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WOW! Id never heard this before! Crazy!
Do you want to bet that “dr” Charles Seaman, the namesake of the Seaman High School and School district was one of those robed men?
Lowman Hill Church
Interesting side note: Shortly after this church was established in the area, a great need for a “Community House” and plans were drawn up estimating costs of nearly $75,000. However, funding such an impressive scheme proved daunting. One possible source, though, arrived from a very unexpected (and unwelcomed) agent. The July 7,1924, Capital told the bizarre story:
A purse of $200, which would be applied to the building fund for the new. Sunday school temple, judging from the speech of the leader, was presented at the close of the church service at the Lowman memorial Methodist church last night by 18 men, clad in the regalia of the Ku Klux Klan, and who had just marched into the church from a rear door. The money was placed in “escrow” as it has not been officially accepted. There is a possibility that the matter of its acceptance may be considered at the regular July meeting of the Official board tonight. P.W. Bruce, treasurer of the building committee, took the floor to answer the leader of the robed visitors and to object to acceptance of the money. No other objections were voiced. The leader replied that if the money was not wanted there were plenty of other churches ready to accept it. The church was well-filled for the regular service of the evening. The robed visitors appeared just as the closing song was being sung and following a sermon by Dr. W.M. Batch, a member of the Baker university faculty and a former Lowman pastor….The formal response: “Be it resolved by the Official Board of the Lowman Memorial Methodist Church at regular meeting July 7th, 1924: That it is the decision of this Board that it cannot consistently accept the gift of $200 tendered by members of the Ku Klux Klan who appeared in disguise at the church service on Sunday evening, July 6th for the reason that to accept such a gift would be in effect an endorsement of the activities of such Klan who, according to an opinion expressed by the Attorney General of the State, are guilty of violation of the law pertaining to persons and groups of persons in disguise, and for the further reason that ouster proceedings are now in process in the Supreme Court of Kansas against such organizations.”
Today the building lives on as part of the Topeka Bible Church ministry.
(Used without permission, written by Steve Brennan)
