The SHAWNEE INDIAN METHODIST MISSION The Oldest Buildings in Kansas.

Deuteronomy 32:7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

It's appalling to see that young people can get a good education in the "how to" courses today, without being instructed in the "how come" and "why and what for" courses. Most have a terrible sense of history and geography and how much hard work and discipline it took to provide them with the opportunities they have.

So a good history lesson in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century activities in this country is right close to where we live Mission, Kansas. It is the Shawnee Indian Methodist Mission School.

Shawnee and Delaware Indians moved west to this area settling in on a government gift of 1.6 million acres in what was called at that time, about 1820-1862, the Great American Desert. The chief of the Shawnees requested a missionary through their Indian Agent.

A missionary society formed and Reverend Thomas Johnson, a Methodist pastor from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, was its founder. Johnson came west to Clarksville, Missouri, where he married his wie, Sarah Davis.

They moved to Wyandotte County, where Kansas City, Kansas, is located, across the Kaw River and State line from the Town of Kansas, later Kansas City, Missouri. He developed the first Shawnee Methodist Mission.

But Johnson was dissatisfied with the mission operation and proposed a more central location and open to all tribes at the present site. The mission school grew to include 2,000 acres with 200 boys and girls from the ages of five to 23 and with 16 buildings, of which three brick structures are still standing. Tours are given regularly.

The mission was also a boarding school for the indian boy and girl students to be trained in manual arts, agriculture, and basic academics. Besides the Shawnee tribe, the school opened to serve the Kaw (Kansa), Munsee, Delaware, Ottawa, Chippewa, Otoe, Osage, Cherokee, Peoria, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Wea, Gros Ventres, Omaha, and Wyandot tribes.

Reverend Johnson turned the school over to his son, Alexander, who managed it until it closed in 1862. Johnson retired to his home in Missouri and was murdered by southern sympathizers for turning from his long-held pro-slavery belief, to swear allegiance to the Union. He and his family are all buried in the Shawnee Indian Methodist cemetery in Fairway, Kansas, close to Mission Road and on Shawnee Mission Parkway.

The Mission served in many ways besides being an Indian school. Kansas became a territory in 1854 and the office moved from what is now Fort Riley, to the Shawnee Indian Mission where the first territorial legislature met and passed the "bogus laws," an attempt to make kansas a pro-slavery state.

The mission was also a Union camp and a supply stop for Union troops during the Civil War. The Battle of Westport, now a trendy upscale part of Kansas City, Missouri, was fought not too far away. And southern troops made a retreat across into Kansas and down along the border barely ahead of Kansas Union troops in hot pursuit.

Wagon trains to Santa Fe, California, and Oregon, formed and set out from Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, and they at the Mission for rest and supplies.

It is in a beautiful park-like setting in a lovely neighborhood, close to Bishop Ohara High School. The mission was deeded to the Johnson family and others until it was acquired by the State of Kansas in 1927. Since that time it has been administered by the Kansas Historical Society.

OUR TOWN, MISSION, KANSAS

Mission, Kansas, City Hall & Police Department

For over 60 years, Helen and I have done everything together. I suppose "only children" are like that. But in our retirement, we are so blessed in so many ways that we just want to share our blessings with you in a separate blog, "Our Town, Mission."

When cancer retired me from the pastoral staff of the Kansas City Baptist Temple, it was appararent that we would not be able to keep up our lovely home in Raytown, Missouri. But it did not ever occur to me that our ministry was over, for as our oldest son told us, "The gifts and calling of the Lord are without repentance." And as we found out, neither are his blessings and benefits.

Where would we live in retirement? Helen's home town is Richmond, Virginia? - too far from family and our church. My home town, Arkansas City, Kansas? - No, it's difficult to go home again.

Some dear friends in Leawood, Kansas, scoured the area for an apartment to our liking. Avoiding all the "newbies" that sprung up in a real estate boom, the familiar comfort of an older, but well-kept complex appealed to us.They located a lovely two-bedroom ground-floor corner apartment with an adequate patio and cat entrance, in a pleasant setting of red brick buildings and good neighbors.

Mission, Kansas, is a unique land-locked bedroom community of about 11,000 which swells to over 50,000 during the week because of white collar industry and state offices. Everythng is within one to four city blocks from our home; City Hall and the police department, a highly professional fire station, a state-of-the-art community center, a super-duper super market, specialty stores, pet stores and groomers, a gazillion fast food and sit-down restaurants - and our favorite Chinese buffet owned and run by a family of dear friends.

But why is it called "Mission", Kansas? I will go into that in future posts, all about the Indian mission school, civil war history, Jayhawks and Bushwackers, border wars, and every wagon train to the west traveled through here - Oh, my! We have fun and ministry, who could ask for more?