Notes From the Tower
If you’ve been in the small room at the top of the stairs on the second floor at the 1892 Public School Building, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the ladder on the wall that leads to a trapdoor in the ceiling. Inside the trapdoor is a small room that contains a staircase leading to the bell tower. There’s also a door that leads to the attic. The room has changed very little since the building was completed in 1893. It’s kind of dirty and at first glance, not very impressive. But if you look a little closer, you’ll see something fascinating; an assortment of graffiti adorns the door to the attic, the stairs to the bell tower, and on the walls. And most of the graffiti is from the early part of the 20th century. Some of the writing has faded with the years and is undecipherable. In fact, the earliest dated graffiti is unreadable except for the date – Jan 19th, 1902. It’s written on the door to the attic in white (chalk? grease pencil?). Other graffiti is written in pencil.
Most of the graffiti are names, some with dates. Arthur J. Gerhart wrote his name twice in 1907. George Moses Yenser and Florence Ruth put their names together on April 23, 1911. Were they sweethearts writing their names on a door instead of carving them in a tree? In 1913, Lester Sander and Russell Reider wrote their names. Three sets of initials (EMW, WSK, HLS) are dated 1914. Were they afraid to write their whole names in case they were caught? What would be the punishment for writing on the door to the attic? There might have been a punishment in 1914, but in later years, one has to wonder if any punishment could’ve been given out to the bell tower graffiti artists since Harry B. Yoder’s name is written in several places on the door and the staircase. After all, if the principal can write his name on the tower, why can’t the students? (Harry had a cohort in crime – Cook Kemp has his name scratched several places, too.) Lester Kerchner added his name to the staircase, but didn’t date his entry. Did he do this as a student or when he was a custodian for the school district?
In case you think Florence Ruth is the only adventurous girl who climbed into the tower to leave her mark, here’s a quote written on the door:
On April 15, 1907 Ida Yoder, Beulah Landis, Anna Angstadt, Stella Barto, and Linda Yenser investigated the bell with the (undecipherable) A.E. professor.
Apparently the girls were emboldened by the presence of a professor (whoever he may have been) to document their visit so completely. But why did the bell need to be “investigated?” Was there something wrong with the bell, or did they give their foray into the bell tower a lofty reason to mask their curiosity?
Another group of girls, the “B.A.B. Club,” wrote their names on the staircase: Margaret Angstadt, Merry (?) Kemp, Julia Kemp, Lovie Schaeffer, Anna Livingood, Laila Dunkelberger, Evelyn Kline, Anna Kline, Ida Yoder (It seems Miss Yoder visited the bell tower several times in her career), Minnie Missbach, and Myrtle Steffy. Further up on the staircase, written in the same handwriting, is a group called “The Committee.” What an ominous name. For what, do you suppose, was this committee formed? Its members were Eva Schaefer, Julia Kemp, Beulah Rothermel, Laila Dunkelberger, and Lovie Schaeffer. There is a solo entry among this group: Laila Dunkelberger – April 13, 1911.
There are some undated names: Herman W. Babb, Paul Metzger 13 (could mean 1913), Earl Moyer, Robert Reimert, Lee Rothermel. The faded handwriting suggests these names were written with most of the others – between 1900 and 1920. Very few traces of graffiti can be found from the 1920s through the present. Students undoubtedly ventured into the bell tower during this time frame. What kept them from adding to the graffiti?
There are some examples of graffiti from more recent times. A cryptic entry, “Blick ’56,” can be found on the staircase. Directly above the Blick entry is from 1975; two students named Dean S. and Noel left their marks. The most visible graffiti is on the south wall - EXTERIOR PAINTED BY FRANK FUHRMAN 1968. Apparently Mr. Fuhrman preferred to leave his mark with an oil-based painted mural, unlike our other graffiti artists. An interesting piece of dated graffiti is Harry Schmoyer April 23, 1971 – exactly sixty years to the day after George Moses Yenser and Florence Ruth left their marks. Was this a coincidence? Wouldn’t it be romantic if Harry Schmoyer were a descendant of George and Florence?
The end of the building’s use as a public school was documented by:
John Tominosky – June 10, 1977 Room 7
Dennis Boyer – June 10, 1977 Room 5
Two teachers climbed that ladder on the last day classes would ever be held in the building and left their mark.
You wouldn’t expect there to be any more graffiti after the building ceased being used as a school and was purchased by the historical society. But “Mark Arnold, Wire Master of PA 1999” was recorded when he was working in the attic. In 1981 Tim, Wendy, Sheryl, and Shermie wrote their names on the staircase. We know why Mark Arnold was in the bell tower, but why were Tim, Wendy, Sheryl, and Shermie there? Who are they? What is their connection to the historical society? In the 1990s, a clandestine exploration of the building by some KU students was chronicled in The Keystone, the university newspaper. Some students gained entry to the building and gave themselves a tour. Presumably they left behind this memento on the bell tower stairs, “This building is excellent. Don’t ever tear it down. – Bill.” While we prefer people to take tours with our consent, we can’t argue with Bill’s advice.
