Old Hometown

Local writer Sarah St. John pulls from the Journal-World archives to compile reports of what it was like to be in Lawrence decades ago.

World War I in Lawrence: Armistice means a happier-than-normal Thanksgiving

Editor's note: Local writer Sarah St. John compiles reports of what it was like to be in Lawrence during World War I. Hearts were undoubtedly full at the first Thanksgiving of the post-war era, which occurred on Nov. 28, 1918. According to the Journal-World for that day, “there was not a ...

World War I in Lawrence: Residents rush downtown to celebrate the armistice

Editor’s note: Local writer Sarah St. John compiles reports of what it was like to be in Lawrence during World War I. Before sunrise today, the long-awaited news of the armistice reached Lawrence. According to an extra edition of the Journal-World, Santa Fe Railway night operator Ralph Tripp ...

World War I in Lawrence: KU students enrolled in mandatory military training

Editor’s note: Local writer Sarah St. John compiles reports on what it was like to be in Lawrence during World War I. In October of 1918, the armistice was only weeks away, but with no foreknowledge of this, war-work was continuing at a high pitch. Earlier, the state of Kansas had ...

World War I in Lawrence: War doesn’t stop German language classes at KU

In spite of the general anti-German policies common in Lawrence in 1918 and the reluctance to teach the language in the lower schools, there were still at least two reasons considered valid for German studies at the university level. A new three-hour course titled “German for the American ...

World War I in Lawrence: Anti-German sentiment creeps into churches

Editor’s note: Local writer Sarah St. John compiles reports of what it was like to be in Lawrence 100 years ago during World War I. National and local anti-German sentiment, which had been increasing steadily since the beginning of the war, had now infiltrated the Lawrence church scene. ...