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Discover Mid-America — August 2005

House of history and antiques

Greer House Antiques in Topeka is a business location with a colorful past. It occupies a house built by Judge John Greer in 1860, believed to be the oldest stone structure still standing in Topeka.

Born in Dayton, OH in 1824, Greer had already entered the law practice in Indiana before graduating with a law degree from the University of Indiana in 1849. He married Elizabeth Patty in 1845 and was admitted to the bar at the Tenth Judicial District of Indiana the following year. By the time he graduated, he was a practicing attorney in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Greer had practiced law in Ohio for about ten years when in 1856 he moved his family to Leavenworth, KS, and then to Topeka. He bought a claim west of Tecumseh and began farming. The next year he opened his law practice in Tecumseh and practiced for three years before building the house in Topeka.

Greer was one of three delegates to the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention in 1859, which named Topeka as the temporary capitol of the territory. He proposed striking the words “white males” from the section of the constitution granting voting rights, but failed to garner support for his proposal. But his efforts established Greer as one dedicated to equal rights for all.

On Jan. 28, 1861, Kansas became the 34th state. Two weeks later, Greer purchased the Topeka Tribune newspaper. On June 3, the last day of the new state’s first legislative session, Topeka was chosen as the official state capitol. Later that year, Greer was named Judge Advocate General.

On Oct. 22, 1864, Judge Greer, now a grandfather, fought with his son, James Elbridge Greer, with the Kansas Second Regiment against Gen. Sterling Price’s Confederates at the Battle of Big Blue near Kansas City. The judge was badly wounded in the knee and his son was taken prisoner. Eventually, the son returned home and became Kansas’ Assistant Secretary of State. Judge Greer survived his wound and later was named by President U.S. Grant to the American Counsel in Matamoras, Mexico.

Greer and his wife raised seven children in the house on Sixth Street. When Judge Greer died in 1889, the Greer House was passed to his granddaughter, Grace Greer Gleed, who added a brick and stone structure in 1902. A drug store and a grocery store occupied the lower level of the two buildings with three apartments on top.

In 1926, the buildings were sold to George Gregg, who maintained them as rental property. Through the years many kinds of businesses would occupy the buildings.

In 1995, Clayton Sherwood purchased the buildings, renovating the first floor of the Gleed building to open Swims and Sweeps, while keeping the second floors as apartments. In 2003, Pam Beck Sherwood, Clayton’s wife, opened Greer House Antiques in the original Greer house There she sells antiques, collectibles and specialty gift items. Sherwood said the house once was the home of Pastense, an antique shop owned by Susan Henry.

Sherwood said she has been an antiquer for years having had booths at several malls. “My favorite antiques are curvy things, like special furniture and glassware,” she said.

“I also love interior design. It makes me happy to incorporate antiques into the designs in a creative way. I enjoy helping my customers combine antiques with their other décor.”

Sherwood’s designs were used this year in “Sumptuous Settings,” an annual fundraiser for Meals on Wheels at the History Museum in Topeka.

Sherwood refinishes her own furniture, adding original touches to her “shabby chic” pieces and even painted her own “open” sign. Her other love is gardening, and she said she gets a kick out of turning people on to that.

“We’re living in an insecure world,” she said. “People are anxious to get back to basics, like gardening and antiques. I’m happy when I can help others get started.”

Greer House Antiques is at 418 SW 6th and open Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more details, call 785-232-2263.

Discover Mid-America founder and Senior Contributing Editor Ken Weyand files regular reports on notable Midwest destinations. He can be reached at kweyand@gbronline.com.

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