The owners suggested that the name for historical reference be the “McConnell House.” The Kansas State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) suggested the addition of “Jackson” to honor Mrs. Lucy Jackson. On April 16, 2012, the “Jackson-McConnell House” was entered into the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture, by the authority of the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service.”“The Bandstands in Heritage Park”The Junction City Community Band will not be performing their concerts during the month of June this year because the Coronavirus. Although concerts have been held in the air conditioned C.L. Hoover Opera House in recent years, summer band concerts were originally held in Heritage Park with the band performing on the bandstand. Today’s story is a look back at early community bandstands in the park and is taken from a story written by Gaylynn Childs, retired Executive Director of the Geary County Historical Society.“In 1878, the first bandstand was erected in the park. Over the years, improvements had gradually been made to the area including the planting of trees grass and flowers.&nbsp; A flagpole had been erected during the turbulent early days of the Civil war, but the organization of a cornet band in the city in 1868 motivated the first structure on the grounds. No photographs or artist’s sketch of this original bandstand have been found, but it apparently was a round wood structure with a roof. In the Junction City Union of June 8, 1878, it was reported among the City Council proceedings that “the Finance Committee was instructed to contract for the erection of a Bandstand in the City Park at an expense not exceeding $80.” The bandstand was to have a flagpole in the center and to be painted and whitewashed. How long this structure stood in the park is unknown, however, accounts of concerts from the bandstand in the park were recorded in newspapers through the 1880s and 1890s. The second bandstand was constructed in 1911. (The same year Mrs. Jackson’s house was built, which is the current address of 228 W. Fifth St., referred to in a previous article). In the June 13 issue of the local paper, it was announced that the contract for the city park bandstand was let to C.M. Stebbins at $400. The plans called for an octagonal bandstand, 16 feet each way, which was to be constructed of cement blocks. For 62 years this structure served as the centerpiece in the park that was the outdoor “heart” of our community. By 1973, the old cement stone structure had deteriorated to an unsafe state and the city fathers decreed its demolition.”

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