USA > Kansas > Smith County > Smith Center > The history of Smith Centre, Kansas, 1871-1971 > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
However, the town soon had a well of its own called "The Town Well". It was dug in the intersection of Main and Kansas and manned by a pump. It was not long before a windmill was installed for the convenience of the public. Troughs were built on three sides of the tower where stock could be watered. On the south side a floor was laid half way up the tower, with steps reaching it from the ground, and it served as a band stand. This well was a great improvement but it did not provide fire protection. The windmill was torn down in 1886.
The population was growing fast and there had been Several fire losses. The citizens of the new town realized there was a need for a more adequate water system. Agitation really got started when, on April 3, 1888, the Brandon House and all of its contents were destroyed
THE TOWN WELL, first in Smith Center at intersection of Main and Kansas, looking south from windmill. The Farm Loan building stood where Dr. Bill Grimes' office is now located. Two-story building to the right still stands. It is built of native stone, erected in 1880.
by fire, with nothing better than a bucket brigade to fight the flames. The Brandon House was a popular boarding house near the railroad depot.
Plans were started in 1888 for a city water system with a bond election which passed by 97 votes in favor and 59 against. The council who planned the system were Eugene Slocum, T. K. Clark, S. D. Cumming, J. D. Estes and W. H. Nelson. These councilmen finally decided to get the water supply by building a dam on East Beaver Creek on the farm of J. M. May.
Notes from the local paper:
12-12-1889 Iron for the waterworks has begun to arrive and the workmen in a short time will be putting them in place.
12-19-1889, Water mains are nearly in, the boiler and engine have arrived, the foundation for the stand pipe is completed.
12-19-1889, The water works dam again sprung a leak on Monday. It was found that dirt alone will not be sufficient to hold the great body of water that a 12 ft. dam will back up. They are adding broken rocks and cement to the dirt.
12-26-1889, Waste gates of the water works dam have been closed and the dam is being filled. The great steam pumping engine which is to force the water from the reservoir to the stand pipe has arrived and is being put in place.
-25-
1-23-1890, The great reservoir is filled with water and the children are asked not to throw rocks and clods in the water.
1-30-1890, Fire was put under the boiler and the great pump began to show signs of life.
The location of the standpipe was then selected to be at the east edge of the townsite. The standpipe was 12 feet in diameter and 120 feet tall. All was finished and water was turned into the standpipe on January 9. 1890. This was the first waterworks system in operation in Smith Centre.
In August of 1894 heavy rains caused the dam to break through. Much repair work was done but was unsatis- factory. The dam on Beaver Creek was completely washed out in 1899 and repair to impound enough water was impracticable.
Smith Centre residents were startled when on Friday evening, April 4, 1899, the cast iron pipe connecting the waterworks standpipe and the pump gave way, and with a roar that could be heard for blocks the water rushed down the slope toward town and gave yards and streets of those living on the east side a good wetting. It was several hours before the standpipe was empty.
In the meantime, the Rock Island Railroad had built a dam east of the city on Spring Creek. The city council started making test holes near the Rock Island dam in search of a new water supply. By spring of 1904 the water question was about to be settled. It was decided to drill a well below the Rock Island dam and pipe the water to the standpipe. So, by the spring of 1905, everyone in town was getting water from the Spring Creek well. At the time the waterworks was moved from Beaver Creek to Spring Creek these were the city councilmen J. H. Detwiler, E. S. Barger, A. C. Coolidge, J. E. Sappenfield, A. Haberly and C. S. Sargent. The population of the city was 1,223.
In 1920 the city census was 1,565. Most homes had water. Business places required lots of water. A sewer system had been installed and the railroad still had the contract for water use, so the demand for water became greater than ever.
Finally, a location for wells could be secured in the Solomon River Valley about 12 miles south, near Gaylord. On January 30, 1923 a special election was held to decide whether or not to bring water to the city from the Solomon Valley. There were 702 votes cast for and 82 against. Work on the plant started immediately. The councilmen at the time of the change from Spring Creek to Gaylord were Gene Cox, C. R. Peyton, W. Attwood, A. L. Cameron, Ed Miller and Frank Williams.
A second standpipe, located approximately 3 blocks north of the original, was built in 1952.
In 1965, a new main 10-inch pipeline was completed from the wells at Gaylord to Smith Center, with the old 8-inch line remaining as a supplement.
Fire Department
One of the most important organizations in Smith Center has been the Volunteer Fire Department. In the January 30. 1890 edition of the local paper it told that the water had been turned on in the city mains and now it would be possible to have a regular fire department. On Feb. 6 the first cart and hose arrived and a regular fire depart- ment should be selected at once rather than depending on whomever was available to help with the fires. Mayor Slocum appointed the fire chief and the assistant. On Feb. 8 the council passed and ordered published in the Feb. 25, 1890 edition of the paper the following: Mayor E. Slocum and Councilmen: W. H. Nelson, B. W. Slagle, D. A. McCuaig, H. Ahlborn, A. Collidge; that a fire chief
and assistant would be appointed for a one year period. The chief was to have complete control over the hook and ladder. They would call all citizens to help. Refusal to assist at a fire would be called a misdemeanor with a fine of not more than $100. The hose company should be no more than 60 men and the hook and ladder no more than 20. The hose cart was to be pulled by the first person to arrive with a team of horses and was to receive $3.00 for this service. The second person with a team was to receive $2.00. It was a race between the local draymen and delivery men to see who could arrive first. The fire house was located on the lot where the medical building now stands and the bell that is now located in front of the present fire house was used to sound the alarm. Later a steam whistle was placed at the local light plant. The first engine and pump were purchased from the U. S. Wind Engine and Pump Co. on Feb. 1, 1890 at a cost of $33.98 for one and $77.23 for the other.
One night after the hose cart and equipment had arrived, the citizens of the town were awakened by the sound of the ringing of the fire bell and the cries of "Fire". The people hurriedly dressed and ran to the scene of the huge blaze only to find that a large bon fire had been built to demonstrate the force of the water coming through the hose and to make people aware of the new fire fighting protection. This demonstration was held between 10 and 11 PM.
No records were kept of the first members of the fire department but the records of 1917 listed the following men as regular members: Charlie Cameron, George Hoyt, Jake Hawkins, Clyde Arnold, Frank Timmons, Jake Davidson, Bill Weltmer, Bill Reed, Jim O'Neill, Park Ogle, Les Neal, Ernie Merriam, Vint Burgess, ArtRader. Fire Chiefs listed through the various years have been George Hoyt, Clyde Arnold, Roy Rawding, Roy Bolton, and Star Barron who is the present chief.
Later when trucks were available, volunteer truck owners pulled the equipment until in 1927 the first fire truck was purchased. City Ordinance No. 491 published in November 18, 1937 edition of the paper set up a new fire department consisting of the Chief and the Assistant and not more than 15 members or less than 10, no man to be under 30 years of age or over 60. At 60 they must automatically retire and become Honorary Members.
In July 1968 contracts between townships and the city for fire fighting service were signed by four townships. The city purchased a new fire truck and the old one is used for rural service.
The two largest fires in Smith Center were the Mill and Elevator and the Blair Theater. Another service of the Fire Department was their First Aid Squad that answered calls for help and first aid in drownings, accidents and wherever first aid was needed. Later a portable resuscitator was purchased with donations and was used in the first aid calls. Several calls for drownings and new born babies were answered, as well as calls at the local hospital.
On September 2. 1958 it was decided to erect a new fire house and use the old fire house on east Kansas Avenue for the city repair shop. While the new fire house was being erected on the lots south of the Community Hall, the fire equipment was placed in the Heidi-Christolear building. In a short time the new building was completed and all of the fire equipment was placed in it including the original fire bell.
-26-
Railroads
On the 11th day of November, 1887 at 7:20 PM, one hour and twenty minutes after the regular work hours, the last section of rails were dropped across the townsite line, directly south of the present school grounds for the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway Co., later named the Rock Island Lines. The men had worked late because a big dinner awaited them at the part of the celebration of the momentous event. Mabel Corn, aged 14, the first white girl born in Smith Centre drove the first spike. Then pandemonium broke loose and after that jubilee the crowd adjourned to the old Tabernacle, a large round building just north of our present court house. There a big bon-fire was soon ablaze and nearly everyone joined in the war-dance around it. There were people here from over the county to join in the celebration and to partake of the big feed. Our Smith Centre baker, father of Bill Slade, and experienced in the business had been employed to bake 500 loaves of bread and to roast 2 beeves. Besides everything served with this there was a large order of oysters and lots of crackers. The 250 construction men and railway officials were served first. H. A. Parker, the C. K. & N. president and M. A. Lower, vice president, of Chicago were among the officers here for the celebration. Young people of the town were there to wait tables. Not long ago, Jessie Pattee Gilfillan of Coos Bay, Oregon wrote of being one of the helpers that night and she was paired with Tom Cameron to serve at the big tables that were loaded with food. A big dance followed and it lasted unti 3:00 o'clock in the morning.
The Rock Island depot was finished on November 7, 1887. In 1887 and 1888 five passenger trains a day were running through Smith Center both east and west. A hotel erected by C. K. & N., called the Ohmer House, was the largest hotel in Kansas west of St. Joe. The hotel burned in. 1889 so the Rock Island Division was moved to Phillipsburg.
The first mail service on the Rock Island to Smith Center started on January 16, 1888.
In the fall of 1937 the golden anniversary of the coming of the Rock Island to Smith Center was observed with bands, parade and dancing. Mrs. Mabel Corn Masters came from her home in Toledo, Ohio, to re-enact the driving of the golden spike. Railroad officials and several men who had helped lay the rails were also there.
A super-speed train was put on the route August 11, 1937 called "The Rocket".
TRAIN WRECK east of Smith Center in March 1910. Wrecker No. 7 is on the job removing wreckage.
In November, 1966 passenger service was discontinued in Smith Center but freight service is still available.
Over the years the following Smith Center people have been associated with the Rock Island Railroad: J. M. Crosbie, Arch Crosbie, Ed Ford, Ed Chandler, Sherman Mathis, Vern Hays and Ray Rorabaugh. Ed Chandler, Sherm Mathis, Vern Hays and Ray Rorabaugh still live in this vicinity. Mrs. Ed Ford and two daughters, Bernice Ford Phetteplace and Mildred Ford Cook, live in Smith Center.
Telephone System Here in 1888
The first telephone service in Smith Centre was put into use in 1888 by a group of local business men who organized the Northwestern Telephone Company. W. H. Nelson was the manager, Elmer E. Dugan was the secretary and Carl C. Hendrickson was the treasurer. An ordinance was pre- pared and published granting a franchise for the Northwestern Telephone Co. to erect its lines in the city. The telephone office was located upstairs in a small building owned by L. C. Uhl on main Street, where the present McDonalds Store is located. Festus Fleming was the exchange operator and reported 102 calls on the first day. The hours were from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closed during the noon hour. There were 100 telephones and the charge was $2.50 a month. After the system had been operating a week or so this item was published in the newspaper, "A telephone has been placed in the hallway at the courthouse and a system of signals arranged for each officer. If those wanting any particular one there will inform the operator at the central office who they want, the person can be called without disturbing any one else."
After the company had been in business for one year and one month this notice was given through a newspaper column, "The Northwestern Telephone Co. of our city has suspended business. This movement was made necessary by the demands of a large telephone company which claims that the system used by our home company is an infringement on their patent. So rather than go into a lawsuit our company submits and will discontinue. This will leave our city without telephone service as the prices and demands of the large company are such that our people cannot afford the pressure at prices demanded."
In June of 1900 the Exchange Telephone Co. installed a telephone system. Lines were kept busy all day long, the paper said. Many readers will recall that Schuyler Stevens was the manager for several years. The office was located on the second floor of the First National Bank at Main and Kansas.
Long distance lines were put up soon afterwards and the first night of operation the drug stores in Lebanon and Smith Center were left connected and the business men of both towns talked to each other for an hour or so.
A second telephone company, called the Farmer's Ex- change, was in operation here in the early 1920's. It was claimed that the Exchange Telephone Co. did not have enough lines to farm homes. S. C. Stevens was the manager of the Farmer's Exchange during the time it was operated. The offices were on the second floor of the State Bank at Main and Kansas.
The Exchange Telephone Co. and the Farmer's Ex- change merged and S. C. Stevens was retained as the manager. The new telephone system was called The United Telephone System.
The Southwestern Telephone System purchased the United Telephone System in 1938. In 1955 the Southwestern Bell Co. changed to a dial system. In 1967 the offices in Smith Center and Phillipsburg were consolidated.
-27-
Smith County's Horseless Carriage by BERT HEADLEY
There are perhaps few people of a newer generation who are aware of the fact a grandiose plan was once conceived to establish a Horseless Carriage factory in Smith Center. It was an event of vast interest and excitement among local citizens and even drew attention from the manufacturing centers of the country.
It was in 1902, when automobiles were a novelty and just coming into use in the United States, that a company was organized in Smith Center, the purpose being to manufacture what was then generally referred to as "Horseless Carriages." A factory for that purpose was located on West Court street. Stockholders in the company included such prominent citizens as Bert Robbins, Joe Lutz, John Mossman, Henry Williams, John Harwood, Jim Mollison, Frisbie, Frank Hall, Clyde Arnold, Mit Stevens, Tod Reed and possibly others.
The incentive was provided by an unusual and ingenious engine which had been perfected, largely by Bert Robbins and helpers. It was operated by steam generated from a fire box in which was burned anthracite (hard) coal. The steam pipes in the boiler were not much larger than an ordinary lead pencil, but delivered considerable power when properly managed. Even in the hands of an expert it was something of a problem to keep the engine in operating condition, The little steam pipes were delicate and some- times capricious, demanding especial care. They refused to perform when soot or dust accumulated in them and a tedious job of cleaning then resulted.
However, there was great promise of success and a patent was applied for and granted by the Patent Office in Washington. So impressive was the showing an eastern company offered a rather fabulous price for the exclusive manufacturing rights, but the offer was rejected, the newly organized company entertaining visions of an enormous factory to build and market the new engine.
To test the capacity and endurance of the new engine the company decied to install it in a vehicle. For the purpose they secured or built a surrey with gaudy paint and a fancy fringe around the top. In it they installed the new engine which worked beautifully as the surry was piloted along the streets of Smith Center. Hope was high and grew with each passing day. Enthusiasm was rampant in the expection of Smith Center becoming a great manufacturing center.
To demonstrate the commercial value of the new in- vention it was decided to establish a stage route with the surrey and make two daily round trips between Smith Center and Gaylord. With great fanfare the initial trip was started on a fine September morning. Loaded with enthusiastic boosters, Bert Robbins being the engineer and Bill Nelson the pilot, the trip to Gaylord was made without incident. On the return trip the surrey ambled along until it reached the Jim Betts farm about half way between the two cities. Then it balked and refused to turn another wheel. Expert tinkering failed to get results. Finally a team of mules was secured and the vehicle was towed back to Smith Center.
After that experience the hopes and enthusiasms vanished into thin air. The last known of the historic surrey it was stored in a shed in the northeast part of town. It remained there until dismantled. For several years the wonderful engine with so much promise was stored in the second
story of Henry Ahlborn's hardware store. What finally became of it is shrouded in mystery.
Such is the story of an early day dream that faded. Of the members of the stock company all have passed to the Great Beyond, who had a part in developing the only "Horseless Carriage" ever built in Smith County.
Good Old Days?
Some prices from the Sears Roebuck catalogue of 1897 which might interest our younger generation:
Gent's All Wool Suits
$10.00
Shoes
2.98
Dining Room Table
12.00
Bicycle 24.95
.20
Havana Cigar
.12
Silk Necktie
.19
Alarm Clock
1.40
Buggy Whips .10
Ventilated Arm Garters
.10
Blacksmith's Anvils
2.40
Horse Shoes
.18
Moustache Wax
.07
Ear Trumpets
1.90
Before you get excited, wages were 20¢an hour, often
a 10-hour day.
The Brick Yard
In the late eighties a man by the name of W. F. Parker had a brick yard west of town on the east side of the creek. Most of the brick buildings on our Main Street were built from bricks obtained from there. In October 1888 Mr. Parker built himself a 2-story brick home and a large brick barn on West Court Street at the location of the present home of Dr. and Mrs. R. C. Sheppard. In November 1900 the city council ruled that all sidewalks laid within the city limits during the next few years were of brick purchased at the brick kiln of Mr. Parker. Pioneer Stores
F. B. Hough . Dry Goods
J. S. McDowell General Store
Harwood & Son Meat Market
Ed. Fowler . . Furniture
D. W. Relihan Real Estate
Vete Hutchings Photographer
Morris Brothers Livery Stable
Miller Restaurant
. . Cafe
B. W. Slagle
Drug Store
Willis Cannon . Druggist
Real Estate
J. C. Weyland
. Furniture
Oberdorf & Agnew Livery Stable
Dr. C. H. Nelson
Physician & Surgeon
Gus the Square . Clothier
E. J. Mix . Groceries
S. S. Hite Jeweler
F. M. Terrill . Lawyer
Chicago Lumber Co. Lumber Yard
Elmer Dugan Abstractor
Estes & Barkley . Hardware
W. R. Morris Barber
Arnold & Hester Coal Dealers
Henry Ahlborn . Hardware
S. D. Cummings Implements, Buggies, Wagons
D. H. Fleming . Groceries
J. J. Falkinstine . Musical Instruments
Mrs. M. C. Conlee Organs, Pianos
Alex Montgomery . .. Harness
H. R. Stone
Money to Lend
-28-
T. K. Clark .
Coffee, 1b.
FLOUR
GROCERIES, EFEED,
ROLLERIES
EARLY DAY STORE in 1897. J. H. Ferris and wife had the dry goods, N. L. Morrison the groceries. Note the board sidewalk.
Business in Smith Center 1871 - 1971
In this section we have told of a few of the pioneer stores and have ended the narrative with brief comments about 7 of the merchants who settled here in the intervening years and who still live here or who have relatives living here.
We have prepared lists of the pioneer stores, some of the stores of the middle era of our century and a list of the 1971 businesses. These lists will give the reader an idea of the growth of Smith Center during the past 100 years. The establishments, which were written in separate articles, are not included in these lists.
Albert J. Allen was the first merchant in Smith Center. His store was located on South Main, where the J. M. McDonald Store is now, and his stock was invoiced at $150. The second store was owned by R. K. Smith where the First National Bank now stands - his stock invoiced at $300. The third store was owned and run by G. L. Gaylord until Captian J. S. McDowell came to town, then Mr. Gaylord turned over the management to him. Early in 1873 Colonel Frank Campbell erected a 2-story building on the corner of Main and West Kansas. The first floor was occupied by a general merchandise store; the upper floor rented for a school and, later, for the courthouse. Jacob Bruner conducted a drug store in a one story building, about the middle of the block, north of the square. He later added an upper story and changed to a general supply store. L. C. Uhl built a small hardware store. Ed Stevens, son of John, first owned a general merchandise store, where The Style Shop is now located, sometime after 1872. Later, Ed Stevens and John Harwood were in the grocery and meat market business for many years.
In 1874 J. R. Burrow established a general merchandise
store at the southeast corner of Main and Court. His stock was rye-flour, sugar, beans, tobacco and miscellaneous items. One day a band of 1500 Indians came through Smith Center from Nebraska enroute to western Kansas. They entered the store and took everything but a keg of molasses and a barrel of kerosene. They did offer "uncured hides" in payment, but Mr. Burrow declined them.
In 1880 Captain J. S. McDowell built a $4000.00 structure, 28 x 70, 2-story and a basement for a store building. The building is where the Montgomery-Ward Catalogue Store is located.
Much building occurred in 1888 and 1889. W. F. Parker established a brick yard west of town and many of our early brick structures are made of the brick from there.
A. C. Coolidge came to Smith Center and went into the merchantile business with Robert Chandler and bought out Mr. Chandler's interest 2 years later. The store was named "The Red Front". The next year, when the brick Opera House business block was finished, Mr. Coolidge moved his business into the north side of the building and remained in the same location until his death in 1942. The Coolidge Clothing Store was an establishment of good repute with a fine line of merchandise.
E. E. Dugan ran a general merchandise store in the Opera House building, south of the Coolidge store. He sold it to E. E. Matson in 1907. After Mr. Matson's death, his son, Wilbur, operated the store and dealt in groceries and meats. Wilbur was the father of Lawrence who is now affiliated with the Boogart organization operating in Smith Center as Matson-Boogart. "Larry" is the third generation Matson in the grocery business in Smith Center.
-29 .-
The famous Model T Ford was sold in Smith Center by Jim Smith and Henry Williams in 1910. Sometime during the next decade, they sold out to Melvin Breon and in 1920 Jim Smith and Earl Shepardson bought the Ford Agency from Breon. In 1922, The Bonecutter brothers, John and Chet, bought the Ford Agency and operated it until January 1. 1929 when they acquired the Chevrolet dealership.
Arch Rugger opened a Men's Clothing Store in 1913 in the old Post Office building and in 1916 he built four build- ings on the south side of West Court. Mr. Rugger rented three of the buildings and operated a suitorium for years in the fourth. Mrs. Arch Rugger and her daughter, Phyllis Rugger Creamer, still live in Smith Center.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.