Annelly is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

in Richland Township 9 miles southeast of Newton in Harvey County,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, United States. The community was located along the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

line between Newton and

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

, but the track was abandoned in 2003. As of 2020, the land is privately owned farmland.

History

Early history

For many

millennia A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by

nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, France secretly ceded

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Harvey County

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861

became the 34th

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

. In 1872, Harvey County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Annelly. The community was established after the

Missouri Pacific The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

was built through the area. Annelly was named by a railroad employee for his wife Ann and daughter Ellie. A post office existed in Annelly from August 25, 1885, to December 31, 1921.

20th century

In 1910, Annelly, (population 25) had a money order post office, a station on the

, a grain elevator, a hotel, and a general store.

21st century

In 2003, the railroad track was abandoned. Today only the Main Street (Annelly Road or SE 57th Street, accessible from S East Lake Rd. and SE 60th Street) of Annelly still exists. Until the early 2010s an old one-room school house stood near the townsite, although the schoolhouse could not be observed or approached from public roads. The school house was moved to property owned by Lewis Earl Entz. It has been restored but is on private property. For many years, even after the school closed this was the community center, for 4H and the Women's Farm Bureau which became the EHU Extension Homemakers Units. It was also where residents of the township voted for many years. A farm house on the west end of Main Street is still occupied. The old railroad bed still passes through the townsite, and some evidence of buildings and old streets can still be seen. Gypsum Creek, a tributary of the Whitewater River, runs through Annelly.

Geography

Annelly was located at coordinates 37.9722350, -97.2011463 in the state of

Education

The modern day rural area around Annelly is served by the Remington USD 206 public school district.

References

External links

* Harvey County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT
Annelly Topo Map
{{Harvey County, Kansas Former populated places in Harvey County, Kansas Ghost towns in Kansas