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Mrs. Park B. Pulsifer, a resident of Concordia, was the owner of this letter written by Martha Washington. Dated January 27, 1791, it was written to Martha's niece, Mrs. Frances Bassett Washington.  The letter was the fourth article received by the Museum in November of 1959.

National celebrity, Boston Corbett settled seven and a half miles south east of Concordia.  He gained his notoriety after shooting and killing John Wilkes Booth-Abraham Lincoln's assassin.  Perues his display to learn the interesting facts about his life in Cloud County.

This rare 1928 Lincoln-Page was owned by Charlie and Isabell Blosser, soars aloft suspended within the Museum.   The Blossers have exhibited a life-long interest in aviation, making land available for the Blosser Municipal Airport and Airport Park.

WWII POW Camp Concordia officially received the first German POWs by special train on the night of July 12, 1943.  They were enlisted men from General Rommel's Africa Corps capture in the North African Campaign.  The camp housed a little over 4000 German prisoners.  After Germany surrendered, the last prisoners depart for Germany on October 31, 1945.  The camp closes on November 8, 1945.

Looking west from the intersection of 6th and Broadway, Concordia, KS  

  150th. anniversary of Concordia’s first major fire

Concordia was just in its infancy and celebrating its 2nd Christmas holiday. The town was full of festivities that Christmas eve in 1872. The community gathered at the dance held at Fredrick Sturges’ newly constructed two-story building. Part of the festivities’ plans included changing the stagecoach schedule to allow the drivers to attend the dance. Bachelors were vying for a chance to dance with the beautiful Betourney sisters. The dance had to be paused, when it was discovered that too many people were causing the second floor of Sturges’s building to collapse under their weight. About one o’clock, while the floor was being shored up, shouting could be heard from the street. People celebrating Christmas could not have imagined that they would be walking through the ashes of what had been a large section of their prospering town the next day. The shouting in the street was a call to fight a growing fire in freezing gale force winds. 

Eleven buildings along the south side of 6th Street were destroyed due to the spread of the fire. One building was not destroyed by the fire, but by the town’s people, who tore it down and threw it into the street to hinder the path of the flames. The fire had started in the W.M. Donaldson’s pool hall on the second story of a building on the south corner of 6th Street and Washington Street. W. E. Crans & Company had a drug and grocery store in the lower level. A boy was cleaning out the stove in the pool hall. He placed the container with the hot coals and ashes next to the wall by the window. A gust of wind blew through a crack in the plaster and fanned the contents into a fire. That fire then jumped to the adjoining building, which housed the market of Messrs. Bean & King. More buildings were ignited as the blaze raced eastward. Most of the furnishings of the City Hotel owned by John and Simon Gliddon were saved before the building was destroyed. Sturges’ large two story building where the dance was held was next. A store room was on the first floor with a public room upstairs. Their neighboring building housed the grocery store of R.H. Sturges. The contents of L. J. Cran’s law office building was saved. Shelmamer’s bakery was the next building to the east along with his adjoining flour, feed and produce department, of which only a portion of the stock was saved. It was also his residence. Unfortunately, his children were sick and their condition worsen after being exposed the freezing wind for an hour. Next, was the saloon and residence of Mr. Neitzel. The last building burned was owned by James Hagaman and was run as a carpenter’s shop. Even though the towns people tore down his building, Hagaman praised the fire fighter’s efforts to save the town and for saving his business records. Just like Hagaman’s, the residents tried to save what contents of the burning buildings they could. What could be rescued was piled in the street. The buildings of Case & Co. and E. T. Floyd were fortunate to escape the destruction.

The destruction that swept through the heart of Concordia’s businesses was estimated to be over $30,000 in uninsured damages, causing a severe setback for the town. The smoldering ruins of desolated businesses casted a gloom over the whole community. Nevertheless, the spirit of Concordia could not be suppressed. With renewed hope, Concordia proved to be an enterprising town and built back better than before. Townsfolk were proud of how of their town looked, when the wooden structures were replaced with magnificent stone and/or brick buildings. Most of the new buildings were erected within eight months. In 1873, the town was discussing the need for a hook and ladder company, two public wells in the business district, and an organized bucket brigade to help defend against future fires.