Hesston Public Library

Digital Special Collections

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Agriculture
Pictured is a young John Bergey atop an upside-down wheat truck in a pasture. Handwritten caption: 1947, Summer, Western KS, Cab over Engine Ford,…
Peirce Photographs
Series of photos of the aftermath of the Hesston Tornado.
Peirce Photographs
Series of photos of the Hesston Tornado, mostly taken from the corner of Kansas Highway 15 and Hesston Road. One can see the wall cloud, lowering at…
Tornado Stories
A few weeks after the tornado, Judy Swenson's second-grade class wrote to their pen pals in Mrs. Veach's class in Great Bend. Updates about their…
Tornado Stories
On their first day back at school, Judy Swenson recorded her second-grade students' reactions to the tornado.
Alison Photographs
Still frame from Dean Alison's video of the Hesston Tornado
Alison Photographs
Photograph shows a full rainbow over Kansas countryside, presumably from the day of the Hesston Tornado - but uncertain.
Alison Photographs
Photograph shows a rope tornado, presumably from the day of the Hesston Tornado - but uncertain.
Alison Photographs
Photograph showing large, dark clouds in the Kansas sky, presumably from the day of the Hesston Tornado.
Alison Photographs
Photograph showing large, dark clouds in the Kansas sky, presumably from the day of the Hesston Tornado.
Alison Photographs
Photograph showing large clouds in the Kansas sky, presumably from the day of the Hesston Tornado.
Residences
Handwritten on back: "Lyle Yost's house in Hesston Kansas"
Agriculture
Caption handwritten on front; "Harvest Tour with Lyle Yost"
Agriculture
Three men smilingly examine a tractor lying on its side, which appears to have two broken axles. Handwritten on back: "Tractor hit by large truck…
Agriculture
Photo shows three men examining a wheat truck upside-down in a pasture. Handwritten on back: "Wheat truck wreck. Hesston, KS, 1944-1945? Lyle…
Municipal Ceremonies and Events
This history of the Hesston City Flag was researched and written by Erma M. Yost, published 1984.
2020 Novel Coronavirus Hesston Family "Porchtraits"
Donna shared, "Because of the coronavirus we are pretty much confined to our home, so sitting on our porch sipping on root beer floats is a part of…
2020 Novel Coronavirus Hesston Family "Porchtraits"
In 2019-2020 a novel coronavirus mutated and spread around the world, causing a sometimes deadly disease in humans, commonly termed COVID-19. By…
2020 Novel Coronavirus Hesston Family "Porchtraits"
Janell wrote, "Our household was a mixed bag of situations during the stay-at-home order. Our small business suffered significant business loss,…
2020 Novel Coronavirus Hesston Family "Porchtraits"
The Reimers shared, "Sheltering in place has been a positive experience for us in our family of six. We have appreciated living in a…