Mary Catherine Haney was born on July 4, 1940 in Broughton, KS, where she lived with her parents, Joe and Josephine, until they relocated to Clay Center due to the Milford Dam. She is considered the driving force and founding member behind the Clay County Historical Society, serving as the first president in 1973.
Haney continued to work with the museum, spending hours fundraising for the current location. However, she died of cancer in 2016 before moving into the downtown slot.
Haney attended school at Cloud County, Kansas State, and went to floral school in Denver, before returning to her parents’ home in Clay Center. She worked as a florist, owning Town N’Country for around 10 years. She specialized in wedding flowers and offered “full-service” floral services, which meant she pinned boutonnieres, placed flowers. She also worked as a radio broadcaster, at Bergstrom’s nursery, and ran a travel agency. She also gave ceramics lessons in her basement.
Haney became the Clay County Museum’s first curator and championed the Pioneer Festival, a former annual celebration. Originally, it was held across from the 7th Street location where Patterson’s Apothecary and Clay Center Family Dental Care are located. The event featured Civil War relics and period-specific clothing. In later years it was moved to the Fairgrounds.
Former coworkers said Haney was known for using what she had, adding that it wasn’t unusual for her to grab a curtain and start pinning, turning the garb into an instant old-timey dress.
At the museum. Haney was known for walking around with a toolbox filled with tools and anything she may need to fix a display or outfit. Meanwhile, she always wore heels, a hat, and a long skirt. Former neighbors said they never saw her without heels – even when tending to her garden.
“She was just kind of a force,” said Historical Society Board Member Pat Gilbert. “She had a way of getting people to do things.” Others remember Haney as “quirky,” “a character,” and “someone who got things done.” Meanwhile, she regularly dove into a role, acting during her many programs on local history.
Estimated to own hundreds of hats, they were sold after her death. Anyone with a Cathy hat can share pictures on the KCLY Facebook page.
Above: Haney as a junior in high school from the 1957 Tiger Roar.
