DeGeer Corner & Maria DeGeer Statue

DeGeer Corner & Maria DeGeer Statue The DeGeer Corner Committee is raising funds to place a Statue of our town founder, Maria DeGeer, on the site of her original claim cabin. Mrs.

The statue and DeGeer Corner will be unveiled June 5, 2021. Honoring Our Founder, Maria DeGeer
DEGEER CORNER & MARIA DEGEER, "Legacy" STATUE by Jerry D. Thomas
“We left Garden City on the 28th of September, 1884, taking with us a double-seated, lightwagon, a large keg of water, buffalo robes, food, matches, some kindling wood and a spade and hatchet and my daughter, Mrs. Eastman, and myself,… acc

ompanied by C.J. Jones, who needs no introduction to the people of this State,.... We pitched our tents in Scott County that night, sleeping on the prairie, or rather watching for and listening to the coyotes who became our close and noisy neighbors…. Next morning I improved the north west quarter…and Mrs. Eastman the southeast quarter…cornering on the geographical center of Scott County, and with our own hands dug the four corner foundations of our future claim houses. Eastman and myself never gave up. I had faith in God and Kansas and she had faith in her mother and Scott County.” -M.E. DeGeer
Maria DeGeer was 55 when she and her daughter arrived in Scott County. Already a very outspoken and requested speaker in the Temperance movement, a leader of Prison Reform, and well astute in practicing law, Mrs. DeGeer climbed into a wagon to set a new precedent; good and upright people want to establish cities and towns devoted to honest and principled living. This indelible legacy has been revived in an age where our history has struggled to survive. The town Maria DeGeer founded rides the shirttails of the legacy she established with a thriving and progressive community. Our schools, our businesses, our agricultural endeavors, and even many parts of Kansas; all reflect her image and yet we know little about this dedicated woman. DeGeer Corner has set bare and is due its full recognition. Endeavoring to give the full honor Maria DeGeer deserves, the DeGeer Corner Committee has identified the site of her claim cabin and commissioned Jerry Thomas, artist and historian, to sculpt a heroic bronze statue of her to be placed on the very site. The DeGeer Statue Fund has been established to finance this venture. We would like to invite you to be a part of this brilliant history as we bring back DeGeer Corner to its rightful place and honor the heritage of women of the frontier and our town founder, Maria Elizabeth DeGeer. Deb Lawrence, Stephanie Fisher, & Jerry Thomas

03/01/2023

March is Women's History Month! Maria sure made history. She was the first female paid lecturer for the Son's of Temperance in Canada.

Happy 194th Birthday, Maria DeGeer!
11/11/2022

Happy 194th Birthday, Maria DeGeer!

Happy Maria E. DeGeer Founder's Day!🎉🌠 Maria took to Kansas because she believed its motto, Ad Astera per Aspera - To t...
09/28/2022

Happy Maria E. DeGeer Founder's Day!🎉🌠 Maria took to Kansas because she believed its motto, Ad Astera per Aspera - To the Stars through Difficulty. Her perserverance is evident in the town she founded, Scott City. Thank you for bringing her back to her homesite and to our Mayor and City Council for this proclamation recognizing Maria and all those who have made Scott City their true home on the "verdent plains of Western Kansas." 😍

Thank you, Scott City Mayor and City Council!
09/27/2022

Thank you, Scott City Mayor and City Council!

Maria’s view on the eve of 1 year back at DeGeer Corner.
06/04/2022

Maria’s view on the eve of 1 year back at DeGeer Corner.

International Women’s Day is a fitting day to celebrate Maria DeGeer and everything her legacy has afforded us.
03/09/2022

International Women’s Day is a fitting day to celebrate Maria DeGeer and everything her legacy has afforded us.

Another warm day means getting out and about some history.
02/19/2022

Another warm day means getting out and about some history.

Stop #7 of the Scott City Historical Walking Tour: In 1885, the founders of the Scott City Town Company offered church free lots if they wanted to build. The Cumberland Presbyterian being on of two that started from the beginning.

Ad Astra Per Aspera; To The Stars Through Difficulty. Maria DeGeer knew difficulty and yet she continued to reach for t...
01/30/2022

Ad Astra Per Aspera; To The Stars Through Difficulty. Maria DeGeer knew difficulty and yet she continued to reach for the stars. As a young girl, she looked out at the night sky through her bedroom window with visions as vast as that star-filled expanse. And although much of her adult life would be fraught with hardships, she would see many successes. Kansas was part of that vision; we are part of her Legacy. ♥

It's time to get out an about and take a quick walk to Stop #6 on the Scott City Historic Walking Tour (109 W. 9th St):...
01/11/2022

It's time to get out an about and take a quick walk to Stop #6 on the Scott City Historic Walking Tour (109 W. 9th St): The Rittman Home - This unique house was originally built for Joe Rittman and his family when they moved to Scott County from Warrensburg, Missouri. The home was built by Alfie Chamberlain at a cost of only $3,200 with over 2,900 sq. ft. on the two upper levels plus a partial basement.
Click on the link below to read the history of this beautiful home in Scott City.

Stop #6 on the Scott City Historic Walking Tour: This unique house was originally built for Joe Rittman and his family when they moved to Scott County from Warrensburg, Missouri. The home was built by Alfie Chamberlain at a cost of only $3,200 with over 2,900 sq. ft. on the two upper levels plus a p...

Nov. 11-an important day in the lives of two special ladies!I don't believe much in coincidence but I do believe in prov...
11/11/2021

Nov. 11-an important day in the lives of two special ladies!
I don't believe much in coincidence but I do believe in providence. Read this and see what you think.
On Nov. 11, 1829, an amazing lady named Maria Elizabeth Simpson was born in Sligo, Ireland. Then, 141 years later in 1970, Stephanie Payne (now Fisher) was also born on Nov. 11.
Then consider this.....on Sept. 28, 1884, Maria traveled from her home in Chicago, Illinois to the far southwestern part of Kansas to the geographical center of Scott County, with the intention to stake her claim, build a claim cabin and start a new town. (This was right next to the site where Shorty and I would open our office 104 years later in 1988, although we wouldn't discover this until much later.)
A few years ago, unbeknownst to the other, Stephanie and I would almost simultaneously decide that Maria, mostly forgotten, should be remembered for her many contributions to make this town a reality. Maria was no average lady-she was well known across America and Canada as an author, poet, lecturer and lawyer who believed & lectured publicly for Women's Rights, the Temperance Movement and Prison Reform.
Although Stephanie and I have known each other for a long time, we had no idea of the others great desire to see Maria remembered. So we joined forces, contacted Jerry Thomas about designing the statue and the rest is history! Unbelievably, there was a spot on the very site of Maria's claim cabin where 1st National had their flag pole....and Skip Numrich generously donated the site for us to build a Statue in remembrance of Maria!!!! Many people shared our dream and generously donated to the fund to see our towns founder honored and our history remembered.
It's been a true blessing to work with Stephanie on our quest to see a statue of Maria constructed. So today I'd like to say “happy birthday” to Maria & Stephanie! Two very special ladies!

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509 Main Street
Scott City, KS
67871

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