Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-05-29
THE PASSING on THE -CENTER'
Many Towns Had That Tackled 20
Their Name.

Il Former State senator george ~
Lamb of Yates Center, was recent
visitor to Topeka, says the Topeka
Capital. Sitting in the hotel lobby
chatting with a friend, politician Of
the old school and Of former days
accosted him with the query:
Elbows the Center?"
Members OF the newer Kansas gem
Grafton who heard the question put
to the Woodson county man didn't
understand its significance, but II
brought back the old days of county
seat fights and political battles still
fresh in the memory Of the old tim
err.
Thirty and thirty-five years ago
the word "center" tackled into the
name OF a town in Kansas meant
war to the knife and the knife to
the hilt, as this term is known TO-
apply to county seat fights. Back
in those days the postoffice depart
ment at Washington figured that be-
cause Kansas is the center OF the
universe and nation, its people were
striving to plant each county seat
at the geographical center Of the
county. But the postoffice depart
ment is prone to look upon the SER
ious side OF things.
Because a new and aspiring Kan
sas town some forty years ago tack
ed on the word center" to its name,
didn't necessarily imply that it was
located at the center of the county.
But that was the object sought; 1t
would influence outsiders to buy
lots in the future county seat"
Out of the long list of center"
county seats that are either dead or
have been stripped of this append
age by a long-suffering postoffice
department, but three remain tol
cnmber up the map. They are Yates
Center, Clay Center and Smith Cen
ter.
Yates Center was named for its
founder, an uncle of former Gov
ernor Richard Yates of Illinois. The
word center was added as an in
ducement in a pending county scat
fight and it has never been clipped
off. The geographical center OF
Woodson county, named in honor OF
Daniel Woodson, is two miles west
of Yates Center.
The geographical center of Clay
county is three and half miles
southwest Of Clay Center. A quarter
of a century ago, or. more, Writ W.
Walton, who established the Clay
Center Dispatch, started a crusade
against what he termed "the center
nonsense" He refused to print the
word "center" in his paper. It's head
ing was first to suffer. 1t simply read
'"The Clay Dispatch" and in the date
line 1t was Clay, Kansas.
Smith Center is within mile Of
the geographical center OF Smith
county. The founders OF the town
would have built it right at the cen
ter II they could have secured the
land. But they got close enough to
really entitle them to take on seen
ter" The county and county seat
were named for> Nathan Smith, ma
jor OF the Second Colorado VO1un-
teers, killed October %, 1884.
A quarter Of a century ago the
people of Jewell county cut out the
"center" business by changing the
name of their county seat from Jew
ell Center to ManKato. Then LIN
coin and Cove, two other Sixth dts
trfct county seats, clipped on the
center" appendage.
The old timers remember that
fhefr first recollection OF Governor
Hoch's town was Marion Center. So
It was with Mcpherson, Pratt and
Meade, all furnishing Kansas towns.
Rush Center, thir4y-five years ago.,
he county seat Of Rush county, and
which lost out in a fight with La
crosse still retains the name. After
is unsuccessful contest, the name
or a number Of years, was changed
o Walnut City, but the people tired
4 that cognomen, went back to the
irst love.