Burdick, Kansas
Burdick, a small community of friendly people, is located on the edge of the Flint Hills, in southwest Morris County. The town is located two miles south of the Santa Fe Trail’s Six Mile Station, which is identified by a historical marker and where nearby swales are visible. The Burdick Council of Clubs hosts a weekend Burdick Labor Day celebration each year. At one time, Burdick boasted of two banks, a grocery store and general store, grade and high school (one of the eight high schools in Morris County). Today, all that remains are the Burdick Meat Locker, family-owned since 1921, and known for its meat processing, beef jerky, and delicious potato sausage – and the Burdick Oil Company, a family owned, full-service gas station and ranch supply that celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008. Burdick High School closed in 1957, sending its students to the new Centre School at Lincolnville – while the Grade School continued into the 60s before sending those students to Centre Grade School. Many residents in the Burdick community are descendents of Swedes who settled this area in the 1880’s, and the community’s pride in its heritage is shared each Labor Day.
Delavan, Kansas
Delavan was founded in 1885 by Henry Kingman, who named the community after his home town of Delavan, Illinois. By 1886, the Topeka, Salina and Western Railway extended from Council Grove to a point just east of Delavan where it languished four years until Jay Gould’s Missouri-Pacific Railroad took over and completed the rail line on to Colorado. Delavan, like other small Morris County towns, thrived in the first half of the 20th century having a grade and high school, general store (food and merchandise), a lumber yard, farm machinery dealership, bank and telephone office. Like the other small Morris County communities, the Delavan Bank failed during the Great Depression of the early ‘30s. The Delavan High School closed in 1950 with students bussing into Wilsey for classes. All that remains of Delavan today is the Grandview Township Community Center converted from the original Delavan Grade School. This community was very busy during World War II as the Herington Army Airfield, a major bomber and eventually, a B-29 base, was constructed just north of the city.
Dunlap, Kansas
The City of Dunlap was founded in 1869 by Joseph Dunlap on the MKT (“KATY”) Railway line, and incorporated in 1875. During the Black migration from the south in the 1870’s and 80’s some 40,000 Blacks came to Kansas. Benjamin “Pap” Singleton, a former slave, incorporated the Singleton Dunlap Farm Colony and brought 200 Black settlers to the Dunlap area in May 1878. In 1880, the Presbyterian Church founded the Freedmen's Academy of Kansas in Dunlap to provide an education to African-American settlers in Kansas. The Academy closed its doors in the mid-1890s. During its heyday, Dunlap boasted a blacksmith shop, hardware store, grocery store, ice cream parlor, flour mill, butter and cheese factory, restaurant and the Guarantee State Bank among other businesses. By the mid-1900s, Dunlap High School boasted the “best gymnasium in the county” and hosted the Morris County High School Basketball Tournament for many years. Its bank, like the others, closed during the Great Depression. All that remains in Dunlap today are a few residents and the Dunlap United Methodist Church.
Dwight, Kansas
Dwight is minutes from Fort Riley, Junction City, Manhattan, and Council Grove and is a welcoming community featuring award-winning schools, new infrastructure, affordable real estate/low taxes, breathtaking natural surroundings, not to mention a hunting, boating, and fishing paradise.
A small town with big advantages, Dwight is an easy commute to surrounding communities that provides a chance to experience the slower pace of rural living, with plenty of access to the vibrant life or nearby cities.
Visit the Swartz School Museum located on Main Street. It was the first school to be established in the Ohio Township around 1871.
For more information about Dwight, contact the City Office at 785-482-3455.
Parkerville, Kansas
Charles G. Parker, former Santa Fe Trail wagon train freighter, founded the town of Parkerville alongside the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (the KATY Railroad) in 1870. In 1871, it became only the second incorporated town in Morris County and immediately challenged Council Grove for the County Seat – losing 413 – 899 to Council Grove in the ensuing election. Like the other small farming communities of Morris County, Parkerville thrived through the late 1870s into the mid-20th century with a grade and high school, bank, newspaper, law offices, a veterinarian, grocery store and other businesses. Parkerville High School – one of eight high schools in the county – closed in 1945 with most students going into White City High School. The Parkerville Grade School, however, held classes until 1966. The bank closed during the Great Depression in 1931. In the early 20th century, a horse race track thrived, drawing spectators from a large area. All that remains today is the Parkerville Baptist Church, a very active religious facility, in this once, proud, active community.
White City, Kansas
White City is close to several larger cities and is surrounded by area lakes and reservoirs. This is a place rich in agriculture, and the countryside surrounding the small town is a wonderful expression of the beauty of nature.
It is ideal for the avid hunter and fisherman, and is a great place to raise a family! White City offers its residents the friendliness of small town living including an outstanding Pre K- 12 school system, many area churches, friendly small town merchants, convenient local grocery store, public library, hometown newspaper, and Katy Park and Baxter School House museum.
To find out more about White City, please call City Hall at 785-349-2228.
Wilsey, Kansas
The community of Wilsey started around 1884 as a major water stop for the steam trains of that era. Later, the town became a major mail stop for the railroad. The town thrived during that time with many stores and businesses into the 1950s and ‘60s with two grocery stores, two restaurants, a drug store, lumber yard and a hardware store that was the envy of many other Morris County communities. At one time there were two filling and service stations and a mechanic shop doing auto and tractor repairs. Of course, there was the inevitable grain elevator. The weekly newspaper, the Wilsey Warbler ceased publication in the late ‘30s and the Wilsey Bank went broke during the depression of the early ‘30s. The Wilsey High School merged into USD 417 and students began attending Council Grove High School in the late 1960s. The Wilsey Grade School closed and students moved to Council Grove in the 1990s. The former high school complex now houses the Wilsey Bible School. Although the town is much smaller today, Wilsey has a proud history and welcomes visitors.