1
10
7
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Round Barn
9449 S. Woodlawn
(Historic Landmark)
Description
An account of the resource
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 only be viewed by the public by driving by. Although used for farm and ranch operations for most of its life, currently it is privately owned and available to rent for special events (RoundBarn.webs.com).
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
Derby
farm
landmark
Round Barn
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Garrett Homestead
1100 E. Chet Smith
(Historic Landmark #7)
Description
An account of the resource
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 and people traveling through. Hearing this area called “the garden spot of Kansas,” the Garretts were lured to leave Ohio in search of this land.
In spring 1869, after traveling by covered wagon for approximately 1,000 miles, the Garrett family paused at Spring Creek, just northwest of where you stand. What is currently Garrett Park was part of the original Garrett homestead. Both Mr. and Mrs. Garrett took out a claim so they would have enough acreage to farm. They made a small sod house near the creek. Soon after they arrived, their daughter Anna was born. After the railroad track was built in 1879, more settlers staked homesteads and began forming a community of farmers that evolved into a town named El Paso officially incorporated in 1871.
Since the 1980s when the RED HORSE unit at McConnell Air Force Base constructed Garrett Park, this city park has been home to softball and baseball leagues, tournaments and recreational play. In honor of the civil engineering group, the city named the park driveway RED HORSE Drive.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
Alexander Garrett
Anna Garrett
baseball
City of Derby
civil engineering group
Derby
El Paso
Garden Spot of Kansas
Garrett Park
homestead
Indian Territory
landmark
Margaret Dickson Garrett
Osage Trust Lands
railroad
recreational play
RED HORSE Drive
RED HORSE unit (McConnell Air Force Base)
sod house
softball
Spring Creek
tournaments
traders
trappers
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Lauber Farm & Silo
Brookwood & Redwood
(Historic Landmark #5)
Description
An account of the resource
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 his sweetheart in 1907, he married Theresa Marie Metzger on Ellis Island. In 1909, Albert, Marie and their infant son John moved into the farmhouse (built in 1874 for $1,200), and Fred Gerteis moved his family to Wichita. Lumber hauled by wagon from Salina was used to build many of the first homes in this area.
The Laubers grew wheat, alfalfa and milo. They raised chickens, cattle, hogs and milk cows. Albert served on the board of education for 27 years and served as clerk of Rockford Township. The silo that used to store grain is a short hike east of this sign and is believed to be the oldest structure in Derby today.
In 1943, John Lauber married Juanita Riley (both had a college education), and they moved into the farmhouse where they raised two children, Mary (married Dick Dameron, 1968) and John Albert, Jr. (married Dixie Madill, 1976). They farmed 1,500 acres. Also in 1943, Albert and Marie Lauber moved to a smaller home near the east edge of the Lauber farm at what later became Valley Stream Court (half mile east of Rock Road). Continuing Albert’s commitment to education, John, John Jr. and Dick each took turns serving on the board of education. Juanita was very active in the community, especially the Derby 4-H Club for 25 years. Mary taught in Derby Public Schools for 28 years.
Beginning in the 1950s, the Laubers sold land piece by piece for housing developments and community facilities, including two high schools (now Fire Station 81 and Derby Middle School) and the Derby Recreation Center. In 1972, the 98-year-old farmhouse was demolished and replaced at the same site with a ranch-style home designed by Juanita Lauber (1015 E. Madison Avenue).
With help from the 381st civil engineering group at McConnell Air Force Base, the Derby Jaycees (est. 1958) constructed the town’s first ballfield at Riley Park. After “Jaycee Field” was dedicated July 4, 1966, the Jaycees established Derby Jr. Football, fire safety education and many other youth programs, plus fireworks and a parade on July 4. Throughout the 1970s, the Jaycees oversaw youth baseball and slow-pitch adult softball programs at Riley Park until the magnitude of the operation was too much for these committed volunteers. In 1980, the Derby Recreation Commission (DRC) was established and soon took over management of baseball and softball at Riley and other newer parks.
Commonly thought of as a “city father,” John Lauber, Sr. died in 1986 in a tractor accident. In2019, Mary (Lauber) Dameron’s memory and records played a key role in documenting community history and celebrating the city’s sesquicentennial.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
1015 E. Madison Avenue
381st Civil Engineering Group (McConnell Air Force Base)
4-H Club
Albert Lauber
ballfield
Board of Education
City of Derby
Derby
Derby Jaycees
Derby Jr. Football
Derby Middle School
Derby Recreation Center
Dick Dameron
Dixie Madill
DRC
Ellis Island
farmhouse
fire safety education
Fire Station 81
fireworks
Fred Gerteis
Germany
high school
Jaycee Field
John Albert Lauber Sr.
John Lauber Jr.
Juanita Louise Riley Lauber
July 4th parade
landmark
lumber
Mary Lauber Dameron
Riley Park
Rockford Township
Salina KS
silo
slow-pitch adult softball
Theresa Marie Metzger
USD 260
Valley Stream Court
youth baseball
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Smith Farm & St. Mary School
Madison Avenue Central Park, 512 E. Madison Ave.
(Historic Landmark #3)
Description
An account of the resource
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 to 2013, St. Mary Catholic Church and School served and educated thousands of families on this 10 acres of the former Smith Farm.
In 2016, the city opened Madison Avenue Central Park after remodeling the school gym into an event venue (where the Smith farmhouse used to be) and constructing the Pavilion (where the church used to be). The park honors the community’s devotion to faith, family and friends across generations.
“Ann and I had children in St. Mary’s school for 25 consecutive years.” - Pat Egan, 1929-2016,Derby Centennial Celebration Co-chair, 1969
Helen Smith Parish and friends of the Egan family sponsored this marker in memory of Mr. Pat Egan and to celebrate the legacy of this land.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
Alice Morrison Smith
Catholic Church
City of Derby
landmark
Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue Central Park
Mildred Margaurite Larrimer Smith
Oliver H. P. "O. H. P." Smith
Pat Egan
Pavilion
Robert Morrison Smith
Smith farm
St. Mary Church
St. Mary School
Venue
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
El Paso Business District
Derby Police Department, 229 N. Baltimore
(Historic Landmark #2)
Description
An account of the resource
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, most buildings in downtown El Paso were on Baltimore Avenue between Main and Washington streets, and many changed uses or owners as the city progressed. An example is T. D. Wardell Hardware, first located on the first floor of Odd Fellows Hall and then moved west across the street to its own building on the property where you are standing.
Note the evolution of the Farmers & Merchants Bank building’s facade. After the bank currently located at Market and Baltimore was built, the original bank building was sold to El Paso Water Company, then several years later to a realtor and then back to the bank. It was torn down to accommodate expansion and parking. The block between Market and Washington had barbers, dry goods, groceries and other services. The Sickler brothers were two of the proprietors.
South of Market Street were the Independent Oil Company and Gertie’s Café. Near the center of the block was H. Jones General Store, which later became Lock Edwards Grocery, and then in the 1930s Chet Smith Grocery and Locker. In 2019, this building now houses professional offices. Just south of Kay Street was the grain elevator and nearby railroad depot, which occupied three locations over the years.
On the east side were the Odd Fellows Hall and Davidson & Case Lumber Company. This site later became the Trading Post Lumber Yard for a number of years and in 2019 is occupied by the Baltimore Market Place. In the early days, the post office was a pigeon-hole cabinet in the front of someone’s store, and as the community grew, it expanded and moved locations several times.
A hotel on Washington Street was built in the late 1800s, and in 1904 the Weston family purchased it. In the very early days, a public horse watering trough was in the middle of Baltimore at Washington. The original Catholic mission church was south at Kay Street. Just to your north, the First Presbyterian Church remains at its original location, although the 1879 building was replaced in 1926 and again in 1990.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
Atchison Topeka Santa Fe Railroad
Baltimore Avenue
Baltimore Market Place
barber
business
Catholic Church
Chet Smith
Chet Smith Grocery and Locker
City of Derby
Davidson & Case Lumber Company
dry goods
El Paso
El Paso Business District
El Paso Water Company
Farmers & Merchants Bank
First Presbyterian Church
Georgie Avenue
Gertie's Cafe
grain elevator
grocery
H. Jones General Store
hardware
Horace Jones
hotel
Independent Oil Company
John Hout Minnich
John Hufbauer
Kay Street
landmark
Lock Edwards Grocery
Madison Avenue
Market Street
mission church
Odd Fellows Hall
police
post office
Presbyterian Church
railroad
railroad depot
Santa Fe Railroad
Sickler brothers
T. D. Wardell
Thomas Weston
Trading Post Lumber Yard
train depot
Washington Street
Water Street
watering trough
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Arkansas River Crossing Landmark
Warren Riverview Park, 321 E. Market St.
(Historic Landmark #1)
Description
An account of the resource
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 (renamed Derby in 1956) meant abridge was needed to replace the ferrying of people, wagons and cattle across the river. After W. J. Hobson secured long timbers for the pilings, the El Paso Bridge opened to the public. Even though the tolls established by county commissioners for this bridge may seem reasonable to us today (25 cents for a wagon with two horses, plus 10 cents for each additional horse or ox), many townspeople didn’t want to pay. They continued to ford the river north of the bridge at a rocky area that allowed a safe crossing. This “rocky ford” was commonly known and became the basis for the name Rockford Township.
Eventually, the bridge washed away, and in 1878 voters of Rockford Township approved $5,000 in bonds to build a new bridge. While several bridges have been built at this site since then, this site remains the original Arkansas River crossing for the first residents of Derby and areas south. In 2000, Sedgwick County built the current Purple Heart Bridge and named it in honor of the sacrifices made by our military heroes for our nation’s freedom.
In 2018, the City of Derby opened Warren Riverview Park, named to honor the legacy of Ray and Virginia Warren’s commitment to outdoor family activities and Boy Scouts, as well as their dedication to the Derby community since moving here in 1955. The park site previously served the city for decades with wastewater treatment and public works facilities
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
Arkansas River
bridge
City of Derby
Derby
Dr. Henry Clay Tucker
El Paso
landmark
Public Works
Purple Heart Bridge
Ray Warren
Rockford Township
Sedgwick County
Virginia Warren
W. J. Hobson
Warren Riverview Park
Wastewater Treatment
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309b4af6ff45af9103ba997b29a7f3fb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmarks
Description
An account of the resource
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.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Historic Landmark Map
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
City of Derby
City of Derby
landmark