When was leavenworth kansas established

The penitentiary finally began to be built in the summer of with convict labor, but, it would not be ready for prisoners until Several years later, the town of Lansing would grow up around the penitentiary.

It was operated by Sister Joanna Bruner, the first trained nurse in the state and surely the first woman in the West to be a hospital administrator. Sister Bruner also taught nursing care to other sisters. The hospital continues to operate today. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Alexander Gardner, Later the same year, in September, the cornerstone of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was laid.

Work would continue on the beautiful church for the next four years before it was dedicated in Unfortunately, the magnificent church was destroyed by a fire in The present church was begun in and dedicated in May In the meantime, the St. Vincent Orphan Home was also opened by the Sisters of Charity in It would continue to operate until it was moved to Topeka in Soon Harvey Restaurants and Hotels were born, featuring the popular Harvey girls.

Harvey would later purchase a lovely three-story stone building for his family. Today, the building is preserved as the Fred Harvey Museum. One of the biggest events of that caused quite a stir in Leavenworth, as well as in the state and the rest of the country, was the suicide of General James H. Though Lane certainly had his faults, he was recognized for his vigorous efforts in securing Kansas as a Free-state.

Though he seemed to be in poor health and depressed, he began his return to Washington with his wife, but, upon reaching St. Louis , Missouri , his symptoms were so alarming that his physicians expressed fear for his recovery, and expressed the opinion that he was suffering from softening of the brain.

Here, his symptoms were said to have gotten worse. He was carried to the farmhouse and remained in a comatose condition, with spasmodic motions of the arm and right leg, until July 11th, when he died.

At one time he seemed to be recovering and recognized friends, even naming them in a whisper. His remains were returned to his home in Lawrence , where he was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery. He soon became despondent and was accused of abandoning his fellow Radical Republicans, as well as rumors of financial irregularities. By , the fostering effects of the Civil War had waned and the population of Leavenworth had dropped by several thousand.

The following month, the school was granted a charter by the Kansas State Legislature to confer degrees and academic honors. The school still stands in Leavenworth and many of its original buildings are still utilized. Today, called the University of St. Mary, the private liberal arts university is coeducational and continues to be sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

The mother-house of the order is also located on the premises. In , the name of the town was officially changed from Leavenworth City to simply Leavenworth. The following year, a Leavenworth County Jail was finally built and following years of delay, the Leavenworth County Courthouse was completed in February Built of red brick, with stone trimmings, the two-story building was topped with an elegant mansard roof with a lofty tower and fine clock.

Unfortunately, the first courthouse building was destroyed by a fire in the Spring of A new courthouse was built at the same location the following year. It continues to be used today. Though its population had dropped from a high of 20, following the end of the Civil War, to just about 16, in , Leavenworth was still a bustling city and would become even more so, as the city turned her attention to manufacturing.

By the turn of the century, her population had grown again to almost 21, people. The city also boasted packing houses, flour mills, and creameries, and Leavenworth was a jobbing point for a large territory. During these flourishing times, numerous stately homes were built to house the families whose wealth grew as the city grew.

Many of these beautiful homes continue to stand today. In , the reservation for the U. The decision was made, in part, based on the labor available from the U. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Prisoners were used in the first phase of construction and were also the first to be incarcerated in the new prison in In , the first cell house in the United States Federal Penitentiary was opened, but it would not be entirely completed until the mids.

By the s, travel to Oregon and California had begun and thousands of wagons passed through Fort Leavenworth on the way to the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. In , the City of Leavenworth was founded as the very first city of Kansas.

Leavenworth became nationally-known as the "jumping-off point" for the opening of the West. Buffalo Bill Cody spent part of his youth here and later worked in the area as a Pony Express rider and Army scout.

Cody's parents are buried in Leavenworth. The Land where Leavenworth and Fort Leavenworth are located today was originally inhabited by the Kansa, Osage, and Delaware Indians, and today many of our streets are named after these and other local Indian tribes. In , the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth settled here. In , the Sisters opened St.

The political issue was very much alive and strong. Proslavery individuals did not want freestaters traveling between Leavenworth and Lawrence, and armed men even worked to keep freestaters from arriving along the river. Due measures taken by the governor and mayor of Leavenworth, it became a bit calmer in October This did not mean the issue was settled and acts still were committed. General James H. Unwell health, which included insanity, caused him to commit suicide.

The issue of the county seat took three elections for it to be established at Leavenworth. Kickapoo one the first, Delaware the second, and Kickapoo the third, although it was a fraudulent election and that led to Leavenworth gaining the title. Leavenworth is a city of industry such as those of manufacturing, coal, and furniture production. Several railroads came through the town, helping them prosper. Grasshoppers included some in the s, but they invaded once again in and caused much damage.

James Abernathy started his Leavenworth furniture business career in , and eventually grew his business into a successful furniture manufacturing company. Located south of the barracks near the staff quarters, the chapel has two separate sanctuaries for the Protestant and Catholic congregations at the branch. The Chateauesque style recreation hall Building 64 is set into the steeply sloping hill, downhill from the original barracks.

This was once the site of the beer hall. Additional staff quarters Buildings 41, 44, 45, 47, and 48 date from between and This phase of construction at the Western Branch continued until the s when the population began declining because of the advancing age of the Civil War veterans. The Western Branch was a popular place to visit for tourists by the turn of the 20 th century and once had a two-story Chateauesque brick hotel for visitors with a theater and store.

After World War I, the population of the branch increased again. The old hospital was demolished following construction of a new multi-level hospital complex Building 89 in The majority of the facilities that the VA uses today are in the northwestern corner of the campus and date from between the s and the s. Established in , the cemetery is to the west of the buildings on campus separated by a sloping grade.

Horace William Shaler Cleveland designed the cemetery in the park-like cemetery layout that was popular in late 19 th century. Erected in , an obelisk at the site honors the veterans.