Thanks, Craig. I feel like there are just layers upon layers of stories within the walls of the buildings and on the streets of every block Downtown, and those stories help define the place.
Did you notice that, in the photo of the Gillis House Hotel (as people commonly refer to it now) the hotel is adorned with a sign saying GILLISS HOUSE. Wonder what happened to that second S?
So, it appears that the correct spelling of the family name is "Gillis," with one "s." Grave markers at Union Cemetery with the Gillis name have one "s." The hotel in question, built around 1847 by William Gillis (and Benoist Troost), one of the founders of Kansas City, was not called "Gilliss House Hotel" while he ran it, nor while a few other owners after him ran it. It wasn't until 1860 that it was named "Gilliss House" (two "s's"—or is it "esses"?) by a subsequent owner. So, I'm guessing that whoever named the hotel after the Gillis founder simply misspelled it. I've seen a photo from 1867 that has hand-written identification as "Gillis" with one "s" while the image in the photo clearly has two on the hotel.
historical context is good and important for setting place.
Thanks, Craig. I feel like there are just layers upon layers of stories within the walls of the buildings and on the streets of every block Downtown, and those stories help define the place.
Did you notice that, in the photo of the Gillis House Hotel (as people commonly refer to it now) the hotel is adorned with a sign saying GILLISS HOUSE. Wonder what happened to that second S?
Wow -- good catch, Dalene! I may have to look into that.
So, it appears that the correct spelling of the family name is "Gillis," with one "s." Grave markers at Union Cemetery with the Gillis name have one "s." The hotel in question, built around 1847 by William Gillis (and Benoist Troost), one of the founders of Kansas City, was not called "Gilliss House Hotel" while he ran it, nor while a few other owners after him ran it. It wasn't until 1860 that it was named "Gilliss House" (two "s's"—or is it "esses"?) by a subsequent owner. So, I'm guessing that whoever named the hotel after the Gillis founder simply misspelled it. I've seen a photo from 1867 that has hand-written identification as "Gillis" with one "s" while the image in the photo clearly has two on the hotel.
Interesting. Thanks for checking it out.