"The land upon which this
town is situated was entered by Leroy Akers in 1869. The
farm soon afterward was sold to Isaac McCune, who was engaged
in its cultivation for some years prior to the establishment
of the town. The town is situated in the southwestern part
of Crawford County, on the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf
Railroad, on the divide between the Neosho River and Lightning
Creek. In this part, there was a wide and fertile district,
measured from a central point by a radius of about fifteen
miles, more or less, to Girard on the northeast, Cherokee
on the east, Columbus on the southeast, Oswego on the southwest,
and Parsons on the west. The country surrounding the place
is filled up and well cultivated by thrifty and enterprising
farmers. From such circumstances, it was plain to be seen,
not only that it was a favorable point for the establishment
of a town, but also that the demands of the country required
it. In May, 1879, Isaac McCune laid out a town which was
named McCune, in honor of its enterprising founder. The survey
and plat was made by the railroad civil engineer. The original
site comprised sixty acres. Since then, R. N. Canada made
an addition of ten acres on the north, C. Crank, made one
of ten acres on the west, and Isaac McCune made a third addition
of ten acres on the south, making a total area in the town
site of ninety acres. The first building erected on the site
was a dwelling belonging to J. Z. Sherfic. It was afterward
used as a hotel, and now forms a part of the Western Hotel.
I. V. McCune built a store house which J. D. Rogers occupied
with a stock of general merchandise. This was the second
building in the town, and was erected in August, 1879. The
next was a store house built by Thomas Stutterd, in which
he kept drugs and dry goods. In about two months, it was
purchased by Dr. E. P. Davis. In the spirng of 1880, W. W.
Gibson erected a building and opened a general store, and
later in the fall F. M. McCaslin put up a house, putting
in a stock of miscellaneous merchandise. This house is now
occupied by Wilson & Son. The next business house established
was a grocery, by Davidson
& Granthum. For the short period since the starting of
the town, it has made surprising progress. In less than
four years' time, it has grown to a city with a population
of 500, and contains eight general stores, three hardware,
two drug, two grocery, two millinery stores, two hotels,
one billiard hall, two blacksmith shops, one cabinet shop,
three carpenter shops, two lumber yards, two coal yards,
two livery stables, one flouring mill, one grain elevator,
and nine grain buyers. Pursuant to a petition to the District
Court of the Eleventh Judicial District, signed by Isaac
McCune, E. L. Ball, and sixty-three others, the town became
incorporated as a city of the third class, October 8, 1881.
Isaac McCune was elected the first Mayor, and was succeeded
by J. L. Ward who was elected in April, 1882. The first
City Council was composed of I. V. McCune, R. O. Harris,
M. Casey and K. P. Minard.
A post office called Time, was established in this vicinity in 1875. It was kept
by W. Welch, about half a mile east of where the city now stands. In 1878, it
was moved to the town and was given the same name. At the time of the change
of location. J. F. McCune became Postmaster, and has held the position up to
this time. When J.F. McCune first became Postmaster, the office consisted of
a small box containing fifteen pigeon holes, which he was accustomed to take
under his arm and move about, taking up his quarters in stores with such merchants
as were agreeable. It soon became necessary to supersede this box with one considerably
larger. Both of these pieces of post office furniture are retained in the office,
which has been greatly extended, and is now a considerable point for the distribution
of mail matter, and in the registry business. The first school in this district
was taught in 1869 by Miss Mary Ball. The school building in which it was kept
afterward fell within the town limits. The first school after the town was laid
out was taught by Daniel Hollinger. The schoolhouse was a small frame building,
to which an addition was built in the fall of 1881. The school population numbers
about two hundred. The schools comprise three departments under as many teachers.
THE PRESS, ETC.
In July, 1881, D. A. Burton started a paper called the McCune
Standard. It subsequently came into the hands of his son.
J. A. Burton, who, after running it a short time, sold out
to W. W. Liggett, in the fall of 1882. Liggett, out of the
material, presses, etc., of the Standard office, brought
out a six-column folio paper, called the McCune Times, the
first issue being made September 9, 1882. W. W. Ligget, editor
and proprietor of the McCune Times, was born in Greene County,
Ohio, February, 1857. When he was yet of tender age, his
parents moved to Livingston County, Ill., from where they
moved to Warren County, that State. He attended school at
Monmouth, Ill., finishing his education at Mount Ayr, Ringgold
County, Iowa. For some two or three years following this,
he was engaged in learning the printer's trade. In 1878,
he went to Kansas City, and was engaged upon the Times, Journal,
Star and Mail. He became foreman on the Kansas City Indicator,
which position he held up to February, 1882. After this he
came to Girard, then went to Walnut, where he worked at this
trade until August, at which time he came to McCune, bought
the McCune Standard office and began the publication of the
McCune Times, in which he is now engaged. The Presbyterian
Church was organized in 1879, with seven members, by Rev.
Mr. Hill, of Kansas City. The organization took place in
the schoolhouse, in which services were held until the church
house was built. The house was built in 1880, and dedicated
in 1881. Rev. Mr. Thayer was the first regular pastor. There
is a Methodist Episcopal congregation here and also a Methodist
organization. The former has a church building which was
erected in 1882, but the latter is without a house of worship.
The Christian congregation was organized in 1881 and the
church was built in 1882. The United Presbyterians and Baptists
have flourishing organizations, but neither is supplied with
a church building. McCune Lodge No. 193, I. O. O. F., was
instituted October 24, 1881, by D. G. M. A. P. Riddle, assisted
by a number from lodges in various surrounding towns. The
following were elected as officers: J. A. Gasey, Noble Grand;
G. T. McCaslin, Vice Grand; S. L. Minard, Recording Secretary;
J. T. Smith, Permanent Secretary; C. E. Metcalf, Treasurer.
McCune Lodge No. 70, A. O. U. W., was organized in February,
1882, with twenty-six members. The only manufacturing establishment
in the town is the McCune flouring mills. This mill was built
in May, 1882, by the firm of Carter & Allen. Subsequently, Carter sold out to
a man named Galyon, and the firm became Allen & Galyon.
The mill contains three run of stone and turns out an excellent
brand of goods.
M'CUNE COAL COMPANY.
This organization was formed in 1882, and is composed of
Isaac McCune, I. K. Vance and Jonathan Rigney. The object
of the company was to prospect for coal in the vicinity of
the town. In the summber of 1882, a prospect shaft was sunk
to a depth of four hundred feet, which passed through five
veins of coal of varying thickness. A vein five feet thick
was reached at a depth of about three hundred and fifty feet.
The shaft was sunk within the limits of the town, showing
that beneath it lies a wealth of this mineral. The design
of the company is to develop this interest in the immediate
future, and thus the city will receive another great impetus
to her progress. The surroundings of this young city are
fovorable, and its prospects of growth in the future are
to an extent certain. The country around is rich in the growth
of agricultural products of all kinds, and McCune is thus
rendered an important shipping point. During the year 1882,
there were shipped from this station twenty-eight cars of
oats, eighty-eight of wheat, ninety-one of corn, eighteen
of castor-beans, five of flax seed, twenty-eight of hogs,
and two of cattle. The men of the town are live and energetic,
and an extensive and prosperous business is sustained."- History of
the State of Kansas, William G. Cutler, 1883 by A. T. Andreas, Chicago,
IL |
"An incorporated city of
the third class in Crawford county, is located 16 miles southwest
of Girard, the county seat, and is on the St. Louis & San
Francisco RR. It has two banks, a weekly newspaper (the McCune
Herald), a high school, the leading church denominations,
telegraph and express offices, and an international money
order post office with six rural routes. The population according
to the 1910 census was 736. McCune was laid out in 1879 by
Isaac McCune, who owned and had been farming the land. He
built the first store, which was opened by J.D. Rogers. The
post office, which was called Time prior to founding the
town, was changed to McCune and Mr. McCune was made the postmaster
in 1878. The town was incorporated as a city of the third
class in Oct., 1881. The following were the first officers:
Mayor; Isaac McCune; councilmen, I.V. McCune, R.O. Harris,
M. Casey, and K.P. Minard. The first newspaper, the McCune
standard, was established in that year by D.A. Burton. By
1882 the town had made considerable progress, having 500
inhabitants and a dozen stores." - Kansas
- A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions,
Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Person, Etc.,
Frank W. Blackmar, editor, copyright 1912. |
