Greenwood County
KSGenWeb
Pleasant Grove township was divided in 1880. The north township was known as Pleasant Grove and the south township was Walnut.
A team was left standing unhitched on Main street while a strong wind was blowing from the south. A pine board extending across the bed of the wagon was used as a seat. The board was loose and a strong puff of wind lifted it and it landed on the back of the animal which was a pony. The other member of the team was a mule. The pony didn't look like he wanted to be surprised but the fact that the salute was so sudden, unexpected and abrupt that he couldn't help it so he struck out. The pony wanted to go up the street while the mule insisted upon the opposite course so there was a conflict of counsel and muscle. The team was finally stopped by onlookers. Moral - always hitch your seat.
Money was plentiful in Greenwood County. Nye and Seidle were loaning it at eight and nine per cent interest.
The Wool Growers Association of Greenwood County was organized in April.
Severy was organized as a city of the third class in March and changed the name to Gould City. The newspaper was changed to the Could City News from the Severy Leader.
Emporia celebrated the formal opening of its new Holly Water Works in June, the first in the state. We hope Emporia may find her $50,000 a profitable investment. When Eureka gets old enough and big enough and strong enough, we hope we may go and do likewise.
In July, 1880, a freight train of 22 cars loaded with coal and ties on the was from Gould City (Severy) to Emporia got beyond the control of the engineer while coming down a grade 12 miles south of Eureka, resulting in the demolition of 11 cars and contents, breaking cross ties and fails for a distance of a mile. There was some intimations that the engineer was drunk, but is was later ascertained that he was a sober, temperate man of good standing.
The Chicago Lumber Co. was selling coal for 20 cents per bushel.
The Republicans of Eureka organized a club known as the "Garfield and Arthur Club of Eureka."
Gould City had four saloons whose receipts were from $15 to $40 per day.
A large number of cattle had died from what was thought to be Texas fever.
B.B. Finch moved his store to Gould City in September.
The post office at Climax was re-established in October with George Mitchell as postmaster.
A Republican rally was held in Gould City in October. Two large passenger coaches loaded to capacity left Eureka for the 40-minute train ride to Gould City. The engine was decorated with flags and the colored band freely tested its power and tone enroute to the rally. The drum and fife bank of Eureka also enlivened matters.
The colored ladies of Eureka gave a supper at the courthouse for the purpose of raising funds to buy uniforms for the colored brass band.
Several antelope hunts were held in Greenwood County.
A telegraph line from Emporia was completed to Eureka and the first message was sent on November 27, 1779.
Ice houses were being filled during the winter with clear slabs of ice, six inches thick. The winter was generous in its frigid contribution.
There was an extreme shortage of coal during the winter.
The school room, recently fitted up in the basement of the main school building, was occupied for the first time in January.
The postoffice at Fullerton was opened. Marshall was postmaster.
The postmaster at Beaumont received $12 per month.
Greenwood County Building and Loan Association was organized with a capital stock of $120,000.
While digging a well at Virgil, a substance strongly resembling crude petroleum was found at a depth of 20 feet.
A man was noticed passing along the street, evidently under the influence of rattle snake antidote. This was the first instance of this kind sine the embargo was laid.
The new Congregational Church at Severy was dedicated on July 2.
President Garfield was shot by an assassin in July and died in September.
There were 80 organized school districts in the county.
Surveyors were busy laying off a townsite at Twin Falls.
Effects of the long drouth of 1881 were being felt in the price of vegetables. Potatoes were selling at $1.75 per bushel and cabbage was 20 cents per head.
Some of the towns and postoffices in Greenwood County included Collins, west and south of Eureka; North Ward, south of Collins; Charleston, in the southeast part of the county; Twin Falls, east of Climax; Fame, east of Eureka; Kenton, northwest of Virgin; Jamacia, west of Kenton; Lena Valley, northeast of Madison; and Flint Ridge, northwest of Eureka.
The Santa Fe line had been extended to Howard and was to go to the south line of the state.
The first number of the Fall River Times was published in Sept.
The Scandinavians had organized the Scandinavian Mission Society with A.P. Polqvist, president and A. Anderson, secretary.
The colored band was engaged to play at the fairgrounds during the county fair.
Emporia was still advancing. Not content with the new water works, they were preparing to organize a street car company.
The man who ran 2 1/2 miles in 16 minuets at the fair was the one that cut 60 shocks of corn in one day for A.W. Barrier.
The Catholic Church was completed and dedicated Sunday, Oct. 30.
The new Methodist Church at Madison was dedicated on November 6.
A disease among horses called the "pink eye" had made its appearance in this county.
Some mineral springs heretofore known as the Walnut Springs, about 10 miles southeast of Severy, were attracting considerable attention. The proprietor of the land had great faith in the medicinal virtues of the waters of those springs.
The town of Fall River was suggesting a new county composed of portions of Greenwood, Elk and Wilson counties and perhaps a small slice of Woodson county and make Fall River the county seat.
The new railroad was making Toronto into a boom town.
G.F. Dunham sold his interest in the Herald to H.C. Rizer in December, after being connected with the paper for 12 years.
Members of the Second Congregational Church (colored) built a parsonage at Fourth and Oak streets. They were using the courthouse for church services and planned to build a church as soon as possible.
There was a severe epidemic of smallpox in Gould City (Severy) - the city was under strict quarantine surveillance, business was at a standstill and schools were closed. Many deaths were reported. The disease was first discovered at the Pacific House Hotel.
The United Brethren Church at virgin was dedicated in January and the Methodist Church in that city was dedicated on February 5. The Lutheran church of eureka was dedicated on September 17. McBrown Methodist Church near Fall River was dedicated in October.
Eureka Lodge No. 85, Ancient Order of United Workmen, was instituted on January 14. The Severy Odd Fellow Lodge was organized in June by the Eureka lodge. The Knights of Pythias was organized here in Sept.
A new schoolhouse was being built in Severy of stone brought from near Beaumont in the Flint Hills. A Sunday School was organized at Farmington schoolhouse about four miles south of town. Two new postoffices were established - one five miles east of Twin Falls, named Boaz, and one 12 miles east of Eureka named for Moses Neal.
Mr. Evans had sold to O.E. Ladd a plow, subsoiler, corn planter and a coverer combined in one machine called a "lister." A good many farmers were anxious to see how it did its work.
Michael Sweard of Salt Springs township, who lived one mile northwest of Fall River, was supposed to be the oldest white settler in Kansas and came here in the fall of 1838. He made his claim at the Fall River address in 1857.
The air was unduly seasoned with chinch bugs in May. The pests didn't seem to be doing much damage but there were enough of them on hand to clean out all the crops in Greenwood County in a week if they got down to business.
The St. Louis, Fort Scott and Wichita railroad reached Emporia on June 9. At about 5:30 in the afternoon the track layers reached Main street on Ninth. The construction engine sounded its whistle and the crowd of spectators present rent the air with cheers. Donations were contributed for a treat for the 200 workmen, and as the last rail was spiked, a barrel of cider was tapped and its contents freely distributed, while at the same time numerous boxes of cigars were opened and passed around. At ten o'clock that night the regular passenger train drew up at the end of the track in Eureka for the first time and started for Fort Scott at six in the morning. The depot for the road was nearly completed. It was located on the east side of Main street on Ninth. The first mail on the new railroad left on August 23. In December the track was completed to Reeceville, 10 miles west of Eureka, and trains started to that point. Poles for the telegraph line on the railroad were planted in July and the first messages sent.
The new Floral Hall at the fairgrounds was ready for occupancy.
An Ordinance was published authorizing the levying of a tax of seven and one-half mills; five mills for general revenue fund and two and one-half mills to meet the interest on bonds issued for the new railroad.
The new Methodist Church at Fullerton was dedicated on January 14.
"Toronto Topic" was started in January and was a seven-column folio paper.
Going to El Dorado in January, 1883, did not mean getting into a buggy and wasting a day over an indifferent road including a long and dreary haul over the Flint Ridge. It meant stepping into a comfortable passenger coach and in an hour and a half could walk the streets of our western neighbor.
The first house built in Fall River was erected in October, 1879.
A depot at Neal was erected in February. Heretofore, Neal had been a flag station.
The population of Greenwood County was 10,550.
H.C. Rizer sold the Herald to Dr. J.P. Silsby in April.
Plans for the new Collins Block had been drawn. Joining the new hotel on the north it would present a front 100 feet, two stories high and 100 feet deep, with four store rooms on the ground floor. The Opera House would be on the second floor with a seating capacity of 800.
The postoffice at Charleston was discontinued. The new opera house at Fall River was completed in November. The First Baptist (colored) church had purchased a lot on the corner of Seventh and Walnut on which to erect a new church.
The new city hall was brick with ornamental iron front, with stone for rear and side walls. It was 25 x 60 feet and had a metal roof. It was recommended by the city that property owners provide suitable hitching posts for the animals. S.A. McGinnis offered to give five acres of good land, adjacent to Eureka, to any legitimate manufacturing concern.
In November, the Herald started publishing on Friday instead of Thursday. The First National Bank Building was nearing completion. The Severy Liberal, with R. Thatcher as editor, was a new venture in that city in the line of journalism.
The eastbound Frisco passenger train was thrown from the track on New Year's Day, three miles east of Severy. The postoffice was now located in the Leedy building. The Kansas City chief of police had notified the officials of southern Kansas that he was to loose 2,000 tramps and they would all head south. One hundred buildings were under contract to be built in Eureka during the year.
Eureka became a city of second class in March, 1885. The new Methodist Church at Climax was dedicated on April 19. The charter had been obtained from the state for the erection of the academy. The newspaper, Toronto Register, made its first appearance on May 1. The new Methodist church at Severy was dedicated May 17.
The Opera House was to be lighted with 32 lights, 20 of these on stage. The city had been visited by both the redskins and gypsies. The First Presbyterian Church of Reece was organized in June. The drum corps had received its new fifes and drums. The population of Wichita was 16,019. The Madison Bank commenced business on July 8. J.P. Silsby sold the Herald to W.S. Martin. About a month later, in September, Marlin sold it to Z. Harlan.
Eureka had 37 stone and brick buildings on Main street. there were 70,000 cattle grazing upon the prairies. One citizen was the proud possessor of the gold medal awarded him at the World's Fair in New Orleans for the best corn grown in the world. Reece was like a four-year-old steer, just about to get its growth.
Children in the county were to purchase a bell for the academy. The bell was to cost about 20 cents per pound so each child contributing a dime would own half a pound of the bell. A schoolhouse was being erected in Reece at a cost of nearly $4000. The Wesley Chapel Methodist Church in Pleasant Grove township was dedicated November 15. It cost $1800. The Burlington, Eureka and Beaumont railroad was chartered in November. The population of the county was 15,428.
Eureka was ablaze with electricity, the system known as the Weston Electric Light System was furnished by the U.S. Electric Light Co. of New York. The plant cost $3000. Electricity was turned on for the first time December 24, 1885. Lights were suspended over Main street at First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth streets and from them light was thrown east and west a distance of fully two blocks. Merchants were urged to put lights in their places of business.
A man, wife and five children were found frozen to death, in a wagon, between Reece and El Dorado. In March, the First Congregational Church members decided to erect a new church building upon the present site. An attempt was made to move Neal west of its present location. Several Indians camped near Neal in March, searching for a young squaw.
The new town of Tonovay had a postoffice with J.E. Mee, merchant, as postmaster. The Soldiers and Sailors Bldg. Association of Severy was incorporated in April. A contract was let for the school building in Brookover's Addition. The building was to be 22 x 29 feet and two stories in height. Cost $2400. An estimated 5000 persons were in Eureka for the 4th of July celebration. The city council had purchased a hook and ladder truck, two fire extinguishers and other articles for $436. The Eureka Military Company had been organized with 35 members.
January temperatures dropped to 24 below zero. Eureka had a great many colored people, all honorable and industrious citizens. The county commissioners divided Fall River township into two election precincts. Twin Falls and Climax were the voting places. Martin & Diebert purchased the Collins Block for $25,000 cash. The city was to have waterworks. The estimated cost ($38,000) included an iron reservoir, two steam pumps and boilers, a suitable building for the pumps, filtering wells, 5.2 miles of mains and 40 hydrants.
Spring Creek Union schoolhouse (District 48) was dedicated in July. The Commercial Hotel on South Main was opened in November for the reception of guests. The old Congregation Church building was moved in December from Third and Elm, north on elm about half a block. Services continued in the old building until the new one was finished.
A $15,000 fire, the first of any consequence Eureka ever had, occurred in March. The large frame building, at the corner of Main and Second, erected by Stoddard & Denison in 1868, included a number of businesses. On the south there was nothing left of the building but blackened stone walls. The little frame building occupied by Dan Maley as a cigar factory was torn down and the material hauled away. Large plate glass windows in the opera block suffered severely but the intense heat. The buildings destroyed were to be replaced by handsome brick and stone structures. The loss of the fire would have gone far toward procuring an efficient means to protect property from destruction by fires.
There are at present 80 women employed in the treasury department in Washington, D.C. and it is proposed in view of the pressure for those places to increase the number to 100. Each woman will be employed for nine months of the year and furloughed, without pay, for the three remaining months. This will furnish employment to a large number of women while effecting a decrease of expenditures in the service.
What to Tell Them (April 15, 1887)
When writing to friends in the East about Kansas, tell them something of Greenwood County. Tell them that Greenwood County has an area of 1,155 square miles and an area of 739,200 square acres; that 53 per cent of her lands are in improved farms; that she has a wealth of nearly 16 million dollars; that she has 1000 head of horses and mules; that she has 51,806 head of neat cattle; that she has 18,175 head of sheep and swine; that she slaughtered and sold for slaughter nearly $1 million worth of stock; that her farm products last year were worth well over $2 million; that she has 153,871 bearing fruit trees and over 200,000 not yet bearing; that she has 107 organized school districts and more than 6000 school children; that she has 26 organized churches; there is not a saloon in the county, and never will be; and that her people are upright, moral and progressive.
Dilbert and Martin addition was annexed to Eureka. A fire, January 5, destroyed several business houses in Eureka. An attempt was being made to raise $1200 to secure a location for a canning factory in Eureka. The new Masonic Hall, on the third floor of the White Building (Second and Main) was the finest and best appointed in the state of Kansas. The Eureka Electric Light & Power Co. was chartered in February and an electric light ordinance passed by the city. The ordinance provided for 13 lights, five on Main, four on Walnut and four on Mulberry, for which the city was to pay $7.50 each per month.
In April, the people of Eureka voted to expend $40,000 for the waterworks. The Fourth Avenue Hotel was new and elegantly furnished. High School was conducted in the city hall building. The new Congregational Church was dedicated on October 14. The building was 55 x 63 feet. Coast of the structure and furniture was $10,000. The Eureka Library Association was chartered in December.
A small force of men were engaged in January in the construction of the street railway. The work was at the south end of Main and consisted of grading and placing ties and rails in position. The new fire bell, weighing 525 pounds, arrived in February and was swung into position in the tower of the city hall.
Water mains were being extended east of River street. four hydrants were placed in the courthouse yard, one in each corner. The county paid for putting in the pipes and the city supplied water without cost. Honorable Edwin Tucker was a member of the State Senate.
The old Adair building, an ancient landmark, was reconstructed by the owner, Joseph Leedy. More than 20 years before the county seat of Greenwood County was established at Eureka by a majority vote of four votes. William Martindale took three of his hay hands from the field and induced them to vote for Eureka for the county seat.
A telephone connected the Fourth Avenue Hotel with the depot and a wire was soon to be extended to the Santa Fe depot. Presbyterian churches were organized at Hamilton and Neal. Ed Crebe purchased the Nye & Pierce lot on Main street and a two-story brick and stone business house, one hundred feet deep, was to be erected.
The Howard State Bank corporation was starting to build on the corner south of the Hotel Greenwood at a cost of $10,000. It was to be known as the Farmers & Drovers Bank, starting with a capital of $100,000. during the building boom in Eureka, $75,000 worth of structures had been erected during the first nine months of 1889. The commodious assembly room of the high school was supplemented by two recitation rooms, constructed during a recent vacation. Eureka won first money in the Hood and Ladder race at Ottawa.
The merchants of Eureka met in September to organize the protective system of the Merchant's Mercantile Agency of Chicago, ILL. The merchants organized themselves to the end that all men should be compelled to honesty when their own honor failed to be a sufficient incentive. J.W. Leeds was interviewing people in the county concerning a new railroad from Kansas City through LeRoy, Eureka, Winfield and Arkansas City.
Do not swear. There is no occasion for it outside of a printing office. It is useful in proof-reading and indispensable in getting forms to press, and has been known to assist in looking over the paper after it is printed, but otherwise it is a disgusting habit.
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