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Mary Lea Boren Standlea of Clay Center, Kansas was kind enough to reflect on her days spent in Seneca.
Mary Lea and her family lived in Seneca on and off starting in 1933. She was about eight years old and remembered starting school in Seneca. Her schooling really made an impact on her even though she was very young. Her favorite teacher comes from the few years of schooling in Seneca. Ruby Hardy taught first grade and as Mary Lea says, "She was a sweetheart."
At this time, Seneca was still a big railroad town and the trains would turn at the roundhouse. She also remembers there being an Odds and Ends Store, a drugstore, a cafe, and a grocery store. Mary Lea also has roots in this small town. Her dad helped to build "the hall" on Main Street and she remembers going to Sunday school at the Congregational Church.
As a child in Seneca, Mary Lea spent most of her time 'just playing.' The school was usually the center for entertainment. The swings kept them occupied and when they weren't swinging, they were climbing fire escapes. Seneca used to have a two-story school complete with a fire escape tube. Mary Lea and her brothers would climb up the fire escape and slide down it.
When Mary Lea was a resident of Seneca, the population was under 100 but there were businesses there that no longer exist. She remembers a bar and also a trailer house with a cafe in it. Needless to say, the town has changed a little since she was a kid. They have the Bed and Breakfast, the Art Gallery, and the bar and post office have been remodeled. She also commented, "The school was in much better condition."
Other tidbits that Mary Lea remembered were from her high school years, "When Seneca still had a high school they would have basketball games in the auditorium." Seneca also had The Beanery Cafe that had a horseshoe shaped countertop.
Mary Lea has long since moved away from Seneca but the memories remain which is the charm of this small Nebraska town.