Historical Directory of Kansas Towns [B]

Baden--Douglas; German name; 
Badger Creek--A.T.S.F. R.R.
Baker--Brown; C. D. Baker, pioneer
Bala--Riley; Welsh population settlement

Baldwin City--Douglas; Santa Fe Trail;
   My great great Grandfather, Henry
   Barricklow and his brother, Farrington were members of the Original
   Palmyra Association. He was one of the 13 charter members of the
   Baldwin City M.E. church.
[Ted Barricklow (tfb6972@aol.com) contributed this information.]

Bangor--Coffey; 

Barclay--Osage; named after Robert Barclay, a Quaker theologian 
from Scotland; John M. Wetherell brought colony of Quakers to 
settle the town of Barclay; 

Barnard--Lincoln; established about 1880-1884; end of the 
S.F. R.R. line from Abilene through Minneapolis; named for 
J. F. Barnard.

Barnes--Washington; M.P. R.R. Central Branch;
Barnesville--Bourbon; J. and F. Barnes, pioneers
Barrett--Marshall; M.P. R.R. Central Branch;
Bartlett--Labette; Robert A. Bartlett, townsite owner
Basehor--Leavenworth; Ephraim and Ruben Basehor, pioneers
Bassett--Woodson;
Baty--Morris; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Bauer--
Bavaria--Saline; K.P. R.R.; German name; 

Baxter Springs--Cherokee; 1850 started to form when A. Baxter arrived 
and built a saw mill; 1860's and 1870's Texas cattlemen drove thousands 
of longhorns to pasture land around Baxter Springs.

Baxter Springs--Cherokee;
   Formally-mcgee county&username=site of
   national civil war cementary-soldiers buried there from battle of the
   fort oct 6,1863 between quantrill and union colored troops also band
   members from 3rd wisconsin calvary commanded by general blunt-town
   founded by john baxter-became an official town 1858-was part of
   cherokee neutral lands - town located one mile from state of oklahoma
   in the extreme southeastern corner of kansas- part of the 13 miles of
   old route 66 going through kansas- three towns in kansas were on route
   66-baxter springs-riverton-galena-from the oklahoma state line to the
   missouri state line.  
[Earleen Spaulding (ppjgryne@chanute-ks.com) contributed this information.]

Baxter Springs--Cherokee
   I am trying to find out about my great grandfather and his ancestors
   when the Bartholomews came to Kansas. My Great Grandfathers name was I
   believe Edson Zecheriah (Red) Bartholomew, and he was the sheriff in
   Baxter Springs I think. This would have been in the early 1900's. If
   you have any info please email me at the above address. 
[Douglas Samuel Bartholomew (DoBartho@juno.com) contributed this information.]

Bazaar--Chase;
Bazine--Ness County
Beach Valley--Rice; seat of former Peketon County.

Beattie--Marshall; 

Beaumont--Butler; S.L.S.F. R.R. 1880;
Beaver--
Beeler--Ness; Elmer E. Beeler, postmaster
Beersheba--Hodgeman
Bel Aire--Sedgwick; 
Belle Plaine--Sumner; 
Belleville--Republic; founded in 1869 and named to honor Arabelle
Tutton, wife of a first settler; 

Belmont--Doniphan; trading post est. by James R. Whitehead, Jan.
1852; platted June 20, 1858; W 1/2 S15 NW 1/4 S22 & NE 1/4 S21
T2S R22E. 

Belmont--Kingman; 
My Great Grandfather, W. H. Starr was one of the founders in
   1881. At one time, there were several churches, a brick general store
   (operated by Mr. Starr) a meat market (one of his sons), a Woodmen of
   the World meeting hall, a school, a blacksmith shop, and a railroad
   depot. There is nothing left now but a grain silo. 
[Tom Burford (bburford@earthlink.net) contributed this information.]

Belmont--Woodson; founded in 1857 in a wooded area on Sandy Creek.
Belmont was S. of Yates Center and there is an old cemetery there, still
in use but many of the older stones have been lost to floods, weather,
etc. The area south of Belmont, a strip about 3 miles wide across the
bottom of Woodson County, has been in both Woodson and Wilson Counties
several times. At the last change (about 1920) it went back to Wilson
County. 

Beloit--Mitchell; named for A. A. Bell, the first settler who
erected a log cabin on the north bank of the Solomon River in
1868.
Belpre--
Belvidere--Kiowa; 
Belvue--Pottawatomie; K.P. R.R.;
Bendena--
Benedict--Benedict Branch of Santa Fe R.R.;
Benedict Junction--Benedict Branch of Santa Fe R.R.;
Bennington--Ottawa; 
Bentley--Sedgwick; 

Benton--Butler; 
   IN THE BOOK NAMED "HISTORY OF
   BUTLER COUNTY" BY VOL. P. MOONEY DATED 1916. THERE IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT
   BENTON TOWNSHIP. SOME OF MY ANCESTORS ARE MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE.
   THEY WERE THE McCUNE'S THERE. THE J.L. McCUNE IS JOHN LEANDER McCUNE
   AND IS BURIED IN THE BENTON CEMETERY AND IS MY GREAT GRANDFATHER. I
   GREW UP AT BENTON AND SEVERAL OF MY RELATIVES STILL LIVE THERE.
[Beverly Phillips (ladyfinger1@hotmail.com) contributed this information.]

Berlin--Bourbon; German name; 

Bern--Nemaha; settled by Swiss immigrants who first arrived in
about 1854; a branch of the California Trail passed right over
the Bern townsite.  

Berryton--Shawnee; located south of Topeka; named after 
George Washington Berry, pioneer.

Beulah--Crawford 
Big Springs--Douglas; Oregon Trail; now Route 1, Tescumseh Township;
Big Stranger--Leavenworth; Stranger Township; U.P. R.R.;
Bigelow--Marshall; George Bigelow, pioneer
Bird City--
Bisbee--Howard Branch of Santa Fe R.R.;
Bishop (Sugar Works, Hansford)--Shawnee; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Bismarck--Wabaunsee; German name; 
Black Jack--Douglas 
Black Wolf--Ellsworth; K.P. R.R.
Blaine--Pottawatomie; Oregon Trail;
Blair--Doniphan; Joel P. Blair, townsite owner
Blairs Station--Doniphan; Joel P. Blair, postmaster
Block--Miami; John Block, pioneer
Bloom--Ford; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Blue Mound--Douglas; Oregon Trail; southeast of Lawrence.
Blue Rapids--Marshall; M.P. R.R. Central Branch;
Bluff City--Harper; 
Blufton/Threshing Machine Canyon--Trego; 
Bodaville--Riley; William Bode, pioneer

Bogue--Graham; 

Bolton--Montgomery; Jeff Bolt, rancher; 
There are a few houses and a Friends Church; it is just basically a 
sign along the railroad tracks; located on Highway 75 between Caney 
and Independence; 
At that time (1940s) there was a fallen down store near the railroad tracks,
but the only store available in the area was "Jack Lowells" (sp?) filling 
station and general store on old highway 75. 

Bonner Springs--Wyandotte; C.R.I.P. R.R.; K.P. R.R.; 
Boss--Logan; K.P. R.R.
Boston--Chautauqua; 
Boston Mills--Cherokee; 
Bowdark (Bois d'arc)--Butler; located near Leon, Butler County, Kansas. 
Boyd--Barton; Townsite owner; 
Brainerd--Butler; 
Brantford--Washington;
Bremen--Marshall; German name; 
Brenham--Kiowa; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Briar's Town--

Bristol--Coffey; name came from 'brycgstow,' the "site of the bridge";
name widely used in England and popular town name in America, where
there were 25 Bristols;

Bristow--
Brittsville--Cloud;
Bronson--Bourbon; named changed from Wilsonville to Bronson for 
Ira Bronson, a Fort Scott Attorney; M.P. R.R.;
Brooks--Wilson; S.L.S.F. R.R.
Brookville--Saline; K.P. R.R. 1867 
Broughton--Clay; mid to late 1800s? wiped out by flood?; believed 
to have come from Illinois; 
Brownell--Ness County;
Brownlow--Butler; site located north of Latham; 

Bruce--Crawford;  
   Crawford County is full of abandoned strip mine pits and
   the abandoned towns that served them. Bruce is now just a name. 
[Bruce Robinson (bhrobin@anchor-robinson.com) contributed this information.]

Bruno--Butler;
Sallie Lorena Chase, daughter of Stephen Harrison Chase, married 
Daniel J. Reber who was the first town clerk of Bruno.  
Their daughter, Lena Floy Reber (born in Augusta)  married Elmer
Guy Newland, the son of Isaac Newland, one of the first two Justices of the
Peace of Bruno and organizer/ superintendent of the first Methodist sunday
school there before there was a church.   

Bryan--Doniphan, P.O. 1855-56, Milton Bryan, postmaster; name
changed to Wathena.
Buck Creek--Jefferson; C.R.I.P. R.R.; K.P. R.R.;
Bucklin--Ford; C.R.I.P. R.R. 1887
Bucyrus--Miami;
Buda--Ness; 

Buena Vista--Barton; SW Sec. 29-17S-13W; post office 
before railroad and Hoisington. 

Buffalo Junction--Cloud;
Buffalo Park (Park)--Gove; K.P. R.R.
Buffalo--Doniphan, S10 T2S R20E. 
Buffalo--Wilson; located in Clifton Township; 

Buffville--Wilson; 
   My father Cecil Laverne Poe was
   born in South Cedar in 1918 and his family resided in Buffville at
   that time. His parents names were Alec aka Alex. E. Poe and Lulu C. 
   Wert. I am not able to find any info on either of these 2 towns... 
[Vickie Richardson (VIZRichardson@worldnet.att.net) contributed this 
information.]

Bull City--Osborne; 

Buhler--Reno; old Mennonite Brethren church; German name; 

Bunker Hill--Russell; K.P. R.R.; families WARTHEN, SHEARER, NETZ,
FREAS were among the immigrant train from the Licking County,
Ohio area in 1868 who established the hamlet.

Burden--Cowley; Robert F. Burden, pioneer
Burdett--
Burdick--Morris; between Diamond Springs and Lost Springs on the
Santa Fe Trail; name changed from Linsdale to Burdick;
Burlingame--Osage; A.T.S.F. R.R.; Burlingame is the oldest
community in Osage County.  Its main street was once part of the
Santa Fe Trail.  Named after Anson Burlingame, born in New York
and was a Massachusetts senator.  Philip C. Schuyler, from New
York, was the founder of Burlingame.  
Burlington--Coffey; M.K.T. R.R.
Burns--C.R.I.P. R.R.;
Burr Oak--Jewell; James McCormick, postmaster, had a farm on Burr
Oak Creek and he named Burr Oak in Jewell County; 
Burrton--A.T.S.F. R.R.;
Burt--Woodson; Daniel H. Burt, postmaster
Busby--Elk; 

Bush City--Anderson County; 

Bushong--Lyon;

Bushton--Rice; Bushton is on the main line of the
   Missouri Pacific R.R.; Bushton was a rival of Cain City for the
   railroad. When the railroad came through Bushton and bypassed Cain
   City, the latter became a gost town; name changed from Sorghum 
(made from the grain milo) to Bushton (named for the bushes);
Prosper in Farmer Township was Bushton's rival.

Byers--Pratt; formerly named Naron after Levi Holloway Naron, a 
pioneer of Pratt County, 1877 - 1878; located near Pratt, Kansas 
early 1900s; town named for Otto P. Byers and Walter P. Byers who 
owned the Byers Railroad;