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SesquicentennialSubmit Your Historic Date! To the degree possible, the Sesquicentennial Committee would like to document important dates in history. Dates submitted through the process will be posted on the web site and may be included in subsequent publications. Information submitted to the Committee will not be independently verified. Please verify your information prior to submitting it. Today’s events create tomorrow’s history. Historic dates may include the date a business, church or organization is created. It can also reflect a milestone such as an operational highlight or membership achievement. Click here to download a form you can complete and submit for consideration. Dates in History March 1857 - James B. Hovey came to the area, claimed land and named it Spring Hill after a town near Mobile, Alabama. May 18, 1857 - A survey of the area was completed by Mr. Allen of Westport, Missouri. Summer of 1857 - The first house was built by James B. Hovey on the highest elevation in town. The Spring Hill Baptist Church's parking lot is currently located on the site. This home also served as a hotel for travelers passing through on the stage coach. Fall 1857 - Spring Hill is granted a post office and James B. Hovey is named postmaster. October 5, 1857 - The first election was held in Spring Hill for the region's delegate to Congress, the state legislature and Justices of the Peace. Sixteen votes were polled. Winter 1957-58 - The first store was opened. January 1858 - A town company was organized "in conformity with the legal requirements for pre empting town sites." 1858 - The Methodist-Episcopals established a meeting and by the 1870s both Methodist Protestant and Presbyterian churches were established. 1859 - Celia Ann Dayton, believed to be the first woman doctor in Kansas, moved to the area from Vermont. 1862 - William Quantrill's gang raided Olathe. 1870s - The railroad came through Spring Hill. 1874 - An economic depression hit the community as Spring Hill was swarmed by grasshoppers who devoured virtually everything in sight. 1883 -- W. R. Rutter opened a furniture store in Spring Hill and and served as the community's first undertaker. 1883 - The Spring Hill New Era began operations. 1885 - Spring Hill is officially incorporated as a city. 1898 - Gas lights were installed along Main Street. 1911 - Electricity became available replacing the gas lanterns along Main Street. June 9, 1920 - Alfred Gantert entered a local bank asking for directions. He locked bank employees in a vault sounding the alarm. With more than $1,000 stuffed in his shirt, he ran across a wheat field followed by a posse. The "Minute Men" shot him through the heart and recovered the money. 1923 - First Option Bank opened its first facility in Osawatomie, Kansas. At the time, the bank was known as the First National Bank. 1934 - Brown fleas invaded Spring Hill making themselves home for about eight years biting humans and livestock alike. August 20, 1953 -- Roy and Betty Bruce purchased the funeral home from then-owner Lloyd H. Wilcox. It was renamed Bruce Funeral Home. May 20, 1957 - Twin tornados struck Spring Hill just before 7 p.m. Much of the town was destroyed. The funnel clouds skipped their way toward the Kansas City area hitting Ruskin Heights and Hickman Mills. During the 90-minute storm, more than 200 people were injured and 44 were killed. October, 1988 - Jeff Sears opened an American Family Insurance Agency in Spring Hill. January, 1991 - Volunteers began meeting to discuss the creation of a chamber of commerce. Led by Jeff Sears, American Family Insurance Agent, the group conducted their first formal meeting in April of 1991. July 18, 1991 - Poole Fire Protection was formed by Jack and Laura Poole. The fire protection engineering firm first operated from the couple's home in Spring Hill. 1994 - Mid-Am Building Supply opened its Spring Hill operations. The wholesale building supply firm was started in 1967 in Moberly, MO, as Mid-MO Building Supply. February 14, 1994 -- TeamBank opened a branch facility inside the grocery store then named Buy Rite. It was located at 100 East Wilson. May, 1997 -- Comfort Designs Heating & Cooling opened for business. October 14, 1997 - Community members gathered for the first organizational meeting which led to the creation of the Spring Hill Historical Society. Numerous community groups, both official and unofficial, have worked to help celebrate or commemorate the area's history. Members work to supplement the efforts of the other countless individuals who have strived to preserve the community's history. The Historical Society views their role as a continual process of handing down the area's history from one generation to the next. June 24, 1999 -- Cummins Industrial Tools began operations from their Spring Hill corporate headquarters located at 650 North Lincoln. The firm distributes wholesale tools and outdoor equipment. December 9, 2000 - Spring Hill's Main Street area officially designated as Johnson County's first historic district listed by the Kansas State Historical Society. Sept. 1, 2001 -- Guardian Heating & Cooling opened for business. May 28, 2002 -- TeamBank moved into a new facility owned by the bank and located at 223rd and South Harrison streets. August 23, 2005 -- Bruce Funeral Home opened a new facility at 712 South Webster. October 13, 2006 - First Option Bank conducted a ground breaking ceremony for their Spring Hill branch located at 223rd Street and Price Chopper Drive. Sources:
Blair, Ed. History of Johnson County, Kansas. Lawrence: Standard
Publishing Co., 1915 |
