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Crawford County, Kansas |
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Farlington
was founded by the Kansas City, Fort Scott &
Gulf railroad in 1870. As the railroad pushed further south
of Fort Scott, they needed to place water tanks along the
route for their trains. Originally, the site became known
as "The Tank". Along with the water tank, a section
house for railroad workers and a store ran by Mr. Farley
was built. For a brief time, it was known as Farleyville,
but later the railroad changed the name to Farlington. Between
1870 and 1874, a large Swedish colony located near Farlington
and the settlers worked the coal mines. A townhall was erected
in 1873. The town's first postmaster was Mr. Farley. The
postoffice was in Farley's store. Later, George E. Cole purchased
the store and was postmaster until 1874, when he moved to
Girard. In the early days of the town, children went to a
school about 2 miles west of town. In 1877, the school was
moved to Farlington with the protest of parents who feared
their children having to cross the railroad tracks to get
to the school. Mrs. Mary Hatch was the schools first teacher.
In 1884, a new brick school was built. |
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| More About Farlington |
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"Farlington. is situated
on the Kansas City, Fort Scott
& Gulf Railroad, seven miles north of Girard. The site
is as attractive as need be desired. A grove has been started,
and near the town is a beautiful lake. The town contains quite
a number of substantial business houses, a good schoolhouse,
and a Baptist Church organization which erected an elegant
church edifice near the depot in 1882. There is a wagon shop
and a blacksmith shop, and the town is considerable of a shipping
point for coal, nearly all of the merchants dealing in this
mineral, which is mined in the vicinity." - History
of the State of Kansas, William G. Cutler, 1883 by A.
T. Andreas, Chicago, IL |
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"The town of Farlington
is located seven miles north of Girard on the line of the
Frisco railroad, and was laid out at the building of the
road in 1869. But it has not progressed as rapidly as some
other towns of the county. It is a good trading point, has
good schools, churches, and a postoffice and other business
places. The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad (now
Frisco) planted a grove of several hundred acres of catalpa
trees on the hill west of the town, which has grown into
a magnificent forest, probably the most notable of the kind
in the United States. From it are annually cut large quantities
of excellent timber for railroad ties, fence posts, etc.
Here also is a large artificial lake, formed by the grade
of the railroad across a rocky ravine. The lake covers about
one hundred acres, and supplies water for railroad purposes
and stock water, and abounds with excellent fish." - A
Twentiety Century History and Biographical Record of Crawford
County, KS, Home Authors, 1905 by Lewis Publishing Company,
Chicago, IL |
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"A prosperous little town
of Crawford county, is a station on the St. Louis & San
Francisco RR in Sherman township, 7 miles north of Girard,
the county seat. It has a money order post office with one
rural route, telegraph and express service, some good general
stores, Christian and Methodist churches, etc. and in 1910
reported a population of 211." - Kansas
- A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions,
Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Person, Etc.,
Frank W. Blackmar, editor, copyright 1912. |
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Map of Farlington, "The
Official State Atlas of Kansas, " L. H. Everts & Co.,
Philadelphia, PA, 1887 |
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