In the early 1930s, Mary Cobb Payne drove past the old stone home on Claflin Road and noticed Harriet Parkerson feeding medicine to a cow in the pasture and stopped to help. Over time, Mary learned that Harriet, now in her 70s, was having trouble meeting the tax obligations on the Goodnow property. Mary's interest in the historic nature of the property and friendship with Harriet encouraged her to look for help in preserving the home.
Mary's brother-in-law, William T. Payne, paid the taxes on the Goodnow property. He then purchased the house in 1936, with an agreement that Harriet could still reside in the home. Harriet passed away four years later. In 1946, William Payne passed ownership of the home to to Professor Loyal and Mary Payne (his brother and sister-in-law). To generate income to help with maintenance and repairs to the home, the Paynes rented the home to college professors and students during the 1950s and 1960s. Mary Payne supported Harriet’s dream of the Goodnow House becoming a museum. The Goodnow Memorial Association was created to renovate the property through donations from Mrs. Lucile Wolf and many other generous community donors. In 1969, Mary and Loyal Payne donated the Goodnow House, outbuildings, furnishings, and Goodnow related archives to the State of Kansas. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and opened as a State Historic Site in 1972. |
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