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33-493: It started as a weekly, The Kansas City Enterprise, on September 23, 1854, a year after the city's founding and shortly after The Public Ledger went out of business. Kansas City's first mayor, William S. Gregory , and future mayors Milton J. Payne and Elijah M. McGee , along with city fathers William Gillis , Benoist Troost , Thompson McDaniel, Robert Campbell and Kansas City's first bank and biggest store, Northrup & Chick , pooled $ 1,000 to start it. William A. Strong

66-649: A degree of enchantment of which the most exaggerate fairy tale certainly has no prototype". The pet parrot , Florita, spoke profanity that "shocked and delighted". After Johnston's death, his widow Mattie married artist George Caleb Bingham , and they lived there. It became an early site of the Barstow School for Girls. It was renovated into the Mondamin Hotel, and then Roslin Hotel. The Kansas City Star lamented its demolition in late 1990 as an icon of

99-458: A medical doctor, partially self-taught. He had no degree, but frontier medical training was often casual. He was the first president of Mechanics Bank. In 1851, he married a second time, to Martha "Mattie" A. Livingston, a teacher of his daughter Sarah, at a boarding school in Lexington, Missouri . Mattie was 26 years old, having recently moved from Kentucky to work at a boarding school, and he

132-598: A mission in Potawatomi territory at what later became the west side of Topeka, Kansas . That year, some of the tribal elders requested that he be named their tribal physician, a government post that provided him a salary that was necessary to support the mission. His appointment was opposed by the Jesuits and the Potawatomi allied with them, but was granted in 1844. That year, he translated the New Testament into

165-570: A reputation as an effective physician in Missouri. Faced by the desperate need of his tribal students and their families, who were succumbing to various diseases, he read and did what he could medically. A smallpox epidemic hit the Shawnee reservation and Lykins began a vaccination program, an unusual approach by then. The Baptist mission board approved funds for printing religious tracts in native tribal languages, so in 1833, Jotham Meeker brought

198-614: The American Civil War , the paper espoused the popular Missouri view that the status quo should be maintained, that Missouri should remain in the Union and remain a slave state . When the war began, Van Horn enlisted in the Union Army , and the paper became staunchly Republican . In 1880, William Rockhill Nelson started The Kansas City Star , which became The Journal-Post' s primary competitor. In 1896, Van Horn sold

231-835: The Carey Mission , which was called the "point from which the American frontier was extended". McCoy baptized Lykins in June 1822 and was soon appointed as a missionary by the Baptist Board of Missions for the United States. Lykins applied himself diligently to his calling, and by 1824 could read religious discourses in the Potawatomi language . By 1825, he was appointed the official tribal teacher in Michigan and

264-477: The 1930s, 71st Street was renamed Gregory Boulevard in his honor. This Louisville metro area -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Johnston Lykins Johnston Lykins (April 15, 1800 – August 15, 1876) was a pioneering Baptist missionary to Native American tribes , and a founding civic booster in the frontier boomtowns of West Port and Kansas, Missouri , which combined and became Kansas City, Missouri . He

297-528: The Potawatomi language. In 1848, he built a trade school there by constructing the Pottawatomie Baptist Mission Building , and after three years had 90 students. Quarrels abounded between clergy of different Christian denominations and within the same ones. Lykins was an enthusiastic participant in these, and made many enemies. This, compounded by their criticism of his lack of medical credentials, led to his dismissal from

330-542: The Southern traditional design was "so pretentious that no one in Missouri would attempt to erect the structure", they hired architects and craftsmen from Cincinnati and shipped steel beams from Pittsburgh . While most citizens saw wooden sidewalks and muddy streets roamed by livestock, this Greek classic revival , or neoclassical , style two-story brick mansion with red painted walls had 14 rooms, 10 fireplaces, circular staircases, and crystal chandeliers. The main hall

363-455: The Town of Kansas. When Kansas City was incorporated on March 18, 1853, it had an area 0.98 square miles (2.5 km ) and a population of 2,500. 63 votes were cast for mayor and Gregory defeated Dr. Benoist Troost by nine votes. Gregory only served 10 months as mayor, when it was discovered that he lived on a farm that was outside the city limits eastern boundary at Locust Street. Therefore, he

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396-417: The business continued as Bennett & Gregory. In 1857, Gregory moved back to Kansas City and opened a store at 420 Delaware Street. In 1872, Gregory bought out his partner and consolidated with L. H. Warriner and A. C. Dyas at 51 West Third Street as Gregory, Warriner & Dyas. In 1877, the business was re-organized as Gregory & Co. In 1878, Gregory was a member of the common council of Kansas City. He

429-608: The cultural failure of the developers, the city government, and the public, to preserve historical architecture. During the American Civil War , he maintained Union loyalty but Mattie had to move to Clay County, Missouri , due to General Order No. 11 which required loyalty oaths for those living near the Kansas border south of the Missouri River. Lykins resided in Kansas City until his death on August 15, 1876. Mattie

462-410: The early to mid 1950s. The site of the now demolished Lykins School is at the northern forefront of Lykins Square Park. His bibliography of publications include the languages of Kansa , Delaware , Potawatomi , Munsee , Otoe , Osage , Iowa, Piankehsaw, and Shawnee . Long after his lifetime, the Pottawatomie Baptist Mission Building was restored and repurposed, and finally became a museum for

495-612: The first printing press to the Shawnee Mission. Books in Shawnee, Potawatomi, and other native languages were rapidly produced, to be used in missionary educational programs such as literacy. Lykins was co-author and editor of the Sinwiowe Kesibwi ( Shawnee Sun ), a small newspaper published entirely in the Shawnee language . In 1837, he wrote and published an Osage language grammar book. In 1843, Lykins founded

528-415: The government post of Physician to the Potawatomi in 1851. He left the Potawatomi mission soon after, returning to the Shawnee mission until 1855, when it was closed. At that time he moved to Kansas City, to be near his son. A Kansas City Public Library historian said Lykins is "possibly associated with more Kansas City 'firsts' than any other early settler". Long before it became Kansas City, he cofounded

561-565: The mission's constituents westward. In 1831, Lykins went with them, founding a mission in Missouri near the Shawnee reservation. Other groups' later forceful removals of tribes in 1838 along a similar route are historically commemorated as the Potawatomi Trail of Death . In 1831, he purchased 16 acres (6.5 ha) in the initial plat for the town of Kansas, Missouri and cofounded the Town of Kansas Company. He soon achieved

594-661: The missionary work of Isaac McCoy , among the area's native tribes . He joined the McCoy mission to the Wea peoples in northern Indiana in 1819. Lykins was not yet a Christian, and was hired only as a schoolteacher. He spent more time traveling for supplies and assisting the mission's functions than he did teaching school. From 1820 to 1822, he quit several times, but kept returning. In 1820, McCoy moved his mission west to Fort Wayne, Indiana , and in 1822 moved again west to Michigan Territory . In hostile Potawatomi country, they founded

627-589: The paper to Charles S. Gleed and Hal Gaylord, who renamed it The Kansas City Journal . In 1909, Denver Post owners Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen bought The Post, with J. Ogden Armour as a silent partner. The Post, with its tabloid format, red headlines and yellow journalism was linked to the rise of the Tom Pendergast political machine. In 1922, Walter S. Dickey bought The Journal . He bought The Post in 1922 and combined their operations at 22nd and Oak. Dickey invested in

660-626: The papers so as to compete with The Star, ultimately bankrupting his own lucrative clay-pipe manufacturing company. The papers combined as The Kansas City Journal-Post on October 4, 1928. In 1938, with the beginning of the collapse of the Pendergast machine, the paper changed the name of The Post to The Kansas City Journal . Also in 1938 Journal photographer Jack Wally bylined an undercover photo exposé of gambling houses under Pendergast that ran in Life magazine . The paper's last publication

693-552: The town of Kansas, becoming a wealthy civic booster and founding the area's first bank, newspaper, and Baptist church. In 1831, Lykins had already purchased 16 acres (6.5 ha) in the initial plat for the town of Kansas, Missouri and cofounded the Town of Kansas Company. His property extended south from the Missouri River to Fifth and Broadway. He later expanded his holdings to 12th and Washington on Quality Hill . While residing in Kansas City, Lykins functioned as

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726-514: The traveling preacher to the Odawa (Ottawa) and other tribes. In 1828, he married Delilah McCoy, who was his student and Isaac's daughter, becoming Isaac's son-in-law. In 1829, in preparation for major removal westward, Lykins traveled to study medicine for one year at the prestigious Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky . The Indian Removal Act of 1830, of which Lykins and McCoy had originally been good faith advocates, pushed many of

759-416: Was 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. It was often a gathering space for community representatives to discuss civil and political issues. Separate apartment buildings were in the rear for the 33-year-old enslaved woman and three children. The house was frequented by Kansas City leader Kersey Coates and his young daughter, "presided over by a host and hostess of the old regime of Southern hospitality [which] afforded

792-528: Was 51. The couple helped to establish the First Baptist Church in Kansas City in 1855. In the 1880s, Mattie wrote a memoir recalling life in the town of Kansas, through the sacking of Lawrence and the Civil War. In 1853, the town of Kansas, Missouri was reincorporated and renamed City of Kansas. Its first mayor, William Samuel Gregory , served only 10 months when it was discovered that he

825-649: Was a director of the Bank of Kansas City since its organization. Gregory married Eliza A. Wade in January 1846. She died in April 1851. In May 1852, Gregory married the sister of his former wife, Mary C. Wade. He had four children: Mrs. R. H. Cannon, Samuel W., Robert L. and Mrs. F. Holmes. Gregory died on August 11, 1867, at his home on 729 Troost Avenue in Kansas City. Gregory is buried in Elmwood Cemetery . In

858-648: Was born in Franklin County, Virginia on April 15, 1800. He was the second of 12 children born to David and Jemima Lykins. His childhood was mostly in Kentucky and Indiana . At age 16, he left his family for one year to apprentice with a doctor in Vincennes, Indiana , where he met Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy . Lykins was a student and teacher in Fort Wayne, Indiana . He became involved with

891-674: Was editor of the first printing press in the Indian Territory (which became the state of Kansas ), issuing the Shawnee Sun as the first tribal language publication. He founded the area's first bank, newspaper, and Baptist church. He was the first president of town council in the town of Kansas, and the first duly elected mayor when it was reincorporated as the City of Kansas. He is reportedly "possibly associated with more Kansas City 'firsts' than any other early settler". Lykins

924-717: Was his caregiver in his final weeks of peaceful infirmity. She married artist and family friend George Caleb Bingham , and they lived at the original Lykins mansion. All three are buried in neighboring plots of "founder's row" at Union Cemetery in Kansas City. His namesake Lykins Neighborhood is in the Historic Northeast district of Kansas City, directly east of his first mansion. It is characterized by an internationally diverse population including immigrants and refugees. The Lykins Neighborhood Association (LNA) became an exemplar of rehabilitation from historic blight caused by racist housing policies set by JC Nichols in

957-571: Was its first editor, and David K. Abeel the first publisher. It operated above a tavern at Main Street and the Missouri River in the River Market neighborhood. In 1855, Strong enlisted another future mayor, Robert T. Van Horn , to take over the paper. Van Horn bought it for $ 250 and retained Abeel as publisher. In 1857, it became The Western Journal of Commerce, and in 1858 it became The Kansas City Daily Western Journal of Commerce . Before

990-506: Was not eligible to be mayor because he did not live within the city limits. Lykins was already the first president of the city council, so he became the second mayor and first legally valid mayor. He completed the final two months of Gregory's term and was elected to another one-year term. From 1856 to 1857, Mattie oversaw construction of the Lykins mansion, the city's first and reportedly the "handsomest residence west of St. Louis". Because

1023-542: Was not eligible to be mayor. Dr. Johnston Lykins finished out his term, beginning in February 1854. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Gregory commanded a company under Colonel John Reid in Kansas and Western Missouri. He then moved to St. Louis with his family and joined with E. R. Threlkald and L. C. Alexander to form the W. S. Gregory grocery business. After a year, Gregory moved to Chicago and partnered with J. R. Staley and S. C. Bennett. After Staley retired in 1865,

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1056-484: Was on March 31, 1942. It had been the last daily competition to The Star . William S. Gregory William Samuel Gregory (August 4, 1825 – August 11, 1887) was the first mayor of Kansas City , Missouri , beginning his term on April 18, 1853. He was also the owner of grocery businesses in Missouri and Illinois. William S. Gregory was born on August 4, 1825, in Shelby County, Kentucky . His mother

1089-580: Was related to Bland Ballard , an early settler of Kentucky. He took a full collegiate course at Hanover College in Indiana. Gregory moved from Kentucky, with his wife Elizabeth, to Jackson County, Missouri , in August 1844. He bought a farm in Jackson County in 1844, and moved to Kansas City in 1851. Gregory operated a grocery store on the levee. He and other settlers petitioned to incorporate

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