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Welcome to Lincolnville

Early Settlement

The prairie town of Lincolnville is located in the northeastern part of Marion County. Clear Creek meanders through the rich form land just east of the town. Beyond the town to the west is rolling, produc­tive farm land.

Half the land in Clear Creek township in which Lincolnville is located belonged at one time to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and the other half belonged to the United States government. Daniel Sill, in the very early 1870's paid $5 an acre for railroad land. The government land could be homesteaded for five years' residence, making improvements and paying a small filing fee. This is what Robert and Flora McAllister did in the 1870's on the.Lincolnville site. The surrounding area filled up with small farmers for the most part. An exception was Abram Williams, who managed 3.400 acres between Lost Springs and Lincolnville in the early 1870's. He intended to raise high grade beef stock on his acreage.^l

Another early settler was Henry Hartke, Sr., who took a homestead two miles northeast of Lincolnville. His friend George Kaiser, Sr., settled just south of him. Henry Hartke, Sr., was born in Ger­many and came to America in 1865. He worked briefly in the Pennsylvania oil fields, then came west. As a hunter and scout, he furnished meat to the sol­diers; at Ft. Hays, and carried messages from one cantonment to another during the Indian uprisings. In 1868 he homesteaded in Marion County, north of Lincolnville. He married Joanna Peterson, who had recently come from Sweden. Their first home was a one room cabin. In all, they had eleven children with only four surviving infancy and childhood. The Hartke School, one mile north of the Lutheran Parochial School, was organized in 1889 and named in honor of this fine pioneer family.³

The community of Lincolnville was mentioned as early as July 1867, when the County Commission­ers ordered that a voting precinct be established at the Thomas Wise, Jr. home.⁴

Within two years of establishing the voting pre­cinct, a number of persons of German descent began moving into the west of Lincolnville area. A few Bohemian families moved in to the west of Lincolnville but were a part of the Pilsen community.⁵

Town Founding

Lincolnville Was the fourth town platted in Marion County being preceded by Marion Centre. Peabody and Florence. The first Lincolnville plat was filed by Robert C. McAllister and his wife Flora on May 18, 1872. The twelve block town was located in the" NE1/4 of the NW1/4, Section 14, Township 18. Range 4F. McAllisters were living on this land at this time but the patent from the United States government was not granted to them until August 23. I878.⁶

During 1872. the Kansas and Nebraska railroad company had begun construction of their railroad through Marion County. The road near Lincolnville was graded according to the Marion County Record. December 7, 1872. Construction of the railroad was never completed. (See Railroad History section)

For its first fifteen years, Lincolnville was a typi­cal small town with one concentrated business sec­tion. Then, in the mid-1880's, the Golden Belt Town Company bought land from the McAllisters and George Sill and platted another Lincolnville, known as Plat A. It showed a right-of-way for the Chicago. Kansas and Nebraska Railroad. Forty-nine blocks were platted on February 24, 1887.⁷ (Today only twelve of these blocks are in use for residences or business buildings.) The Golden Belt Town Company, chartered May 6, 1886, was organized to purchase land and layout fownsites in eight central Kansas counties. F.H. Kollock, Peabody, and R.M. Crane. Marion, were its first directors.⁸

The locally based Lincolnville Town Company was not to be outdone and it filed a plat of Lincolnville on April 14, 1887. on the SW1/4 of Section 11. Township 18, Range 4F, locating on a part of the E1/2 of the SW!/4.⁹ The diagram of Lincolnville on the following page shows these different plats.

The establishment of two business districts, one in the original town, and another in the Golden Belt section, mostly on the west side of the Chicago, Kan­sas and Nebraska Railroad tracks, caused considerable rivalry among the townspeople for many years. The chief advantage Golden  Belt had was that the railroad, later called the Rock Island, had a depot west of the railroad tracks. This they believed assured su­ccess for their town. The twin towns of Lincolnville exist today with the balance of business establish­ments in favor of the original, east side of town.

A second railroad, the Kansas and New Mexico, considered going through Marion County near Lin­colnville. Clear Creek township voted to subscribe to bonds of the railroad in 1886. If this railroad had been constructed it would have passed within one-half mile of Lincolnville.¹⁰

Business Establishments

One of the first businesses in Lincolnville seems to have been a blacksmith shop on the south edge of town in 1872. A hundred years later, 1972, this rock building and rock fence still can be seen from U.S. Highway 56 that runs through Lincolnville. A store, operated by a Mr. Whiteside, followed by Justice Evans, also had its beginnings in 1872.¹¹

Lincolnville was not exactly booming ten years later, but it was growing. Population in the mid-1880's may have been close to two hundred persons. Nevertheless the town had its promoters, namely newspaper, Lincolnville Star. Advertisements in the paper encouraged people to settle there, and called Lincolnville the trade center of northern Marion County. The Golden Belt Town Company sold lots in Lincolnville through their agents Sill and Bartley.¹²

The Lincolnville Star in its short life promoted the town in glowing terms. The following is an example: the date is October 29, 1887.

Lincolnville is the third city of importance in Marion County. It is situated on the great transcontinental railroad the Chi­cago, Rock Island and Pacific and bonds have been voted for another line. There is as fine a banking building here as any in this part of the state; a large 24-room hotel is now being finished and will be opened next month; it has a fine graded school and two church buildings, the Evangelical and Chris tian; as large a lumber company is located here here as the state possesses, and nearly every branch of mercantile business is represented; embracing dry  goods, groceries, hardware, boots and shoes, livery, drug store, wagon manufactory, coal dealers, and produce buyers, besides lawyers, physicians, in surance and real estate agents and representatives of other pro fessions. Its newspaper is much larger and better than in many towns three times as large, and enjoys a healthy patronage and circulation.

Lincolnville is surrounded by as fine an agricultural coun try as lays out of doors; it cannot be excelled in the world, being level, productive, well improved, rich and fertile.

Lincolnville's "puff sheet" printed its last issue November 19, 1887, so apparently business was not as good for it as it said in late October 1887.

Among the businesses operating in 1887 were the Lincolnville Lumber Co., managed by J.E. Ste wart; a machine shop, operated by A.L. Erickson; a dry goods store run by Billy Evans and Co.; Lincoln ville Livery and Feed Stable operated by O.A. Smith: Williams and Poppe were in the livestock trade.¹⁴

The oldest continuous line of family business in Lincolnville started when H.W. Tiemeier came from St. Louis, Missouri, to Lincolnville in 1886. In 1887 he bought a one-room building from J. Evans and built on to it to house his general merchandise. In 1913, H.W. died and his son, H.J. became operator. In 1924 the store burned and a new brick building was built west of the original building. In July 1943. H.J. died suddenly and his son, Edgar who had worked with his father for 18 years, became manager and is in charge at present, 1972. In 1947 a locker plant was added and it was converted into a complete self-service store. In 1972 there are six persons on the payroll.¹⁵

A creamery was begun in September 1888, by a local Lincolnville company consisting of J.E. Gilbert, president, W.H. Evans, secretary and J.A. Sill, treasurer. They hired a Mr. Ahler, expert buttermakcr from Chicago, to give the butter business a professional touch. The small factory had a capacity of twelve thousand pounds of milk per day, and was buying and using twelve or fifteen hundred pounds for which the farmers were paid a cent per pound.¹⁶

H.W. Tiemeier bought the creamery within a few years and hired men to operate it. The procedure consisted of the farmer bringing in whole milk, which was separated into skim milk and cream by a mechan­ical separator. The skim milk was returned to the farmer, and the cream kept for butter or returned to the farmer. The creamery also shipped out butter by rail.¹⁷

A few more persons moved into the Lincolnville area around the turn of the century. One resident estimated that three hundred persons lived in Lincolnville itself. The Lincolnville Lance listed sev eral local businesses in its issues in 1907. They were: Lincolnville State Bank; Lincolnville Lumber man­aged by H.A Kobel; O.H. Meyer, blacksmith; Grant Meyer, drug store; LeRoy Smith, painter and paper hanger; H.W. Tiemeier & Son, clothing and groceries; C.W. Ford, dray transfer; Fred Schambron, livery and feed stable; H.A. Pagenkopf, barber and hairdresser; J.L. Zumsteg, Sunflower Hotel; J.J. Lawrence, real estate, insurance, loans; Reuben Gilbert, undertaker; Kieferlie and Williams, hammocks, ice cream freezers, harness; H.H. Poppe, agent for Continental Creamery; and Lincolnville Lance. The Lance moved to Marion in 1908 and became the Marion Review.¹⁸

Of the above businesses, the lumber company and cream station were located in west side Lincoln­ville which was better known then as "Peabody" be­cause several Peabody men had investments in land and buildings there. Among them was Thomas Potter, who was the trustee for the Golden Belt Town Com pany. Later, when the Poppe family owned or oper ated businesses there, it gradually became known as "Poppe town." Also in "Poppe town" were Dad Borges barbershop, Henry Otte's blacksmith and ma­chine shop (1913-1961), a grocery store, the Als baugh boarding house, and the Rock Island Hotel built in 1904 by Theodore Milts.¹⁹

Also located there was the first grain elevator which was operated (but not owned) by H.H. Poppe, Sr., beginning in the 1890's. A horse, sometimes rid­den by his young daughter, walked around and around in circles pulling the sweep which in turn ele­vated the grain. This elevator later burned down. The second elevator was built on the site of the first in 1906-1907. Ernst Lewerenz bought it in 1909 and sold it in 1916 to the Farmers Union Co-Op Associa tion. Since then a series of managers have operated it. Those serving the longest periods were Vince Kvan iska (1916-January 1937) and H.C. Hartke (1937-May 1954). In 1956 a large cement silo type elevator with a 150,000 bushel capacity was built. A 200,000 bushel addition was made in 1959. The Co-op also owns two fertilizer buildings and the lumber yard. (The lumber yard was in business from 1886-7 until December 1959.) Harvey Riffel has managed the Co-Op since September 15, 1970.²⁰

William Linn came from El Dorado around 1913 and managed the Bonds Hardware in east Lincolnville until he bought a grocery business from Henry Poppe, Sr. After the elder Linn died, his son continued to operate the business until August 1945, when he sold it to Albert Riffel. Riffel moved his grocery business in 1951 to a location across from the Pilsen State Bank. In 1959 he sold his stock, and the building was bought by A.C. Lewerenz.²¹

Members of the Lewerenz family have been in business for many years in Lincolnville. Ernst Lewerenz had owned an elevator in town from 1909 to 1916. The following year, 1917, he opened a hard­ware store. In June 1926, Ernst's sons, Art, Erwin, and Vick became partners with their father. Art Lewerenz became manager of the Lincolnville hardware after Ernst's death, November 8, 1933. The store op­erations expanded to include buying and trading ma­chinery. When Art died in September 1965, six per­sons were employed in the Lincolnville store. The Lewerenz Hardware was sold to Maurice Pritz, November 1, 1966, and is presently called Pritz Repair and Supply.²²

In 1938, Walter Poppe and Robert Koch built a filling station in "Poppe Town." Walter sold it in 1940 to Robert and Emma Koch who operated both a filling station and tavern there until December 31, 1970.²³

Banks have  been  located in  both sections of town. The first was the one mentioned in the Lincolnville Star in 1887 and located on the west side. This was the bank which was sold to W.B. Welch of Cady, Ohio, in January 1898. The Lincolnville State Bank (east side) was chartered April 25, 1906 with H.W. Tiemeier, president, H.G. Wight, vice-president, and F.A. Smith, cashier. This bank experienced financial difficulties in the I920's and closed its doors in 1932. The third bank in Lincolnville was opened by Tom Spachek and his son John in February 1944, and called the Pilsen State Bank of Lincolnville. In 1964 Tom died,  and John became manager. This bank is still operating in the east part of Lincolnville. Its officers are John Spachek, manager; Otto Lehman, president; Robert Spachek, vice-president; John Spachek, cashier; Gladys Fensker, assistant cashier; Irene Miller, assistant cashier. The directors of the State Bank in Lincolnville are Mary Spachek, Otto Lehman, Emma Lewerenz, Mr. & Mrs. John Spacheck and Robert Spacheck.²⁴

The first lumber yard was located one block west of the Rock Island tracks. It was built in 1886 or 1887, and managed by J.E. Stewart. After he left, Archie Smith used the building at the yard for an office and carpenter shop. The second, the Lincolnville Lumber Company, was closer to the railroad tracks and began business around the 1900's. In 1910, E.R. Burkholder of McPherson, Kansas, purchased the lumber yard from A.R. Means, its owner. H.A. Kobel, Jacob Barret and R.C. Westbrook managed the yard for the next few years. R.C. Westbrook operated the yard from 1926 until December 1959, when the lumber yard was closed and the stock sold.²⁵

Barbers have been cutting men's hair and selling shaves in Lincolnville for at least seventy years. The barbers have been H.A. Pagenkopf and Dad Borges, Jake Riffel, Henry Lemoine (1929-1969) and at pre­sent, Keneth Rindt Lemoine remembered when hair cuts were only 35 cents during the 1930's. Because of the financial depression his customers had little cash and paid him with produce - eggs, meat, butter, and milk. One pig from Godfrey Riffel was good for eight shaves.²⁶

Esther Lemoine, Henry's wife, opened a beauty shop in the late 1930's. Rose Olive Schlender, now Mrs. Roy Hett, was Esther Lemoine's first beauty operator. Naomi Christiansen opened a beauty shop later. For several years Fern Hayward, and now Mrs. John Bachhus have operated the beauty shop in Lincolnville.²⁷

Lincolnville's first physician was more than likely Dr. Werthner who was mentioned in the Marion Record, January 4, 1889. Others who followed him were Dr. F.M. Shirk, Dr. Grant Meyer, Dr. Hays, Dr. Smith and Dr. J.W. DeMand. Prior to coming to Lincolnville in 1914, Dr. DeMand had done graduate medical work in Berlin, Germany. During his half century of practice in Lincolnville, Dr. DeMand won the respect and love of his chosen community. His death in 1963 brought to a close medical doctors practicing at Lincolnville.²⁸

A number of other persons have been engaged in various businesses and professions in Lincolnville. Some of those not mentioned previously were: Otto Meyer, blacksmith; James Buckly, cafe; John Sill, general merchandise; William Lietz, undertaker; Bud Pierce, filling station; Frank Monroe, Rudolph Albrecht and F.C. Stinchcomb, grocery store; and August Tiemeier, grocery and meat market.

The present Lincolnville businesses are: Barber­shop, Kenny Rindt; Beauty shops, Mrs. Henry Lem&ffie and Mrs. John Backkus; T.V. and Repair Shop, Charles Cheever; Marion County Co-op Filling Station since March 1972; Standard Station, Alvin (Shorty) Kahn since 1956; Farmers Union Co-op. Elevator, Harvey Riffel, manager; Blacksmith and Machine Shop since 1925, Ralph Meyer; Pilseo State Bank, Otto Lehman president; Pritz Repair and Supply, Maurice Pritz; Truck Garage & Repairs, Mike Ash; Auctioneer, Ted Haefner; Tiemeier Grocery and Dry Goods, Edgar Tiemeier manager; Lehman Insurance Agency, Otto Lehman; Lincolnville Cafe, Louise Weathers; Pritz Fiber Glass Service, run by Edwin Suffield; Recreation Parlor, owned by Edgar Tiemeier; and Arnold Riffel Liquor Store.²⁸

Telephone

Lincolnville had a four-plug telephone switchboard constructed in 1905 by Joe Westbrook who installed it in the upstairs of Henry Tiemeier's store. The switchboard was moved to Joe Westbrook's and he operated it for several years. It was, however, relocated several times since. Just before Lincolnville be­came affiliated with the Tri-County Telephone Asso­ciation, Inc., the telephone switchboard was in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Walt Kaiser for seventeen years, 1948-1965, when Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Smith suc­ceeded as operators, staying until 1969 when the handplug system was terminated.²⁹

City Organization and Business

Lincolnville was incorporated as a third class city February 16, 1910. S.A. Pearsall was elected the first mayor (and served until August 14, 1917), F.A. Smith was the city clerk.³⁰

City income was derived from taxes, which aver­aged 2 1/2 to 3 mills during the first twenty years, and occupation taxes and peddlars licenses. The money was spent mostly on grading streets, constructing footwalks or sidewalks and other minor improve­ments during the early years. Town streets were paved in 1952. A sewer and disposal plant were in operation by 1961. In 1930, C.A. Nicol, was the first to supply natural gas to the town's residents. Greely Gas Co. now has that franchise.³¹

John Pospisil was the first to supply electricity in Lincolnville as early as 1908. His small electrical plant, powered with a gasoline motor, supplied elec­tricity to business firms east of the plant. In 1916, the city contracted with the Riverside Light, Power and Gas Company to furnish electric current and street lighting. Later the Kansas Power and Light Company had the franchise to supply light and power to Lincolnville.³²

Land for the City Park was willed to the city by H.W.  Tiemeier.  It  became  city  property  after his death in 1913. A building housing fire equipment is located in the park.

Lincolnville and Clear Creek Township jointly support a volunteer fire department. It is composed of a fire chief, ten volunteers and two motorized units.³³

Post Office

Before anyone was officially appointed to handle mail in Lincolnville, the area was served by various riders who carried mail from Junction City, or Emporia or Cottonwood Falls to Marion. The first person to be appointed postmaster in the Lincolnville vicinity was Thomas J. Wise, Jr. He received his appointment December 31, 1868. The first postmaster in the town of Lincolnville was David Lucas (1869-1873), He was followed by Daniel Sill (1873-1881).³⁴

Postmasters who have served for many years include: Frank Munroe from 1904 until 1925, and Erwin Lewerenz, 1934 to 1971. Harold Triggs, Florence, was officer in charge of Lincolnville postoffice from May 1971 until his appointment as postmaster in January 1972. Rural mail service began in the area in 1904 with Sam Grindstaff as the first rural postman. He traveled his route by horse, or horse and buggy. Later, when he bought a car, he felt unsafe traveling at the speed of 10 miles per hour, and pre­ferred horseback. Fred Stinchcomb served as rural mail carrier for twenty-eight years, 1918-1946. The well liked, reliable Roland Fenske carried mail from 1945 until June 2, 1969, at which time he died sud­denly from a heart attack. Wilbur Melcher carries the mail on the rural route in 1972.³⁵

The Forty-year Feud

It is said that the feud began over the issue of where to locate the post office in 1887. Those on the west side of the Rock Island track wanted it on the west side; the east-siders wanted it on their side of town. A vote by the citizens gave it to the east side.³⁶ J. Werthner, Lincolnville resident, wrote about the feud in 1907, saying:

Small as the town is, there are two parts of it, the railway being the dividing line, and each of these parts claims to be the principal one. The east side, being the older, turns up its nose at the upstart pretentions of the west, while the latter sneer at the mossbackism of the east; just as is the case in this beloved United States of ours.³⁷

With the changing economic conditions and the pass­ing of the years the feud has become merely an interesting episode in Lincolnville history.

Fires

 
Two fires occurred in 1924, one on March 4, and the worst on September 4. The latter fire burned nearly an entire block of businesses and appeared to have been started on purpose. Buildings destroyed included the H.J. Tiemeier store, the August Tiemeier grocery and meat market, Reuben Gilbert's furniture and undertaking establishment, and Frank Monroe's soda fountain and confectionary.³⁸

Tornado

A tornado carved a twenty-mile swath through northern Marion County, August 25, 1941, striking hard near Lincolnville and in the town itself. The William Krause and Gustav Nelson houses, northeast of town were destroyed. Many farmers in the vicinity suffered losses of livestock and damages from the high winds. Lincolnville business buildings had awn­ings broken off and windows shattered. Debris cover­ed the sidewalks in front of the buildings.³⁹ Debris was soon cleared away, and the buildings, were quick­ly repaired. In fact, merchants of Lincolnville con­tinued to conduct business as usual while their build­ings underwent repairs.

Typhoid Epidemic

A typhoid epidemic struck Lincolnville in 1893-1894, killing Tille Gilbert, and two sisters and two cousins of Ella Gilbert Steely. Ella Steely con­tracted the disease and lived but was left with poor hearing thereafter.⁴⁰

The local American Legion Post is named in honor of the memory of Reuben Gilbert who was the "first Marion county soldier to lose his life in World War I," and Orville Poppe who was killed in World War II.⁴¹ The American Legion Auxiliary is an active organization in Lincolnville since the 1940's.

In October 1970, Walter Lammert, son of Rev. and Mrs. Fred Lammert, became Lincolnville's first Eagle Scout through the Marion Explorer Post 102, of which he is a member.

The Lincolnville Wide Awake 4-H Club, organ­ized March 4, 1958, has become increasingly active through the years. A wide variety of interests have been developed through participation in various proj­ects, including community service, parties, and partic­ipation in county and state fairs.

Extension Home Makers Units, the Friendly Unit, organized in 1925, and Town and Country Unit, organized in 1962, contribute much to community service and activities of all kinds.⁴²

Schools

The Lincolnville school district was the seventh to be organized in Marion County, and this took place in 1873. A two-room rock school-house was built in 1873 for the grade school pupils. The first high school was organized in 1899 with nine pupils enrolled. Not until 1912 did this become a four-year high school. Eighteen pupils were enrolled that year. In 1909, the two-room rock school house was razed and the rock crushed for the use in the foundation of the new rock grade school erected on the same site. In 1926, a brick addition for both grade and high school students was added. There were seventy-five students in the Lincolnville system in 1940. After World War II, Lincolnville District #7 absorbed stu­dents from East Creek #43 and Oliver #76. Other students in later years came to Lincolnville because of the consolidation movement in Marion County.⁴³ After Centre was built in 1960, Lincolnville students attended high school there. The grade school was maintained until the fall of 1967, then students at­tended the consolidated school at Lost Springs, called Central Elementary. Kindergarten classes started in 1966. Students attend at both, Lost Springs and Pil­sen. In the fall of 1971, seventh and eighth grade students began attending classes at Centre High.⁴⁴

For many years Lincolnville had a parochial school. It was organized on August 19, 1877, by the St. John's Lutheran Church and located a mile and one-half northeast of Lincolnville. Ernest Mueller was the first teacher at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran School. The school was held in their rural old church until 1894 when the building was moved to Lincolnville and classes were continued in it until 1910, when a new brick building was erected, still being used in 1972. In the 1930's the average enrollment was forty pupils in grades one through eight. In addition to the regular school curriculum, students received one hour of religious training each day. The church financed the school and the course of study was under the direction of the Marion County Superintendent of Schools.⁴⁵ This school was discontinued in 1950, but Lutheran children in grades three to eight can still attend religion classes each Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at St. John's Lutheran School during the school year, September through April.⁴⁶

Churches St. John's Lutheran The few settlers in the Lincolnville vicinity in the late 1860's and early 1870's held religious services either in homes or the schoolhouse. However, there were no regular Christian services held until St. John's Lutheran Church was organized in 1877. Thereafter regular services were held in various homes until 1886 when the first church, located one and one-half miles northeast of Lincolnville, was completed and dedi­cated. A cemetery was adjacent. At a meeting held January 31, 1894, a very close vote - 22 for and 21 against - ruled that the congregation's meeting place be moved to Lincolnville. A second church was built for S2,000 in 1894. The old church building was moved to town and provided space for St. John's Evangelical School. By 1923, the congregation had outgrown the church building and made arrangements to build a new church. It was completed in May 1925 at the cost of $44,000. Men's, women's and youth groups have been active within the church through the years. Present membership is 339. The Rev. Fred R. Lammert has been pastor since January 21, 1968. Other ministers have been: Ernest Mueller, A. Grambauer, George Haefner, Martin Senne, E.J. Dierker, K.J. Karstensen, Fred Wegener, Andrew Saho, Rich­ard E. Hasz, A.F. Rehder, and Rev. Wehmeier.⁴⁷

United Methodist Church (EUB)

The Zion United Evangelical Church was organized early in Lincolnville history. Daniel Sill, who had come to Lincolnville in 1871, was a minister himself and guided the organization of this church. Prayer meetings were held in his house and later in the school house. In 1870, Lincolnville was a part of the Marion Mission and had the Rev. C.T. Erffmeyer serving in Marion, Youngtown and Lincolnville Evangelical churches.⁴⁸

Land for the Evangelical church belonged originally to Daniel Sill. The first church building was dedicated in November 1887. Pastor D.F. Honstedt wrote in the Lincolnville Star, October 29, 1887, that Bishop Esher of Chicago would officiate, ". . . by the assistance of the kind people of this place and of Marion, we have been enabled to build one of the finest churches in the county." He also announced that after the regular 11 a.m. service, the Bishop, at 3 p.m. would deliver a sermon in the German language, hoping to draw a large number of German-speaking people to the dedication day ceremonies.

For awhile there was some rivalry and envy between the St. John's Lutheran Church and the Evan­gelical United.Brethren Church. Each tried to outdo the other in activities. However, contemporary J. Werthner saw little harm in this. He wrote in 1907:

So we have competitive Sunday schools, picnics, socials and sewing circles, but since all these tend toward good ends, it may be that these strenuous efforts to excel, result in achieving greater success in the aim of the church general than would be attained with luke-warm memberships lacking the stimulus of interest arousing competition. ⁴⁹

Many years later, when the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist churches united nationwide, the Lincolnville E.U.B. church became known as the United Methodist Church. A school house was annexed to this church in 1960. The parsonage built in 1908 was sold in 1968 and moved away. In 1968, they also received members from the Tampa Evangelical Church which had been forced to disband because of its declining membership. In Lincolnville, youth and women's groups have been active in the church. Membership, as of April 1 1971, was seventy-one. Their present minister is the Rev, Loren E. Marler. Ministers in previous years included, R.N. Becker, C.H. Taylor, S.C. Boweell, F.W. West, W.A. Smith, Sherman Emer

ick, H.L. Price, C.F. Wigansall, G.W. Gilbert, D.F, Homstead, Arthur Mastcn, D.l. Miller, M.D. Landas, Carol Werner, G.I. Benton, W.G. Husher, F.E. Wendland, Marvin Bower, Robert Walter, Frank Bushman, Merle Bloom, Hans Rasdorf, David Nightingale, Henry Brooks, Jake Penner, John Paulen.⁵⁰

Two other churches, a Methodist and a Christian, were organized in Lincolnville in the 1880's and 1890's. The Methodist Church was dedicated in 1909. The church building was moved to Antelope in 1928. The Christian Church, organized around 1887, was later moved to Lost Springs.⁵¹

Summary - Present

It was reported that Lincolnville had approximately three hundred residents in 1907. Three hun­dred and eleven were reported in 1922 and only two hundred-twenty-cight in 1942. Since then the population has increased and has remained between two hundred sixty-one and two hundred seventy-seven for the past ten years, (1962-1971)

Lincolnville, like several other small towns in Marion County, has become largely a home for retired farmers who enjoy the conveniences of living in town while continuing to enjoy visiting with their friends and neighbors of many years.

Footnotes

1.   Marion County Record, December 13,1875.

2.   Bureau of Unci Management, Kansas Tract Book, Roll 1 (Washington, D.C, 1956).

3.   Marion Review, September 15, 1937. The Hartkes were members of St. John's Lutheran Church.

4.     Marion County Commissioners. Journal, Vol. 1 (July 4,1867), p. 44.

5.     J. Nealc Carmen, "German Settlements Along the Santa Fe," Kansas Historical Quarterly, 28 (Autumn. 1962), p. 312; Mrs. Ruth Ann Carlson, Lincolnville, 1971.

6.     Register of Deeds, Marion County, Plat Book 1, p. 23; Deed Book L, page 375.

7.     Register of Deeds, Plat Book 2. p. 31; Deed Book 30 pp. 429 and 495.

8.     Secretary of State of Kansas, Corporations, Vol. 21, p. 400. Golden Belt was the largest of the several town companies buying townsites in Marion County.

9.     Register of Deeds, Plat Book 2, p. 7,

10.   County Commissioners, Record of Proceedings, Vol. V (November 5,  1886) pp. 372-373, and (December 10, 1886), p. 411. Mrs. Ruth Ann Carlson, Lincolnville, says. that construction had begun on this railroad, i.e. grading and a bridge built. Evidence of this work exists today northwest of Lincolnville.

11.     Mrs. Carlson, Lincolnville.

12.     Lincolnville Star, July 23, 1887 and July 30, 1887.

13.     The Lincolnville Star was printed from July 16, 1887 until November 19, 1887. From History of Kansas Newspapers, compiled by the Kansas State Historical Society and Department of Archives (Topeka: Kansas State Printing Plant, 1916), p. 235.

14.     Lincolnville Star, July 23, and July 30, 1887.

15.     Marion Record-Review, September 29, 1955; Mrs. Carlson, Lin­colnville.

16.   Marion Record, December 21, 1888, and January 4, 1889. Typewritten copies,

17.     Mrs. Ruth Ann Carlson, "Lincolnville," 1965.

18.     Lincolnville Lance, June 28 - December 27,1907.

19.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

20.     Carlson, Lincolnville, and Marion Record-Review, March 21,1957.

21.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

22.     Carlson, Lincolnville.
23.   Carlson, Lincolnville.

24.     Kansas Bank Commissioner, 8th Biennial Report, September 1, 1906. (Topeka, Kansas); Carlson, "Lincolnville," 1965 and 1971.

25.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

26.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

27.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

28.  Marion Record, January 4, 1889, typed copy; Carlson. Lincolnville.

29.     Carlson, Lincolnville. Emma Koch and Naomi Tilton were "cen­tral" for nine and ten years, respectively.

30.     Lincolnville City Ordinance book.

31.     Lincolnville City Ordinance book, Ordinances #22 (November 13, 1923), and #30 (February, 1928); #118 (October 29, 1958); #127 (1959) and #131.

32.     Lincolnville City Ordinances #21 (June 1916); #100 (March, 1948); #140 (February, 1966); Carlson, "Lincolnville," 1965.

33.     Marion County Regional Planning Commission with technical assistance of Oblinger-Smith Corporation, "Marion County Water and Sewer Plan" Wichita, Kansas, 1971, p. 58.

34.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

35.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

36.     Carlson, "Linconvillc," 1965.

37.     "Lincolnville - That Does not Permit Any Criticism," Topeka Capital, October, 1907.

38.     Carlson, "Lincolnville," 1965.

39.     Marion Review, August 27, 1941. Photographs show the amount of damage done.

40.     Carlson, "Lincolnville."

41.     Marion Record-Review, September 29, 1955. The article is by Jane Rupp.

42.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

43.     Wilma Stewart Stallwitz, "Early Schools of Marion County, Kansas," 1960, p. 5; N.A.Cassidy, "Educational Development in Mar­ion County," (Unpublished Masters' Thesis, Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia, June, 1941.), p. 50.

44.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

45.     Cassidy, "Educational Development," p. 34. He obtained his infor­mation from A.H. Bierbaum, teacher in 1941, and from examina­tion of school records.

46.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

47.     Carlson, Lincolnville.

48.     Carlson, "Lincolnville," 1965; Jane C. Rupp, "Zion United Evangelical Church, Lincolnville, Kansas." (no date given)

49.     Topeka Capital, October 2, 1907

50.     Mrs. Ruth Ann Carlson, Letter to Sondra Van Meter, April 30, 1971.

51.     Carlson, Lincolnville.