Dover, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Dover is an unincorporated community
on the banks of Mission Creek
in western Shawnee County
, Kansas
, United States
. Founded in 1860, it was once a larger community, but it declined for most of the 20th century. Today a few commercial buildings remain at the intersection of K-4 Highway
and 57th Street, but it is mainly a residential area. A newly founded Dover Community Foundation has been created to support the growth of the community and retention of its history. Camp Daisy Hindman
, a rather large Girl Scout
camp, is located 2 miles south of the town. 1½ miles west of town is a 50 ft high cliff known as Echo Cliff.
.
Dover was made a voting precinct of Auburn township, October 1, 1860, and in the fall of 1867, was erected into a township. E.M. Hewins was the first trustee; Jacob Haskell and George Harden, Justices. The first postmaster was Alfred Sage, appointed in 1862. The family name, Sage, is still widespread in the area today.
During its peak years, Dover had a match factory, a wagon making business, two grist mills, two blacksmiths, an Inn and Stage Coach Station, livery stable, General Store, three cheese factories. When looking at output figures, two of the largest cheese factories in the US were in Dover. The stone house cheese factory, built between 1856 and 1865 still stands today. The stone 1878 Sage Inn & Stage Coach Station, and the General Store built in 1900 also survive.
was used as a connection from the Oregon Trail
on its route through Topeka to the Santa Fe Trail
in Council Grove
. Today highway 4, Kansas’ first paved highway, roughly follows the path of the trail.
Along Mission Creek there were only two places where a wagon could ford the creek, one of which was at Dover. An Inn was built at this location, which conveniently was also the natural half-way point of the trails two day journey by horseback. The Inn was an ideal stopping point to rest or trade out horses, get a bite to eat, and spend the night.
Mark and John Sage, are believed to have crafted a stone building for their brother Alfred. Mark, especially, became a well-known stonemason in the area and built many of the stone farm houses, barns and bridges in Shawnee and Wabaunsee Counties in Kansas. The two brothers are also credited for their mason work on the original Kansas Capitol (east wing) in Topeka from 1866-1869.
The Sage Inn was built in two stages: The northern half of the current structure dates from 1865 and the southern half was built in 1878, after the Southwestern Stage Company was purchased by Root Brothers of Wichita Transfer Company.
Around 1900, the railroad was built to Harveyville instead Dover. This was the clear end of the stagecoach era and the inn and station declined rapidly.
This building was also built by Alfred Sage, and was christened Somerset Hall after his native home, Somersetshire, England. Most usually referred to it as Sage Hall though. The main floor was a general store and the second floor functioned as a community meeting hall.
In 1902, the I.O.O.F. (Oddfellows
Lodge) began using the upstairs hall for their meetings, and three years later in 1905, the Oddfellows purchased the building from the Sage family upon Alfred's death. Members have met there monthly for one hundred years.
The first floor has in recent times doubled as a café, and has been operated by a series of owners who do not want to lose the heart of their Dover community. It is not uncommon to see local farmers come to the store early in the morning for coffee and a game of cards.
Cyclists from Topeka use the cafe as a pit stop along their chosen path along K-4 from. Tensions exist between local residents and these cyclists though, mainly because the highway is narrow and full of turns, thus making it difficult for automobile traffic to get around the cyclists. One local man, J Blodget is known for having created many works of anti-bicycle art that line stretches of the highway near Dover.
In the Fall of 2008 Good Morning America
ran a competition to determine the "Country's Best Pie." On November 16 it was announced one of the four finalist was Norma Grubb's "Coconut Cream Pie" from the Sommerset Hall Café. On Sunday, Nov. 23 Norma's pie was declared the winner of the competition, determined by a national online vote.
Harvey J. Loomis was born in Wadsworth, Ohio and came to Kansas in 1857. After the civil war he was made postmaster and established his office in the basement of his home. Later he was elected the first county assessor of Wabaunsee County. After serving for many years as township trustee, member of the school board and justice of the peace, was finally sent as representative of Wabaunsee County to the Kansas Legislature. He was a charter member of the Congregational Church at Dover. In 1872 he became a partner of George W. Daily, in a general store business.
James J. Corkill born in England in 1877, he came to America with his parents in 1889. He grew up in Dover and attended primary school there, and went to Topeka High School and Baker University. He fought in the Philippines with the 20th Kansas Regiment, and returned to run a creamery in Topeka.
Wilbur F. George was a well known farmer with most of his land in nearby Menoken Township. His son Milo had his farm near Dover.
Norma Grubb, age 88, was crowned "Pie Queen" by ABC's "Good Morning America" for her Coconut Cream Pie on November 23, 2008. At the time, she claimed to have baked 8,963 pies.
and Eskridge
in nearby Wabaunsee County
, and Mission Valley High School was built in a field 9 miles southwest of Dover on the geographic center of the three towns. Mission Valley East Grade School (Grades K-8) were also consolidated in 2003 when a new K-8 school was built onto Mission Valley High School. The average graduating class size for the district is around 50.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on the banks of Mission Creek
Mission Creek (Kansas)
Mission Creek is a water body west of Topeka, Kansas. The tributary of the Kansas River goes through Wabaunsee County and Shawnee County, Kansas . Native American tribes lived in the area during the Kansas Territory years. It was an important Underground Railroad site...
in western Shawnee County
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1860, it was once a larger community, but it declined for most of the 20th century. Today a few commercial buildings remain at the intersection of K-4 Highway
K-4 (Kansas highway)
K-4 is the longest designated state highway in Kansas traversing from north of Scott City at US-83 to US-59 near Nortonville in northeast Kansas. A segment of the highway in McPherson County overlaps Interstate 135, and a section in Topeka runs concurrent with Interstate 70.-Western Kansas:K-4...
and 57th Street, but it is mainly a residential area. A newly founded Dover Community Foundation has been created to support the growth of the community and retention of its history. Camp Daisy Hindman
Scouting in Kansas
Scouting in Kansas has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.-Early history :...
, a rather large Girl Scout
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
camp, is located 2 miles south of the town. 1½ miles west of town is a 50 ft high cliff known as Echo Cliff.
History
Settlers came in the year 1856. The Sage and Bassett families in Dover came from Somersetshire, BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Dover was made a voting precinct of Auburn township, October 1, 1860, and in the fall of 1867, was erected into a township. E.M. Hewins was the first trustee; Jacob Haskell and George Harden, Justices. The first postmaster was Alfred Sage, appointed in 1862. The family name, Sage, is still widespread in the area today.
During its peak years, Dover had a match factory, a wagon making business, two grist mills, two blacksmiths, an Inn and Stage Coach Station, livery stable, General Store, three cheese factories. When looking at output figures, two of the largest cheese factories in the US were in Dover. The stone house cheese factory, built between 1856 and 1865 still stands today. The stone 1878 Sage Inn & Stage Coach Station, and the General Store built in 1900 also survive.
The Southwest Trail and the Sage Inn
The Southwest TrailSouthwest Trail
The Southwest Trail was a 19th-century pioneer route that was the primary route for American settlers bound for Texas.The Southwest Trail was originally an American Indian trace, and it was improved and expanded by European-American pioneers. The trail ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to Fulton,...
was used as a connection from the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
on its route through Topeka to the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
in Council Grove
Council Grove, Kansas
Council Grove is a city in Morris County, Kansas, United States. It was named after an agreement between European Americans and the Osage Nation about allowing settlers' wagon trains to pass through the area and proceed to the West. Pioneers gathered at a grove of trees so that wagons could band...
. Today highway 4, Kansas’ first paved highway, roughly follows the path of the trail.
Along Mission Creek there were only two places where a wagon could ford the creek, one of which was at Dover. An Inn was built at this location, which conveniently was also the natural half-way point of the trails two day journey by horseback. The Inn was an ideal stopping point to rest or trade out horses, get a bite to eat, and spend the night.
Mark and John Sage, are believed to have crafted a stone building for their brother Alfred. Mark, especially, became a well-known stonemason in the area and built many of the stone farm houses, barns and bridges in Shawnee and Wabaunsee Counties in Kansas. The two brothers are also credited for their mason work on the original Kansas Capitol (east wing) in Topeka from 1866-1869.
The Sage Inn was built in two stages: The northern half of the current structure dates from 1865 and the southern half was built in 1878, after the Southwestern Stage Company was purchased by Root Brothers of Wichita Transfer Company.
Around 1900, the railroad was built to Harveyville instead Dover. This was the clear end of the stagecoach era and the inn and station declined rapidly.
Filling station
A small Phillips 66 station was built In the late 1920s on the northwest corner of the K-4 Intersection. It later became a Sinclair station. It is now no longer in operation as a filling station, but was once used as the base of the local Volunteer Fire Department. The building was refurbished in the 1990s and today is used as an antiques and gift shop.General store
In 1902, the I.O.O.F. (Oddfellows
Oddfellows
The name Oddfellows refers to a number of friendly societies and fraternal organisations operating in the United Kingdom. It also refers to a number of Lodges with histories dating back to the 18th century. These various organisations were set up to protect and care for their members and...
Lodge) began using the upstairs hall for their meetings, and three years later in 1905, the Oddfellows purchased the building from the Sage family upon Alfred's death. Members have met there monthly for one hundred years.
The first floor has in recent times doubled as a café, and has been operated by a series of owners who do not want to lose the heart of their Dover community. It is not uncommon to see local farmers come to the store early in the morning for coffee and a game of cards.
Cyclists from Topeka use the cafe as a pit stop along their chosen path along K-4 from. Tensions exist between local residents and these cyclists though, mainly because the highway is narrow and full of turns, thus making it difficult for automobile traffic to get around the cyclists. One local man, J Blodget is known for having created many works of anti-bicycle art that line stretches of the highway near Dover.
In the Fall of 2008 Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
ran a competition to determine the "Country's Best Pie." On November 16 it was announced one of the four finalist was Norma Grubb's "Coconut Cream Pie" from the Sommerset Hall Café. On Sunday, Nov. 23 Norma's pie was declared the winner of the competition, determined by a national online vote.
Historic people of Dover
James Bassett arrived in the area in 1857 from Onondaga County, New York. A native of England, he was born in Glastonbury, January 25, 1836. He was one of the organizers of the Dover State Bank, and was also among those who established the Dover Cemetery. Around the community he was lovingly referred to as "Uncle Jim."Harvey J. Loomis was born in Wadsworth, Ohio and came to Kansas in 1857. After the civil war he was made postmaster and established his office in the basement of his home. Later he was elected the first county assessor of Wabaunsee County. After serving for many years as township trustee, member of the school board and justice of the peace, was finally sent as representative of Wabaunsee County to the Kansas Legislature. He was a charter member of the Congregational Church at Dover. In 1872 he became a partner of George W. Daily, in a general store business.
James J. Corkill born in England in 1877, he came to America with his parents in 1889. He grew up in Dover and attended primary school there, and went to Topeka High School and Baker University. He fought in the Philippines with the 20th Kansas Regiment, and returned to run a creamery in Topeka.
Wilbur F. George was a well known farmer with most of his land in nearby Menoken Township. His son Milo had his farm near Dover.
Norma Grubb, age 88, was crowned "Pie Queen" by ABC's "Good Morning America" for her Coconut Cream Pie on November 23, 2008. At the time, she claimed to have baked 8,963 pies.
Dover Federated Church
The Methodist, Baptist, and Congregational churches combined in 1921 to form the Federated Church of Dover, Kansas. The Church was called "federated" after the act of uniting on common agreement. The churches came together on a Covenant of eight doctrines of basic, essential Christian faith. A quote in the Topeka Daily Capital attributed to Mr. Tabor described the union in this way, "In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love."Education
Dover High School closed in 1970 when the school district consolidated with the towns of HarveyvilleHarveyville, Kansas
Harveyville is a city in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, United States. The population was 267 at the 2000 census. Harveyville is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Harveyville is located at...
and Eskridge
Eskridge, Kansas
Eskridge is a city in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, United States. The population was 589 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in nearby Wabaunsee County
Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Wabaunsee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 7,053. Its county seat is Alma. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Mission Valley High School was built in a field 9 miles southwest of Dover on the geographic center of the three towns. Mission Valley East Grade School (Grades K-8) were also consolidated in 2003 when a new K-8 school was built onto Mission Valley High School. The average graduating class size for the district is around 50.