Waterville Kansas

Waterville Township Map, 1904
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/209410/page/42

On the Township map, Waterville is in sections 21 & 22

On the county Map Waterville is in Township 4-South and Range 6-East.  In sections 21 & 22.

Business Men of Watervile City, 1904.

Chicago Lumber & Coal Co., W. Cowgill, Local manager.

Bank of Waterville, De a General Banking business, Making a specialty of First Mortgages on Real Estate.

Moody & Yoakum, Prop., of Livery, Feed and Sale Stable.

Stevenson George Jr., Merchant and breeder of preupred Angus Cattle.

Thacher George L., M. D., Physician and Surgeon and Prop., Waterville Drug Store.

Business Men of Waterville Township who uses Waterville as their P. O. Address as of 1904.

Albright Brothers, Farmer and Breeders of Polled Durham Cattle and Poland-China Hogs.

Augustus F., Farmer

Bull J. E., Farmer ans Stock Raiser.

Cox Jeff, Farmer and Stock Raiser.

The History of Waterville Kansas as given in 1912.

Waterville, a city of Marshall county, is located on the Little Blue river and the Missouri Pacific R. R., 16 miles southwest of Marysville.the county seat. It has telegraph and express offices, weekly news-papers, grain elevators, banking facilities, a public library, an opera house and good schools and churches. Three rural delivery mail routes
go out from the postoffice.

Waterville was settled in 1857 by Stearns Ostrander. He was followed the same year by Ralph Ostrander, P. Bollar, R. Brown, T. Palmer and H. Brown. The next year William Pearsoll, William Hawkinsmith, John Hughes, W. Dickinson, H. Bramer and Mrs. A. Davis located in the vicinity. A mill was built in 1858 by William Pearsoll, who operated it as a combination grist and sawmill. The original owner of the land which became the town site of Waterville was David King. It passed through the hands of G. H. Hollenberg, William Osborn and R. M. Pomeroy, the last named conveying it to the Central Branch R. R. The railroad company established the town in 1868, and several business buildings were erected. Waterville was incorporated as a village in 1870 and was made a city of the third class the next year. The population in 1910 was 704.

The History of Waterville Kansas as given in 1917.

 

Waterville. in the township of the same name, is located in the south-western part of Marshall county, on the Missouri Pacific railway, one hundred miles west of Atchison and fifteen miles southwest of Marysville. The city is built on a low plateau, sloping gently northward to the Little Blue river.

 

The original charter for th.e raih'oad, west from Atchison, was obtained under the name of the Atchison & Pikes Peak Railroad, which name was changed by an act of the Legislature in 1867. to the Central Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. In the spring of 1867 the company commenced building the road with O. B. Gunn as civil engineer.

Judge Lewis, the father of Mrs. E. A. Berry of Waterville, expecting that the railroad would follow the Little Blue river to Ft. Kearney, the then objective point of the Central Branch laid out a town on the Little Blue river, one and one-half miles east of what is now Waterville, on his own land, and named the town "Marble Falls." Judge William Thompson and R. S. Newell each put up store buildings there, and when the railroad failed to touch Marble Falls, Mr. Newell moved his cottonwood grocery store to Waterville. where it now stands serving as the central office for the telephone company.

WATERVILLE PLATTED.

The plan of the railroad company was to locate a town just one hundred miles west of Atchison, and after reaching Irving, Engineer Gunn ran his survey directly west from Irving up Game Fork creek to a point on sections 18 and ig in Cottage Hill township, where he located a town and named it Merrimac. While this deceptive survey was being made, G. H. Hollenberg, of Hanover, Kansas, purchased of Mrs. Hennea King the land on which the city of Waterville is located. The purchase was made on August 29, 1867. This accomplished, 'Sir. Gunn started from tr\ing and located the railroad to this point and laid out and platted the town of  Waterville in February, 1868.

Mr. R. Osborne, superintendent of the railroad, named this town Water\ille after his home town in Maine. Mr. Osborne had previously purchased the land from G. H. Hollenberg and recorded the deed on March 4. 1868. The town was incorporated as a villag;e on July 30. 1870, with August Frahm as its first president. Later, it became a city of the third class, which it is at the present date.

The only settlers of the year 1868 now living in Waterville, are Mrs. Auoust Frahm and Hon. Edward A. Berrv. Mr. Berrv, after working on a farm for three vears returned to !Maine, his old home state, took a course of law, returned to Waterville, where he has been in the practice of law ever since

 

 

FIRST SETTLERS.

The first settlers on llie Little IMue river and on Coon creek, near where W'aterville is loeated. were: Stearnes Ostrander, early in the spring of 1857. He was followed during- the same year by Ralph Ostrander. H. Brown. R. Drown. T. Palmer and P. Dollar, in the spring of 1858 the little eolony was strengthened by the arrival of Mr. A. Davis, H. Bramer.  W. Dickinson. John Hughes. William Hawkinsmith, William Pearson and AP T. Burnett. They settled on Coon creek. During the same year Stephen Moore settled on the Little Blue river.

In the year 1859. J. L. McChesney. P. Cassey and others arrixed and took up claims. In 1859 William Pearson built a combination saw and grist-mill on the Little Dlue river, at a place called Cedar Falls, which is about two miles above Waterville. northwest.

The first tragedy wdiich visited the little colony was the death of Stephen Moore. A number of men had been at Marysville, the day being bitterly cold, by night turning into a blizzard. On their return the party became separated and Moore did not reach home. The next morning a search was made and he was found sitting upright against a tree near the mouth of Fawn creek, frozen to death.

FIRST HOTEL.

Mr. and Mrs. August Frahm arrived at Waterville at the completion of the railroad and erected the first building in town, a stone hotel, called the "Bay State House," in the early spring of 1868. Mr. Frahm shipped the first carload of lumber to Waterville and the freight on it was eighty-five dollars.

Henry Agle built the "Eagle Hotel" in the fall of 1868. Other buildines erected in, or moved to. the town in 1868 were: A frame store building. erected by R. vS. AlcCubbin. of Atchison. Kansas; R. S. Newell moved his store from Marble Falls and Joseph Samuels moved a store building from A[arvs\-ille. j. C. Peters built a store and dwelling combined. George Hutt erected a small building, now^ standing on the corner by the town pump. Mr. Vowers. a homesteader, two miles west, supplied the people of  Waterville with good water from his spring on Coon creek at five cents a pail, until the town well was bored in 1870. Mike Niggley built a one-story saloon, eighteen by twenty feet, in which he started operations with one keg of beer and one gallon of whiskey. Roy Sholes opened a hardware store and tinner's shop, where Ed Adam's barber shop now stands. He sold out in 1869 to J. Miord, who enlarged the building and stock.

In 1869 J. D. Flannery built and operated a general merchandise store. Heineke & Cowgill built a furniture store. Frank Glasser erected general merchandise store, building it himself. John Mullender and J. C. Dickey each built and operated a blacksmith shop. W. C. Johnson and William Haskel opened a lumber office. A. M. Pickett built a photograph gallery and A. Simie, a drug store: J. D. Farwell and J. Miexell, each, a hardware store; W. W. Smith and W. P. Mudgett, a law office; A. D. Willson and Mr. McKinnon, a real-estate office; John Wilson, a livery.

The first birth, October 6, 1869, was that of a son born to Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Peters.

In 1868 John Dunljar and a Miss Hurd w-ere married by C. F. Thorndyke, justice of the peace.

Those who came in 1869 and still reside in Waterville are: J. D. Farwell and wife; Horace Jones and wife; J. B. Livers and wafe; Mrs. J. C. Dickey, Major Scott and J. D. Flannery.

A LOVE TRAGEDY.

The second tragic death in the community was that of a German, who homesteaded an eighty-acre tract, one mile south of town. He bought tools to work it and in the latter part of March, 1869, he got a letter from Germany from his fiancee, who refused to come to America. He took his scythe out to his homestead, mowed and bound several bundles of tall grass, made a bed, laid some bundles lengthwise at his side, then covered himself with the hav and shot himself in tlie head. When found, the pistol still in his hand and the letter in his pocket, was all that was known of hiuL Waterville not having any cemetery, this German was brought to town and buried on the prairie, until an association was formed and incorporated in March 1870, v.hen the association purchased a forty-acre tract one and one-half miles north of town, and the German's body was removed to the cemetery.

The first natural death in the town was that of Mrs. James Hurd, in August, 1869.

 

 

DISTRIBUTION OF WHEAT SEED.

In 1869, \Vaterville, being iIk^ most western railroad station in northern Kansas, became the distributing point for government aid. which consisted of wheat and corn for seed. Clothing and food-stuffs were furnished by private contributions. Settlers came from as far west as Norton and Rooks counties to receive this aid. The railroads hauled this free of charge. A day was set for the distriljution and the people arrived on time. Some boxes and parcels were addressed to private parties directly, and these were delivered to them. Others came, received their allotment of wheat and corn, given expressly for seeding purposes, took it to the Cedar Falls mills and had it ground. Some traded their seed for whiskey, so that some returned with a A\agon full of wheat, and others were ''full," but their wagons were empty. The allotment to each homesteader was ten bushels of wheat and two bushels of corn. Marshall county received none of this aid, being able to take care of herself.

Waterville being the terminal of the Central Branch railroad from 1868 to 1876, was the most important railroad point in northern Kansas. All immigrants and freight destined for western counties left the cars at Waterville and were transported by wagons and otherwise, to points of destination.

INCORPORATED.

\Vaterville was incorporated as a village in 1870. The first president of the village board was August Frahm. In April, 1871, Waterville became a city of the third class.

The following is the official roster of the city: Mayor, 1871 to 1875, James P. Burtis; 1876, F. ?^Iills; 1877, S. S. Altschul; 1878, N. B. Thompson; 1879, J- P- Bi-"'tis; 1879-1882, J. W. Sharrard.

The present city officers of Waterville are as follow : J. H. Nelson, mayor; H. C. Strohm. clerk; L. A. Palmer, treasurer; Clay Whiteside, Frank Fitzgerald. Will Flook, George K. Hall, Philip Thomas, councilmen ; H. C. Strohm, police judge; I. A. Larson, policeman.

POSTOFFICE.

The Waterville postoffice was established in 1868, with George Flutt as postmaster, making four in the county. In 1869 H. C. Phillips was appointed and there were several up to 1880, when J. C. Dickey received the appointment and serived until 1884., when George Titcomb was appointed and served until 1888; M. Delaney, 1888 until 1893; J- D. Flannery, 1893 to 1897. Then M. Delaney was re-appointed and served from 1897 to 1913, giving entire satisfaction. In all he served the people twenty years. In 191 3 C. C. Holbrook Avas appointed and is making a good postmaster. In 1878 it became a presidential office.

In 1868 the Bay State Hotel, built by August Frahm, was leased to W. W. Smith and later to F. G. Adams, for one year. This hotel was soon purchased by Mills & Hinman and named the Lick House. Mrs. Brown ha\-ing purchased the Hinman interest, the ownership became Mills & Brown for two years, when ]\lills bought nut ^Irs. Brown and ran the house until 1878 when at Mrs. Mills" death it was leased to W. H. Truesdale, who managed it until 1880, when W. W. Smith again leased it. The Bay State or Lick House stood idle for a number of years, when the city of Waterville bought it and erected a fine city hall, fifty by one hundred feet, on the ground, with a bancpiet room, council room, police-judge, office, and a theater accommodation.

MANUFACTURES.

In 1873 p. ]\I. Howard built the Riverside mills located on the Little Blue river, one half mile from town. It was a stone building, four stories, with five run of burrs. Aloore & Greenman purchased an interest, and in 1875 Howard sold his interest to E. F. Durant. In 1876 the mill owners becoming financially embarrassed, the mill was shut down. In 1880 Mr. Moore again bought it and ran it about two years, when it burned down. Moore moved on a farm and was killed while blasting rock in a well he was digging.

EVERGREEN CEMETERY.

The Evergreen Cemetery Association of Waterville was incorporated in 3klarch, 1870. and purchased forty acres of land, one and one-half miles north of the city, from A\\ C. ]^IcCurdy, for four hundred dollars. The officers of the temporary organization were: President, W. C. McCurdy; secretary, AI. McKinnon ; treasurer. \V. L. Johnson; trustees, J. D. Farwell, G. W. Hutt. W. L. Johnson, David Ward and O. D. Wilson. A charter was obtained in 1870 and a permanent organization formed on June 25. 1870. The first officers were: President, G. W. Hutt; secretary, A. J. wSimis ; treasurer. G. D. Bowlney. The northeast ten acres of the forty was laid out into lots. In 1894 the thirty acres was sold to M. E. Moore and in 1911 the remaining unsold lots were sold to W. E. Fitzgerald.

 

RIVERSIDE CEMETERY.

In April. 1884, the Riverside association has adopted a plan to obtain an endowment fund, which will enable e\-ery lot owner by depositing witli the secretary a sum not less than twenty-five dollars to recei\'e a certificate guaranteeing that the deposit will be kept permanently at interest, and the interest only shall be used for the upkeep of the depositor's lot. The association now has one thousand dollars in the endowment fund.

BAND.

Waterville cornet band was organized in 1872 by Prof. John D. Walters, with eleven members. It was disbanded in 1876, and re-organized in 1879 by C. F. Stanley, who was succeeded as leader in 1882, by J. F. Kohler. This once leading band in the county is now disbanded.

BUSINESS INTERESTS.

Blacksmith shops, John Rozine and Kiefer Brothers.
Telephone system, A. F. Geyer.
Drug store, Rummel Drug Company.
Moving picture show, I. L. Miller.
Shoe repairing, George Pendleton and Charles Ross.
Hotel, L. E. Weaver.

Waterville Library, Owned by Shakespearian Club.
Livery and auto, John Moody. 

Warehouse and elevator, H. C. and A. C. Whiteside, Farmers E^levator.
Lumber dealers, Waterville Lumber and Coal Company, S. P. Solt
Lumber Company.

Banks, Merchants State Bank, Farmers State Bank, Citizens State Bank.
Barber shops, John Finley and Gordon Brothers.