The Red Rocks State Historic Site is a

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

historic site at 927 Exchange Street in Emporia, Kansas. It preserves the William Allen White House, also known as Red Rocks, which was the home of Progressive journalist

William Allen White William Allen White (February 10, 1868 – January 29, 1944) was an American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became a spokesman for middle America. At a 193 ...

from 1899 until his death in 1944. The house was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1976. and The property, designated a state historic site in 2001, is operated by the

Kansas Historical Society The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kan ...

Description and history

Red Rocks is located in a residential area northeast of downtown Emporia, at the southwest corner of Exchange Street and East 10th Avenue. The landscaped property includes the house of

, the house of his mother Mary, and a small visitors center. The main house is a -story structure, its first floor finished in red sandstone, and the upper levels framed in wood with a Tudor Revival stucco-and-half-timbered appearance. The Mother's House is a -story brick and limestone structure, with Classical Revival styling on what is basically an American Foursquare plan. Construction of the main house was begun in 1887 by Judge Almerin Gillette, but was not completed due to financial difficulties. The stone for the exterior was sourced from the

Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods (Arapaho: ''Ho3o’uu Niitko’usi’i'') is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Name The area now known as Garden of the Gods was f ...

area in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. William Allen White and his wife Sallie purchased the unfinished shell in 1899 and finished the interior. The upper floors of the house were gutted by a fire in 1920, and rebuilt to a plan by the Kansas City architects Wight & Wight. The Mother's House was built in 1903 or 1904, and was occupied by White's mother Mary until her death in 1924. The main house remained in the White family (owned by a foundation from 1988) until 2001, when it was donated to the state. William Allen White became a prominent national figure due to his writing for the ''

Emporia Gazette The ''Emporia Gazette'' is a daily newspaper in Emporia, Kansas. History William Allen White bought the newspaper for $3,000 ($ in dollars) in 1895. Through his editorship, over the next five decades, he became an iconic figure in American journ ...

'' (which he owned and edited), and for his role in organizing the progressive elements of the Republican Party in the first three decades of the 20th century. He helped organize the

Bull Moose Party The Progressive Party was a third party in the United States formed in 1912 by former president Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the presidential nomination of the Republican Party to his former protégé rival, incumbent president William ...

candidacy of

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

in 1912, and was an influential voice representing small-town America.

References

External links

KSHS WAW Website

Kansas State Historical Society
* ** ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:White, William Allen, House Biographical museums in Kansas Emporia, Kansas Historic house museums in Kansas Houses completed in 1899 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Kansas state historic sites Literary museums in the United States Museums in Lyon County, Kansas National Historic Landmarks in Kansas Historic American Buildings Survey in Kansas Houses in Lyon County, Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Lyon County, Kansas

Description and history

See also

References

External links