Peabody's downtown is National Historic District
by MARILYN JONES
Historian and contributing writer
Work for receiving the National Historic District designation started many years before the award was actually received. The Main Street program received a grant for surveying the downtown buildings in Peabody. Some funding was received from the Kansas State Historical Society for the project.
The now-defunct research firm of W2, Muriel Wolfersperger, and Marilyn Jones spent countless hours developing social, economic, and community trends during Peabody's growth.
The lack of traditional addresses caused some problems and eventually properties and buildings were identified by their legal descriptions. Owners, renters, and business names changed frequently and descriptions such as "the Eagle Block" or "Bragunier's Stand" needed to be sorted out.
The back issues of the Peabody Gazette were invaluable tools.
A brief history of Peabody was developed which included the Mennonite migration, railroads, the silk station, early day utilities, effects of many fires and floods, State Fair of 1885, city park, cattle and agriculture, the new Santa Fe Trail and automobiles, oil boom, and the prisoner of war camp.
Originally the project was foreseen as being divided among many volunteers, but it soon became apparent that one or two people could much more easily concentrate on buildings and the old Gazettes were read and re-read as we looked for more clues. The W2 firm correlated the information and took the required pictures. Data grew and we amassed more and more information on the buildings in Peabody's business district.
All of the buildings on either side of Walnut Street were inventoried. Some interviews with former owners and "old timers" yielded much information, but sometimes the memories were less than accurate. The project titled, "Peabody 1991 Survey" was published in June 1992.
The Peabody Historical Society tried for a number of years to get the mass of information into correct form for attempting the National Register listing, but various obstacles kept cropping up.
"Keep nagging, Marilyn," said Ramon Powers, who was formerly the director of the state historical society. Eventually the "nagging" seemed to pay off with the necessary forms finally arriving and then many more hours of work.
Muriel Wolfersperger spent literally all of her waking hours for two years meeting the requirements. The buildings had to be identified as to architectural style, social history, functions of each structure through the years, the lives and recollections of people occupying the buildings. Just when it seemed everything was complete, a new requirement would pop up.
Finally, Mayor Douglas "Tod" Porter was notified on June 8, 1998, that the Peabody Downtown Historic District was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1998.
Listing does not mean that limitations will be placed on the properties by the federal government and public visitation rights are not required by building owners. The federal government will not attach restrictive covenants to the properties or seek to acquire them. Opportunities for tax credits will be available.
The designation provides a strengthened review for any projects undertaken which would destroy, alter, or isolate state and national properties and the environments until the state historic preservation officer has been given notice and an opportunity to investigate and comment upon proposed changes.
This Kansas law was put in place to insure that never again could such action take place as the Rock Island Railroad's demolition of the depot at Herington in the dead of night.
Only one other town in Kansas has the entire downtown designation and that is White Cloud in northeast Kansas. To have the entire downtown listed as a National Historic District is an accomplishment.
