McCamish, Hibbard, Lanesfield, Martinsburgh and Edgerton Kansas.

When I do a piece on Kansas towns I usually put in a lot of surnames, but not this time.  This time its all about the towns I found then very interesting.  There will be some surnames however.

---------------------------------------------

 

Authors note.  It should be noted that any time I give a date in the heading, thats the date the information was recorded and not the date of the event.

-----------------------------

 

Lanesfield Kansas 1867.

 

Lanesfield is the name of a Post Office  in Johnson County, which there is situated a nursey kept by the Post Master.  Business men of Lanesfield, William Maxwell & Co., Nursery.

 

McCamish, Lanesfield, Edgerton Kansas, 1883.

 

McCamish was laid out in 1857 by Richard D. McCamish, and named after its projector. At the time there was quite a number of settlers in the township, among whom were C. L. Dillie, B. F. Detar, O. Hulett, Judge Martin, James Pyle and R. Perkins. Previously to the laying out of the town a postoffice had been established here and named Hibbard. McCamish was situated on Bull Creek, near the center of the township, and about two miles northeast of Edgerton.

In 1858 a rival town was laid out across the creek from McCamish, and named "Lanesfield," in honor of Gen. James H. Lane.

McCamish grew, though very slowly, then ceased to grow and was at length abandoned as a town. Lanesfield, its rival outstripped it and became a town of some size, having at one time three stores, three churches, and nearly 100 inhabitants, but when the railroad was built from Olathe to Ottawa, the whole town, with its stores and churches, moved to Edgerton, in order to secure the advantages of railroad communications.

Post Office History.

 

Hibbard Post Office open February 26, 1855 and ran to July 17, 1861.

 

Lanesfield Post Office open July 17, 1861 and ran to September 16, 1870, moved to Martinsburgh.

 

Martinsburgh Post Office open September 16, 1870 and ran to July 14, 1871, moved from Lanesfield, name changed to Edgerton.

 

Edgerton Post Office open July 14, 1871 and ran to ?. name changed from Martinsburgh.

 

The following is a link to the history of McCamisk Township.  By reading this you will learn how these towns got their start. http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223964/page/40 

 

Edgerton Kansas 1912.

 

Edgerton, one of the large towns of Johnson county, is situated in the southwestern portion, near the junction of two branches of Bull creek, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R., 14 miles southwest of Olathe, the county seat. The town was laid out after the building of the railroad in 1870 and named after the chief engineer. The first building was the railroad station. It was followed by a dwelling and store the same year and in 1871 Reuben Perkins built the first hotel. The first school house was also built in 1871 and school was taught by Robert Quay that winter. The town lies in a rich agricultural country and is a shipping point for produce sent to Kansas City. It has a money order postoffice, good hotel, hardware and implement house, lumber yard and good public school sy-stem. The population in 1910 was 400.