Plum Grove, Kansas | |
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  Plum Grove  Plum Grove | |
| Coordinates: 37°59′6″N97°2′31″W / 37.98500°N 97.04194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Butler |
| Township | Plum Grove and Milton |
| Named for | Plum bushes |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 620 |
Plum Grove is a ghost town in Butler County, Kansas, United States. It was located in a rural area north of modern-day Potwin. No buildings remain at this former community site.
A post office named Plum Grove was established on July 1, 1870 in northwest Butler County, Kansas. [1] The postmaster (and landowner) was John R. Wentworth and the post office was named for the established plum bushes near his homestead. This post office was located next to the East Branch of the Whitewater River near the modern day intersection of NW 110th Street and NW Buffalo Road. Over the next 2 years, some businesses were started at Plum Grove. [2]
On October 7, 1872 a county election passed funding bonds for a proposed railroad through the Whitewater River valley. The route was close to Plum Grove, so it was decided to move the tiny community 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west to ensure it would be next to the future railroad. Unfortunately, the financial panic of 1873 caused the rail project to be abandoned. Though it was a setback, the community continued to grow while it kept trying to get a rail depot. [3] At its peak, Plum Grove had a maximum population of 60 or 100 (depending on source), several general stores, drug store, tree nursery, boarding house, blacksmith shop / livery barn / hog pens, saw mill, and a community water well. [4] [2]
In the spring of 1885, the McPherson branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built east/west a few miles south of Plum Grove. [4] Again a railroad failed to route through Plum Grove, then the community started to dissolve. Merchants, houses, people moved over time to one of the nearby new communities of Brainerd or Potwin, [5] and a small number to Whitewater and Peabody. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway was built north/south about 5 miles west of Plum Grove, [6] and it was the "final straw". The post office closed on October 31, 1888 [1] and most lots were vacated by 1889. [2]
Afterward, the rural school was the only thing that remained. A new school was rebuilt at the site in 1895 and it served until 1955 when it was discontinued and the building was moved. The school water well was filled in the late 1960s, thus erasing the last evidence of Plum Grove. [2] Today, it is active farmland.
Plum Grove was located at the modern day intersection of NW 110th Street and NW Santa Fe Lake Road in northwest Butler County, Kansas, which is 3 miles north and 1 mile west of modern-day Potwin. It sits on the shared township boundary of Plum Grove and Milton.
The modern day rural area around Plum Grove is served by the Remington USD 206 public school district, and the rural Frederic Remington High School is about 4 miles south of the former Plum Grove.
Other communities with same name in Kansas:
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Marion and its most populous city is Hillsboro. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,823. The county was named in honor of Francis Marion, a brigadier general of the American Revolutionary War, known as the "Swamp Fox".
Harvey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Newton. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,024. The county was named for James Harvey, a U.S. senator and 5th governor of Kansas.
Chase County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Cottonwood Falls. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,572. The county was named for Salmon Chase, a U.S. Senator from Ohio that was a Kansas statehood advocate.
Butler County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the largest county in the state by total area. Its county seat is El Dorado and its most populous city is Andover. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 67,380. The county was named for Andrew Butler, a U.S. Senator from South Carolina who coauthored the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
Elbing is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is named after the city Elbląg in northern Poland, formerly Prussia. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 226. It is located about 10.7 miles east of Interstate 135 in Newton, along the Union Pacific Railroad.
Potwin is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is named after the town site land owner Charles Potwin. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 421.
Whitewater is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 661.
Peabody is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 937. The city was named after F.H. Peabody of Boston, former vice-president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Peabody is well known in the region for its Independence Day Celebration on July 4, and its historic 1880s downtown main street. It is located between Newton and Florence along U.S. Route 50 highway.
Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United States in the last quarter of the 19th century and featuring such images as cowboys, American Indians, and the US Cavalry.
Elmo is an unincorporated community in Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. Elmo is located 15 miles (24 km) south of Abilene at the northwest corner of K-15 and K-4.
The Whitewater River is a 62-mile-long (100 km) tributary of the Walnut River in southern Kansas in the United States. Via the Walnut and Arkansas Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.
Annelly is a ghost town in Richland Township 9 miles southeast of Newton in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. The community was located along the Missouri Pacific Railroad line between Newton and Whitewater, but the track was abandoned in 2003. As of 2020, the land is privately owned farmland.
K-196 is a 28.474-mile-long (45.824 km) east–west state highway in Harvey and Butler Counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. K-196's western terminus is at Interstate 135 (I-135), U.S. Route 81 (US-81) and K-15 just south of Newton and the eastern terminus is at K-254 just east of El Dorado, Kansas. The highway runs along the south border the town of Whitewater and bypasses Potwin to the south.
Plum Grove Township is a township in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 661.
Aulne is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Kansas, United States. The Aulne name was suggested by officials of the railroad when it was built through Aulne during the 19th century. It is located southwest of Marion at the intersection of Pawnee Road and 140th Street next to the Union Pacific Railroad.
Frederic Remington High School is a public secondary school in rural Butler County, Kansas between the cities of Whitewater and Potwin. It is located north of K-196 highway, along the north side of the unincorporated community of Brainerd and southeast of the intersection of NW Meadowlark Rd and NW 90th St. It is one of three schools operated by Remington USD 206 public school district. This school is also commonly known as Remington High School as the shorter name, and Whitewater-Remington High School on KSHSAA sport lists.
Brainerd is an unincorporated community in Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is located on the north side of K-196 highway between the cities of Whitewater and Potwin.
Furley is an unincorporated community in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 39. It is located northwest of the intersection of Greenwich Road and 101st Street N, along the Union Pacific Railroad.
Remington USD 206 is a public unified school district headquartered in Whitewater, Kansas, United States. Depending on the historic use, it may also have the word "Whitewater" either before or after "Remington". The district includes the communities of Whitewater, Potwin, Brainerd, Elbing, Furley, and nearby rural areas in Butler, Harvey, Sedgwick counties.
Hattie Horner Louthan was an American writer. She was the author of five books and contributed to newspapers and magazines.
Municipalities and communities of Butler County, Kansas, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| Footnotes | †This community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau. | |