Historic Landmarks

Title

Historic Landmarks

Description

Since most structures still standing today date back only a few decades, the planning of Derby’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2019 prompted discussions about how to best tell Derby’s story.
Landmark signs were determined to be the best way to commemorate Derby’s origin as a farming community of people who value family and faith (1869-1949) to its boomtown period (1950-1979) of building homes and schools, its suburban growth (1980-1999) with parks and a cutting-edge recreation commission, and finally to its coming of age as a regional center (2000-2019) with shopping and services to meet most community needs. Visiting the seven Derby Landmarks will provide a thorough education about Derby’s first 150 years.

Collection Items

Historic Landmark Map

Arkansas River Crossing Landmark<br /><br /> Warren Riverview Park, 321 E. Market St.<br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #1)
In 1871, Dr. Henry Clay Tucker arrived in this area from Ohio and began practicing medicine. With no bridge across the Arkansas River, he often swam across to tend to patients west of the river.

In 1873, an influx of people to El Paso, Kansas…

El Paso Business District<br /><br /> Derby Police Department, 229 N. Baltimore<br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #2)
On July 11, 1871, J. Hout Minnich and John Hufbauer filed a town plat for El Paso in Sedgwick County, Kansas. It established streets from Madison to Kay and from Water Street to Georgie Avenue, and business boomed.

Around the turn of the century,…

Smith Farm &amp; St. Mary School<br /><br /> Madison Avenue Central Park, 512 E. Madison Ave. <br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #3)
In 1912, Oliver and Alice Smith began a family farm on 240 acres, including this current park land. In 1938, Robert and Mildred Smith took over the farm. In the 1950s, the Smith farm sold to build houses needed for the post-war baby boom. From 1953…

Derby Public School &amp; Museum<br /><br /> Derby Historical Museum, 710 E. Market<br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #4)
In March 1924, this red brick building opened as the third school at this site. It had 10 classrooms, study hall, small office, two modern lavatories and a gymnasium/auditorium. From 1924 to 1953, this was the only public school in town; high school…

El Paso Cemetery<br /><br /> 700 E. Kay St.<br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #6)
El Paso Cemetery sits on a slight hill in the center of Derby but was once surrounded by farmland and was about a mile southeast of the growing settlement. In 1878, the cemetery opened, 9 years after the Garrett family staked a claim near the bank of…

Lauber Farm &amp; Silo<br /><br /> Brookwood &amp; Redwood<br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #5)
In 1869, Fred Gerteis homesteaded this land. In 1900, he traveled back to Germany to get his 23-year-old nephew, Albert Lauber, to help work the land by promising the farm eventually would become his. After Albert Lauber returned to Germany to get…

Garrett Homestead<br /><br /> 1100 E. Chet Smith <br /><br /> (Historic Landmark #7)
Alexander and Margaret (Dickson) Garrett were the first settlers to put down roots in what was first El Paso and was renamed Derby, Kansas. In 1869, the area was considered Indian Territory (Osage Trust Lands) and had many transient traders, trappers…

Although not designated as one of Derby’s landmarks, the Round Barn (1910) located on south Woodlawn near 95th Street is not only one of the oldest structures in the Derby area, its unique design makes it an impressive part of the skyline and should…
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