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History of the
Parkville Nature Sanctuary
by Amber Ray
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Many of you have taken a stroll through the Nature Sanctuary from time to time, but you may not be aware of the history of the ground you are walking on. I had the opportunity to interview Carolyn Bratcher, granddaughter of Benjamin Harrison Scholfield, who was in charge of the dairy located on the property from 1909-1939. At the time Scholfield came to work for Park College Farm, the property was quite a productive operation.
In 1875, when Park College was founded, it was designed to provide an opportunity for students of limited means to offset the cost of their education during the school year. Student laborers took the place of hired help, thus lowering college expenses. The plan was best described by an early professor, "the aim of the first president was to develop through the curricular, religious activities and the work programs a practically trained and cultured leadership, filled with a keen sense of social responsibility and inclined toward a democratic way of life." These ideals were worked out through the Park College Family, the word family being synonymous with community. The young men of the "Family" planted seeds, cultivated plants and harvested vegetables. The young women of the "Family" cleaned, cooked and served the vegetables. The surplus was canned or placed in vegetable cellars. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as listed below, were produced on the property.
Over the years there were several key staff members in charge of the property which is now the Nature Sanctuary, in addition to Scholfield. Jack Brink ran the orchard, which was located on the hill east of the
(now demolished) Woodward dormitory and north of faculty housing. Brink
coincidentally died from an allergic reaction to a bee sting received while working in the orchard. |
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Another gentleman, Steve Carter, was in charge of the vegetable garden located on the property adjacent to the Nature Sanctuary on what are now the college athletic fields. As you can see by the list below, it was a very bountiful piece of property for vegetable production. |
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Carter had been freed from slavery after the Civil War, and worked at several different jobs until hired by Park College in 1879. His early tasks included clearing the land, scraping terraces and constructing buildings, but he later worked in the college gardens and was eventually promoted to manager. Early alumni recalled his patience with student gardeners and his dedication to the college. Carter was also a long time member of the Washington Chapel C.M.E. Church and helped to build many homes, some of which still stand.
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The Park College Farm had a large dairy barn at one time, the slab of which is still on the property. From a 1913 edition of the Park College Record, an article cites "At the present time we have twenty head of high grade Holstein cows, fourteen of which are being milked now and others will be added to the herd soon. The feeding and milking, and indeed, all the work of the dairy is done exclusively by the students. They are selected for the various jobs according to their capability and inclination along these lines, and a student foreman is placed in charge and held responsible in large measure for results. The products of our dairy are used in the dormitories. The building itself is one of the best equipped dairy barns in this section of the country. It has every modern convenience and is kept in the best of order."
The farm had pigs, goats, chickens, sheep and seven bee hives, in addition to the
Holstein cows. Mrs. Bratcher told me a story about her Grandfather Scholfield
stating "each time one of the pigs was getting ready to give birth he had a
rocking chair in the barn and he would sit down there and rock until the time
came." |
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There was one particular animal that was beloved by all at Park College Farm, "Old Kate." An independent, yet faithful mule, Kate delivered thousands of gallons of water to campus buildings by pulling a wheeled barrel up and down the many hills of the property. The little flop-eared mule was given this job after having been slightly lamed in an accident during the construction of Mackay Hall.
She knew her way and refused to be driven by the students assigned the task, a trait which endeared her to them. Kate made her rounds for twelve years and was known to hundreds of early Parkites. Respected and beloved by the entire college community, she was retired in 1898 and was seldom harnessed thereafter, even though times were hard for the college. Kate's place in college history was assured when, in 1900, on the very day water was first pumped to the campus from the new waterworks, she lay down and quietly died, seeming to know that her labors were no longer needed. She was thirty-two years old.
Grieving students buried her and erected a large stone as a memorial, one which generations of alumni have revered as the embodiment of Park College spirit. Kate's story and her monument are symbolic of
the faith and labor, the strength, perseverance and force of will that were
required to create Park College and to keep it going. |
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There are many points of interest on the landscape that those unfamiliar with the property may be unaware of. There are two root cellars, one visible by the butterfly garden. There is a natural spring located back by Riss Lake Dam and the raised boardwalk. The Jeanette Robbins Girl Scout Cabin on one of the trails, which was built in the 1950's, still has the original brick fireplace intact. It was the central meeting place within a 70 mile radius of Kansas City for the Girl Scouts - known as the Lone Troup. Although the structure is now gone, a roof has been placed over the remaining slab providing covered meeting space in the Nature Sanctuary. The roof has been financed by the Girl Scouts through a grant, recycling cans, and a donation from the American Legion. In the late 1800's, the property was valued at $10 per acre. Today, the property is valued at $6,465 per acre, quite an increase in the last 100 years!
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As you walk the trails, stop and listen and you may just hear the echoes of "Old Kate" hauling water or the footsteps of students on their way to milking or picking fruit. This peaceful spot we now call The Parkville Nature Sanctuary was once an integral part of the Parkville community and, with the help of volunteers, will be preserved for the continued enjoyment of all who walk the trails.
This article was compiled using materials filed in the Fishburn Archives located in the McAfee Library at Park
University. Our thanks to Carolyn Elwess, Archivist.
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