Historic Downtown Emporia Kansas Walking Tour

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In 1933, Emporia High School (EHS) head basketball coach Alfred D. Smith put Paul Terry on his 1933-34 team, the first African-American member of the EHS basketball team. Terry faced racism in many forms, including harassment from fans, players, and referees, and having to eat on the bus because restaurants refused to serve him. And, when the team made the state championship, rules forbade Terry from participating; he had to stay at home while his team won the trophy. Coach Al Smith's son, the legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, credited Terry in his book, A Coach's Life, with single-handedly integrating high school sports in Kansas.

2. Charles W. Squires House

Charles W. Squires was an architect who contributed his talents to designing scores of buildings in town and thousands in Kansas in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Squires designed the house at 613 Exchange Street in 1895 for himself and his wife, Susan Howey. Squires was fond of adding quirky details to his houses, such as shingles that curved toward a window instead of laying flat like normal cladding. The architect lived in the home until his death in 1934. The home was been carved up into rental apartments and was up for sale in early 2020.

3. Home of Bert Rich

Constructed in 1915 by Bert Rich, this home serves as a reminder of the Great Exodus that saw over 20,000 African Americans arrive in Kansas in 1879 and 1880. Rich arrived in Emporia with his family and would later build the largest African-American-owned construction firm in Kansas. Rich's company had over 100 employees at its peak and the firm built many structures in Emporia that still stand today. Rich built an addition to his home, which was essential to providing housing opportunities for African Americans who attended Kansas State Teachers College (known today as Emporia State University). The home originally stood at 1202 Sylvan-close to the Emporia State campus. The home was moved to its current location around 1960 and divided into apartments.

4. Cross House

The Cross House at the corner of Union Street and Sixth Avenue, is in the midst of an ambitious renovation project by its new owner since 2014 to take the house back to its original state from 1894. Ross MacTaggart uses old photos and evidence from buried layers of the house itself to bring back older finishes and replicate missing elements like one of the roof finials. The Cross House was designed by a local architect, Charles W. Squires, who contributed designs for thousands of Kansas buildings over decades of work. The Cross House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. It is significant for its association with several people and a fraternity, and for its Victorian Queen Anne architectural style.

5. Preston and Carrie Plumb House

The core of the historic home standing at 224 East Sixth Avenue is an earlier house built in the 1870s. The house was home to United States Seantor Preston B. Plumb and his wife, Carrie, beginning in 1880. After Senator Plumb died unexpectedly in late 1891, his widow remained in the Italianate style home with a tower and a French mansard roof. In the mid-1890s, Carrie Plumb had major additions and remodeling done on the home and dedicated the Neoclassical style building as a memorial to her late husband. Carrie's heirs donated the house to the National Young Women's Christian Association. The house was listed in the National Register in 1984.

6. Kress Building

The Kress Building was constructed in 1929 and was designed by architect George E. Mackey. The building was part of a company of five and dime stores established by Samuel Henry Kress in 1896 as S. H. Kress & Co. The brand grew to over 200 stores and became part of McCrory Stores in 1981. The parent company went out of business in 2001. Nine other Kansas towns have Kress buildings standing; the Emporia and Wichita buildings are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kress Building is part of the Emporia Downtown Historic District. The historic district map is below. Amanda's Bakery and Cafe on the ground floor of the Kress Building has been serving up tasty treats for years.

7. Lyon County Historical Center

Founded in 1937, this historical society and museum works to preserve and make available nearly a quarter-million photographs, artifacts, manuscripts, diaries, and other items related to the history of Emporia, Lyon County, and eastern Kansas. For many years, the museum was located in this historic Carnegie Library (constructed in 1904 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places). As part of the effort to breathe new life into the downtown area, the History Center is now located in a former department store.

8. Historic Granada Theatre

Constructed in 1929, this theater was once one of the largest in the state. From its grand opening in the final boom years of the 1920s to the lean years of the Great Depression and the postwar boom, the theater hosted many of the leading cultural events in the city and hosted famous entertainers from all over the world. This Spanish Colonial Revival style theater faced years of decline in the 1960s and 1970s as residents patronized other theaters and event venues. The theater closed in 1982 and might have been demolished a decade later, but thanks to the efforts of local citizens, it has been restored and once again hosts local and national acts.

9. Red Rocks-Home of William Allen White

Red Rocks was the home of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Presidential advisor William Allen White between 1899 and his death in 1944. Given White's influence, he hosted five United States Presidents and influential Americans such as Jane Addams and Frank Lloyd Wright at this historic home.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Historic Downtown Emporia Kansas Walking Tour

Created by David J. Trowbridge on July 7th 2020, 9:21:05 pm.

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Description

This short walk though Emporia starts at the home of William Allen White and works its way to Commercial Street where it stops at the Granada Theatre, Lyon County Historical Center, and the Kress Building. The tour than turns east on 6th Avenue to include historic homes such as the Cross House and home of Senator Preston Plumb, one of the founders of the city who came to Kansas as part of the Free Soil Movement.

Entries on This Tour

Historic Downtown Emporia Kansas Walking Tour

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