Earlier this month, the sophomore class visited Ellinwood to explore a traveling Holocaust exhibit at Ellinwood High School’s library. They also toured the remaining underground tunnels and various businesses, starting with a leatherworks shop that produced saddles, followed by a salon/barber shop showcasing barber surgeons. Next was a laundry mat and bathhouse connected to the barber shop. 

They visited the Wolf Hotel, originally a bank where two tellers were smuggling money; one committed suicide, and the other was imprisoned. The dining room featured original checkered flooring and a tragic story of a man who took his life there. 

The second set of tunnels, preserved for more than 70 years, contained a few shops, including an antique store, a bar and a library. The downtown tour concluded with a bus ride back to Ellinwood High. 

Beloit High students arrived at the high school, and a few Ellinwood students led half the sophomore class around the exhibits and read to them about the actions America took during the Holocaust. Another exhibit mentioned the Concordia POW camp, which housed over 600 prisoners and 180 guards. There were multiple pictures of the camp and its prisoners. A map was also provided to show other POW camps across Kansas. 

Mrs. Behrends, a teacher who attended the trip, says, “I was thankful to learn about the traveling Holocaust display from Mrs. (Tammy) Channell and thrilled when Mr. (Casey) Seyfert and the school district approved our trip. Learning about the United States’ attitude toward immigration and our country’s response to the Jewish refugees during World War II was impactful. The exhibit was a great follow-up to our recent Holocaust unit. I was impressed by the high school students from Ellinwood who led tours for our students. The Camp Concordia display was also interesting. We live 30 minutes from Concordia, but many students were unaware of the POW camp there in the 1940s. I had wanted to see the underground tunnels at the Wolf Hotel, so I was glad it worked out to include those tours as well. I enjoyed the trip and hope it was memorable for our students.”