Receiving Vault – Oakwood Cemetery, Baldwin City, KS
Historically a.k.a.: Nicholson Mausoleum previously located behind Nicholson home at 8th and Monroe, currently the Kappa Sigma Fraternity House.
- Individual photos and full text of article is available below.
- First printed in Baldwin City Community News, May 12, 2022. Reprinted with permission.
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Photos:
Text of Article:
Treasures From The Kansas Room By Marta Jardon, Santa Fe Trail Historical Society– Baldwin City Community News, May 12, 2022.
What Is That Building at Oakwood Cemetery?
Have you ever wondered what that stone building is at Oakwood Cemetery (300 N 200 Road)? The beautiful little “house” sits amongst the headstones in the cemetery with no sign or name. Nothing appears to be inside and the ground in front of it is empty. The information kiosk doesn’t note its location. Many cemetery visitors have had questions about it, and a reader sent us an email looking for answers. So, I went to the Kansas Room in the Baldwin City Public Library and found some very interesting history!
First – the short answer… The building originally was a mausoleum built by George E. Nicholson in 1903 to house his wife’s remains. The mausoleum was first located at Nicholson’s home on 8th Street, where the Kappa Sigma fraternity house is currently located. When Nicholson moved from Baldwin in 1911, he had his wife reinterred in Oakwood Cemetery. He sold the mausoleum to the cemetery to be used as a receiving vault.
Now – the details… George A. Nicholson, from Iola, KS, was the son of George E. and Florence Nicholson, and a sophomore at Baker University in November 1902 when his mother passed away unexpectedly. News about Baker students, as well as Baldwin citizens, was commonly reported in the Baldwin Ledger in those days, so Mrs. Nicholson’s death was reported in the paper. The next week, the Ledger reported that she had been planning a gift for Baker University before her death. Her husband, George E., announced a $25,000 endowment for the “Florence B. Nicholson Chair of Philosophy and the English Bible.” This gift was the largest ever received by Baker at that time and allowed the university to expand a very congested department. The additional news from the Ledger was that George E. Nicholson (father of George A.) would be moving to Baldwin as soon as he could find or build a house “like the one he has in Iola.”
By July 1903, the new house had been built on the lot where the Kappa Sigma fraternity house is currently located (8th Street). The house was built by Joseph Spurgeon, a well known and prominent Baldwin builder. The Baldwin Ledger reported that the house had 12 rooms, a furnace, two stairways, and was lighted with actyline {sic} gas. The first-floor rooms were finished in quarter-sawed oak. The attic had a gymnasium and a tank to supply water to the whole house. Nicholson also had a telephone! His phone number was 150. The cost of building the house was $24,000. It was beautiful and reported to be the finest house in Baldwin!
It appears that the mausoleum was built at a cost of $1800. Mrs. Nicholson’s remains were moved from Iola when the building was completed. The mausoleum had beautiful stained-glass windows on all sides. Now only one stained-glass window remains at the structure. The two large side windows were stolen in March 1988. Another small stained-glass window was found lying in the attic of the structure by Jim and Linda Ballinger while they completed repairs there around 2000. This window now hangs over the front door to the Baldwin City Public Library.
In December 1910, Geo. E. Nicholson decided to move away from Baldwin. He sold his huge house to the Kappa Sigma fraternity. By this time, the house had 16 rooms, “five fully modern equipped bath rooms” and a “cement tennis court.” The young men planned to move in after the holidays. The fraternity used this house until it was destroyed by fire in 1917. It was then replaced with a big brick house. Unfortunately, this house also burned in 1976. The current house replaced the brick house.
When the house was sold, Mrs. Nicholson was reinterred in Oakwood. Oakwood Cemetery purchased the mausoleum in February 1911 for $400 to be used as a receiving vault. (Receiving vaults were structures used to house dead bodies until they were ready to be buried.) The Baldwin Ledger strongly commended this purchase as a “much needed feature” for the cemetery, reporting that Oakwood would now be “well-equipped.” Joseph Spurgeon took the structure apart and rebuilt it at the cemetery. The receiving vault was repaired in 1953 through a gift from George A. Nicholson (the son).
A few more tidbits … Dr. Homer Ebright, noted Baker professor, historian, and Baldwin supporter, first held the Florence B. Nicholson Chair of Philosophy and the English Bible. George E. Nicholson (the father) was appointed a Trustee to Baker in 1902. The empty space in front of (to the west of) the vault has no relation to it. That area is part of the grounds for the commemorative marker for the Civil War veterans located further to the west. Florence and George E. Nicholson rest together in the Schnebly section of Oakwood cemetery, which is in the northern portion of the cemetery.
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Looking for Baldwin or local history? Or want to contribute to it? Come to The Kansas Room!
The Santa Fe Trail Historical Society of Douglas County has been preserving and promoting the history of the Baldwin, Vinland, and Southern Douglas County area in addition to the Trail since 1967. Visit the website at www.santafetraildouglas.org.
–Updated 1/2025
