Neodesha KS, Days Gone By Photo Gallery by Darren Livingston at pbase.com

Neodesha KS, Days Gone By

Photos taken in and around Neodesha Kansas from the mid 1970's to recent times.
Many of the photos were made while I was the photographer(1975-1978) for the "Neodesha Register",
the weekly newspaper in town. The owners/publishers of the "Register", Red and Shirley
Hanson were one of the reasons I chose photography as a career. Many of the photos are
outtakes from shoots...but I'm glad I kept them. Feel free to leave comments if you enjoy
the photos and especially if you can identify anyone in the pictures.

Bed Races on Main Street	High School Marching Band	George Christy Dedication
George Christy Dedication	Tug-of-War Girls	Rail Yard Fire
Rail Yard Fire	4th of July Regatta	Balloon Tricks
Mime on Main Street	Clowning in the Street	Mimeing Around
Mime on Main Street	Brick Collection	Parade Clown
Tommy Parish	4th of July Parade	Tommy Parish
River Rafts	Easter Egg Hunt Crowd	Post Easter Egg Hunt Fun
2007	July 4th Ice Cream	Arts and Craft Festival
4204	4192	3885
3802	3801	Arts and Craft Festival
Main Street	Jiffy Mart	Main Street and Classic Chevy
Little League	Main Street	Sisters 1978
Punt,Pass & Kick Winners 1968	Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Winners	Arts & Crafts Fair Taxi
Neodesha Arts Center	Fall River Winter	Backroad
Bowling Alley	Bowling Alley	Easter Egg Hunt 1978
Easter Egg Hunt 1978	Easter Egg Hunt 1978	Ben Franklin Store Coke Machine
Dennis D. and the Eldorado	Swimming Pool, mid 1980s	Boy Scout Troop 30
Boy Scout Troop 30	Turkey Vultures	00047A.jpg
Main Street Stores	Jeff Olive, Haywire Band	Haywire Band
Neodesha Water Tower	Building & Vines	CO-OP Grain Elevators
Fireworks at Legion Baseball Field	Row Boat	RoundHouse Fire 3
RoundHouse Fire 2	RoundHouse Fire	Funk Manufacturing Fire
Dracula & Wolverine	Neodesha High School Marching Band	Miss Kansas Teen
Miss Kansas Teen	6th & Main Street	Vintage Advertisement
Vintage Advertisement	Vintage Advertisement	Floyd's Restaurant
My High School Friend Andy Smith	High School Friend Andy Smith	Musical Act
Girls Tug-of-War	Glassblower 2	Glassblower
Foggy Alley-1976	Neodesha-Foggy Morning-2-1976	Neodesha-Foggy Morning-1976
Sundowner Facade	Neodesha_1979	Neodesha_02_1979
Neodesha_03	Neodesha_05	Neodesha_06
Kansas Sunset	Over 60 Club_3034	Tommy Parish
Macrame Jungle	Arts and Crafts Festival	Robert and Becky
Over 60 Club Coffee & Donuts	Arts and Crafts Festival	Bob Neuhofel and Donna Cole
Verdigris River	Dog Cooling Off	Rail yard fire
Easter Egg Hunt Prizes	Hanging out at the Swimming Pool	Teresa on the High Dive_3517
78109a.jpg	78108a.jpg	Coffee and Donuts
Over 60 Club	Over 60 Club	Over 60 Club
Educators of the Year	Educators of the Year	Educators of the Year
Educators of the Year	Cruisin' Main Street	At the Pool
Watching the flood waters	Ray E. Heller, C.A. Boster, Mrs. Boster	Man of the Year Ceremony
Man of the Year Ceremony	Man of the Year Ceremony	78016a.jpg
78003a.jpg	People waiting to collect Easter Egg Hunt Prizes	Concert in the Park
Concert in the Park II	Unicyclists in 4th of July Parade	Merle Nickell 0n Unicycle
Clowns on Unicycles	Building Demo	4th of July Parade
4th of July Parade	4th of July Parade, Homecoming Court	Clown
Clowning Around at the Arts & Crafts Festival	Mime on Main Street	Mimeing Around
"Over Sixty" Member	Over Sixty Club	Tending the Punch Bowl
3020	2886	Riding the Scrambler
George Christy	Dedication	George Christy
2779	Flood Help	Summertime at the Little League Game
Mother of Town Character, "Tex"	Kansas Sunrise	Main Street
Lantern Restaurant at 4th & Main	Parade Participant	End of Christmas Parade
"Black Power Boat"	Parade Spectators	Mickey Mouse?
City Swimming Pool	Senior Center_3308	One of the many incarnations of the "Kelly Hotel"
Big Old Tree in "Snake Park"	Episcopal Church	Concert in the Park
Arrival of Santa by Helicopter	Christmas Parade	On the Bus to the Kansas Jr. Olympics
Twirlers	Play Practice	Pinewood Derby 1969
Pinewood Derby 1968	Stormy Day	Firehose Jousting
Karie_1942	Friends of my Dad	Winter Sunset
Summer Sunset	Having a Burger	Marching Band
Neodesha City Office	Kansas Storm Clouds	Summer Storm Clouds
Steam Engine	Steam Engine	I See You!
Auctioning some Pork_3340	Sycamore Valley Church	Hanging Out at the Swimming Pool_3734
One Way Wonder Wheels	Norman Number One	Santa, Christmas Parade
Christmas Parade	Country Road	Fishing at the Dam
Fiery Summer Sunset	First National Bank	Christmas Parade Float Rider
Senior Center_3310	Senior Center	Main Street, between 5th & 6th
Johnson Photography Studio	Foodtown Grocery Store	Crowder Observatory
Foodtown Sign	Sunning at the Pool	Senior Center_3311
Klock Theater Sign	Larry Curt	John Olive
Haywire Drummer, Dennis Files_3251	Jeff Olive	Neodesha High School
River Dance?	Watching July 4th Activities	Diane and Connie
Diane and Connie	Diane and Connie	Mark Dice, playing the Bass
Over 60 Club	Over 60 Club	Relaxing on the Bus
Christmas Parade Float	Christmas Parade	NHS Marching Band
More Fire hose Play	More Fire hose Play	Grain Elevators
Main Street looking West	Train Tracks and Grain Elevator	Neodesha Co-Op
West Main Street at Train Tracks	Tug of War	Parade Watchers
Parade Watchers	Strumming on Main Street	4th of July Parade
One Way Wonder Wheels	Al and Bernie Poznik	4th of July River Regata
Crowded Raft	Cobalt River Queen	Teresa Cohee after River Dunking
River Dunking	Flying off the Dock	Teresa Cohee
Swinger	Carr Wild Animal Taxidermy Display	David Chesser
4th of July Parade	4th of July Parade	4th of July Parade, Homecoming Court
Norman No. One Flood Waters	Parade Float	Barney's Little League
Softball on 4th of July	July 4th Ice Cream	Softball on 4th of July
Arts and Crafts Fair	Easter Basket Couple	Easter Egg Hunt
High Water	Flood Waters at 5th and Osage St.	4th of July Water Fun
Bed Races down Main St.	Bed Races	Parade Marchers
This Little Piggy	Mill Street Bridge	Main Street
Dunn's Dam	4th of July Regatta	1127.jpg
Neodesha Cemetery	Main Street	Alley between 4th and 5th Street off Main St.
Grill	Jeans Shorts	Summertime at the Pool
Frisco Roundhouse Fire	Tommy the Clown	Main Street at 5th Street
Main Street	Black and White Leaf	Kansas Cemetery
Neodesha Cemetery	Neodesha Cemetery	Infrared Tree
Neodesha Cemetery	The Roadrunner Tavern	Kansas Infrared Landscape
Surveying the Scene	I Don't Belong Here	SideShow Fire Eater
Approaching Storm	Strangest People	I Am For Men
"The Scrambler" at Neewollah	Gate Keepers	Sunflower
Main Street East View	Main Street Business	Main Street Rain
Alleyway between 4th and 5th Street	4th of July Regatta	4th of July Regatta
4th of July Regatta	4th of July Regatta	4th of July Regatta
4th of July Regatta	4th of July Regatta	4th of July Regatta
4th of July Regatta	Dunn's Dam	5 Cent Cigar
Cigar Advertisement	Neodesha Swimming Pool	Neodesha Water Tower
Vintage Advertisement	Sundowner Tavern	Sundowner Tavern
Neodesha Co-op Grain Elevator	Tug-of-War Kids	Tug-of-War Kids
Tug-of-War Girls	Arts and Crafts Fair Main Street Neodesha	Everyone Wants to Be in the Parade
Junior Olympic Relay Team	Motorcycle Tricks	Barney's Little League
Main Street Crossing	Big D 1976	Me and My Hat
Church of the Ascension, built 1909	Look!! .... Beans!!	Collector of Bricks, Marvin Lane
Concert in the Park	Firehose Jousting	4th of July fun
Girls holding the Hose	Fire Hose Fun	Boy Scouts Cooking the Beans
National Guard helping during Flood	Taking a Food Break	Mmmm...Pizza!
Neodesha Fire Department	Taking a Load Off	Afternoon Rain Storm
Don Adams, Manager Neodesha Swimming Pool	Tree on the River	One Room School House
Summer Storm Clouds	Storm Clouds over Neodesha	Ready for Mayor Johnson
George Christy Dedication	George Christy Dedication	Easter Egg Hunt
Look at the Camera	Egg Hunt Participant	How 'bout that Jacket
Harley Couple	Harley Couple II	Harley Couple III
Main Street Neodesha

comment |

Julia McCormack		20-Jun-2021 12:29
Thank you for sharing your photos. My grandmother's family settled in Neodesha in the 1800's. It was nice to see some of the town's history.

Julia McCormack		20-Jun-2021 12:27
Thank you so much for sharing your photos! Much of my grandmother's family settled in Neodesha. It was nice to get a glimpse of the town 50 years ago.

Guest		05-Oct-2019 17:31
Thanks for the memories. Lived in Neodesha until I was 10, 1961. The swimming pool was my favorite place in the whole world. Kind of still is. So much looks the same. So much has changed. Who knew Neodesha would ever have an art museum. I roamed that town everyday. Only place I was not allowed to go was Snake Park. I was so young but now I guess I can figure why my daddy forbid it. Every Saturday afternoon was spent at the Klock. And then a stop at Ben Franklin before I went home. My parents were good friends of the Pozniks.

Darrell Howerton		18-Aug-2019 18:26
Any photos of the old “River Rat Hotel” just east of the old Mill Street Bridge back in the mid-50s? Email me mrd@gmail.com. Terrific museum-qualityphotographs, btw. Kudos. And a shoutout to Kerry Elkins for his documentation of so much Neodesha.

Darrell Howerton		18-Aug-2019 18:21
Anyone remember the old River Rat Hotel, the boxcar home of an old man back in the mid-50s? It was east of the old Mill Street bridge. Connie and I named our RV after it. Many thanks for the incredible photographs, many of which rise to the level of true art. Darrell Howerton here, 74 years Jung. Peace.

Jean Hawk		04-Jan-2017 18:42
What a walk down memory lane!

Guest		29-Jun-2015 22:19
Thank you Darren for posting these great memorable pictures. I was born & lived there til 1970 when American Oil closed & we were transferred to Texas City Texas. Visits back are less frequent now, but I always enjoy it when I can. My parents were Ken & Thelma Gillespie & sister Tonya.

Dan Greenberg		13-Sep-2014 23:22
Excellent gallery! All sorts of variety and techniques all very well presented. ~BV~

Guest		13-Sep-2014 01:20
As a senior and my last year in Neodesha, it's amazing to see what my town used to look like in the past. It was just as beautiful then as it is now! I can't wait to look back in twenty to thirty years and see how much it has changed since my childhood haha.

Long Bach Nguyen		30-Mar-2014 15:44
excellent documentary of your town with stunning images and full of history and charm

Bruce Ward		08-Dec-2013 02:05
I grew up in Chanute in the 50s & 60s and don't have much memory of Neodesha, although my brother went there weekly in the 50s to see the Orthodonist there (sorry, have forgotten his name). My aunt and uncle founded the Self Service Grocery chain. At one time there was a Self Service Grocery store there (along with Fredonia, Chanute, Erie, Humboldt & Iola).

Debbie Pond		04-Dec-2013 16:48
Wonderful pictures, I really enjoyed them! I grew up in Neodesha and claim it as home. My father was Forest Howard, he taught Math at the high school, if you had him for a teacher I am sure you remember him!

carol ann rohr miller		23-Nov-2013 18:25
I loved every picture and it made me miss home. CCannot wait to get back.

Guest		23-Nov-2013 18:24
Great! I loved every picture and it makes me very homesick.carol ann rohr

Guest		21-Nov-2013 20:54
It all looks so peaceful and full of fun for all involved.Such a wonderful idea.

Kid from Fredonia		06-Nov-2013 18:33
My Aunt Phyllis was the organist at your church for years. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.

Cherilyn		19-Aug-2013 06:43
these are great....for everyone...we are looking for old pics/info of the Woodring House on Wisconsin and 1st. Anything is appreciated. Thx! :)

Curtis Griffith		27-May-2013 01:31
Great photos, I played on those tracks, swam in the river, fished off the dam, played a little ball in the those over-sized uniforms.

Lucinda Hase Rodriguez		22-May-2013 04:04
Wow. Awesome walk into the past. My grandparents lived in the house on 506 0sage in the flood picture. They were Lloyd and Frankie Hase. My name is Lucinda Hase. I graduated in 1978 . Thank you

Sarah Bennett		22-Feb-2013 23:34
Hi, I am trying to find my Grandfather who was an American soldier during World War Two - his name is William R. Sumner from Neodesha and was once stationed in Swansea, South Wales, UK in 1940 approx. Most grateful for any help to find him please.

Sarah Bennett		22-Feb-2013 23:34
Hi, I am trying to find my Grandfather who was an American soldier during World War Two - his name is William R. Sumner from Neodesha and was once stationed in Swansea, South Wales, UK in 1940 approx. Most grateful for any help to find him please.

Teresa K. LaForte		10-Oct-2012 13:09
Thanks for the memories.

Guest		10-Oct-2012 13:09
Thanks for the memories!

Neil Marcus		11-Aug-2012 01:44
Your series of photos are so good. You have caught the flavor of a small rural community so well. I am glad that I saw them. Neil

Darrell Howerton		27-Jul-2012 07:14
Not two days ago I was lamenting that no one had taken a photograph of the old Mill Street bridge. And lo and behold--ya dunnit! Rock on!

Kerry Elkins		27-Jun-2012 01:52
Darren, I make links to your fantastic pictures where-ever I can on the internet. Neodesha has a special section in Facebook and they love to see your pictures. Thank you for sharing your fantastic skills as a photographer of one of my favorite subjects, people in Neodesha.

Keith Goering		06-May-2012 20:29
Your photos are interesting though they come from a time after I left Neodesha. A few stand on their own as photographic art and deserve to be displayed somewhere--the library or hospital perhaps?

Pamala Reves Drake		12-Sep-2011 20:01
I just happened upon your site. What a lucky day for me. My great- grand parents were some of the early settlers of Neodesha. Neodesha Derry was my great great aunt. My grandmother, Ethel Garriot Reves Smalley was her niece. I have never lived in Neodesha, but visited often over the years. The Main St. picture showed what used to be the old Brown Hotel where my grandmother Minnie Gastineau Ayars worked as a young girl and also I could see the Rexall drug store where my Grandmother Reves worked when Mr. Lewis owned it and after Clater and Garrett owned it. I still have some of the chairs from the old drug store. My parents were Tom and Charlene Reves. My mother's maiden name was Ramona Charlene Ayars, daughter of Charles Ayars who was a Frisco R.R. engineer there. Most of all I want to tell you that you are an excellent photographer! I have many photos of Neodesha and family that I cherish.

Keith Kittrell		25-Jul-2011 21:35
Keith Kittrell class of 82 Awesome job. Forgot completely of the 4th of July regatta. Interesting the dog was smarter to stay in the boat vs me in the water.

mahlon summers		25-Jun-2011 18:45
darren awesome pictures, i really like the little league shots....thanks for the memories!!!!

Guest		22-Jun-2011 20:18
Thanks for the memories. Chet Hiatt -'68-

clickA SF		19-Mar-2011 18:47
Great work, Great Gallery (American Graffiti...); BV. ted

Guest		14-Mar-2011 22:54
My name is Judy Blevens I grew up in Neodesha, Kns. Graduated 1965.seeing these pictures brought back alot of memories.

Lori White		07-Mar-2011 20:53
Darren thank you sharing pictures. Sure brought back the good ole days.

Becky Tucker Wood		13-Feb-2011 04:35
Darren- thanks so much for posting these wonderful memories! You worked for my parents, Larry & Shari Tucker when they owned The Daily Sun!

Kelly Hastings Knight		11-Feb-2011 01:59
I'm feeling very nostalgic after browsing through these pictures. They are really great.

Jody Parks		10-Feb-2011 23:59
Thank you for taking the time to share these beautiful pictures.Such a treat!!!!!

Donna Lowe		10-Feb-2011 23:08
Darren these are wonderful!!! Brought back so many memories I haven't had in many years!! Thanks for posting! Donna(Lowry)Lowe

Guest		10-Feb-2011 20:00
Gloria Lewis Love the pictures!!!

Jeff Dotterer		10-Feb-2011 17:36
Great pics Darren, thanks for sharing!

Guest		10-Feb-2011 09:46
It's like going back home.

Shirrley Patchin Padley		10-Feb-2011 09:44
It's like going back home.

Michael Gehrisch		03-Jul-2010 05:32
Very cool! v

Neil Marcus		18-Jun-2010 21:41
You did a heck of a job for Neodesha paper

joseantonio		18-Jun-2010 18:13
Beautiful gallery

Art White		31-Mar-2010 01:23
Wonderful gallery! V

Don Mottershead		31-Jan-2010 19:43
Interesting gallery. Thanks for posting.

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