City of Axtell, Kansas Webpage
City of Axtell, Kansas Webpage
One by one the old landmarks of Axtell disappear. About the first to go were the old coal sheds, on the north side of the G.I. side track, one just east of the present sidewalk and the other between John Murray's present office and the track. They were unsightly affairs, set close to the track so coal could be shoveled from the car into them. B.S. Stanley had on and J.T. Ely the other.
In 1886 Axtell had reaped a heavy harvest of failures. In 1887 things began to revive and have been constantly growing better. It was in '87 that sidewalks took the place of mud in all the business part of town; that bonds for a new school house were voted; that Axtell was incorporated as a city; that new firms started up; that Axtell stepped out from the rear of the column and walked right up to the front - and has been there ever since.
In '87 one of the old coal sheds was torn down; then the other went; then the lumberyard where the postoffice now is, got a move on itself and went south for its health; then the stockyards that had been a stinking disgrace for fifteen years, went west.; Ely Bros. & Axtell tore down their little 9x11 shanty and built a business house; fire limits were established; the State Bank inaugurated a new deal by building a new brick block; a new railroad came to town; J.L. Hayes & Co. got out of their old ruin and built a good store; M.H. Cone went them one better; the postoffice location was changed; and a new building erected for it; the Opera House block, the finest block on the Grand Island or Wyandotte roads between their terminals, was erected; the Sherman House was started requiring a new building; J.L. Hayes put up another brick block; W.J. Waugh is excavating for a new furniture store and Thos. Hynes will soon follow suit between him and the Opera House block and as soon as that is done some more will be under way. Verily Axtell is a hummer.
But we were talking about landmarks. They are nearly all gone or hidden by overtowering additions. Michael Murray's old store room is one of the most ancient. Mr. Murray moved to Axtell November 4, 1875, and bought the building. Mr. Livingston came to Seneca in 1870 and to Axtell in '74. He kept store in the Murray building at first and later built where Lucas, McGrath & Co. are now. Thos. Hynes came May 1, 1874, and built his drug store in '75 or '76. The little building between the present drug store and his dwelling was used by him at first.
The first building erected in Axtell was by "Shoestring" Dickinson in 1872, the year the town site was laid out. It was in the street but soon moved to where Dooley's hardware store now stands. Homer Cone afterwards bought it and sold the building to Seneca parties who moved it there and Dan Shaaf used it as a restaurant for several years. Homer built a saloon on the site. The Grand Island depot and side track were built in '72 also and the first school house was built in '72-3. The one recently tore down was built in '83. The houses of N.H. Cone now occupied by A.L. Gilliland and J.R. Livingston's home, were the first dwellings erected.
Andreas History of Kansas, published in 1883 says "the town did not improve until 1879 - at this time there being four families in the place." This must be an error however. Thos. Hynes, J.R. Livingston, M. Murray, and N.H. Cone were doing business here then and probably several others. And now the landmarks are about all gone.
The railroad was built through here in 1870 and in January '71 was completed to Marysville. The old section house was built near Hamlin in 1870, it was soon moved near Oneida then to the crossing just this side of Thos. Scanlons and later to Axtell. It is the oldest building in town. It probably got here in '71 or '72. Tom Hynes says it was here when he came in May '74 and Jim Flynn stayed overnight there with a gang of snow shovelers in the winter of '71-72 or '72-73.
Another old land mark went glimmering last week, the old building between Dr. Wachter's late office and John Weisenburg's store, being torn down the 24th. The building was erected in the spring of 1881; 13 years ago. Axtell was young then. Dr. Hunter had an office, C.D. Russell a very small store, Mrs. Wm. Brown a restaurant and Mr. Moore had a hardware on the corner, (the old drug store now used as creamery.) Those were all the buildings on this block. From Moore's hardware store, south and from Dr. Hunter's office west, the prairie grass was growing. As there was a little space between Russell's store - then about 30 feet long - and Dr. Hunter's office, they put in a floor and roof and soon Mrs. Lucas started her millinery store there in the fall of 1881. In 1882 the first paper ever printed in Axtell - the Visitor - was published there by W.W. Brooks and later by L.C. McCarn; Hayes & Russell used it for a warehouse a year or two; D.K. Brown has used it as a jewelry store; E. Shaughnessy as a shoe shop and H.K. Sharpe recently moved out. Several others whose names we do not recall have also occupied it. The building costs less than a hundred dollars, has paid over a thousand dollars in rest and one man removed it all in about eight hours.
The Dr. Hunter building has been moved back and will hereafter be used for a work shop and coffin room. It was built in '80 or '81. Those were the growing days of Axtell; the days when houses sprang up like mushrooms - and quite like mushrooms in size and lasting qualities too. Dr. Hunter moved to Blue Rapids in '87 and Dr. Strayer, who came here from Beattie the same year, moved in - Dr. Titcomb officed there later; Hayes & Russell used it for a store room; then J.W. McGinnis had it as a residence; Dr. Hunter traded it to J.B. Gilbert; Dr. Wachter moved in and out; it was sold to Mr. Waugh and now it takes a back seat while a two story brick furniture store 30x70 takes its place.
The Wassers, Johnsons, Axtells, Seamans, Browns, Hales, and lots of other folks in the fall of '79 and '80. The Summit house was being built then - the first building south of the railroad. In the spring of '80 every body built. The second building south of the railroad track was Moore's hardware, another landmark that has recently vacated the townsite. This was built in '80. Moore sold to Homer Cone who ran a billiard hall there and later it was used for a drug store until Mr. Ott moved out a few months ago. It is used as a creamery now and is good for lots of service yet. Chas. Allen was there first then Greenlee & Paul were in it; then Paul & Bird, later C.H. Bird, Flannery & Scott, Wm. Scott Torrence Bros. Mr Gaston and G.E. Ott & Co. It was the "Temple of Pharmacy" once, then the "Corner Drug Store" and now Ott calls it the "Opera House Drug Store."
It was in the spring and summer of 1880 that Jesse Axtell built, and that many of the buildings in this block were erected.
By the way there ought to be an authentic history of Axtell written. Thos. Hayes, J.R. Livingston, M.H. and N.H. Cone, Ed. White, Ithiel Johnson, R.B. Wasser and their children, Mrs. Murray, Wm. Brown, N.L. Brown, Wm. Hale, J.T. Ely, Mrs. Brawner and a half score of others now living in Axtell could make a very readable record of past events. And the ANCHOR would like to publish a score of such letters - from two to a dozen columns each.
This brings to mind that the living land marks are going too - some to a permanent abiding place out on the hill - peace to their ashes - and some to temporary ones. "Shoestring" Dick has gone; Mike Murray has gone; R.F. White, the first postmaster and one of the oldest pioneers, passed away only a few days ago; The Axtells' and Hunters' and a score of others have moved away and the old timers are growing gray and feeble, except those who came as children or young men.
But Axtell is rearing lasting monuments of stone and brick and mortor to them. The city is growing better each year. Waterworks and parks are on the way and broken sidewalks and a cemetery that would cause the dead to groan with anguish that their bones had been so neglected, will be improved. At present the people are too busy enlarging their business house and attending to a constantly increasing trade to give much thought to such things. A few weeks ago we started out to photograph the town for the purpose of getting out a special illustrated edition. Every business house with only one or two exceptions had carpenters, masons, or painters, tearing down, remodeling and making over; enlarging to keep pace with the city's growth. It is a good sign. Let 'er grow. Let the old land marks go so long as larger and better ones take their places. There is no grass growing in the streets of Axtell.
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