Chamber of Commerce Office
Chamber of Commerce Office
The Chamber office is at 702 W. Bertrand Ave., St. Marys, KS 66536.
Phone number is 785 - 437 - 2077
Email is received at: chamber@saintmarys.com or at: stmaryschamber@gmail.com
Click here
to download the By-Laws of the St. Marys Chamber.
Click here
to download the City Map & Guide.
History of the St. Marys Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce began in the spring of 1900 as the "Commercial Club of St. Marys" with about 30 men who created 13 committees which began work on upgrading the main street with gravel or macademizing, a petition for a new railroad depot, and a push to improve the celebration for the 4th of July. Within 5 years, horse racing, which had been added to the 4th activities, replaced the previous celebration of that holiday, and the racing was spread over 3 days at Riverside Park.
The Commercial Club was itself replaced in 1922 with a Community Club which was in turn replaced in spring of 1927 by the formation of the Chamber of Commerce of St. Marys. The charter meeting of the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce was held on April 12, 1927. On their agenda for public progress was the need for a baseball team, a town band, a county track meet, and a July 4th celebration.
In a picture from about1975, are Charter Members of the Chamber: standing, L-R, are Floyd Thomas & Leo "Zeke" Stenger. Seated are Lew Lane, George Marstall, Paul Beseau, & Jim Keating, Sr.
The Chamber worked with the City during the 1930's to improve the surface of the main street, to install electric lights and telephone lines. Christmas was added as a season for celebration by the Chamber and the town, and poor relief was assumed as a duty by the organization. Added in the following years were sponsorship of essay contests, the town's Boy Scout troop, ball teams, the 4-H Fair, Play Day for county schools, and the Soap Box Derby.
Over the years the Chamber has been active in numerous projects to benefit the City and its businesses. Promoting legislation; maintenance & improvement of area roads & construction of Highway #63 & Sandy Hook Road; the Armory; area bridges, and the development of current and new businesses and industry for the town.
More complete information on the History of the Chamber of Commerce for St. Marys can be found in "And They Called the Site 'St. Marys' ", by Dorothy Newcomer Hoobler published in 1978. That source was used for this brief history, and for the picture of the Charter Members.
