Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in the old town of Windhorst, Kansas, courtesy Wikipedia.
Windhorst, Kansas, is an extinct town in Ford County.
In 1872, a German Catholic group called the German Catholic Aurora Homestead Association was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wanting to find better opportunities and form their town, they corresponded with a priest from Newton, Kansas. The priest then worked with an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad land agent to find available land. Before long, the railroad offered ten sections of land for $10.00 an acre at a site about ten miles southwest of Offerle in Ford County, Kansas.
The railroad planned to extend its line to the new town and donated 80 acres for a townsite in 1877. In 1878, the town was mapped out with the locations of the school, church, and cemetery. In the spring of 1879, the first Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and parish buildings were completed. Father Ferdinand Wolf, the Benedictine priest who came to minister to the spiritual needs of Windhorst in May 1878, blessed the church on Easter Sunday.
Though the village was settled, the promised Santa Fe Railroad leg from Offerle was never constructed, and as a result, a business district never developed. However, a community formed around the church, school, and parish hall. The settlement gained a post office on December 15, 1898, but closed on September 30, 1905.
In 1910, the town itself had a population of only ten people. However, the surrounding population was much higher, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church congregation had reached some 395 members, which required a new church. Before long, work began on the beautiful brick church, dedicated on June 12, 1913. Until July 1997, the church still served an active congregation; however, at that time, the Diocese of Dodge City was forced to close the church due to low membership and a shortage of priests. The former congregation then established a nonprofit organization to care for the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church can be visited daily, and donations are much appreciated. The church is located about ten miles southeast of Spearville. Its address is 10845 131 Spur Road, Spearville, Kansas 67876.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated June 2024.
Also See: