Chanute Historical Society, Inc. P.O. Box 259 Vol. 2issue 4, October 2014 Chanute, KS 66720 Feehan ae THE ARCHIVIST PRESIDENTS CORNER We are now into our winter months and the museum will only be open for special occasions. and by appointment until April We have recently received several items that were donated to the museum and are now on display. One item is a gasoline pump globe that is a replica of one that was on the pumps of the former Petroleum Products Company of Chanute. The company was an oil refinery locat- ed at the north edge of Chanute on the west side of North Santa Fe Avenue in the 1930's. It was sold to MFA Oil Company of Columbia, MO in the early 1940's and later was sold to Os- car Cunningham who operated it as Mid-America Refining Company for many years. Oscar had been the manager of the refinery when it was Mid-America Refining Company. The globe was donated to us by Ted Matthews, a retired airline pilot who now lives in Texas and is into research on old gasoline pumps. He had contacted us wanting information about "Tioga Gasoline" which was a product of Petroleum Products here in Chanute, We were able to pro- vide him with a limited amount of information and as a result, he had the replica globe made ‘and sentitto the museum. Here is a photo of the globe, We will order a lighted mounting base to display the globe. ‘We are now into our winter months and the museum will only be open for special occasions and by appointment until April We have recently received several items that were donated to the museum and are now on display. One iter is a gasoline pump globe that is a replica of one that was on the pumps of the former Petroleum Products Company of Chanute. The company was an oil refinery locat- e¢ atthe north edge of Chanute on the west side of North Santa Fe Avenue in the 1930's. It ‘was sold to MFA Oil Company of Columbia, MO in the early 1940's and later was sold to Os- car Cunningham who operated it as Mid-America Refining Company for many years. Oscar had been the manager of the refinery when it was Mid-America Refining Company. The globe was donated to us by Ted Matthews, a retired airline pilot who now lives in Texas and is into research on old gasoline pumps. He had contacted us wanting information about "Tioga Gasoline” which was a product of Petroleum Products here in Chanute. We were able to pro- vide him with a limited amount of information and as a result, he had the replica globe made and sentitto the museum. Here is a photo of the globe, We will order a lighted mounting base to display the globe.We certainly would like to have more people become involved in the Chanute Historical Society and the museum, | have been asked what got me interested in the society and what has kept me involved. | will try to answer these questions. When I was young and in school, history was not my favorite subject but | made decent grades. Many years later as some of my aunts and uncles were getting into the twilight years, | realized they had a lot of knowledge about Chanute and it's history and | was able to visit with them about their lives and the history involved. | now wish | had spent more time with them asking more questions about the people and history around Chanute. | attended an event at the Chanute Historical Society about seven years ago and enjoyed it very much so | decided to join. | liked what | saw in the museum and was happy to see that there were people working hard to preserve the history and historical items pertaining to Chanute, Kansas and the area surrounding it. At that time, many of the charter members of the society were still very active and attendance was very good. Many of them are no longer with us, or are unable to be active in the society due to their health. Others live many miles from Chanute and are also unable to participate, We do have some very loyal and hard working members who are devoted to keeping the society active. Recently | was attending the museum on a Saturday afternoon when a young woman entered the museum and asked if we had public restrooms. | told her she was welcome to use fours. A few minutes later a man and small girl came in and he asked if a woman had just. came in. | told him "yes" and welcomed him in, | inquired if he was from the area and he said he was from Seattle, WA. He said his grandfather had lived in Chanute many years ago, but had moved away after he got out of school. | asked him what his grandfather's name was and he said "Unsell’. | asked him if his grandfather had played basketball in high school andhe said he thought so. | told him there had been twin brothers named Garold and Harold Un- sell who had played basketball on the same team with Ralph Miller when they won the Kan- sas State Basketball Championship in 1935. He said Garold Unsell was his grandfather! | took him to the back of the museum and showed him the photo on the wall of the champion- ship team with his grandfather and great-uncle in the photo. He was very pleased and showed the small gir the photo. She smiled and seemed very happy to see it It "made my day"! Things like this are why | enjoy being a member of the Chanute Historical Society! IN CHANUTE The photo is an example of the artists’ rendition of the history of Neosho County. Also of the Osage Indians, the first church in Chanute, the crossing of the two railroads that decided where Chanute would be located and the first Negro family to settle in Neosho County. Many other scenes are part of this magnificent work of art. Can you identify the work and the location of the display? If you are stumped, look on the last page of this newsletter for the answer.