Barlow & Sanderson Stage Coach.
Twin Springs, an extinct town today, was located in northern part of Linn County, near the Miami County line.
A post office opened on October 19, 1857, with Mr. Trovinger as the first Postmaster. A store was built in 1861 by Lafayette Dunbar and another in 1862 by Cady & Lane. Some time afterward, Bona Dale started a drug store, Mr. Whittacre established a dry goods and grocery store, and Mr. Jamison a furniture store.
When the town’s prosperity was at its height, there were about 300 residents and two hotels, in addition to the other businesses. A Barlow & Sanderson stage line through Twin Springs ran between Westport (Kansas City), Missouri, and Fort Scott, Kansas, sometimes with as many as six stages daily. A Methodist church was erected, which later became one of the best schoolhouses in the county.
Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad
However, when the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Gulf Railroad was built through nearby La Cygne in 1869, many people began to move, some to Fontana, in Miami County, others to La Cygne, and still others to Fort Scott.
The town’s post office closed on March 8, 1876. The old town was located nine miles west of LaCygne.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated February 2023.
Also See:
Sources:
Cutler, William G.; Kansas: History of the State of Kansas, 1883.