Marshall County
Lost and Abandoned Towns
From the 1917 "History of Marshall County," below is a list of towns which had disappeared or withered away by that time:
________________________________________________________________
Ayersville, a village or feed station in 1855, twenty miles south of the
Nebraska line on the Little Blue, probably Cedar Falls.
Bennetts Station, a postoffice in 1859, probably at the home of Moses
Bennett on Coon creek, where he kept a feed and supply station.
Blanchville, postoffice named for Horatio Blanchard, postmaster and
early settler, on northeast corner section 22, Walnut township.
Big Blue City, chartered in 1858; can find no trace of it.
Cedar Falls, two and one-half miles northwest of Waterville on Little
Blue. In 1858, William Pearsoll built a combination grist and saw-mill
at Cedar Falls, later acquired by Rufus R. Edwards, of Marysville. There
is nothing left of this mill.
Elm Creek, a postoffice located on south Elm creek at the home of John
Means, postmaster, an early settler.
Elizabeth, one mile northeast of Bigelow, feed and supply station near
Inmans quarries.
Fairland; unable to locate it.
Franks-Fort, is now Frankfort, named for Frank Schmidt, of Marysville, one of the founders of the town.
Gertrude, founded January 2, 1861, vacated, 1864, was located one mile
northwest of Marysville on the hilltop, west of the mill; it consisted of a
small frame house; its owner sold "necessaries" to the emigrants.
Granite Falls, established on Little Blue near mouth of Fawn creek on
section 24, W'aterville township: later also known as Marble Fails.
Guittard Station, a postoffice established in 1861 and taken up in 1901
by a rural route. Xavier Guittard was its postmaster for forty consecutive
years. This was the most noted stage station on the Ben Holladay Overland
stage line between the Missouri river and Denver, Colorado.
Heasleyville, a stage station in Center township, named for Jerry Heasley, a stage driver and early-day "character."
Independence Crossing, a trading post six miles south of Marysville in
1848, located at the point where General Fremont folded the Big Blue in
1842, and where the Mormon crossed in later year. Still known as the
"Independence crossing," though no longer a ford.
Lagrange, a postoffice located on section 21, Clearfork township.
Lanesburg, or Lanes crossing, was on the Big Line between Irving and
Blue Rapids.
Marble Falls, established in 1867 by Judge Lewis, father of Mrs. E. A.
Berry, of Waterville. When the railroad located Waterville, the buildings
were moved from Marble Falls to Waterville.
Merrimac (1) located southeast of Irving in 1858 and abandoned in 1864;
at the present location of the Merrimac school house.
Merrimac (2) platted in 1867, ten miles west of Irving.
Nottingham, second postoffice established in county, located on the
homestead of D. C. Auld, section 23, Vermillion township, in 1857; moved
to Frankfort in 1868.
New Dayton, located northeast of Barrett; it never lived.
Ohio City was located in 1855 on tne quarter section joining Barrett on
the southwest.
Otoe, a stage station on the Oketo cutoff in the Otoe Indian reserve.
Palmetto is the north half of Marysville. Incorporated in 1857.
Raemer Creek, a very short-lived postoffice, now Herkimer; it was
named for the Raemer Brothers, the early permanent settlers.
Reedsville, a postoffice in Center township named for Allen Reed, postmaster,
keeper of a store and prominent settler.
Stolzenbach, a postoffice located on section 1, Balderson township, at
the home of Peter Merklinghaus.
Sylvan, located in 1858, abandoned in 1860. Andreas' history states:
"As early as 1859 efforts were made to move the county seat from Marysville
to Sylvan a new town located on section 25, township 3, range 8 (now
Center township.) The prime mover in this affair was T. S. Vaile,
a member of the Free State Territorial
Legislature from Marshall county. Marysville at that time was reputed
a pro-slavery town, and Vaile had an act passed
removing the county seat to Sylvan. The only official business transacted
at the new county seat was the canvassing of the vote of 1859. There being
no house at Sylvan, the county commissioners, J. D. Brumbaugh, George G.
Pierce and S. Ostrander held their session in the house of George D.
Swearingen, a mile distant. In 1859,
Marysville was again made the county seat
by a vote of the 'people'." For fifty years the name of Sylvan was but a
memory until 1909, when the Union Pacific railroad was extended from
Topeka to Marysville, and on the site selected for Sylvan now stands the
thriving little town of Winifred.
Swede Creek was located one mile north of Cottage Hill in Cottagehill
township.
Vermillion City, located in 1859 near where the Vermillion creek empties
into the Big Blue river, abandoned in 1859.
Wells, named for John D. Wells, the earliest permanent settler in the
county. It was a postoffice in Wells township, and John D. Wells was the
postmaster.
White's Quarry was located on a branch of Spring creek; it was a stone
quarry used by the railroad in the early seventies; it had a few tents and a
shack, located southwest of Home City.
Ash Point, a stage station on the Overland trail between Seneca and
Guittard station, a few miles north of where Axtell now stands.
Afton � Ten miles southwest of Marysville.
Armour � Near Summerfield.
Ewing � Three miles west of Vermillion; named for Ewing family.
Jett's Town � Near Guittard.
Kantanyan � Probably where California trail left Marshall county.
Pleasant Mill � Same as Swede creek.
Westella � Seven miles north of Beattie.
Woodson� Same as Jett's town.
Taos, where Salem church now stands. W. F. Robinson was postmaster.
Robidoux, old station, section 19, range 9, township 2.
Return to Marshall Co. KHHP
|
This website created July 4, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
� 2011 Kansas History and Heritage Project
|