2021 Spring Newsletter

SOME LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT WALLACE PARK

Wallace Park was named for James E. Wallace. His obituary is extremely in teresting - Mr. Wallace came to Paola in 1870 and was employed by Mitchler Department store until 1874 when he was elected to the office of Clerk of the District Court. He served in that capacity for a short while and then began in the drugstore business. Mr. Wallace had the management of the fireworks ex hibition each year and in 1884 , while preparing to send up a sky rocket, it burst in his hand inflicting a very painful wound. It was generally known the colored lights in fireworks were composed of deadly poison and the slightest burn would sometimes result in death. His obituary goes on to say “ he quietly left the crowd and went to the drug store where he applied ice water to the burn”. A doctor was called in and Mr. Wallace, complaining the pain was terrible, was given chlo roform. This not proving beneficial, an injection of morphia was made which allayed the pain but eventually threw him into spasms and could scarcely be held by those in attendance. About 4:00 in the morning he was taken home in an insensible condition from which he never rallied and died that day, July 4, 1884 at the age of 38. No one in the county was better known or more universally liked than Jim Wallace, his whole-souled, genial nature drawing about him last ing friendships and his untimely death deeply deplored”.

James E. Wallace

The rock wall around the park was built by stonemason Robert Austin Barnes – great great great grandfa ther of Cindy McGee of Paola. All the rock for the wall, as well as the buildings, was quarried from there in the park. There was also an oil well in that area. In 1915 the shelter house was built with a generous gift of M. A. Schro eder. Along with gifts from the Pub lic, all the lumber and materials were furnished by Mr. Schroeder from his large lumber yard at Chippewa and Pearl.

The small building just west of the Shelter House was built as a kitchen for picnickers. There were three hotplates and a table. You could put a nickel in the slot and the hotplates would run long enough to cook a good meal. Across the way to the north, the Comfort House was a project of the Women’s Feder ated Clubs of Paola in the late 30’s. It had very fancy décor, beautiful furniture and even a fireplace at one time. Out in front of the Comfort House was a beautiful lily pond and a rose garden.

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