USA > Kansas > Lincoln County > A souvenir history of Lincoln County, Kansas > Part 5
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Mr. Roenigk once went to California for his health, and is now on a tour around the world. He is a bachelor, an Odd Fellow, and a Royal Arch Mason, also a valuable member of the Kansas State Historical Society, for which he has wiit- ten many articles, of his own and others experiences.
GEORGE SNAPP.
George Snapp is one of the younger old set- tlers. He was born in West Virginia in 1859. Came to Kansas with his parents in 1873, being nearly 14 years old. His parents lo- cated in Salt Creek Township, and George's first work in Kansas was herding cattle. The Snapp family came just in time to be "at home" when the grass- hoppers came on the fourth of July, 1874.
George put in most of his time farming, and what time he could spare from the farm he devoted to carpen- tering and piastering.
*
He was married in 1885 to a Mitchell County girl then hving near Coursen's Grove, named Winnifred Wines. To this union have been born six children, five of them still living Their hrst child. a girl, died fourteen years ago.
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History of Lincoln County
About the year 1885 Mr. Snapp bought the farm he now lives on four miles and a half northeast of Barnard. There are 240 acres in the place, and it is choice land. One hundred acres is under cultivation, the balance being used for pasture. The place is well improved, there being a fine double-gabled six- room house and many other conveniences. He turns off a car- load of cattle every year.
For the past twenty years Mr. Snapp has found time to do a great deal of carpentering and plastering. In later years the demand for his work in these lines has been greater than he could accommodate. He has built five houses since the middle of last October, and has several contracts waiting for him. It is a pretty good record, considering that he only devotes to his trade what time he can spare from the farm.
That he is a past-master in his line of work is evident from the fact that he can't take all the work that is offered him.
[The above is copied from the Barnard Bee. Since it was written Mr. Snapp has become owner of a section of land in Ellis County, south of Natoma. ]
T. J. M'CURRY.
T. J. MeCurry was born in North Carolina in 1841. Was married to Miss Mary Bowen in Georgia in 1866, and three years later he brought his family to Kansas, locating on what is now the Adams place. He farmed this place about fifteen years and then bought of David Swank the place he is now on near Milo, which consist of 880 acres in all, about 350 of it under cultivation.
Mr. McCurry commenced buying grain at Milo in 1889, and in 1891 he built the elevator now being operated by his son Thomas. After conducting the grain business with profit for several years he this spring turned the business over to his son, who we feel confident possesses the elements necessary to make a success of the undertaking.
Mr. MeCurry's success furnishes another example of what Kansas will do for a hard worker. When he landed in this country he had a team and wagon, but no money. That was in 1869. He gained a little on adversity during the next three or Four years, but along came the grasshoppers in 1874 and sei him back-'way back. They cleaned up everything and left him as bad off or worse than he was when he came. But he stayed with the proposition, and to-day he is one of our solid men. He is a stockholder in the Barnard mill, lumber yard,
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History of Lincoln County
investment company, a director of the Bank of Barnard, and president of the Barnard Telephone Company.
Mr. McCurry tells us that the chief industry in Kansas in the early days was cattle raising, which greatly held back the farming industry. But the herd law of 1874 came to the re- lief of the farmers, although it was at first feared that it would be a detriment to them on account of having a tendency to drive the cattle out of the State, but such was not the case. Cattlemen were compelled to herd their cattle, and the farm. ing industry took on a boom, and it has been booming ever since.
Another red letter day for Kansas was when the agricultural department introduced Russian hard wheat. It is a good thing and a money maker for the farmers, and has stayed with them ever since.
Mr. and Mrs. MeCurry have raised a family of five daugh- ters and one son. Three of the daughters are married: Mrs. Ella Borgan, Mrs. Ida Richardson, and Mrs. Esther Lenhart. The first two live not far from Barnard, the last one at Ply- mouth, Kans.
1
RESIDENCE OF T. J. M'CURRY, NEAR MILO.
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History of Lincoln County
Lincoln
This is a city, beautiful for situation. One can see it for miles nestled down between the hills and among its beautiful trees, with the town pot the only natural curio in the vicinity, towering like a big black watch-tower that guards from harm.
The streets of this city are not paved with gold owing to the fact that there is but one man in town who can fit crutches to lame eyes, but they are lined up and down with delightful shade trees.
Lincoln has city waterworks, electric lights, excellent public schools, a college, fine residences, two blocks of flourishing busi- ness houses, a sanitarium, and a lot of automobiles. It is in the center of a large and prosperous farming territory, without a rival for many miles on either side, and the largest town on this branch of the Union Pacific between Salina and the State line. Nearly all the business houses in Lincoln are built of native rock, and except for the few frame structures brought over from Abram, they have always been.
We get the early beginnings of Lincoln in the county scat fight, so it is not necessary to dwell on it here. The town was plotted May 0, 1871, and included the northwest quarter sec- tion 6, town 12, range 7. The town company were W. L. Gill- more, D. W. Henderson, J. S. Strange, Washington Smith, Thom- as Boyle, S. M. Babellette, and James Askey.
Judge Prescott ordered a city election which resulted as fol lows: Mayor, Geo. M. Lutes; police judge, Mortimer Gragg; clerk, Lon A. Minx; councilmen, D. E. Coolbaugh, Geo. Green, Luther Stewart, H. Holcomb, Jos. E. Cheney.
September 23, 1879. Lincoln became a city of the third class. So much of the history of Lncoln Center has been given under special articles that there is not much left to say here. Being the county seat it was the scene of many remarkable and ex- citing incidents during the days when it was customary to make strenuous remarks and punctuate them with bullets. Some of these incidents might prove interesting if told.
But there is another side to the picture and another spirit which stood in sharp contrast to lawlessness. Lincoln from the very first was a hot-bed of progress and reform. Never was
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History of Lincoln County
liquor legally sold in the town except in the year 1879. The State-wide suffrage campaign which had lain dormant after the defeat of 1876 was renewed by Lincoln women. Some of the most earnest and successful exponents of new reformatory measures, in politics, religion, and social life, have been Lin- coln people.
It is evident from the outcome, most people were of the right, sort, so it is hardly worth while to elaborate on the sneak-thief. cowardly acts of a few adventurers when there was real work being done.
There is a list of the business people in Lincoln in 1879 which we wish to mention in passing: H. Holcomb and E. B. Bishop, hardware; (. W. Perkins, grocer; Mr. Z. Burton, drugs; Frank Cogswell, M. D .: J. P. Cunnings and G. M. Lutes, partners in banking business; E. S. Pierce, furniture and undertaking; Hay- den & Greer, tin and hardware; Joseph Cheney, harness and saddles; M. M. George, harness and saddles; Otto Olson, shoe- maker; Luther Stewart, merchandise; Mrs. L. Stewart, mil- linery; R. H. Thompson, restaurant; Legett Bros., grocers. The early postmasters were, in their order, John S. Strange, Dr. Bal- lard, D. W. Henderson, J. M. Wellman, editor of the Register, and J. Z. Springer. There was a joint stock company formed in Lincoln in 1881 to tunnel the Saline River south of town. At another time bonds amounting to $3,000 were carried by a vote of sixty-one to six, to be used in prospecting for valuable minerals under the auspices of the Lincoln Mining and Pros- pecting Company.
The town had a slow growth until the College was built and the railroad came through. Then new buildings sprung up like mushrooms in a single night. From March to May one hundred twenty-five buildings were erected. During the year (1886) Lin- coln doubled in population and trebled in wealth on account of these two new institutions.
Some time in the eighties a library was founded by the Lin- coln women. They went on from year to year building it up,aided only by the dog-tax generously donated by the city dads. Until the year 1897 it was owned by stockholders but at that time the books together with all property belonging to the association was given to the city. In 1899 it was made a public city library. January 1, 1908, there were 1,407 volumes in the library. The recently added books bring the total up to 1,526 volumes.
History of Lincoln County
THE PENNSYLVANIA STORE
FALL OPENING THE BEST of EVERYTHING"
THE PENNSYLVANIA STORE.
The Pennsylvania store was established in Lincoln by Jas. R. Logan and John C. Patton, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, and named by them in honor of their native State. The store was first opened for business on the 29th day of March, 1886, in the Swinburn block, the room now occupied by the Lincoln Fire Deparment. This room soon becoming too small, the stock was moved in January, 1887, to the room now occpied by the Skan- dia Furniture Company. Mr. Logan acquired Mr. Patton's inter- est in July, 1888, after which he added several departments, including men's clothing.
Several men, now in business for themselves in Lincoln County, have been connected with the store in capacity of salesmen at different itines, among them Dan B. Day, H. D. Hall, and Harry U. Porter, the latter having been with Mr. Logan for nearly fifteen years, and is still connected with the store as part owner and manager.
A great many amusing things have happened in this store, a great many of which Dan Day was mixed up in. One of these being a supper given in the store on the evening of July 4, 1891. There was an extraordinary large crowd in town and a hard rainstorm coming up about the time people were ready to start home, had swolen the waterways to the extent that they were impassable. Dan conceived he idea and soon had two long counters the full length of the store filled with bread and
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History of Lincoln County
butter, cheese, crackers, pickles, hot coffice, etc. As soon as the crowd had surrounded the tables Dan went to the gun store, and, taking out a couple of Colt's six shooters, and mounting a stool with one in each hand, he informed the crowd that he did not care to hear any slighting remarks concerning any part of the spread or he would be obliged to call the offender to account. It is needless to say that every remark was very complementary.
Mr. Logan was a Bryan elector in 1896 and always took an active interest in anything that was "For Lincoln." He moved the store to its present location in July, 1901, and after sell- ing the stock to Porter & Sons in June, 1904, he removed to kansas City, Mo., where he still lives, being engaged in the wholesale notion business.
The picture here shown is of the store in its present loca- tion, having afrontage of twenty-five feet on Lincoln Avenue and sixty feet on Fourth street. The furniture and fixtures are all finished in very light oak, including the show-windows, which are all enclosed and electric lighted, making them the finest windows in the city.
The departments, or lines of goods carried, embrace general dry goods, ladies' ready-to-wear, ladies' furnishings, hats, gents' furnishings, and groceries. The motto of the store, "The Best of Everything," aptly represents the character of merchandise handled, and it has been said that this store has more "satis- fied customers" than any store in Lincoln County. This is probably largely due to the fact that it is the only store in the county that has always insisted that "Every man's dollar is the same size," in other words, to have only one price -- that in plain figures, and RIGHT. It has taken considerable nerve at times to maintain this idea in the face of pressure for a con- cession-not of price alone, but principle, but the management. has never weakened and have a good business and the con- fidence of the community as their reward.
The twenty-two years since its establishment has seen other stores spring into existence, flourish for a time and pass into history, others have changed hands, sold out and left, some to come back and leave again, but in the face of all this, the Pennsylvania store has been making a steady gain and a sub- stantial growth.
The firm consists of John E. Porter and his two sons, Harry U., Fred L., and Oscar V. Stewart, a son-in-law. The senior Mr. Porter settled on a farm on upper Spillman Creek in Lin- coln County in February, 1874, Harry being a boy of 7 years. Fred was born on the same farm about three years later.
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History of Lincoln County
Boating on the Saline River.
THE WINDSOR HOTEL ESTABLISHED 18 YEARS RATES. $2.00 PER DAY. ELECTRIC LIGHTS MRS. H. ALLEN, Proprietor.
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History of Lincoln County
THE MASTERWORKMAN MOUNTED.
N. FRYE, FEED, GRAINS, OILS.
Agent for the Masterworkman. Mounted for Farm Uses. Easiest Gas Engine
C. F. Shimeall
The Clothiers
KOH
BROT
MAKERS CHICAGO
LINCOLN, - KANSAS
12
History of Lincoln County
A Matter of Interest to Those who Wish to Sell Lands or to Buy Lands.
Mr. N. J. Davidson, of Lincoln, Kansas, has secured a membership, with the Cental Real Estate Dealers' As- sociation, which has headquarters at Topeka, Kansas. By this membership Mr. Davidson has 1,000 Real Estate firms representing him in different parts of the United States, and he is likewise representive for the same num- ber. Farmes desiring to sell or buy lands should call on Mr. Davidson.
THE HALL DRUG CO.,
Drugs, Books, Stationery, Paints and Oils. LARGE LINE OF TOILET ARTICLES.
Areits 'o th Celebrated Nyals Remedies. Every bottle Guaran- teed to give absolute satisfaction or money refunded.
LINCOLN, KANSAS.
Don't neglect your most
Important Sense
For neglect often causes diseases of the eye which cannot be cured. Symptoms of eye trouble are of such diversity that a thorough discussion of the effects of eye strain would necessitate a volume.
Eye Sight a Specialty. Full line of Electric Instruments for Defective hearing.
B. F. SPENCER, Optician. Lincoln, Kans.
Sewing Machine Perfection
Is recognized the world over in THE SINGER SEWING MACHINE. For Sale by SCANDIA FURNITURE CO.
Lincoln, Kansas
Also the Wheeler & Wilson and the White.
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History of Lincoln County
Do You Want
To get the best of everything in the Meats, Fancy and Staple Groceries. There is no better place where you can get
Good Things to Eat
than at our store; cleanliness and good quality is paramount with us. Remember the place
The Star Grocery & Meat Market.
"GOOD THINGS TO EAT"
Two Phones Nos. 45 Quick Service.
LINCOLN, KANSAS.
LISTEN TO THE BIG RACKET-
Combes and brushes, pocket books; pictures, wash- tubs, buttonhooks; jewelry, cut class, silverware: sunbonnets, beads and puffs of hair; work baskets made of Ratan; hand-painted china from Japan; col- lars, cuffs, ties, dolls and toys-school supplies for girls and boys; fancy yarn of every hue; hats and thread and lanterns too. Christmas goods for all our callers; ten cents up to fifty dollars.
THE RACKET, Lincoln, Kan.
The Chicago Lumber Co.,
Highest grade of building Material, American Field Fence of all Sizes, Iowa Patent Gate, Building Hardware.
J. D. BROCKETT, Agent
Lincoln, Kansas
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History of Lincoln County
"Buy It Ready to Wear"
We have added to our stock a department of LADIES' READY-MADE GARMENTS. Why fuss around getting sewing done when you can buy your
CLOTHES READY TO PUT ON,
The Only One Priced Store in Lincoln County. The Pennsylvania Store,
"The Best of Everything." LINCOLN, KANS.
75
History of Lincoln County
The above is a picture of the White elevator of Lincoln owned and operated by Mr. F. W. Herman who has been in the grain business since 1886. Mr. Herman built an elevator in Sylvan Grove which he operated for several years and later sold. The elevator in the picture was built by Mr. Herman ten years ago.
TELEPHONE
Mr. Herman is also the Lincoln telephone man. A number of years ago he bought the telephone system from the Rees Tele- phone Co., who had just put in the equipment. The business started with less than sixty subscribers but now it has over six hundred and is growing so fast it can't be stopped. The system has country lines all over the county and connects with all other lines.
The Saline Valley Bank
Was chartered July 1881. Commenced business August 1881, and has been open for business every day since, except Sundays and Legal Holidays-receiving deposits, loaning money, buying notes, School Dist., Township and County warrants-buying and selling both Foreign and Domestic Exchange. Trying to to serve its patrons courteously and with fidelity; and advance the interests of Lincoln County.
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History of Lincoln County
WATERMAN &
SMITH
MONITOR
EVANS VILLE.
.WIS.
Windmills, Pumps, Tanks and Supplies
Phone 27 LINCOLN, KANSAS
C. M. HEATON -Dealer in-
BUGGIES, WAGONS AND FARM IMPLE- MENTS
Lincoln,
Kansas
Hardware Stoves and Ranges,
PAINTS, WINDOW GLASS AND KODAKS -- at -- Smith & Browning's
Lincoln, Kansas
ARCHIE HAZEN,
The Leading Tinner and Plumber.
LINCOLN, - KANSAS.
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History of Lincoln County
PIANOS:
Chickering Bros. Baldwin Howard Story & Clark Ellington
Packard
Smith & Barnes
Shuman
Williard Hamilton
Strohber
All Pianos sold on Easy Payments, get our Catalogue and Price List.
A. R. HALL,
Lincoln, Kansas.
Both Phones 486
Bell Night Phones 470, 1065
78
History of Lincoln County
Farmers National Bank
LINCOLN, KANSAS.
E. T. SKINNER, President W. B. McBRIDE, Vice President D. C. STELSON, Cashier BERNICE MCCURDY, Asst. Cashier.
We do a strictly Banking Business and ask for a share of your patronage.
79
History of Lincoln County
Sylvan Grove
One of the things which this little city has to be proud of, is her annual carnival and fair. Live stock and farm produce are shown and a three-days' good time is enjoyed by the people of the surrounding country. There is always a large showing of thoroughbred stock of all kinds which would do credit to any county fair in Kansas. The following is a brief history of Sylvan.
The first settlers to come into this neighborhood were Louis Farley and son Hutchison about 1867. The Farley homestead was called Twin Groves. It is now owned by Charles Whittey. The Buzicks, who came in 1870, were the next family to move in. They have always been prominent in the county. Ira Buzick was the first representative to be elected from Lincoln County. W. C. Buzick has been county clerk and editor of a Lincoln paper. A. R. Buzick, who is at present a resident of Sylvan Grove, is one of the wealthiest men in the county. ('. MI. Heaton and the Meyers boys came in 1871.
A postoffice was established at an early date which was called
-
The Sylvan Grove Mill.
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History of Lincoln County
Sylvan Grove. The name was suggested by William Buzick. C. M. Heaton was postmaster, and the office was at his home two miles south of the present Sylvan Grove until about the year 1877. when it was moved to the home of H. S. Merriman near where the town now stands. About this time E. B. Cross and W. F. Morgan built a small store. The next year Merriman put up a stone building into which the goods were moved. When the railroad come through the business was sold to Berger Bros. & Wilson. Later an interest was bought by Schemerhorn & Co. This was the only store before the coming of the rail- roads, and people came thirty miles to do their shopping and to get their grain ground at the mill, which had been built by Merriman & Mesterson in 1875. The mill went down in the flood of 1886. The old stone store is still standing.
The town was platted in 1887 by the Sylvan Grove Town Com- pany. The land belonged to Wm. Bender and H. S. Merriman. A new store was built by John Hoover. Sylvan has had a steady growth ever since, and has been especially prosperous during the last three years.
There is an excellent telephone system owned by resident stockholders, three elevators, two large lumbers yards, and about forty other flourishing business houses in Sylvan Grove.
Old Stone Store at Sylvan.
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History of Lincoln County
The Sylvan State Bank,
SYLVAN GROVE, KANSAS,
Capital and Surplus, - $30,000
A Bank that during the sixteen years of its existence has always been in postion to care for all legitimate needs of its customers, extending every ac- commodation consistent with con- servative, safe banking.
We solicit the accounts of farmers, treasurers, merchants, business men or any one wishing to become con- nected with a good, strong bank.
Total resources $225,000; Individual responsibility of Stockholders over half mill- ion dollars.
A. R. BUZICK, H. S. BUZICK, Jr.,
President.
Cashier.
-
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History of Lincoln County
Calene & Berger
-DEALERS IN-
Dry Goods, Ladies' Furnishing Goods, Notions, Clothing, Hats and Caps, Shoes, Queenswares, Groceries.
SYLVAN GROVE,
KANSAS.
83
History of Lincoln County
Barnard
The Barnard territory, namely Salt Creek and Scott Town- ships, was settled by cattlemen about 1868. In 1880 the lands were opened by the government to settlers. Houston & Son, of Concordia, acted as agents. These were the days of sod shan- ties, dugouts and lonesome bachelors, poor and homesick.
The Barnard Bee gives a history of the town and we quote verbatim from that paper as it is hard to change history, and our write-ups would have to be the same at all events:
"In the spring of 1887, when what is now called the Barnard branch of the Santa Fe was being graded, it was first thought that a town would be started near the center of Salt Creek Township, as that township voted bonds and this one did not. No one thought for a minute that the road would plant a depot just across the line in Scott, a bondless township. So those in- terested located the probable site for the new town on the land where the late Dan Saunders farm is located, in Salt Creek Township, about three and one-half miles east and one south of the present site of Barnard.
"The Baker Bros. came over from Asherville and started a lumber yard just across the road from the Saunders residence. W. D. Snapp and G. A. King were engaged to build an office for the company. A man named Ross Wilcox was the lumber company's manager.
"But the railroad people had other views, and it became evi- dent that their depot would be located in Scott Township. Im- mediately two townsites were plotted, one on the west edge of Salt Creek Township, the other just across the township line in Scott Township.
"The town plat in Salt Creek Township was on land belong- ing to Mrs. Kate Nealeigh; the one in Scott Township on land belonging to A. A. Ballard.
"An interesting rivalry sprung up between the promoters of the two townsites, and the township line dividing them was soon dubbed the neutral strip. The Nealeigh site was faceti- ously styled "Slabtown." In this article we will distinguish be- tween the two places by using the terms now in general use --
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History of Lincoln County
East Barnard referring to the Nealeigh site, and Barnard, mean- ing the Ballard site.
"The first business enterprise secured by either of the two rival sites was the Baker Bros, lumber yard, which was moved from the Saunders place to Barnard on its present site.
"The first general store was opened in East Barnard by W. D. Snapp and his son-in-law, Marion Loy. Lew and Lee Morse had been running a store in Old Milo, two and one-half miles northeast of Barnard. Marion Loy and Geo. Snapp bought out the Morse boys at Old Milo when they found there would be no town started on the Saunders place. Five months later (summer of 1887) W. D. Snapp bought out his son George in the store at Old Milo and he and Marion Loy moved the stock of goods to East Barnard where Geo. Saine's house now stands. In a short time W. D. Snapp sold out to Lee Morse, and event- ually Mr. Loy retired, which once more left the Morse boys in possession of the business. They failed in business soon after.
"The first residence built in East Barnard was the one now occupied by S. A. Duree, and was built by W. D. Snapp.
"The first building built in Barnard was the one now occu- pied by Geo. Hiserote and family. It was built by MI. Snapp as a residence for Ross Wilcox, manager of the lumper coni- pany.
"In the summer and fall of 1887 East Barnard seemed to hold the edge over its neighbor across the way. Buildings were moved in from Old Milo and some new ones were put up. A man by the name of Gleason opened a general store; a livery stable was also started, operated by John Clark and his father.
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