Columbus, Kansas – Cherokee County Seat

Columbus, Kansas, centrally located in the county, is the second-largest city in and the county seat of Cherokee County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,929, and the city has a total area of 2.42 square miles, all of which is land.

In 1867, when most of the land was in wild prairie grass, Martin Jones built a house.

H.A. Scovell came to Cherokee County in 1867 and filed a claim on the southeast quarter of section 13. He sold his claim to S.S. Smith. His brother, Hannibal Scovell, sold his claim, the northeast quarter of the same section, to George Souder.

John Appleby, who located there in February 1868, built a box house. In the spring, a town company was organized by Williams, H. Scovell, John Hanson, E. Hall, S. Houston, John Appleby, F. Fry, and M. Jones. A town was laid out in the southwest quarter of section 13. Another house built that year was the one erected by F. Fry. It was afterward used as a hotel, known as the Lagonda House. Mr. Fry dug a well from which a large quantity of good water was obtained. He had it analyzed, and finding it contained medicinal qualities, he advertised it.

On December 25, 1868, J.N. Lee, who had bought John Appleby’s claim, opened a general store, the first store of any kind opened in the place. Then Scovell & Hanson opened a grocery store.

In August 1869, C.E. Middaugh opened a dry goods and grocery store and was the principal merchant in the town for many years. Afterward, he built a hotel, known as the Middaugh Hotel, that soon became the leading hotel in the city.

Later in the season, a second company, consisting of John Appleby, F. Fry, H., and H.A. Scovell, was organized. These four men each owned a quarter of section 13, and each donated 25 acres, so that the new plat consisted of 100 acres in the center of the section.

The county seat was moved to Baxter Springs from Pleasant View in 1868. When the county seat was transferred to Columbus in 1869, the county rented a house on the public square. The friends of Columbus, anticipating that the county seat contest would be settled in their favor, had prepared a room in an old frame house which then stood on the east end of the south side of the public square. After the county seat question was settled in favor of Columbus in 1868, the town made rapid progress. Additions were made to the town site, to the population, and to the business enterprises.

For many years after the moving of the county seat from Baxter Springs to Columbus, a spirit of antagonism prevailed between the people of the two places. Deeply serious, and it sometimes led to expressions of bitterness and “cordial dislike.” Even yet, some probably do not cultivate a marked degree of charity and forgiveness when recalling the exciting incident that so separated the people in those days. Still, within recent years, time having somewhat mollified their wounded feelings, while removing some who took an active, aggressive part in the factional contest, the people have sought the ways of peace and brotherly consideration, to the extent that the lines of separation have been mostly erased.

Dr. J.N. Lee opened the first store on December 25, 1868.

The second business established was a grocery store by Scovell & Hanson in the spring of 1869. At about the same time, George Thorp started a blacksmith shop. A dry goods and grocery store by Bliss & Middaugh in August.

The county records were kept at the rented wood house for about two years before being moved to a new building, which was completed in the spring of 1871 on the northeast corner of the public square. The new building cost the county approximately $1,500.

The first post office was established on June 24, 1869. It was named Columbus by A.L. Peters, one of the European-American founders, in honor of his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. J.H. Walker was the first practicing physician, John Appleby the first Justice of the Peace, and F. Fry the first lawyer.

The Working Man’s Journal was founded in Columbus on October 29, 1869, by the Neutral Land Printing Company, with Amos Sanford as editor. Sanford purchased the paper in August 1870 and published it until September 1871, when he sold it back. C.D. Nichols and J.F. McDowell became owners in January 1872, but Nichols retired in July 1874. The paper continued under McDowell & Higgins until it was published by Higgins & Co. as the Columbus Journal until February 1875, when it ceased publication. The Journal focused on the interests of the “Anti-Joy” settlers and contains valuable arguments against Mr. Joy’s claim to the lands.

Late in 1869, the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Gulf Railroad was completed to Fort Scott, and from there, it was pushed southward to Columbus, arriving in April 1870.

The first Baptist church was organized, with twelve members, at a meeting held March 20, 1870, over which Elder C.A. Bateman presided. The first regular pastor was Reverend Mr. Maver.

The first school teacher was Miss Anna Wilson, who taught a select school in the spring of 1870 in the Baptist Church.

On March 24, 1870, the Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad Company’s graders broke ground for the building of a depot, and the permanency and prosperity of the town were assured. At that time, important events followed each other in rapid succession. On April 8, the first freight train entered Columbus; three days later, the first passenger train arrived; and on the 18th, the people of Columbus enjoyed a complimentary excursion to Fort Scott.

Columbus was incorporated as a town on April 11, 1870. At that time, the population of Columbus was 402.

The Columbus Union Sunday School was organized in the Baptist Chapel on May 8, 1870. Dr. A.F. Childs was elected Superintendent, and J. S. Vincent, Secretary. This Sunday school continued for five years. The Baptist Sunday School was organized on August 22, 1882, with 32 scholars, L.D. Dana was elected Superintendent.

The Methodist Church was organized, with 15 members, on May 22, 1870. Before this time, there had been preaching by Reverend J. Kirchner in 1869 and by Reverend Boyd Lowe in March 1870, the latter of whom was the first regular minister of the church, holding services once in four weeks. Religious services were at first held in the courthouse, and afterward in the opera house.

The Christian Church was organized in October 1870, with 40 members, by J.A. Murray, who served the church in the capacity of preacher for two years.

A two-story stone school building was erected in the winter of 1870-71, and the first public school in Columbus was taught there in the spring of 1871 by O.W. McNulty.Afterward, the schools have grown in tandem with the town’s expansion and steadily improved with the general progress made in the art of teaching.

The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1871.

In April 1871, Columbus was incorporated as a city of the third class with a population of 700. The first mayor was Leland J. Webb. Soon, a two-story stone school building was erected late in the year.

In January 1873, a movement began to relocate the town due to high lot prices. A joint stock company was formed and made a contract with George Theis to move the town to his farm, half a mile east. Shareholders, who paid $100 each, were entitled to one business lot and two residential lots in the “Eastern Addition to Columbus,” which was formally filed on March 5, 1873. Excitement grew during the drawing, and preparations were made to move some residences to the new site. However, the movement was halted when lot owners in the old town reduced their prices, preventing the relocation.

The Ritter & Doubleday Bank was established in 1874 by B.F. Hobart and C.E. Middaugh, with L.L. Doubleday as Cashier. In May 1875, Mr. Doubleday purchased the interest of Mr. Middaugh, and the firm continued as Hobart & Doubleday until August 4, 1880, when Mr. Hobart retired and John W. Ritter succeeded to his place in the firm. The firm was a private one, and its business was strictly limited to legitimate banking. This firm has the confidence of and is of great benefit to the community.

The Columbus Courier was started on September 29, 1874, by J.F. McDowell as a seven-column weekly, independent reform paper. S.O. McDowell purchased the office and materials in March 1876. In February 1877, the Cherokee County Republican was consolidated with the Courier, and the new paper was published by McDowell & Lea as the Republican-Courier until February 1879. At this time, Lea sold his interest to McDowell, who changed the name back to the Columbus Courier, under which name S.O. McDowell still publishes it. In politics, it is Republican.

In 1875, Robert A. Long and Victor Bell formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus. From one lumberyard, Long-Bell expanded operations and holdings to become one of the largest vertically integrated lumber companies in the United States.

The Columbus City Mills were relocated from Carthage, Missouri, in 1875 by A.J. Baney and a Mr. Henley. In 1879, Benjamin Henley purchased a one-third interest in the business. In 1881, Wilson Henderson acquired Baney’s interest, and in September of that year, Benjamin Henley passed away. Consequently, Mr. Henley Sr. inherited his son’s one-third share. Mr. Henley Sr. then sold a third of the business to W.H. Benham, and the company operated under the name Benham & Co. until March 1882, when Benham sold his stake to J.A. Walbert. In April of the following year, Henley sold his interest to Samuel McGinity, and in September, Henderson sold his share to George Theis. Shortly after these changes, Walbert and Theis bought out McGinity and became the sole proprietors. The mill building stood three and a half stories high, featured four runs of burrs, and was powered by a 50-horsepower engine. The property of the mill was valued at approximately $10,000.

The Presbyterian Church, a substantial stone structure, was erected in 1878 at a cost of $4,500.

The Times was established at Baxter Springs, October 16, 1878, by J.F. McDowell, as a seven-column folio, and as a Greenback, Anti-monopoly, Labor Reform paper. On August 1, 1880, the Times was removed to Columbus and consolidated with the Border Star. On October 1, 1882, the paper was purchased by a joint stock company, Mr. McDowell retiring from the management. It is now owned and controlled by “The Times Printing Company,” with S. S. Butler as editor.

W.H. Timberlake, the school Superintendent from 1874 to 1879, established a public school library, published a monthly school journal, and instituted a lecture course.

The Bee Hive Manufactory was established in the spring of 1880 by Scovell & Anderson. The firm was engaged in the manufacture of bee hives, comb foundations, smokers, and a general line of beekeeper supplies. Their works ran about nine months of the year, the machinery being propelled by a 20-horsepower engine. The firm published the Kansas Bee Keeper, a monthly magazine established in February 1881. Mr. Scovell had a large apiary at his house, containing from 100 to 200 colonies. In 1882, from 112 colonies, he produced 11,000 pounds of honey.

On April 8, 1880, the Gulf Railroad Company made a third addition, between Main Street and the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway.

The Christian church building was erected in July 1880 at a cost of $3,000. A Sunday school was immediately afterward organized, and Mrs. S.A. Mentzer was elected Superintendent. At first, there were 80 scholars; now there are 125. The school meets regularly every Sunday, is well attended, and is a source of great promise and pride to the church.

R.T. Ballard reissued the Border Star in the fall of 1881, continuing its publication for about two months, when H.C. Jones and L.E. Allbright became its proprietors. In March 1882, L.E. Allbright retired, and H.C. Jones became the sole proprietor.

The Reporter was started in January 1882. It is devoted to the interests of the city and county. It is published by Caldwell & Co., edited by C.D. Nichols, and has a circulation of 5,000 copies. It is the only paper in Southeastern Kansas devoted exclusively to immigration.

In the spring of 1882, Columbus was designated a second-class city, with a population of 2,200.

Lea’s Columbus Advocate was established on May 5, 1882, by Lea & Crewson. The newspaper is published from the office of the Courier, and was the first paper printed by steam power in the county. On August 1, Crewson sold his interest to J.M. Roach. Mr. Lea bought out Roach on January 1, 1883, and is now the sole owner and editor. The Advocate was Prohibition-Republican in politics.

The Weekly News was started on December 14, 1882, as a five-column folio weekly paper by J.F. McDowell and is devoted to Greenbackism, Anti-monopolism, Labor Reform, and Temperance.

On January 3, 1883, ten buildings on the south side of the public square were destroyed by fire. The total loss was $19,950, with insurance of $5,825. Afterward, structures of a more substantial character almost immediately replaced these buildings.

In 1887, R.A. Long, president of the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus, and L.L. Doubleday from Ritter & Doubleday constructed a water supply system for $60,000, regarded as one of the best in Southeastern Kansas at that time. The city had previously drilled a 1,300-foot well that provided excellent water, which became part of this system. The City Council contracted with Long & Doubleday to install 50 fire hydrants for $3,000 annually. This cost was burdensome for a city of approximately 2,000 residents, leading to complaints as the city fell behind on payments and accumulated a debt of around $12,000. Legal actions were initiated to compel the City Council to levy taxes, and the water supply company sued council members T.P. LaRue, J.E. Tutton, and Wesley E. Best for conspiracy, though the case was dismissed. The city employed W.B. Glasse and C.D. Ashley, ultimately winning the case in the Supreme Court.

As the partnership evolved into a corporation with L.L. Doubleday as manager, tensions escalated, and a growing sentiment emerged in favor of city ownership of the water system. Discussions in the City Council and the community reflected strong resistance against paying the debt to the water company.

In 1888, a new courthouse was designed by Schraye & Nicholas and constructed by C.C. Wenzell. The courthouse was finished in 1889 at a cost of about $70,000, and the records moved into it. The old, wooden courthouse, weather-worn and dilapidated, was then quietly moved away, being bought by William H. Chew and moved out on his farm, to be used as a barn.

The contrast between the old, wooden building, dingy, dreary, and dilapidated, as it awaited the day of its going, and the imposing, brick-and-stone structure which rose to take its place, fitly illustrated the rapid progress made in the development of the resources of the county, and the subsequent increase in the comforts and conveniences to the people.

In 1889, the Lafflin & Rand Powder Company, of New York, established a system of powder mills about three miles north of Columbus, for the manufacture of blasting powder. The immense quantity of powder used in the mines of Southeastern Kansas and Southwestern Missouri first called the attention of the company to the importance of the undertaking, which has been in constant operation since the works were finished, and the company is ready to supply the demand. These mills have cost the company about $500,000, and they have added much to the taxable property of the county, besides giving employment to a large number of men.

In 1894, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway was extended from the company’s main line, at Parsons, Kansas, to Mineral City, about nine miles northwest of Columbus, where the company had bought large tracts of coal lands.

Finally, in 1897, while John Wiswell was mayor of the city, the city purchased the water system for $32,000, issuing bonds for $30,000 at a six percent annual interest rate. By doing this, the city saves $1,200 a year, provided the water rentals, which come from private use, cover the operating expenses and account for the wear and tear of the equipment. So far, the Council has not made any considerable effort to increase the earnings from private use, nor is it providing any funds against the necessity that will sometimes come for the renewal of the machinery, mains, branch pipe, and other things needed for the effective operation of the system. Some claim that all these precautions would be taken, if the system were under private ownership and control; that it is not a good policy to manage a public concern on other than along such courses as are followed in the management of private affairs; and such persons predict, and that upon safe grounds, that the city, maybe, at a time when it is the least prepared to met it, will find itself confronted with a condition under which it will be necessary to meet a significant expense. Those favoring the city ownership believe that the city, after a little more experience, will begin to provide against the day of want; that it will learn how to get the most profit, at the least outlay, and that within a comparatively short time the system will be managed according to the best methods employed in directing private affairs.

In 1901, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway was continued, through Columbus and Galena, to Joplin, Missouri, making the length of the line 52 miles, 32 of which lay in Cherokee County, besides more than 20 miles of side tracks and switches in the coal fields.

In the early 1900s, a company was organized and incorporated by a group of citizens for the production of bricks and tiles on a large scale. The successful manufacture of vitrified brick and the other products of the plant showed the good business judgment that led to the undertaking. The enterprise profited the city, as it afforded an immediate supply of material for buildings of all kinds and for paving the streets and sidewalks, which had been neglected previously.

Coal, lead, and zinc were mined in the region. Columbus had a considerable trade in agricultural products, and its businesses included machine shops, grain elevators, flour mills, a cigar factory, bottle works for soft drinks, a canning factory, and an extensive brick-making plant.

In 1910, the population of Columbus was 3,064, an increase of 754 during the preceding decade. The city was divided into five wards. It has the largest water power electric plant in the west with 11,000 horse power, a $25,000 high school building, a public library, a fine waterworks system, natural gas, carriage and wagon works, a canning factory, brick and tile works, the largest cigar factory in Kansas, a bottling works, machine shops, three weekly newspapers, an opera house, flour mills, two national and two state banks, and some of the best mercantile houses in southeastern Kansas. It also had an international money order post office with eight rural routes, a telephone exchange, express and telegraph offices, among other facilities. Coal of excellent quality was found in abundance in the immediate vicinity and forms one of the principal articles of export. Grian, flour, livestock, flaxseed, and castor beans are also shipped in large quantities.

A Carnegie Library was built in 1913, made possible by a $10,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie. George P. Washburn & Son designed the building in the Classical Revival style. It still stands at 205 N Kansas Avenue.

The Cherokee County High School was erected in 1916.

The Maude Norton Hospital was founded in 1917 by William Norton and cared for its first patients in the Norton Mansion.

In 1952, the Norton Mansion was replaced with a modern hospital facility, which served Columbus until 1967, when a new addition was constructed. Today, the hospital is part of the Sisters of Mercy Health System and is affiliated with Mercy Hospital in nearby Joplin, Missouri.

The city’s population peaked at 3,490 in 1950.

The present Cherokee County Courthouse was built from 1955 to 1956. The modern-style building was designed by Glover and Newcomb and built by the Baumann Construction Company. The three-story yellow and orange colored brick, stone, and concrete structure is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Columbus. There is a clock at the top of the second story. In the interior, there is an Art Deco design and a dual staircase on the north side. The County District Court courtroom is located on the south side of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 11th Judicial District. The building is at the intersection of 110 West Maple Street and South Kansas Avenue.

In 1956, the Long-Bell Lumber Company was purchased by International Paper.

Columbus is located approximately 15 miles south-southwest of Pittsburg, Kansas.

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©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, September 2025.

Also See:

Cherokee County, Kansas

Cherokee County Photo Gallery

Coal Mining in Kansas

Places & Destinations in Kansas

Sources:

Allison, Nathaniel Thompson; History of Cherokee County, Kansas, and Representative Citizens,  Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, IL: 1904.
American Courthouses
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Cutler, William G.; History of Kansas; A.T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.
Wikipedia