Big Springs, Kansas

Big Springs, Kansas
Unincorporated community
Big Springs along Highway 40 Big Springs along Highway 40
Big Springs, Kansas
Coordinates: 39°00′47″N 95°29′06″W / 39.01306°N 95.48500°W / 39.01306; -95.48500Coordinates: 39°00′47″N 95°29′06″W / 39.01306°N 95.48500°W / 39.01306; -95.48500
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Douglas
Elevation	1,102 ft (336 m)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	785
GNIS feature ID	484942^[1]

Big Springs is an unincorporated community in western Douglas County, Kansas, United States. Today it has a water tower, tool shop, church and a fire station that is part of the Lecompton Township Fire Dist. 1. Its mailing address is Lecompton. It is part of USD 450 Shawnee Heights School District in Tecumseh. US Highway 40 runs through the town. In 2010, a building on the east side of town caught fire, leaving a restricted area of charred rubble.

History

Big Springs was founded in the fall of 1854 and is the oldest settlement in Douglas County. The town was founded by William Harper and John Chamberlain but had always been a popular watering hole along the Oregon Trail. On September 5, 1855, Big Springs was home to a free-state convention in which determined men vowed to give their lives to defend their homes from border ruffians from Missouri. The first sermon was preached in 1855 by Reverend W.A. Cardwell in the log home of Ephraim Banning. The first church was built a year later. Also in 1856, the first post office was established, as well as the first schooling took place then in the town hall. The post office was lost in 1903. The population did not grow, but hovered around 40 people, as there was no railroad running through the town.

References

v t e Municipalities and communities of Douglas County, Kansas, United States

County seat: Lawrence

Cities	Baldwin City Eudora Lawrence Lecompton

Townships	Clinton Eudora Grant Kanwaka Lecompton Marion Palmyra Wakarusa Willow Springs

Unincorporated communities	Big Springs Clearfield Clinton Globe Grover Hesper Kanwaka Lake View Lone Star Midland Pleasant Grove Sibleyville Stull Vinland Worden

Ghost towns	Prairie City Twin Mound

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Big Springs, Kansas