Topeka library

In the summer time there were not a great many things for entertainment. You could sit in a car parked on Kansas Avenue and watch the window shoppers, you could swim all day at Gage or Garfield Park for ten cents, on Saturday you could see a movie at the Jayhawk which included a feature movie, a serial and generally a western with Gene Autry or Roy Rodgers. OR there was the library. My mother took Helen and I often or at least once a week. The Library was on the State House grounds on the corner of 8th and Jackson across the street from The Capper Publishing building. When you entered you were in the adult books so you went through to the west end for the children. Helen liked the Bobbsey twins. I liked Louisa May Alcott with "Little Women" and The Baroness Orzy's Scarlet Pimpernel series. On the second floor was a study room with stained class windows. The library was very centrally located but they must have decided they wanted it off the Capitol grounds and moved it west. It is now at Tenth and College. They moved the stained glass windows and lighted them. There is now lots of parking. In the summer Helen and I would put chocolate milk in green coke bottles and go to the basement and lay on Army cots and read. We were cool there