Prairie City, Kansas

Prairie City was a townsite in southeast Douglas County, Kansas near present-day Baldwin City.

History

Prairie City was founded in 1855 by James Lane, Dr. William Graham, I.F. Greene and Salmon S. Prouty after a dispute between Graham and Henry Barricklow of nearby Palmyra. A post office opened in 1856 with John R. Winton serving as postmaster. The Heber Institute was started by the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1856 but never opened. The building became Prairie City School District No. 1.

The first printing press in Kansas was first used in Prairie City by Prouty to publish "The Freeman's Champion" which ran for 40 weeks. Prairie City was incorporated on February 4, 1859 and at one time had three general stores and three hotels. Prairie City was the rendezvous point for John Brown and his men the night before initiating the Battle of Black Jack.

On March 24, 1883, Douglas County commissioners had certain streets and alleys vacated. Today, little remains to mark the city except a few houses, a cemetery and the ruins of an old Catholic church. The Midland Railway from Baldwin passes by a sign pointing out where the depot, newspaper, post office and store used to be.

References

*"Historical Sketch of Prairie City" by George H. Butell, 1971 (KSHS Collection).
*"Where Was Prairie City" by George H. Butell, 1972 (KSHS Collection).
*"Ghost Towns of Kansas: A Traveler's Guide" by Daniel Fitzgerald, 1988.