Surrounding towns thrive Historic communities are just a short drive

SHAWNEE COUNTY

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Romona Copp, head librarian at Auburn Community Center Association Library, repairs the spine of a book.

ANTHONY S. BUSH/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

The Dover Mercantile on K-4 highway serves home-cooked meals.

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Children use fire hoses to propel a barrel in the Water Tug o' War at Rossville's annual Tall Corn Festival, which takes place in mid- August.

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

2004 Silver Lake High School graduates Erin Esparza, Kaytee Clark and Leslie Jordan embrace outside the school.

By John Chambers

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Topeka is the largest city in Shawnee County, no doubt. But the county also has a number of smaller communities. Here are profiles of a few Topeka-area towns:

Auburn

The city of Auburn, southwest of Topeka at S.W. Auburn Road and 85th Street, was established in 1847 as a Potawatomi mission, which later became a settlement of Shawnee Indians.

J.W. Brown bought some of the Shawnee cabins and land, and the resulting town was called Brownsville. When the town applied for a post office, the request was denied because another Brownsville existed. In 1856, the town's name was changed to Auburn, although early histories lack an explanation for the choice.

When the town's population reached 300 or 400, residents wanted it to be the capital of Kansas but didn't succeed.

- Population: 1,111, as of June 30, 2002, according to the city clerk's office.

- Schools: One elementary school.

- Best-kept secrets: Auburn's Brownsville Heritage Park, named for the town's founder.

Some houses in or around Auburn are believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad, which helped runaway slaves reach freedom in Canada.

The community center has a library.

- Celebrations: A three-day community fair on the first weekend in October is sponsored by the Lions Club and features a parade, carnival, quilt show, turtle races, bicycle races, and arts and crafts booths.

Dover

Dover, which is southwest of Topeka at S.W. 57th and Douglas Road, has three active businesses: Dover Mercantile, a convenience store and cafe; the Sage Inn bed and breakfast; and Schwant Tractor & Service Inc. The town's sole church is the Dover Federated Church, a merger of three congregations.

Dover Mercantile, the former Dover Market and Deli, is unique in that its owner, Valerie Marks, is aided by a group of older volunteers who come in at 4:30 a.m. to turn on the coffee pot and start the grill for breakfast. The volunteers' special table has no tablecloth, which would keep the playing cards from properly sliding on the table.

- Population: "100 or so," according to estimates by longtime residents.

- Schools: The town lost its grade school and junior high school. The Heritage Foundation bought the grade school, possibly for developing a library and community center. The old junior high building is for sale.

- Best-kept secrets: A bicycle course runs through town. In July, 50 bicycles went through the town on a run from San Francisco to New Hampshire.

- Celebrations: The Dover Federated Church Ladies Aid has a bazaar in October that features a quilt auction. Christmas in the Country, on the second weekend in November, offers antiques, crafts, a Christmas tree, a church program and a visit from Santa Claus. Heritage Days, on Father's Day weekend in June, features a parade and various other activities.

Rossville

As a village founded Jan. 13, 1871, Rossville first was named Cross Creek for the stream where it was located. The town was renamed to honor William W. Ross, an Indian agent. The city was incorporated June 27, 1881, the date of the first city election.

Rossville is about 15 miles northwest of Topeka on US-24 highway.

Rossville Community Library has 11,720 books as of January 2004, plus videos, CDs and magazines. Rossville City Park has a tennis court, sand volleyball area, basketball court, shelter house, playground equipment and electrical hookups. The city has an eight- member economic development committee.

- Population: 1,052, according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau.

- Schools: Rossville Elementary and Rossville Junior/Senior High School.

- Best-kept secrets: Elected an all-female government in 1889 --- mayor, five council members, a judge and a treasurer.

The town is on the Oregon Trail and is mentioned in a Laura Ingalls Wilder book.

Rossville is home to Andrew Wilson, the "Cattle King of Kansas"; Dr. Robert S. Gabbey, inventor of an automatic grain weighing and registering machine and holder of a patent in about 1886 on an airplane; actress Lotus Robb; and artist Ben Mileham, who painted Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's portrait.

- Celebrations: Christmas Festival, on the second Saturday of December, which features Santa's Workshop, Christmas Homes Tour, chili/soup feeds and a lighted Christmas parade. Tall Corn Festival, on the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of August, features a tall- corn contest, corn spitting and eating contests, talent show, 5K and one-mile fun run, parades, softball tournament, car show, street dance, horseshoe tournament, community worship service, crafts, food and art booths.

Silver Lake

White settlement of the Silver Lake townsite was spurred by the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1866. The site, on the banks of a horseshoe-shaped lake, was donated by settler Madore B. Beaubein and platted by 1866.

The first school was built in 1868, and two churches were added by 1878, according to a printed history of the town. Silver Lake was incorporated by 1878. The origin of the "silver" portion of the town's name isn't known.

Silver Lake is about 10 miles northwest of Topeka on US-24 highway.

- Population: 1,358, as of April 1, 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

- Schools: Two elementary buildings for grades 1-6 and a high school for grades 7-12.

- Best-kept secrets: Silver Lake Restaurant, a Chinese-American restaurant.

The oldest occupied house in Kansas is on the outskirts of Silver Lake, along US-24 highway. The stone house was built in 1826-27 on what was to become the Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley Trail.

- Celebrations: Citywide garage sale and book sale in mid- September.

Willard

The origin of the name of Willard seems to be lost, although one lifelong resident believes the town was named for championship boxer Jesse Willard.

Naomi Ganson, who has lived in Willard for 52 years, said she was told the town was established in 1903 and named for Willard. The boxer was born Dec. 29, 1881, in St. Clere, near Emmett. Willard began professional boxing around 1911 and retired from boxing in the early 1920s.

Willard, which is about 15 miles west of Topeka, is thought to have been incorporated around 1912, but like many other Kansas towns, incorporation followed long after the town was settled.

In 1951, the town had a grocery store, gas station and grain elevator. At one time, the town had a brick factory, although surprisingly few of the buildings are made of brick. The only businesses in town now are a tire recycling operation and a fireplace mantel builder.

- Population: About 80, according to one resident's estimate.

- Schools: None.

- Best-kept secrets: Sits on the old Oregon Trail. The town cemetery is on a hill southeast of Willard, near the ghost town of Uniontown, whose residents died or moved away because of a cholera outbreak in the mid-1850s.

- Celebrations: None.

John Chambers can be reached at 295-1204 or john.chambers@cjonline.com.

FAST FACT: Shawnee County's land area is 556 square miles.

Please see TOWNS, Page 10

Continued from Page 9

Towns: Celebrations are varied

FAST FACT: Shawnee County's 2000 population was 169,871.

Copyright 2004
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