Built By An All Woman City Government Built In An Era When Women Couldn't Vote
The Women Were Elected in the 1901 Election
The Women Were Defeated in the 1902 Election
The election of 1901 brought about a one year change in government in Haddam, Kansas.
The women candidates had an interesting platform which is shown below:
| 1.
|
| They could rule their own households so could manage city affairs;
|
| 2.
|
| The men had taken the whole pie and left not a crumb for them;
|
| 3.
|
| And, they wanted to prevent harm to the morals of the boys and girls
|
As the women could not vote, wifely persuasion encouraged the men to vote in a woman mayor and an all-woman council.
Their progress was reported in the Minutes of the City Council
Meetings.
May 6, 1901
First Meeting
|
| Appointed a committee to look into building a new jail. |
| June 4, 1901 |
| Advertised for bids to build a new jail.
Appointment made for drawing up the plans and specifications. |
| June 17, 1901 |
| Contract awarded.
|
| October 7, 1901
|
| Accepted jail building from contractor.
|
The rock for the jail was quarried locally and a local blacksmith did the iron work.
The council then equipped the jail.
| |
| Stove and Chimney Pipe $3.00 |
| |
| Handcuffs $3.50 |
| |
| Stove and Chimney Pipe $3.00 |
| |
| Blankets$2.98 |
Although the ladies furnished the jail appropriately, it did not see much use as Police Judge Fannie Leibel heard only two cases that year.
Milestones
| |
| The all-woman council was defeated in the 1902 election.
|
| |
| The last known overnight “guest” was in the early 1950s.
|
| |
| The jail building is located one half block south of Main Street.
|
A sign beside the jail reads:
City Jail 1901
Commissioned to be erected
By an all woman mayor & council
Built for the confinement of Haddam's unruly men
More About the Jail From Haddam's Hundred Book
By Dora Hoffman Brown
Return to Index Page
Anita R. Childerston, Webmaster, 2001
