USA > Kansas > Wabaunsee County > Business directory and history of Wabaunsee County > Part 6
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R. T. Updegraff, who started the first lumber-yard, began business about 1888, and continued in it until January 1, 1905, when he sold to Star Lumber Company, to act in the capacity of President of the Maple Hill State Bank, which was organized in the fall of 1904, with R. T. Updegraff as president, and Chas. P. Banker as cashier. In 1907 he bought an interest in the store, established by F. L. Grove in about 1898, at this time be- ing owned by T. W. Ormsbee, and formed the Maple Hill Mer- cantile Company.
W. S. Isham had been tinner here for several years until a mail-box for rural mail patrons was patented in 1902, and a company formed to manufacture the boxes. It was called the Maple Hill Manufacturing Company and was composed of J. N. Dolley, W. S. Isham, P. C. Chamberlain and H. R. Williams. This firm did business for two years. During the first year 10,000 of these boxes were made and shipped. About ten men were employed during this year. The second year was not so prosperous and in the fall the whole business was sold out to W. S. Isham.
The Business Men's Commercial Club was formed in 1900, with W. J. Todd as president, John Turnbull, vice-president, and G. P. Sturgis, secretary and treasurer. Its objects were the wel- fare and the benefit of the business interests of Maple Hill. They did many commendable things, among them being the plant-
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
ing and cultivating of about one hundred shade trees along some of the principal streets.
Maple Hill has two churches, the Congregational, established in the old Adams schoolhouse about 1862, and the M. E. Church, established about 1888. The school-building built in 1904 is the pride of the town and surrounding country.
The Stockgrowers' State Bank was organized in October, 1906, with Franklin Adams, president; J. N. Dolley, vice-presi- dent; and J. D. Weaver, cashier. They did a general banking business and are doing a fine business for a small town.
For several years after the second fire there was no hall in town for lodge work or public meetings, but in 1905, J. D. Weav- er put up a two-story stone building-a storeroom below and hall above.
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R. T. Updegraff, leading business man of Maple Hill is president President of the Maple Hill State Bank, head of the Ormbee & Updegraff Mercantile Company, the principal general mer-
cantile store. He is also owner of the Wink- ler Hotel, meat market and a splendid farm near the town. Mr. Up- degraff is a native of Ohio but has been in business here ever since he came to Kansas. No man in the county has more diversified business interests than he has and made such a grati- fying success. He is the fortunate possessor of a beautiful home and interesting family. To do business in Maple Hill you must see Mr. Updegraff.
CHAS. F. PAYNE, Maple Hill, Kansas
Chas. F. Payne, the only druggist at Maple Hill, was born in London, England, in 1863. At the age of 15 years was ap- prenticed to a chemist and druggist at Folkeston, County of Kent. After serving his apprenticeship and having passed the examination he secured a position with a leading firm of drug- gists in Colchester, Essex, where he remained four years, rising to the position of head dispenser (or prescription clerk) ; resign- ing to come to the United States in 1887. Mr. Payne has been in business in Maple Hill for over eight years, coming to that place from Topeka, and enjoys the patronage and confidence of the best people in the community. His store is well stocked and is neat and attractive, a feature of the store being no liquors handled for any purpose.
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McFarland.
BUSINESS DIRECTORY.
Barber-Shop. .
Lumber Yards.
H. J. Borgman.
McFarland Lumber Co.
General Stores.
Meat Market.
H. J. Hahn & Co.
Noller & Theel.
F. C. Noller & Co.
Physicians and Surgeon.
Hotels.
C. R. Siliverthorne.
Denver House.
Livery and Feed Barn.
Wm. Walters.
Mrs. M. Calaway. Ringel Bros.
McFarland is strictly a railroad town, and became so by the location of the junction of the Denver branch with the Her- ington line of the Rock Island, at that place. The location of the junction was fixed in 1887 when the Denver branch was built.
This junction was first intended to be at Paxico. The ma- terial for two railroad bridges were unloaded at that point and the Rock Island's civil engineer was on the ground. This en- gineer made a trip to McFarland, so the story goes, and on his return the location of the junction was changed to McFarland. At Paxico they have the story that the engineer was bribed. The other account is that the company found it impossible to reach the rich bottoms from Paxico and abandoned that point. The location of the junction was then fixed on the southwest quarter of section 31.
S. H. Fairfield, learning of the prospects, bought the south- west quarter of 31. A town company was formed, the members of which were S. H. Fairfield of Alma, C. W. Jewel, James Sury,
Restaurants.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
George Bates, of Topeka, and Judge J. N. McFarland. Under this town company the land was surveyed, town lots laid out and sold, and a hotel, store, church, and four dwellings erected.
The hotel was sold to John Winkler, of Alma, who by the way is about as historic a character as lives in the county. The church which was built for a Congregational church was sold to the Lutherans.
Watson Aderhold & Co. put a stock of goods in the town company's store building the next year, and became the pioneer merchants of McFarland.
Store of H. J. HAHN & CO., McFarland, Kans.
Dealer in General Merchandise. Complete line of Ladies' and Gent's Clothing and Furnishings. Large stock of Groceries and Notions, Footware, etc. Successors to Wendland Bros.
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"There is an amusing bit of history connected with the nam- ing of the town. It was laid out by S. H. Fairfield on his own land. Mr. Fairfield was at a loss to know what name to give it. He had started a town about a mile west of this one on the M. A. & B. and had called it Fairfield. There was a postoffice in Russell County by that name. Senator Plumb said that Mr. Fairfield took a bag of beans and went up to Russell County to get the patrons of the Fairfield postoffice to change the name to Hawley, so that his own town could have a postoffice.
There is doubtless more or less truth in this bean story. Whoever doubts it can just look up Russell County on the map, and finds the postoffice of Hawley on a little creek tributary to Smoky Hill River. Any one who would not take Senator
Residence of MR. C. J. COMSTOCK, Mcfarland Kans.
Mr. G. J. Comstock and wife, who live in the above beautiful home, are the oldest residents of McFarland. They located on the Pau-Pau Creek one mile from town in 1882 while the site of McFarland was still a wheat-field. The above residence on the old Springer place was built in 1905.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
Plumb's word for it, after that, must be as skeptical as the man who wouldn't believe that Louis Palenske's pigs climbed thirty feet high into a tree the night of the flood on Mill Creek.
Disliking very much to spoil this story of Senator Plumb's,. Mr. Fairfield named the new town on the Rock Island, McFar- land after his prime friend, Judge McFarland, of Topeka, al- though after all these twenty years, he still says the town should have been called Fairfield and would have been, had it not been for that bag of beans.
After the town was started and the first half dozen buildings. put up, the bottom fell out of everything and things were at a. stand-still for a long time.
The Rock Island, finding their eating-house not well patron- ized in Topeka on account of there being so many cheaper places, moved it to McFarland. It is a very fine eating-house, but does
DR. C. R. SILVERTHORNE.
Dr. C. R. Silverthorne, one of the most active and public- spirited men of McFarland, is a self-made man in the strictest sense of the term. He was left an orphan at the age of seven and has taken care of himself and became educated. It is a pleasure to give a biography of such a man as an encouragement to young men without advantages.
Dr. Silverthorne was born at Grandview, Ind., August 17th, 1870. He went through common school and at the age of twenty entered the medical department of the United States Hospital as dispensarian. In 1894 he left for St. Louis to attend the Medical College at that place. Three years later he came to. Kansas with the sum of $2.75 and plenty of grit, although he. did not know a person in the State. He graduated from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tenn., in 1898. Coming back to Kansas he located at Mayday, Riley County, where he. remained six years. In September, 1901, he went to St. Joseph, Mo., and took a postgraduate in Ensworth College, graduating in 1902. He was appointed Rock Island Surgeon at McFarland in December of the same year and has been in active practise in this town ever since. On April 1st, 1905, he was appointed Surgeon on Gov. Hoch's staff and reappointed on April 1st, 1907.
Dr. Silverthorne is a member of the following Medical so- cieties: American Medical Association; American Association of Railroad Surgeons, Rock Island Surgeon's Association, Mili- tary Surgeons of the United States, and of both State and County Medical Associations.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
not do the town much good as it spoils the restaurant trade. Mr. John Winkler, who conducted a restaurant by the depot, went out of business when the eating-house was built.
The growth was very slow until after 1901, when the rail- road company built a sheep-rest and feeding-yards on the prop- erty. At that time the town began to come to the front and there has been plenty doing at McFarland ever since.
It has a population at present of 500 inhabitants and is the largest town for its age in the county. It is a very active, busy little town and there is not an unemployed man to be found. Its business places are among the best-patronized stores in the county. There are a number of fine residences already, and more being erected.
As mentioned in the beginning of this article, McFarland is strictly a railroad town. It has fifty trains daily, eighteen of which are passenger trains. It is located on the Mill Creek bot- toms which extend toward the south, while a range of low hills rise on the north. The surrounding country is adapted to cattle- and sheep-feeding and general farming.
H. B. Channell
Alma, Kans.
Mr. H. B. Channel, of Alma, Kansas, is the auctioneer upon whom we have decided to give credit as being the best in the county, for the fol- lowing reasons: He is proficient on thorough- bred sales, as he makes it his business to keep
posted on what stuff should bring, and be- cause his terms are rea- sonable. He has been an auctioneer for the last twenty-five years, eigh- teen of which time he has been in Wabaunsee County. Mr. Channel has his headquarters with J. B. Fields at Alma.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
Store of F. C. NOLLER & CO., McFarland, Kans
Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Footwear, Hats and Caps, Ladies' and Gents' Furnishing Goods. A complete stock of everything kept in a first-class general store. Produce wanted. Phone No. 20.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
Paxico.
BUSINESS DIRECTORY.
Banks.
State Bank of Paxico.
Blacksmiths.
Jess Davis. A. J. Pride.
Barbers.
Geo. Woodey.
J. H. Snyder.
Cobbler.
H. Knoober.
Druggists.
J. H. Nutlmann.
General Merchandise.
C. Tomson.
C. J. Glotzback.
Grocery.
Oehms & Palenske.
Hardware.
Muckentahler Hardware Co.
Harness.
Louis Palenske.
Livery Stable.
J. H. Meyers.
Lumber Yard.
Paxico Lumber Co.
Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Maynard. Dr. W. F. Richardson.
Restaurants.
J. C. Phipps.
Wagon Works.
S. Shroyer.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and . History
Paxico is located in the valley of Mill Creek, amid surround- ings of great natural beauty. Its large area of tributary farm lands are well watered and fertile and constitute a substantial backing for the little town. It is on the main line of the Rock Island and has excellent railroad accommodations. Considerable stock is raised in the vicinity, but the principal farm product is grain, especially wheat. The growth of woods along Mill Creek and the abundance of fish make Paxico a favorite camping place.
HISTORY OF PAXICO.
The history of Paxico naturally opens with a short sketch of Newbury, the town on the hill about a mile from Paxico which has retired from business.
Newbury was settled by an Ohio colony, and the first build- ings were put up in 1870. In the fall of 1869 four Germans, John Mock and his father, Joe Glatzbach, and Martin Mucken- tahler, jointly bought the first land sold on the reserve. At this time there were no white people within five miles of the place, In the spring Newbury was laid out. A man by the name of Bartlett, afterwards mayor of San Francisco, and the Santa Fe Railroad were the originators.
The Santa Fe had bought the whole reservation at $1 per acre and sold it at from $5 per acre up, and so was interested in starting towns wherever possible.
The county-seat struggle was not over yet when Newbury came on the scene, and not being immune she had an attack of county-seat aspirations from which most of the small towns were suffering. While she was convalescing from this many people got discouraged and moved away. Those who stuck to it, made money. There was not the keen struggle for existence in this community that there was in the earlier settlements. Markets were handy, and the people were tolerably comfortable from the first.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
About a dozen houses were built in Newbury and also a few business places. Goldstandt & Cohen kept the first store. Stringham opened a store in 1872 and later Mahan kept a place called the "Variety Store." Mahan was bought out by Tomson, who still figures prominently in the business life of Paxico. Stephenson built a lumber-yard and James Matheny, from whose son, Atwood, the town of Atwood was named, kept the drug- store. Some of the Newbury people were old settlers in the county. Mr. E. Little (better known as Dick Little) came to Mission Creek in 1857 and settled near what is now the Hender- son Ranch. C. Tomson settled on Mission Creek in 1866. Both these parties were afterward influential citizens of Newbury.
About the middle of the eighties, when there was talk of the Rock Island going through, Newbury was working hard to have it come around her way. But meanwhile in 1879, William and Robert Strourg had built a mill on the place formerly owned by the old Indian medicine man, Pashqua, who left for the Indian Territory in 1870. A store was started near the mill by John Copp. A postoffice was established and called Paxico, after the Indian.
When the Rock Island was looking up its location there was a fight between Newbury and Paxico to get the railroad. The scrap went merrily on for some time and finally a compromise was made on the present site of Paxico. Then there was a struggle over which place it should be named for. Paxico won out.
The town was laid out in 1886 and was promoted by a town company which was a Topeka concern. It was called Nuttman's addition. Copp moved his store up from the bridge, and most of the business places were moved over from Newbury. An- derson of St. Marys, who was a member of the town company, built the hotel; also the building now owned by C. J. Glatzbach. There was a chance at one time to have had the Rock Island junction at Paxico, but it got away from them.
About the main thing that distinguishes Paxico from the rest of the towns in the county, is that she never tried to get the county seat. Secondariily are her Fourth of July celebrations, and the weeds in the streets.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
GOOD ALL THE TIME.
Snowflake Flour
NEVER BETTER THAN NOW. Give it a trial.
Paxico Milling Company, Paxico, Kans.
J. C. Phipps' Restaurant,
Open 18 hours every day. Cigars and Confectionery.
J. C. Phipps, Prop., Paxico, Kans.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History 1
Wabaunsee.
Wabaunsee is a town which we can with a clear conscience call a back number. It is not exactly a town either, just a com- munity. It has one store in which the postoffice is kept, a Wood- man's Hall, three churches, two schoolhouses, and twenty-five dwellings. Yet from a historic viewpoint Wabaunsee is prob- ably the most important town in the county. It figured in Kan- sas history in the days of "bleeding Kansas" with a John Brown in the West and Henry Ward Beecher in the East. The first three towns of the State where in the order of their settlement, Leavenworth, Lawrence, and Wabaunsee. For many years Wa- banusee was the only town west of Topeka.
The first settlers were Joshua Smith and Robert Banks from Massachusetts, who were here when J. M. Bisby and his com- panions came from New York in 1854.
In the spring of 1855 Rev. Harvey Jones was sent to Wa- baunsee by the American Missionary Association of New York. In the fall his wife followed him. In her diary Mrs. Jones men- tions that it took a week to travel from St. Louis to Kansas City. At that time a small hotel, two stores and a few houses were all that comprised Kansas City. It was two days' journey with the ox team from that point to Lawrence. In those days some people who indulged in prophesies were of the opinion that the country would never be settled up much west of Te- cumseh, and that Topeka would never be a town.
The settlers in those early days lived in small houses en- closed with "shakes." They also had chills most of the time, but one kind of "shakes"" had no connection with the other. Chairs, bedsteads, and other furniture were made from cotton- wood and elm poles. Although the weather was no colder in those days than it is now the suffering from the cold was ter- rible, as the houses were not sufficient to keep out the cold and the comforts of life were few. Food was often scarce and people used to live solely on "hulled corn" for weeks at a time. In the spring of 1856 the famous Beecher Bible and Rifle Company of New Haven arrived on the scene. They had sent five men-A.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
A. Cottrell, J. J. Walters, Benjamin Street, T. P. C. Hyde, and a Mr. Webb-to look up a location where there was no townsite company to interfere with them in making what rules and regu- lations they wished. These instructions were responsible for them not settling at Topeka, where C. K. Holliday, president of the Topeka Town Company held out every inducement, ex- cept to give up all rights to the townsite. This is what the set- ters at Wabaunsee did. The parties to the agreement were J. M. Bisby, Harvey Jones, and Peter Sharris, acting for the town and the five men above mentioned acting for the New Haven colony.
The story of their organization in New Haven to help make Kansas a free State is given in the historical sketch of the coun- ty and will not be dealt with here, except to say that the "eal name of the company was the Connecticut Kansas Colony. There were some women in this colony. Before their coming there were only three women in the Wabaunsee settlement. In the same year the colony was joined by others among whom was S. H. Fairfield, who came to Kansas with the Northern immi- grants led by James Redpath. The members of the colony or- ganized a rifle company with others of the neighborhood, under Capt. Wm. G. Mitchell.
The history of this Beecher Bible and Rifle Company in- cludes about the whole history of Wabaunsee, a large part of the history of the county, and is an important item in the his- tory of the State.
At this time the feeling between the Pro- and Anti-slavery parties ran very high and each side were carrying guns and ropes for the other. The President of the United States, the Secretary of War, and all the Territorial officers were doing all they could legitimately and otherwise to make Kansas a slave State. Bogus sheriffs with bogus warrants were sent out after free-State men. Three men who were being thus hunted down came to Wabaunsee in June, 1856, from Topeka, where they had been at work on a free-State constitution. They were Dr. J. P. Root, J. J. Walters, and W. Griswold.
Being shut off from the main line of travel, Wabaunsee it- self was not the scene of much of the conflict, but the Rifle Com- pany was engaged in the struggle all the way through. They
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
took part in the early struggles about Lawrence and Franklin. and repulsed the attack of the Missouri bushwhackers. Nearly every member of the Wabaunsee settlement went to the seat of war. They were joined by several free-State men from upper Deer Creek, a settlement west of Wabaunsee. They were gone some six weeks on this trip, and were engaged in every skirmish that took place in or near Lawrence, the last one being just at sunset on Sunday night. The whole body of border ruffians were in camp at Franklin. They came down the main line to Lawrence and were repulsed by the Beecher Rifle Company from a ravine about half a mile from town. This victory has been credited to "the Lawrence Stubbs," but it really belonged to the Wabaunsee boys, as the "Stubbs" were not on the ground, ac- cording to the statement of Wabaunsee men.
On their return the men found everything gone to the bad at home. The cattle had eaten up the crops. Many of the boys were sick and there was no money to buy medicine. Flour cost $6 to $9 per sack.
The winter of 1856-57 was a very hard one. People were out of food and clothing and the suffering was very great. In the spring things brightened up. Some new settlers were add- ed to the colony.
The famous Beecher Bible and Rifle Church was founded in 1857, with seven members. The first Fourth of July celebra- tion was held in this year. A glorious time was planned. There was a brass band there and thirty-six ox teams decked out in bunting. The Governor of the Territory was the principal speaker.
The people were just beginning to live in comfort when the drouth of 1860 and the Civil War the following year brought hardship and trouble. All the able-bodied men went to the front and most of them saw hard service. During the Price raid eve- ery able-bodied man in Kansas was ordered to the front. Cap- tain Palmer gives an excellent description of the Price raid in Volume 9 of the State Historical Society.
The Wabaunsee boys saw the hard part of the Battle of the Blue, otherwise known as the Battle of Westport, where the Missourians and Kansans were pitted against each other, each side on their own soil.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
After the close of the war the county-seat trouble came up and Wabaunsee lost the county official effects, which were hauled to Alma in a light wagon with the county officers for ballast in 1867. For three years the struggle was kept up, but at last Wabaunsee dropped behind in the fight and Alma won out. From this time on there is not much to tell of the plucky pioneer town, which was once designated by its enemies as "that d-abolition nest."
Judge Hall, of Wabaunsec, was being interviewed by a Cap- ital reporter in 1888. In reply to a question he said, "Yes, Wa- baunsee is growing like a cow's tail-growing down."
We have neglected to say that a stone building was erected in 1862 as a home for the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church. This is one of the old landmarks in Kansas and brings early settlers together every year to celebrate the founding of the church. Some of the old rifles are displayed on these occasions, fulfilling the prophetic words of Beecher who said, "Let these arms hang above your doors as the old Revolutionary muskets do in many New England homes. May your children in another generation look upon them with pride and say, 'Our fathers' courage saved this fair land from slavery and blood.'"
Much has been said of the warlike spirit in this article, but that really was not the predominate spirit of the colony. The Bible and Hymn book went along with the rifle, and in many cases the Yale sheepskin also. All four were important factors in pioneer life, and the rifle was not used except in cases where the other three were not practicable.
The New York Daily Tribune of April 4, 1856, describes the colony in the following words: "A nobler looking body of men was never seen than the New Haven Colony. They are mostly athletic men with strong hands and strong hearts." For this occasion demanded it, and without strong hearts, strong hands were powerless, while with them, weak hands can move moun- tains.
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Wabaunsee County Directory and History
SOME LATER HISTORY FROM THE DIARY OF ELIZA- BETH N. BARR, WHO GATHERED THE HISTORY FOR THIS BOOK.
Maple Hill, July 4th .- We were discussing grasshopper year at the hotel to-day. I told about what terrible straits the peo- ple of Harveyville were left in at that time. Some one asked me if I were living at Harveyville at the time. You know grasshopper year was in 1874. I went up stairs and ordered three pitchers of ice water.
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