By Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:
Brown Grand Theatre
A TOUR OF CONCORDIA
Although I had long wanted to visit Concordia, an invitation to hold a book-signing there was what finally got me to Cloud County.
Susie Haver and Tammy Britt enthusiastically promote local attractions from the Cloud County Tourism office in downtown Concordia. They planned an event for me on Oct. 15 and suggested that I arrive early so they could give me the grand tour – or at least as much as we could get to in five hours.
Susie Haver and Tammy Britt
Tammy Britt was my personal guide and our first stop was the Brown Grand Theatre.
Napoleon Bonaparte Brown, the wealthiest man in town, put up the $40,000 for the theatre in 1907. His son, Earl, was in charge of the building’s construction and Earl’s gift to his father was a linen stage drop, a painted reproduction of Horace Vernet’s “Napoleon at Austerlitz.” The current curtain is a second reproduction of the same painting and it gives the theatre a distinctive personality.
Concordia’s Brown Grand was restored in 1980 and is used in ways similar to Emporia’s Granada. Director Susan Cantine-Maxson said the facility has been used for “Weddings and funerals; you name it, I think it’s happened at the Brown Grand.”
Tammy then took me to the 1917 Union Pacific Depot which is the National Orphan Train Museum. On the walls are photos taken by Jacob Riis. Riis’s photos documented the difficult living conditions in New York City in the late 1800s and show young children, many of which had been orphaned, fending for themselves on the city streets.
Charles Loring Brace created the Children’s Aid Society, providing children a place to sleep and eat. However, Brace felt they would be better off in family homes and sent orphans across the country by train to be placed with families. The Children’s Aid Society alone placed more than 7,000 orphans, but other organizations also placed children from 1854 to 1929.
For lunch, I was treated to the Huckleberry Tea House. The quiche was delicious and came with soup, salad and bread. For dessert, I chose the tiramisu, which alone was worth the three-hour drive to Concordia.
Owner Lois Lervold has created a warm and welcoming atmosphere at the Huckleberry Tea House. She has a stash of boas and hats (including hats for men) for those willing to have a little fun.
After lunch, Tammy and I visited the Nazareth Convent, the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Originally from France, the sisters have been in Concordia since 1883.
Our convent tour guide was Sister Agnes Bernita Green. Dressed in street clothes and athletic shoes, this 95-year-old was light on her feet. When I asked her where she was from, she did a little skip and a dance while singing “There’s no place liked Nebraska.” Sr. Agnes had once taught math and later served as a hospital chaplain. “I was all teached out,” she said with a smile.
At the chapel’s entryway, Sister Agnes said, “This is our pride and joy.” The stained-glass windows are rich in color and meaning, each one has a story told in glass. Outside, on the convent grounds is Lourdes Park, constructed in 1916 to resemble the grotto in Lourdes, France.
Back at the Cloud County Tourism office, one of the newest tourist attractions is right there, on their outside wall facing U.S. 81. It’s a mural like no other. This mural is made of 6,400 carved bricks which were donated and fired by Cloud Ceramics, a local brick company.
The carvings tell the story of the county, showing Camp Concordia, the orphans, the Brown Grand, and other aspects of the area’s history.
Catharine Magel of St. Louis was the main artist and Mara Smith of Seattle was the lead assistant. Members of the community did some carving as well.
“Anyone here can say, ‘that’s about me,’” Tammy said, pointing out local landmarks featured on the wall as well as a meadowlark, sunflowers, and the state insect, the honey bee.
I didn’t have time to visit Camp Concordia, a World War II German POW camp, so that just means another trip north to Concordia and hopefully another serving of tiramisu from the Huckleberry Tea House.
Copyright 2010 ~ Cheryl Unruh
I want that!