• Home
  • True Crime
  • Thrillers
  • Mystery
  • Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  • Horror
  • Business
  • History
  • Reader Favorites
    • Award Winners
    • Bestsellers
    • Box Sets
    • Coming Soon
    • New Releases

WildBlue Press

Great Reads from Exceptional Authors

Great Reads from
Exceptional Authors

  • Subscribe
  • Interested Authors
  • Blog
    • In the Media
  • About Us
    • Catalog
    • Privacy Policy
  • Partners
    • ImaginePublicity
    • MacGregor Literary
    • The House Of Mystery with Al Warren
  • Contact Us

Alice Kay Hill On The Historical “Queen Of The Prairie”

Dusty-backed rattlesnakes, coldly oblivious to an artificial world, were displayed in an unlikely place: the storefront windows of the two-story 1907 Shirley Opera House, Atwood, KS. Rawlins County boys tasted fear and conquered it by rapping on the wavery panes of original glass, hoping to create a strike. This was an ageless form of entertainment, baiting danger at the expense of a perceived enemy. It was not, however, fit entertainment for the Opera House.

My first awareness of the “Queen of the Prairie” was in the early 1970’s. This was a low point in the history of the Shirley Opera House; a time of decay and misuse as one era bled into the next. Many historically valuable properties original to the settlement of this northwestern corner of Kansas had fallen during the 1950’s boom of modernization, but the Opera House persisted.

The original use of the main floor was Mr. Shirley’s “Cash Grocery”. It has been related that Mr. Shirley would stay open until he had sold one dollar’s worth of candy and then close for the day.

The upstairs, accessed by the exterior cement stairs seen in the photo, offered local talent such as “A Prince of Liars, May 10, 1907, directed by Miss Beulah Monroe”. The Atwood Orchestra played for dances and the Woodmen held their First Annual Grand Ball within the large space. Traveling performances by theatrical groups such as the Ruth Craven Company, the Ted North Players, and the Hillman Stock Company brought drama, culture, and comedy to the upstairs stage.

While the second floor changed with the times to house a saloon, a rolling skating and shooting gallery, wrestling matches, and political debates the main floor businesses included a printing office, a dental office, the Moss Grocery, an abstract office and, in 1932, the Owl Café. That is when UNDER A FULL MOON The Last Lynching in Kansas finds its connection.

Author Alice Kay Hill

For thirty years, beginning in the 1940’s, the main floor of this fine building had been used as a meat processing plant and cold storage facility for the area; Mr. Charlie Bird’s Locker and Grocery. Livestock was butchered in an annex built onto the far-north end of the original building and more than once a terrified animal escaped onto the streets of Atwood, literally fleeing for its life.

When my youthful attention was attracted to the molesting of the snakes I was in my early teens and angry at the mindless teasing I witnessed. I was also disgusted by the condition of this classic building. At that time, it was owned by Arlie Hafer who continued to run the locker business. His interest in wild animals of the plains included a coyote run between the Opera House and the law office building to the east. This area could be viewed from above by climbing the original stairs to the second floor. Many cruel acts towards this helpless creature also entertained youth sent to bring home bacon or burger for the family meal.

Soon, however, new regulations relating to food safety closed the livestock/locker business. For a short while the building was owned by a non-local, Mr. Ronald Van Riessen who used the facility as storage for his frozen food distribution enterprise. No improvements were made.

The next owner was Fred Downing who purchased the building in 1976 to house his “Horsetrader’s Antiques” operation. Several young women, myself included, set up a sewing shop in the main room with the idea of designing custom shirts for the men in town. This project did not last, and the decline of the building continued.

Finally, a rescue! In 1980 Darrel and Deanie Weber purchased the building at public auction and opened “Homesteaders”, an import and spice store. They are credited with extensive renovation of the main floor; without doubt saving it from ruin. The rich odors of bulk spices chased away the mustiness of years past. I have a sense that the spirits within the walls breathed a collective sigh of appreciation.

The late 1990’s brought another change of ownership. Don Beamgard, an Atwood native who was a community bulwark, purchased the building and then passed it on to his son Dick. A metal roof and HVAC system further preserved the integrity of the structure. “This Old House”, an interior home remodeling business and “The Mustard Seed”, a soda fountain and hang-out place for youth were two business that ran during the period of 1997 to 2002.

How did our family come to own the Opera House? My mother, Phyllis Charlene Bockhold Kay, left her children an inheritance. My husband Jeff and I chose to use this money and other funds to purchase the building from Dick Beamgard with the idea of opening a steakhouse. We had no experience in the restaurant business and no idea of what we were doing, but that never stopped a pioneer spirit.

The building had been unused for some time in 2002. We put in a commercial kitchen using equipment from school closings including a monster Wolf stove with eight burners, a flat grill, and two ovens that required a forklift to move in. We spent money like crazy but did nearly all the labor ourselves including building walls, painting, refinishing tables and chairs, and rearranging spaces. We were both working full time while farming/ranching and developing a hunting lodge from our farm home. No, I cannot believe we did it either! Added to all that we had two weddings and a grandbaby born within the first twelve months of operation. But the Aberdeen Steakhouse and Pub had its opening night July 4th, 2003!

One of our dreams was to have the building recognized by the Kansas State Historical Society. A year’s research to validate the building’s history resulted in its placement, on both the Kansas and National Registers of Historic Places. A community grant group supported this by paying for the official bronze plaque that is affixed to the exterior. The building had just celebrated its 100th birthday!

Find out more about Alice’s new historical true crime book here!

In 2009 we received the highest grant allowed by the Heritage Trust Fund program. This provided funding, with matching money that we borrowed, to stabilize the upstairs. Included in the restoration work was insulation, wiring, window repairs, new doors, and refinishing both the original wood floor and original pressed tin ceiling tiles. My goodness how the upstairs shone!

The next year we were also successful in obtaining a second Heritage Trust Fund grant to restore the south face, the public face, of the building. The QUEEN OF THE PRAIRIE was wearing her good clothes again. No more snakes (though we did have bats for a short while), no more coyotes, no more sad and neglected space!

Did I mention spirits in the walls? I’ll save that for the next episode.

Filed Under: Blog, History, True Crime, UNDER A FULL MOON Tagged With: Alice Kay Hill, homesteaders, Kansas, Kansas State Historical Society, pioneer, prairie, Queen Of The Prairie, Shirley Opera House, UNDER A FULL MOON
July 20, 2020 By Alice Kay Hill 2 Comments

Comments

  1. Kathy Johnson says

    July 21, 2020 at 8:16 am

    Fascinating! I love old buildings and their histories. I am impressed with your restoration talent… looking forward to the wall spirits installment!

    Reply
    • Alice Kay Hill says

      July 21, 2020 at 8:50 am

      Thank you, Kathy! I will have it posted soon. I’m waiting on some interior photos that are on my other computer and not available yet. It has been a true honor to have been part of the Opera House’s history and I hope the building will be able to continue gracing the plains for another century at least!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

UNDER A FULL MOON by Alice Kay Hill

Buy UNDER A FULL MOON now:

Amazon Kindle eBookBarnes & Noble Nook eBookKobo eBook  eBook
Amazon Trade Paperback  Paperback
Audible Audio Book  Audio Book

INTERNATIONAL KINDLE EBOOKS
USA  UK  Canada  Australia  Germany  France  Spain  Japan  Italy  Brazil  India  Mexico

GET A FREE AUDIBLE AUDIO BOOK

Get this Title for FREE at Audible with a free trialGet this Audible Title for FREE with a 30-day free trial

More True Crime From WildBlue Press

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

Due to Sullivan’s extensive writing about Ted Bundy (which has produced six books), he’s become a sort of magnet over the years, drawing out many people who were part of the Bundy story, but have otherwise kept a low profile over the decades; and … [Read More...]

THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER Volume One The Early Years David Larson Kindle Cover

THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER

Volume One The Early Years In 1944 Brooklyn, newborn Michael J. Hardy is rejected by his mother so she can run with gangster Bugsy Siegel, Hardy’s godfather. Shirley Rook rose to the top of the criminal ranks. As the Queen of New York City … [Read More...]

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER William Craig

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER

It was a dreary winter afternoon in Ayer, Massachusetts, a quintessential New England town, the type which is romanticized in Robert Frost's poems. But on January 30, 1979, a woman’s scream was heard piercing the northeast tempest wind. In an … [Read More...]

CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS Craig McGuire

CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS

This is the true story of Carmine Imbriale – a gambler, a brawler, a bandit, a bookie, an enforcer. For two decades, Imbriale was a street-level operative in one of the most violent crews in the Colombo Family, and he endeared himself to some of the … [Read More...]

VAMPIRES, GATORS, AND WACKOS Frank Stanfield

VAMPIRES, GATORS, AND WACKOS: True Crime Stories From A Florida Newspaperman

Teens savagely murder a couple in the name of their vampire cult. A sex-starved teacher cannot get enough of her young male student. The case of a missing child keeps cops awake at night for years after his confounding … [Read More...]

THE CURSE OF THE TURTLE Suzanne Buchanan

Suzanne Buchanan Exposes The Sinister Truth Behind “The Backpacker Murders” and Thailand’s Mafia In New True Crime THE CURSE OF THE TURTLE

Koh Tao--a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, surrounded by pristine beaches, swathed in sunshine, and a mecca for tourists, divers and backpackers. But "Turtle Island" has its dark side. In 2014, Koh Tao was the site of the brutal double murders … [Read More...]

DEADLY ASSOCIATES Kindle Cover

DEADLY ASSOCIATES: A True Story Of Murder, Survival, and Bringing Down the Chicago Mob

Coming January 29th to REELZChannel™! The DEADLY ASSOCIATES documentary! Step into Chicago during the 1960s and ‘70s, where mobsters influence everyone from strip-club owners to Teamsters, aldermen, judges, and local police. It is a world where … [Read More...]

Jane Doe #9 Kindle Cover With Quote

R. Kelly Victim Tells Her Story In JANE DOE #9

"Lizzette Martinez’s story embodies the fire energy that gives light and life to survivors all around her! Survivors need to see strength and perseverance despite opposition, and Lizzette models just that." - Melissa Schuman, actress and singer In … [Read More...]

Genres, Types

New Releases
Featured Books
Coming Soon
Award Winners

Business
History
Horror
Mysteries
Romance
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thrillers
True Crime

eBooks
Paperbacks
Audio Books
Box Sets

Available

True Crime
• Ted Bundy
• The Last Jewish Gangster
• Carmine And The 13Th Avenue Boys
• Vampires, Gators, And Wackos
• The Curse Of The Turtle
• Deadly Associates
• Jane Doe 9
• Watch Me Die
• Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage
• The Wheels Of Justice
• 16 Minutes
• Terror Town, Usa
• Raging On
• Grilling Dahmer
• The 'Peyton Place' Murder
• Cold Blooded
• Faith Based Fraud
• The Real Mr. Big
• The Son Of Seven Mothers
• 'The Son Of Sam' And Me
• Serial Killers
• Satin Pumps
• Out Of The Mouths Of Serial Killers
• True Crime Chronicles Volume Two
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Three
• The Enigma Of Ted Bundy
• True Crime Chronicles Volume One
• Killing Women
• From The Mob To The Movies
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Two
• To Kill Or Be Killed
• No Angels
• Monster
• Under A Full Moon
• 'Til Death Do Us ...'
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers
• First Degree Rage
• The 'Supreme Gentleman' Killer
• Beast Of New Castle
• The Garden State Parkway Murders
• How Now, Butterfly?
• The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders
• Survival
• Missing ... And Presumed Dead
• Wrong Numbers
• Tantamount
• Playing Dead
• Mothers And Murderers
• Dead Reckoning
• Underworld
• Gabacho
• The Gangster's Cousin
• Race To Justice
• Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries
• Travesty Of Justice
• Railroaded
• You Have A Very Soft Voice, Susan
• A Family Business
• Pathological
• Wrecking Crew
• The Last Man Standing
• My Son, The Killer
• Inconvenience Gone
• Toxic Rage
• The Killing Game
• Shots In The Dark
• The Case Of The Golden State Killer
• His Garden
• The Crate
• Burned
• The Case Of The Zodiac Killer
• A Murder In My Hometown
• Bullied To Death
• The Beast I Loved
• Summary Execution
• The Shawcross Letters
• Better Off Dead
• Sidetracked
• My Brother's Keeper
• Targeted
• Held Hostage
• Room 1203
• A Special Kind Of Evil
• Brooklyn's Most Wanted
• Outlaw Los Angeles
• Unsolved No More
• She Is Evil
• The Rise And Fall Of A Casino Mobster
• Outlaw Southwest
• A Clockwork Murder
• Raw Deal
• The Bundy Secrets
• Betrayal In Blue
• The Politics Of Murder
• Murderers Row
• Rough Trade
• Daddy's Little Secret
• Murder In The Family
• Failure Of Justice
• Ice And Bone
• Smooth Talker
• The Trail Of Ted Bundy
• A Taste For Murder
• Sketchcop
• Body Of Proof
• Kentucky Bloodbath
• No Stone Unturned
• Repeat Offender
• Dixie's Last Stand
• Vampire
• Man Overboard
• Bogeyman
• Murderers Row Volume Two
Thriller
• Blood Red Ivory
• No One Will Hear Your Screams
• The Screaming Room
• Bone Thief
• Crux
• Sword Of The Caliphate
• Last Son Of The War God
• Leviathan
• The Strait
• Enemy Of The People
• Cain
• Dark Visions
• Hunter
• The Reckoning
• Hard Dog To Kill
• 16 Souls
• Borderland
• Paper Wings
• Lockout
• Pitfall
Mystery
• The Humanzee Experiments
• The Killing Machine
• Murder At Mardi Gras
• The Right Thing
• Raven's Ridge
• Raptor's Ridge
• Napa Noir
• Melia Ridge
• Emerald Ridge
• Created
• Crevice
• Headlock
• Identity Crisis
• The Obituary
• Naked Addiction
• The Deadline
Horror
• Four
• Acadia Event
• The Red Son
• Highwayman
• The Equinox
• The Pure And The Hated
• Savage Highway
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Tribulations
• Happenstance
• Destruction Of Justice
• Blunt Force Magic
Business
• Leaderology
• The Age Of Pluralism
• Bamboo Strong
• Corporate Superpower
• Wordpress Websites For Business
• Productivity Tools For Business
Cookbook
• Frank Cullotta's Greatest (Kitchen) Hits
History
• Legion Rising
• The Korean Crisis
• Tempest Tost
• Saving Sandoval
• Killing Rasputin
Politics
• The (Redacted) Mueller Report
Romance
• When Fall Fades

New Releases

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

Due to Sullivan’s extensive writing about Ted Bundy (which has produced six books), he’s become a sort of magnet over the years, drawing out many people who were part of the Bundy story, but have otherwise kept a low profile over the decades; and … [More...]

THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER Volume One The Early Years David Larson Kindle Cover

THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER

Volume One The Early Years In 1944 Brooklyn, newborn Michael J. Hardy is rejected by his mother so she can run with gangster Bugsy Siegel, Hardy’s godfather. Shirley Rook rose to the top of the criminal ranks. As the Queen of New York City … [More...]

CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS Craig McGuire

CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS

This is the true story of Carmine Imbriale – a gambler, a brawler, a bandit, a bookie, an enforcer. For two decades, Imbriale was a street-level operative in one of the most violent crews in the Colombo Family, and he endeared himself to some of the … [More...]

THE HUMANZEE EXPERIMENTS Terry Persun

THE HUMANZEE EXPERIMENTS: This Time Science Went Too Far

Ten must track down and stop rogue scientists behind the development of criminal technology in THE HUMANZEEE EXPERIMENTS, the next installment of The 'Ten' Mystery Series! The International Security for Technological Innovations, a federal … [More...]

Coming Soon

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER William Craig

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER

It was a dreary winter afternoon in Ayer, Massachusetts, a quintessential New England town, the type which is romanticized in Robert Frost's poems. But on January 30, 1979, a woman’s scream was heard piercing the northeast tempest wind. In an … [More...]

Recent Posts

  • TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One
  • THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER
  • ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER
  • CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS
  • Massive True Crime Sale. Today Only!
  • THE HUMANZEE EXPERIMENTS: This Time Science Went Too Far
  • VAMPIRES, GATORS, AND WACKOS: True Crime Stories From A Florida Newspaperman

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

eZine SignupJoin our email list and be the first to get hot deals, new releases and...
* Author updates
* Free eBooks
* Free audio books
* Enlightening and entertaining posts
* Advance notice of book deals, special offers

Follow Us

Blog Tag Cloud

best true crime books Bogeyman Bradley Nickell Brian Whitney Burl Barer Caitlin Rother Cold Case Crime Fiction Crime thriller Detective Detectives Facebook True Crime John Ferak Kevin Sullivan Las Vegas memoir Murder murder book murder mystery Mysteries Mystery mystery thriller Non-Fiction Ron Franscell Serial Killer serial killer books Serial Killers Steve Jackson Suspense suspense thriller Ted Bundy Thriller Thriller Books Thrillers True-crime truecrime True Crime True Crime Authors true crime book true crime books True Crime Original true crimes true crime stories True Murder WildBlue Press

Privacy Policy

As Seen On:

Our Authors Have Been Seen On...

Interested Authors Click Here
See Our Entire Catalog
SSL Secure Connection

Copyright © 2022 WildBlue Press. All rights reserved.
Website design by Denver Local SEO Marketing Company
Alice Kay Hill On The Historical “Queen Of The Prairie”