The large black and white photograph at the bottom of the cardboard box was an unexpected bonus. It wasn’t the reason I bid on the box at the farm auction that morning. I didn’t even know it was in there! But I quickly fell in love with the old artifact, partially because of an interest in history and antiques and partially because it holds a mystery. And, who doesn’t love a mystery?
Carefully lifting it from the box, I studied the late-1800s treasure. The photo captured a group of men from the past, posing in three loosely formed rows, beside a white frame building – perhaps a home, perhaps a business. It reflects the incongruent blend of dressy attire in a casual setting. Most of the men are wearing suit coats, ties, and vests. Many are sporting the bowlers and derbies popular in that era. Most of their faces are solemn and expressionless, not uncommon in old photographs. But, a couple of the fellas appear bemused, and one has a huge ornery smile.
The details are curious. A closer examination reveals baseball gear near the younger men in the front row, almost as if the photographer interrupted their game. One gent appears to be holding a baseball while another with a no-nonsense scowl is oddly, holding a cat and a corn cob pipe.
Who are these guys? What’s their relationship and the reason for the photo?
I notice a rusty paperclip in the photo’s margin. It holds a folded piece of paper to the back of the picture. Carefully removing the paper clip, I unfold a yellowed Kansas City Kansan newspaper article dated September 30, 1958. It features a reproduction of the photograph now lying on my dining room table. It describes the dilemma of a Mrs. Waneta Manthei.
She has some of the facts. She knows the year of the photo is 1898. And, she knows the names of the men in it. Her now deceased father, Henry Childers, is one of them. They lived in the old Armstrong District of Kansas City, Kansas. In the past, he had told her the significance of the photo, but now she can’t recall what it is. Her late father also told her about the pledge the men made to keep the photo in good condition and ensure it was passed to the next surviving member of the group. A task that now falls to her.
The newspaper story is her attempt to locate the next person to give it to and to learn more about the picture. A flashback to simpler times, the article states “Mrs. Manthei works during the daytime. Her home telephone number is DR1-0157, and her business phone is BA1-9900, extension 8398.”
Admiring Mrs. Manthei’s determination to honor her father’s wishes, I suddenly realize the article must not have provided the answers she sought. Now the photo, so important to these men, ended up in the bottom of a box sold to a stranger at a farm auction.
That auction took place over twenty years ago. I framed both the photo and the old newspaper article to try to preserve them. I’ve dutifully toted them along with me through various phases of my life. They’ve moved with me a few times and even spent an extended stay in a storage facility. Though I’ve done some research and made some phone calls, I haven’t solved the mystery surrounding the photo. Can you?
If you have information about the photo or the descendants of Henry Childers or others named in the article, please email [email protected]. I’d love to learn the story behind the photo and place it in the hands of the family of one of these men to treasure.