I’ve been told history repeats itself and this newspaper is filled with old news. At least part of the time, both are true. History does tend to repeat and this newspaper tries to report on both what is happening and what has happened.
In this space last week, I wrote about a photography project of more than 50 years ago that included taking pictures of the late George Higher’s home located about seven miles southwest of Superior along what is now known as Diamond Road. Last week I reported on his great-grandchildren’s memories of the house.
Last Wednesday afternoon, while Mary Sawyer was preparing entries for our “From the Files” column that appears elsewhere on this page, she discovered I previously published the picture of the Higer House and shared some of its history in a summer 1991 edition of this paper.
Since that was 30 years ago and I suspect most of today’s readers will not remember the story, I think it is appropriate to reprint the story with a few updates. So this week our critics may rightfully charge “The Express is reprinting old history.”
Here’s the column I wrote in 1991 about the Higer house.
Riverton was selected as the name for the first post office established to serve what we now know as the Superior area. However, the selection of the name Riverton created a problem. Another Republican River valley community a few miles to the west in what was to become Franklin County, had previously claimed the name of Riverton.
A new name had to be found for the community developing here.
Tradition has that William Loudon, the founder of the town, selected the name of Superior in recognition of the fine quality of the farmland he found in the area surrounding the site for the proposed town.
But that may not be correct.
According to the history of the Higer family, complied by Norma Dunn and printed by the Superior Publishing Company, the town was named by George Higer, a Loudon, relative. She said the name was selected after Higer and Loudon had gone to the Edgar railhead for a load of lumber.
It was a cold night and they were sitting by a stove trying to keep warm. Their conversation was directed toward plans for the new town and its need for a name. Higer noticed the stove they were sitting beside was a Superior brand stove. Right then he knew Superior was a good name for the new town.
And so according to at least one account, Superior was named after a heating stove.
Regardless of whether the community was named for the quality of the soil or a stove which warmed two tired guys on a cold winter night, the name was appropriate.
When we get to thinking our lives are pretty hard we need to remember what life was like for our forefathers.
The first year the 22-year-old Loudon cut and stacked by hand 200 tons of prairie hay. The hay was to be used as winter feed for his cattle. That fall fire destroyed the hay he worked so hard to save. Though he managed to feed his cattle, history reports it was with great difficulty.
The Higer history reports Mrs. Higer fed harvest hands in a corn crib before the family built a house to live in. With that story is the statement, “I never knew we were poor; because in my heart we weren’t. We had all the joys and happy times we could ever wish for.”
The writer described the house that was eventually built as a beautiful home with hanging lamps and beautiful stain glass windows. The stairway to the second story had a banister and led to bedrooms with feather beds and high wooden backs.
Though its original owners considered it to be a grand home, its occupants grew old and died. Ownership of the land passed to others who owned other houses which they preferred. Eventually the Higer home fell into disrepair and was torn down.
Though most everyone drove an automobile to town, the man as I knew as “Old George Higer” continued to drive his team of horses when he went to town. It was exciting to see Mr. Higer and his team traveling on Highway 14.
Though his eyes were failing, he lived alone in his big dream home that faced the winter’s cold north winds from atop a Kansas hilltop. He was more than 95 years old when he died. The Express reported Higer was born at LaHarp, Ill., on Nov. 21, 1867. He was married May 13, 1891, at Mankato and died May 22, 1963, at Superior. The Higers built the northern Jewell County home and raised their five children there. Cattle were driven from the farm to Superior where they were loaded on a Missouri Pacific train for shipment to the Kansas City market.
If the date of his birth is correct, he wouldn’t have been more than 8 years old when he suggested the name of Superior. My grandfather told of taking a team and hauling freight between Ruskin and Hardy when he was but 12 years old. Do you suppose George Higer, at age 8, drove a team hauling lumber from Edgar to Superior?
That would never be allowed today but in the 19th century, youngsters grew up earlier than they do today. My grandfather left school in the fourth grade so he could help his father maintain employment as a brick mason.
A later inhabitant of the Higer home dreamed of converting it into a home for wayward boys but that dream was never realized.
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