Cozy Nook in Roanoke Park is the caption on this 1909 postcard lithographed in color in Germany. The location, which was the entrance to the park, was west of Summit street, between Thirty-fifth street and Valentine road, near Madison. Today a photographer standing in the same position would find the scene much the same, except horse-drawn vehicles are missing, the motor cars are of a later vintage and Summit street in the background, formerly used by the Roanoke street-car line, now carries six lanes of motor traffic of the Southwest trafficway. It is not cozy at rush hours, when the stream of homeward-bound vehicles passes within a few feet of this spot at Valentine road. Roanoke park is a 36.04-acre preservation of wooded ravines lined with rugged cliffs, in the heart of an area filled with picturesque stone homes built into the rugged bluffs. A large cave, called the Jesse James cave, located near the tennis courts was sealed years ago. The Westport-Roanoke Community center is operated by the park board. Norman school, shown in the background at right, considered to be one of the most beautiful school plants in the city, replaced a small frame school built for 1st- and 2nd grade children in 1901. The west wing, which is shown on the post card, was occupied November 5, 1906, and eight years later the east wing was finished. A large playground sloped away to Thirty-sixth street where there once was a deep ravine. Norman school was named for Joseph L. Norman, pioneer abstractor and president of the Board of Education. Norman had traversed the area as a Union soldier on his way to the Battle of Westport. He had later taught school in a school a little south of the new building. After his term as president of the board expired, they named the school in his honor. Kansas City Star, May 16, 1970.
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