AIKEN, BECKER, BEUDER, GRIMES, HAHN, HAINES, HENDERSON, HITEMAN, MAYES, PADDOCK, PRIKE, PROCTOR, SHARP, SPENCE, TOBIN, WEST "The Kansas City Post" (Missouri) Sunday, January 1, 1911 GOOD OLD DAYS RECALLED AT BALL. Three generations met last night on the polished floor of Little's hall out in Westport and danced old waltzes and new two-steps, the old-fashioned quadrille and Virginia reel, and the newer fan-tail and spiral glide. It was the second annual dance of the Westport Improvement association, and was attended by nearly all of the old of Westport, with their children, and their children's children. Veterans of the North linked arms and bowed to the Southern belles in the Virginia reel, and sturdy men who lived through the trials of the Civil war, forgot all differences, when the caller announced, "Circle six and all hands round," "change hands round, circle eight," "all ladies to right and sway," as the orchestra played "Turkey in the Straw," and "Old Tom Tucker." Three hundred persons were on the floor at one time, and others came and went during the evening. Twenty gallons of apple cider was on tap, and gingerbread that melted in the mouths of even the most confirmed dyspeptics was served in generous slices. It was a typical scene of fifty years ago --- a turning back of the clock's hands half a century. The grand march was let by Philip BECKER, 77 years old, of 3931 Washington street, and Mrs. Lida HITEMAN of 2512 Washington street, who is --- well, she had lived in Westport over fifty years. With a step as light as ever, danced in the old historic Harris house in Westport during the Civil war, they led off and were followed by the train of old settlers and their wives and the later generations. It was distinctively an old settlers' dance, although they were outnumbered by the younger generation. The pioneers gathered here and there in groups and talked over the old times. The mothers had as many dances scheduled as their daughters, and very few sat out any of the numbers. The quadrille, the Virginia reel, and the square dance, was given up mostly to the elder people, as the young men and women had been born after the decadence of those dances, in their original form. Some of the early settlers present were: Mrs. and Mrs. John TOBIN, 4206 Penn street August HAHN, 4096 West Prospect Place Dr. Joseph AIKEN, 4407 West Prospect Place John SHARP, Victoria hotel Mr. and Mrs. Lem PADDOCK, 1304 Troost avenue Walter S. HAINES Mrs. M. C. SPENCE, 4005 State Line W. M. WEST, 4137 State Line George R. PRIKE, Forty-third and State Line C. O. PROCTOR, 4343 Jefferson street A. HENDERSON, 417 West Forty-third street R. GRIMES, 4302 West Prospect Place M. J. BEUDER, president of the Westport Improvement association T. P. MAYES, secretary The Westport Improvement association is composed of all property owners and residents within the present bounds of the Fifth ward. Its purpose is to put its members in close touch with public affairs, to assist and encourage building up and improving homes, surroundings and conditions within that ward, and to discourage and work against undesirable enterprises. August HAHN of 4205 West Prospect place has lived in Westport for fifty years, coming here in April of 1861. "I came up the river on a steamboat," said Mr. HAHN. "You know there were no railroads in Kansas City until 1865. I put up at the old Gilliss house that was on the levee between Delaware and Wyandotte streets. That and the Harris house in Westport were the finest hotels in the West at that time. The old Harris house still stands in Westport. "In those days it was nothing to see a string of 100 teams string out across the prairie every day. The town was full of Mexican traders then. "I joined the Sixth Kansas cavalry during the war and helped build Fort Scott, Kas., out of a barricade of bags of sand and dirt. I was across the river from Lawrence, Kas., when Quantrell burned the town and murdered scores of the people." Dr. J. W. AIKEN, of Forty-fourth street and West Prospect place says he lived in the house in which the famous Order No. 11 of the civil war was issued by General EWING, district commander of the Union army. L. D. PADDOCK of 1304 Troost avenue came to Kansas City in 1867 and has been connected with the stock yards since 1876; he has toured the world for Swift & Co., packers. W. M. WEST of 4137 State Line was born here in 1874. His father was born here, also, and Mr. WEST's two children were born in the same house where he now lives. Walter S. HAINES recalls when Frank's Hall at Independence avenue and Main street and the Southern Hotel at Sixteenth and Grand avenue were the centers of the society balls of the city. Mr. HAINES was born in 1866 in a log cabin at Seventeenth and Main streets. ====================================================== (I have no connection with any of these families but I'd appreciate knowing if you found this posting helpful.) johnobrien@kc.rr.com ======================================================