Virtual Walking Tours of Historic Baldwin City, Kansas and vicinity

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Tour A - Walking Tour of Baldwin City, Kansas

Parking is available in the lot on the southeast corner of Fremont and 6th Streets, next to Collins Sports and Convention Center. Walk east to 5th Street and a half block north to Old Castle Complex to begin the tour. You may continue west on High Street to the depot or east through the business district to return to the parking lot.

Palmyra Post Office. The Palmyra Post Office and Blood's Grocery, 1857 - 1862, served travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and the community of Palmyra, forerunner of Baldwin.
Old Castle Museum. The three-story native sandstone Castle, first home of Baker University, built in 1857, now houses a museum of the University and Baldwin City.
Kibbee Cabin. This is a reproduction of the log cabin in which a group of Methodist ministers formed Baker University. The floor and many of the furnishings are from the original cabin.
Sullivan House Site. The house was located here until 1980, then moved to the east end of High Street south of Highway 56. It was built in 1863 by Perry Fuller, Indian superintendent. Lucy Sweet Sullivan, first woman mayor, and many Baker presidents resided here.

John Baldwin Grist Mill. A saw and grist mill was built on this site in 1857 by John Baldwin. Baldwin came to Kansas from Berea, Ohio.

School for the Deaf. Philip A. Emery founded the School for the Deaf in 1861 in a house on this site. Classes were held in the two downstairs rooms. Teachers and students shared the attic to sleep.

Women's Bridge. Tired of their skirts getting dirty on the path from town to the depot, this bridge, sidewalks and curbing were constructed in 1890 during the one-year term of Lucy Sweet Sullivan and her all-women council.
Santa Fe Depot. Built in 1906 to serve Kansas' first railroad south of the Kansas River, the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Fort Gibson, the depot is on the National Register of Historic Places and belongs to the Santa Fe Historical Society. Train rides are available.
Business Block. The center of town, looking northwest.
Peoples State Bank. Now the town office building and city hall, this building and the lumber shed behind it appear little different today.
Baldwin State Bank. Although the bank is still on this corner, the hotel that was once upstairs is gone today. The road east heads toward Kansas City, a 40-minute drive today.
7th & High Street. Now the site of Baker University's Art Gallery, this corner building was formerly occupied by one of Baldwin's several mercantile shops.
Tri Delta House. Although the label on this turn-of-the-century photograph states this is Delta Tau Delta, this building was shown in Baker's 50th anniversary brochure in 1907 as Tri Delta.
Brick streets. Champion bricklayer, Oneida Indian Jim Garfield Brown completed laying bricks for High Street and around the Baker campus in 1926. It is said that he could lay bricks faster than eight men could bring them to him. He averaged four rows across High Street in two minutes and ten seconds.

Tour B - Walking Tour of Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas

Palmyra Post Office. The Palmyra Post Office and Blood's Grocery, 1857 - 1862, served travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and the community of Palmyra, forerunner of Baldwin.
Old Castle Museum. The three-story native sandstone Castle, first home of Baker University, built in 1857, now houses a museum of the University and Baldwin City.
Kibbee Cabin. This is a reproduction of the log cabin in which a group of Methodist ministers formed Baker University. The floor and many of the furnishings are from the original cabin.
Mulvane Science Hall. Built in 1925, this building is home to the science and math programs.
The Harter Union. Bookstore and grill are open to the public.

Hartley Plaza.

Parmenter Hall. This 1871 building is on the National Historic Register. Abraham Lincoln gave $100 gift toward its construction. The art gallery here is open to the public at posted times.

Fleming Pavilion.

Rice Auditorium and Owens Musical Arts Building serve the community and the theater and music programs..

Collins Library. The Quayle Collection of Rare Bibles - touted as one of the 10 best museums in Kansas - and the Methodist Historical Library are located in the Spencer Wing. The library also houses an ancient Chinese coin collection and an authentic 18th-century English castle room.

Case Hall. Built in 1904 as Baker's library, this classroom building is listed on the National Historic Register.
Constant Hall is Baker's administration building, housing in the first floor hall the Faculty Hall of Fame..

First United Methodist Church. This was the largest church in Kansas when it was built. It was replaced by larger buildings twice since then.
Mabee Memorial Hall. Constructed in 1908, President William Taft delivered a speech on world peace here. After a fire destroyed the building in 1947 it was restored as Memorial Hall to honor WWII veterans.

Collins Sports and Convention Center. This athletic facility includes an Athletic Hall of Fame and memorabilia from Baker's early days as a founding member of the NAIA.
Osborne Chapel. Moved here from England in 1996, this small chapel has been restored to its ancient beauty.
Centenary Hall was a turn-of-the-century landmark at Baker University. Here is another photograph which I assume includes the Class of 1908.

Tour C - Driving or cycling tour of Douglas County, Kansas

Parking is available at Baldwin High School. Begin the tour by driving south on Eisenhower from the High School to the Palmyra Town Site marker.

Palmyra Town Site. The town consisted of a harness shop, subscription school, wagon repair shop, blacksmith, hotel, lawyer, drug store, dry goods store, grocery, post office, two doctors, and a tavern on 320 acres. Palmyra served travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1858 the town purchased land to the south and donated it to establish Baker University and the City of Baldwin.

Santa Fe Trail Marker. This marker was erected by the D. A. R. to mark the Santa Fe Trail.

Santa Fe Trail Well. Used during the days of the Santa Fe Trail this well replenished water supplies on the trek west.

Blacksmith Shop. This is the location of one of the three blacksmith shops in Palmyra that served the Santa Fe Trail.

Dr. Still Home Site. One of the founders of Palmyra, Dr. Still is the father of Osteopathic medicine. He, with his brother, contributed 480 acres that would become Baker University and Baldwin City.

Signal Oak. Lanterns hung by night and flags by day were hung in this tree to warn settlers to the north of approaching border ruffians during the Border War days in Kansas.

Kibbee Cabin. This is the site at which Methodist ministers met to establish Baker University. A reproduction of the cabin is located at Old Castle Complex on the Baker campus in Baldwin City.
Dr. Simmons Home Site. A Palmyra physician, he mortgaged his home in 1873 to save Baker University from a sheriff's sale.

Ivan L. Boyd Woods. Named after a Baker University biology professor, this 35 acres is used by students for biological study.

Boy Scout Campground.

Douglas County Lake. This 200 acre lake is used primarily for fishing, camping, and sailboating.

Coleman's Dell. Mystery surrounds the legends of the death of Frank Coleman. Whether he was murdered over a claim dispute or a miner protecting his gold, legend says he died in a cave when it collapsed at this site.