The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-12-24
Grow AsiF BY MAGIC

GROW As IF BY MAGIC,
and in less than five years from the day the
first stake was driven to mark the town
site, Leayenworth was not only the larges.
city in the State, bu; the best commercial
city on the Missouri rivera supremacy
which, though all her varying fortunes she
has ever since held. During the spring and
summer of 1858
DELAWARE AND CHEROKEE
then the two principal business streets, were
MacAdamized from the levee to Fifth
street. In 1859 the gas company was or
ganized, the building OF the works was i'm
mediately commenced, and before the close
OF that year, everything was in readiness,
the pipes were laid and the greaterPortion
Of the town was lighted with gas. In 1883
THE OLD MARKET HOUSE
was completed, and at that time was con-
sidered fine improvement. The rooms
on the second floor were then az now occu-
pied as council chamber, and offices for the
various members of the city government.
Some OF these rooms were also used by the
county for offices and court purposes till
the completion of the new court house at
about the beginning of the present year.
Main street, Shawnee street, and the several
cross streets in the business portion of the
city were MacAdamized during
MAYOR ANTHONY's ADMINISTRATION,
in 1868, and at the same time fine stone
bridges were built across Three-mile creek
at Broadway, at Fifth street and at Second
This was year OF considerable public
work; the city furnished employment to all
the laborers who came to us; work was
plenty, wages high, money abundant, and
everybody fourishing. At this time, ard
during Mayor McDowell's second admins
tration, the work Of building up that por-
ton Of the city now known as
SOUTH LEAvENwoRIH
was carried forward most vigorously. Ad.
ditions to the city proper were laid off by
Judge Latta, Day & Fackler, Clark & Rees
and then commenced the work OF building
up what has since been considered the mos,
desirable portion OF the city for residences
No city in the country can furnish
more beautiful and charming sites for resi-
dences than Leavenworth, and the beaut,
OF the place in this respect is a feature thai
II g. n, Al 3 al
visitor.
| During the early years OF Leavenworth'
history, when the work of developing ant
building up her material advantages wa
being pushed ahead with SO much vigor OF
all hands, the intellectual, moral and ne
ligions wants OF her people were not forgot
ten.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The SCHOOL master" was here among tn
first, and az soon as a dozen children coul,
be gathered together school was organic
ed.
THE FIRST SCHOOL HOUSE
in the city was a small frame buildin
which was built near the levee and used 70
a time as shop, it was purchased for 'edu
cational purposes" and J. B"McAfee, no,
of the Kansas Manufacturing Company, @
this city, moved it on to lot at the corne
of Shawnee and Fifth which belonged I
George Russell who was then, as now, KEEP
| ovI Nj. 10
taught school here for sometime, and finall
. tore away the small building and put up
; two story frame, for a church. This wa
, used awhile for church purposes an
purchased by the city for a school--h
ing the first public school building
Leavenworth. II. ID. McCarty, no
State Superintendent of Instruction-wa
employed to take charge Of it, and taugf
, the first public school in the cit,
The second story Of this buildin
was used for a school till OF
evening, during an exhibition at the clio.
of a term, when the room was crowded wit
: people, the floor gave way, and precipit;
ted everybody into the room below. goo
=, many persons were more or less injure'
, though none seriously, but the school new
recovered. In short time the house W:
torn down, and the brick building whic
at present occupies the site, was put up.
Other schools were organized as there WI
demand for them, bu, temporary or rente
buildings were used for some years.
: time public school system, modelled aft'
:, the best modern schools was devised an
9 inaugurated, the work of putting up GOO
and permanent school buildings, commel
= ced, and our educational facilities ha,
4 been steadily growing and improvir
t ever since, until We have now, in Il
!, opinion of competent educators, as good
system of public instruction as is to
found in any city in the United States.
PRESENT SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
The buildings at present used by the eli
for school houses are: the Morris, one
the finest school buildings in the we.
erected at a cost Of about 1venty-ive thol
sand dollars; the Third Avenue, costin
: with its additions, about eighteen thousan'
, the Usage street building, twelve thOusan
and the North Ieavenwurth cOlOred schOt
:. twelve thousand. These were all erected
q the city, for school purpOses, and are a
. good, commodious aud substantial brit
- structures. In addition to these there a
? the Shawnee street building and the Sou
Leavenworth colored school, good fran
houses, capable of accommodating abo
one hundred and fifty pupils each, and Il
old Oak street house, built for church, al
purchased by the city for school purpos'
This is not as good building as the othel
but has answered the purpose tolerabiy We
y for several years. 1t will be abandoned
;, the course of few months, and the scho
n will he moved into the new building, nc
g nearing completion, on West Seventh al
/, Oak.
NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.
This is one of the finest school buildin
in the west, and is larger than any other
the city, except the Morris. Owing 70 t
great depreciation in the prices OF meteria
and labor during the last few years, til
building has not cost as much in proporti'
to Its size and character ~ the other scho
Il... 80 .lo city Ira total crsst vh