Community History

Ensor Museum and Farm Site -- A National Historic Place

James B. Hovey was the first citizen to settle in the Spring Hill area when he arrived in March of 1857.  The first sections of the town were platted and surveyed on May 18, 1857.  It was named after Spring Hill , Alabama , which is near Mobile .  At that time, the town square was located in the present City Park .  By 1858, the town had a hotel, a stage stop, a grocery store, a few cabins and a cemetery.  In April of 1858, the United Methodist Church was formed.  That fall, Spring Hill was granted a post office.  The town's growth was stifled in 1860 when a drought hit the area, and the State of Kansas lost one-third of its population.  Before the state could rebound, the Civil War began.  According to records from the Kansas Conference of the Methodist Churches at Baker University , homesteads were deserted when families left to live with relatives in the East or South, and the men went to war.

Spring Hill’s early history is full of interesting stories and fascinating characters. Dr. Celia Ann Dayton, who came to Spring Hill in January of 1859, is reported to have been the first woman doctor in Kansas . Records indicate that she and her husband, Amon, were divorced in 1862. She was politically active in the community until her death in 1895. Her son, Hiram Eugene Dayton, was also a doctor. He was killed Jan. 27, 1862, while on a scouting mission in search of the famous border ruffian William Clarke Quantrill. Government documents uncovered in January of 1998 by the Spring Hill Historical Society indicate that Hiram had successfully infiltrated Quantrill’s gang as a spy and was killed once his true identity was discovered.

After the war, the Spring Hill territory grew rapidly.  By 1870, Spring Hill had attracted many businesses around the square.  However, the coming of the railroad was a time of turmoil.  The railroad expected Spring Hill to make a land cut necessary for the railroad to be on an even grade with the land to the east.  Residents refused to comply with the request, estimated to cost about $15,000, so the railroad laid its tracks one-half mile east of the town.  The nearest station was located north of town in Ocheltree.  Through the intervention of one of its prosperous citizens, Spring Hill acquired a depot on its eastern border, and the exodus from the original town began.  Many businesses moved toward the railroad, and new businesses were started on what is now Main Street .  What remains Johnson County 's oldest newspaper, The Spring Hill New Era, began operation in 1883 on Main Street . The city of Spring Hill incorporated its operations in 1885.

In 1920, the Spring Hill Rural High School District was established.  During the next several years, many citizens worked to establish the district.  The Class of 1927 was the first to graduate.  In 1927, the Spring Hill Banking Company was sold and has been known ever since as the State Bank of Spring Hill.

The town's first streets were paved in September of 1929.  Shortly afterward, the road between Paola and Olathe was paved.

Spring Hill residents organized a 4-H fair in 1938 and 1939.  But after two successful fairs, it was decided to combine Spring Hill's 4-H fair with neighboring Gardner 's Community Fair.  The first official Johnson County Fair was the result. It was in Gardner during 1939 and continues to be conducted annually in early August.

Little history is available during the depression and war years.  By the end of the 1940s, few businesses remained on Main Street .  However, early in the 1950s the town had an improvement program. Merchants fixed up their stores; most of the rural areas received electricity by this time, and appliance sales boomed.  Bonds were sold to construct a water treatment plant, a city lake northwest of town and water lines.  By the end of the 1950s, horse drawn wagons were completely replaced by tractors for farm work.  The grade school, started in 1937, had a regulation-size gym added in the early 1950s.  It immediately became the community's center hosting basketball games and programs for both schools. Spring Hill Baptist Church was organized in December of 1954.

            In 1957, Spring Hill celebrated the 100th anniversary of its settlement.

            In August of 1961, members of the city council took steps to create the city's sewer system.  During the next two years, the sewer lines were installed, and houses were connected.  Spring Hill's population grew to 896 from about 500 in 1920.

A 1964 law required that all land be included in a school district for grades K-12 making school unification the most controversial subject of the time.  The two school boards disappeared, and one board governed the unified system.  After the homecoming parade on Oct. 17, 1969, groundbreaking ceremonies were conducted at the high school -- current middle school -- for an addition that included a gym, science department, offices and classrooms.

In the 1970s, Union Gas Company developed the current shopping center at Webster and Wilson streets.  The nursing home was built, and Cozy Haven senior housing project became a reality.  The new high school was built on South Street .

Meanwhile, the city was developing growing pains.  The water and sewer system were no longer adequate.  The Corps of Engineers constructed a reservoir west of Hillsdale on Bull Creek, and the city looked to it as a solution for its water problems.  A new City Hall with an attached fire station was constructed at the intersection of Webster and Nichols streets.  A community center was built in Miami County , south of South Street . Although the association's first baseball field was built in the 1960s, three more were added as the city's population topped 1,000.

A 1966 Thanksgiving weekend fire damaged Hilltop Elementary School forcing its closure until it was remodeled and reopened in 1974 to handle the growing enrollment in the rural areas of the community.

The early 1980s brought a few problems.  Several new businesses opened, but economic growth was slow.  The city's water treatment plant was closed in 1982, and water was purchased from Olathe .  Later, a treatment plant was constructed at the lake, and the community began to provide its own water.  The decades-old question of needed improvements and the relocation of U.S. 169 highway continued.  Finally in 1987, a U.S. 169 Highway bypass was opened replacing the highway connecting to Webster Street . However, traffic continues to use Webster as a connection to the city’s industries and places of business.

The city's largest company opened in 1988.  AFG Industries opened a plant on the north edge of town that employs 400 people.  The industrial park area surrounding it attracted Sandel Glass, Simmons Gun Specialties and Combined Transport.  Each has opened since AFG was constructed and has improved the local business climate.

The years 1993 and 1994 marked a major turning point for the community. Agreements with Johnson County and the Kansas Department of Transportation resulted in plans for improvements to Webster Street and to U.S. 169 Highway.  Almost $2 million was spent on the projects. The city assumed responsibility from the county for Webster Street once the work was completed in 1995.  The agreement with the state required the installation of signal lights at the 175th and 199th street intersection during 1994.

            During a June mail ballot, voters in 1993 passed a $15 million school bond issue.  Construction of a new high school, athletic complex, a new elementary school, renovations at Hilltop Elementary and reconfigured the existing high school into middle school was finished in 1996.  In July, A & M Products announced its plans to construct a cat litter plant in Spring Hill.  The firm created 100 jobs.  Along with Mid-Am Building Supply, an Olathe company that relocated to Spring Hill, A & M opened its facility during the spring of 1994.  The two companies joined the other firms located in the Spring Hill Industrial Park .

As of 1994, the population of Spring Hill surpassed 2,200, and the city experienced tremendous growth.  Four full-time and four part-time police officers protect it.  The fire district provides full-time emergency medical and fire protection.  A mayor governs the city with five at-large city council members.  A city administrator oversees the city's staff.  Water is obtained from the Hillsdale Reservoir and Spring Hill Lake .

As the new schools were constructed, community members worked in 1995 to find ways of preserving portions of the community's heritage.  Groups salvaged bricks from the school district's original high school and sold them as a fund-raiser.  The city and school district struck a bargain allowing the city council to purchase the former elementary school site for $1.  Plans were made to keep the former school as a public facility renovating it into a city hall and civic center.  A partnership was formed with Johnson County , and they began providing programs at the facility.

During 1996, the police station relocated to the former elementary school site and began operating out of the former library and storm shelter.  Late in the year, city hall's operations also moved into the facility.  The civic center began its full operation offering an open gym on Friday Nights, summer movies, recreational activities, a tutoring program and a mentoring program.  A game room and a resource room were set-aside in the facility to be made available to area residents.

Efforts to sustain the community’s recreational programs took hold in 1997. The Spring Hill Recreation Commission and Recreation Association reached an agreement providing funds to help support the association’s programs. As part of the pact, the city took over ownership of the association’s recreation complex.

In 1998, the city council, school district and Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce agreed to split the cost of purchasing the hardware needed to operate a community cable channel. The chamber began the station's operations with news bulletins and tape-delayed broadcasts of community events. Responsibility for that station was shifted to the cable provider in 2003.

The city has a branch of the Johnson County Library system.  The Spring Hill Recreation Commission renovated the swimming pool and reopened the facility in August of 1992.  The commission constructed tennis courts in 1996.  The Spring Hill Recreation Association continues to organize youth and adult athletic programs.  Members of the Spring Hill Festival Committee members plan the community’s annual festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary 1994.  The three-day festival features arts and crafts with many activities sponsored by the community's nonprofit organizations.  More than 10,000 visitors are drawn to the city each year in late August for the events.

Plans to improve 199^th Street between US 169 and US 69 Highway were approved by the Johnson County Commissioners in 2003. Construction was projected to begin in 2005. Work to add two lanes to US 169 Highway between Spring Hill and Osawatomie was completed in 2003. The four-lane highway was opened during a November ceremony.

Also in 2003, voters approved a $48.5 million school bond issue. Construction on the package is anticipated to begin in 2004 with schools ready for the fall 2005 school year.

(Some of the early history was obtained from "A History of Spring Hill, KS 1857-1983.")