Chapman Center Research Collections
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Item Open Access Leonardville and Riley, Riley County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2010-09) Schnee, AngelaTwo towns located five miles apart make for instant rivals. Located in Riley County, the towns of Leonardville and Riley competed to establish a post office and attract the attention of a railroad. Leonardville won the first battle and boomed while for several years the town of Riley struggled to survive. The town of Riley was revived when the Rock Island railroad connected Bala, Riley and Keats. From that point, the two towns competed on most everything from church building to school sports. In 1959 consolidation forced the two communities together to form one district. A new high school was built half-way between the two towns. The new district was called Riley County Schools, not Riley and not Leonardville.Item Open Access Larkin/Larkinburg, Jackson County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2011-09) Schofield, BrookeLarkinburg is a small, unincorporated hamlet that straddles the county line between Jackson County and Atchison County, Kansas. In its prime, Larkinburg had a population of about 200. The town was named after M.E. Larkin, who owned 160 acres of land outside of the main town strip on the Atchison County side of Larkin Avenue.1 Mr. Larkin moved to Kansas from Indiana in 1860 but the town was not officially settled until 1880.Item Open Access Lasita, Riley County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2011-03) VanGilder, Jeremiah T.This study will focus on Lasita, Fancy Creek Township, Riley County, Kansas. Lasita is an example of a typical turn of the 20th century rural town where the railroad influenced the establishment and prosperity of the town, and the automobile and Great Depression influenced the demise. This study uses plat maps, photographs, biographies, memoirs, and records.Item Open Access Lanesfield, Johnson County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2012-03) Angles, StevenLanesfield, Kansas was founded in honor of James Henry Lane, an infamous free-state leader, during a period of extreme violence and chaos. Lanesfield grew in the early years, but eventually disintegrated as people relocated closer to the railroad. This study includes a map of the area and extensive research on the development and downfall of Lanesfield, Kansas.Item Open Access Langley, Ellsworth County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2013-03) Watkins, KathrineThe town of Langley is located in Langley Township, Ellsworth County, Kansas. For many American families and Civil War veterans, Langley was the mark of a new beginning and a fresh start. The town’s economy was centered on the booming business of the railroads, and when the trains came through and wrecked in May 1952, Langley’s community and economy would never be the same. This case study includes photographs, maps, drawings, and interviews from Langley natives: Charlotte Koehn and Rosalie Williams.Item Open Access Lane, Franklin County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2016-09) Engle, ErinnAs the stage for Bleeding Kansas, Lane, Kansas in Franklin County’s Pottawatomie Township has seen times of violent bloodshed, times of booming prosperity, and times of quiet solitude. Lane has a rich history of business, community, and above all, steady persistence. This study uses maps, historic images, and on-site photography as references for reading.Item Open Access Ladore, Neosho County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2010-03) Mog, MistyIn southern Neosho County, the "wild west" community of Ladore flourished between 1869 and 1901, when its post office closed. Early events including gambling and lynchings stamped the town with a legendary character. The author writes an engaging portrait of this vanished town and provides maps and photographs as well as concrete newspaper accounts. She explores the intriguing origins of its name. Ladore died when the M,K and T railway abandoned the proposed depot there.Item Open Access Laclede, Pottawatomie County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2012-03) Cook, AubreyThis study describes the unique evolution of the small community of Laclede in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. Laclede transformed from a failed town to a preserved historical community owned by a single family. The study includes a personal interview, fieldwork, maps and photographs.Item Open Access LaClede, St.Clere and Flush -Pottawatomie County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2010-09) Pettus, JamieLaClede, St. Clere and Flush once had a growing population until the start of the construction of Route 40 in the 1880's. The author explains the similarities of population loss and the individual uniqueness of each community that is also gone.Item Open Access Aubry, Johnson County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2015-03) Edwards, NickWhile it may be overlooked today, Aubry, Kansas, played a key role in the Civil War and the history of the Kansas but was out-competed by the nearby town of Stilwell. This study includes newspaper articles, online sources, maps of Kansas and quotes from research done in the area.Item Open Access Kincaid, Anderson County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2017-09) Starkey, EmilyKincaid, in Rich Township, Anderson County, Kansas had less than 200 people as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Once a year this number does a 100-fold increase because of the town’s annual “World’s Fair.”Item Open Access Kickapoo, Leavenworth County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2012-03) Baker, ZachThis essay discusses the founding of the Town of Kickapoo, Kickapoo Township, and examines Kickapoo’s battle with Leavenworth and Delaware for the county seat of Leavenworth County. It details how the loss of this competition caused the slow but steady decline of Kickapoo, culminating in the closing of the post-office in 1910.Item Open Access Juniata, Pottawatomie County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2011-09) French, MichaelWhether it was the change in beliefs and values, floods and natural damage, or simply the competition with Manhattan, Juniata did not have the means to survive. In life we feel the need to expand and make strides towards progression; I feel that Juniata had its glory as a town united at one point in history, striving for the same goals. However, it was the progression and expansion of surrounding areas that ultimately lead to Juniata’s demise. We as locusts had taken those early traveling and trade resources and now looked for more, across the river to Riley County.Item Open Access Jarbalo, Leavenworth County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2016-03) Harrell, MalloryThis is a study of Jarbalo in Alexandria Township, Leavenworth County. While never officially incorporated, it is a community with a curious history that survives even now. This exhibit uses field work, photographs, interviews, written histories, and newspapersItem Open Access Keene, Wabaunsee County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2011-09) Ratliff, CodyContrary to appearances, Keene, KS is not just a small grouping of houses and an inconspicuous highway sign. It was once a booming little town with a rich history that deserves its own page in the history books. The history of Keene is like that of many rural Kansas communities who disappeared as their populations dwindled, but should never be forgotten.Item Open Access Iwacura, Clay County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2011-09) Hess, KyleBefore the advent of the automobile, Iwacura arose out of necessity to disperse mail and save souls. James Henry Geist established a post office and the United Brethren Church was built nearby. Both served local farms in the area when it was an inconvenient distance to travel to the larger towns of Idana and Morganville by horse or buggy.Item Open Access Jacksonville, Neosho County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2012-03) Roberts, DaneThe author uses historic documents and newspaper accounts to piece together the brief history of the town of Jacksonville, Neosho County, Kansas.Item Open Access luka, Pratt County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2011-03) Howard, IanThe western Kansas town of Iuka survives today as a small farm community with a COOP. It was established as an early Pratt County settlement in 1877 by Reverend Andrew Axline. The town thrived until the county boundaries changed and it lost its bid for the county seat to the new centrally located settlement of Pratt. The town of Saratoga also competing for the county seat withered and vanished.Item Open Access Island, Neosho County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2015-09) Beardmore, TylerWhile it may be unrecorded, Island, Lincoln Township, Neosho County, Kansas, is still talked about today. This study discusses the factors that played a role in the collapse of Island, mostly due to its location and geography. I used county histories, newspapers, and census data.Item Open Access Irving, Marshall County(Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, 2010-09) Allen, KyleIrving citizens were victim to many challenges, but for 100 years, they remained resilient and showed great grit in times of tragedy. The town was founded by stalwart, educated leaders who knew how to endure. Irving had all the potential to survive but faced too many diverse challenges. Ironically it was the federal government that led to the destruction of the town. Today, a stone marker points to the old town site, as do many such markers along the Blue River. They are granite signposts of a time when thriving river towns and their busy mills hummed in the valley.
