Articles written by Kerma Crouse
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Jewell County is 150 years old!
On June 16, 1870, before Jewell County existed, Col. Eldon Barker was commissioned the county notary public. He was the first county official in Jewell County. Barker homesteaded just west of present-day Jewell on section 28 of Calvin Township....
7th Annual Jewell County Plow Day
It is time for another Jewell County Plow Day and Saturday, is the day! This year's event will be held at the Joe Eilert Farm south and west of Jewell. The location is 160 Road and G Road. For those...
Jewell County Historical Museum to remain closed
Jack Alcorn, the Jewell County Historical Society (JCHS) president, announced early last week the society’s museum, located at 118 North Commercial in Mankato, will remain closed for this season. The museum committee of the JCHS will be working on...
Historical jail gets new roof
The old "Jewell County Jail" in Mankato was used from 1900 to 1978. In 1899, Jewell County commissioners paid a Topeka architect, J. C. Holland, $500 to design the building. The builder for the project was W. C. Berry of Jewell. Berry, with a bid of...
Harrison - Post Office and Town
Early in Jewell County history, there was discussion on the matter of what to name Town 1 South Range 8 West in Jewell County. Two suggestions were Kleveland and Norway as K. O. Kleveland, from Norway, was an early settler. But another suggestion...
The Greene Family
Yes, it is a story – with many starting places. Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Virginia and Cornwall, England to name a few. One beginning was in 1867, when Civil War Veteran Ogden Norman...
Sesquicentennial Fourth of July planned in Jewell
“We Have a Story to Tell”! In 1870 there was a celebration at Fort Jewell on the Fourth of July. The group, several were Civil War veterans, was celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the United States. But pertinent to the settlers, they...
Jewell County's first high school commencement held in 1887
This issue of the Jewell County Record is generally full of the news of graduations, alumni events and Memorial Day ceremonies. This year it is not the case. In honor of graduates, commencements, alumni and Jewell’s Sesquicentennial here is an...
NCYC will hold Virtual Day Camp
The annual North Central Youth Camp will be held this year. It will have the same director and many of the same leaders but a new format. The camp will be virtual! The virtual camp will be held on June 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Campers will be those...
Mayview Church
The Mayview Christian Church, often called Mayview Church or in later years simply Mayview, was located in Jewell County's Brown's Creek Township, Section 17. The church was in existence for more...
Pioneer Couple come to Jewell County in 1871
Bill Loomis, Jarrett Arasmith, Grant Arasmith, Darica Bohnert Hagler, Damon Bohnert, Deb Moyer Bohnert, Becky Moyer Cockroft, Jessie Simmelink Eilert, Jensen Eilert, Jada Eilert, Marsha Willmeth...
Shaffer Union Cemetery gets a much needed facelift
Shaffer Union Cemetery, often just called Shaffer Cemetery, is located in Section 22 of Harrison Township. Isaac Shaffer donated the land, part of his homestead, for the cemetery. The cemetery is an old one, with at least three burials in 1873. Davis...
Big Bend, Kansas
Jackson Township is the northeastern most township in Jewell County. Nebraska borders it on the north and Republic County's Big Bend Township borders it on the east. Sections one, two and three of the...
Jewell's Oldest House
"Jewell – We've Got A Story To Tell" and one story is about the house on the southeast corner of Main and Sheridan. It is thought to be the oldest house in the community. Records and newspaper...
Fish holding school in Reubens
John's Creek meanders north through Jewell County's Richland Township. It was doing so 150 years ago when the first permanent settlers were establishing homes in Jewell County. At that time, White...
Dane G Hansen grant at work in Formoso
On Main Street in Formoso, an old limestone wall is getting a face lift. Old meaning at least 120 years old. Michael Hansen, Concordia, has reset building blocks, filled in mortar, and restored the...
Social Distancing, Isolation or Quarantine
We are in a time when "social distancing" should be a way of life and not merely a "buzz word." Though it may feel like the term is new, the concept is quite old. Consider those with leprosy in...
Holy Week
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday and now we are ready to celebrate Easter on this coming Sunday. Holy Week, in the Christian Calendar is the week leading up to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. During the week, Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord's...
The History of Jewell's "Plowman" House
The home at 518 Broadway in Jewell, the "Plowman" house was built in 1901 by Edgar and Emma Haskins Young. The 119-year old home is currently owned by Jason and Jessie Eilert. The builder and first...
Spring of 1870, April, settlers arrive in Jewell
Peter Kearns is reported to have been the only settler to stay for the winter of 1869-70 in Jewell County. The Kearns homestead was located somewhere along White Rock Creek. Kearns, born in France, lived the rest of his life in Jewell County in the...
Palm Sunday
Christians around the world will celebrate Palm Sunday on this coming Sunday, April 5. (Or on April 12 in Eastern Orthodox or Russian Orthodox congregations.) It is often observed with children carrying palm branches down the aisles of churches but w...
1918-1920 and the "Spanish Flu" Pandemic
A pandemic occurs when a disease spreads in significant numbers world-wide. If a disease is more limited in area, not found in large numbers in multiple continents, it is an epidemic. An outbreak simply means there are more cases of a disease in a...
Fly the Flag for National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Sunday is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. This national observance is to remember and thank all Vietnam War Veterans and their families for their service during the war. First observed in 2012, National Vietnam War Veterans Day was made official...
Buffalo returning to the Buffalo Valley
"Jewell - We Have A Story To Tell." One story, from the beginning of Jewell's history, tells of a pioneer, Billy Street, walking out on the prairie and climbing to the top of Scarborough Hill. The hill, west of Jewell, is named after another early...
Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR!
Fort Hays State University graduate student, Michael Saint, has earned his fourth national championship ring competing with the university's Shooting Club and Team. He is the son of Curtis and...
