History of Atchison County, Kansas. Sheffield Ingalls
Utah, Oregon and California would pass. After they had settled with George Million, the first known white settler of the territory, and attended to other unimportant preliminaries Dr. J. H. Stringfellow made a claim just north of the Million claim, and with Ira Norris, James T. Darnell, Leonidas Oldham, James B. Martin, George Million and Samuel Dickson, agreed to form a town company, and they received into their organization David R. Atchison, Elijah Green, E. H. Norton, Peter T. Abell, B. F. Stringfellow, Lewis Burnes, Daniel D. Burnes, James N. Burnes, Calvin F. Burnes and Stephen Johnson. A week later these men gathered under a large cottonwood tree, near Atchison street, on the river, and organized by electing Peter T. Abell, president; Dr. J. H. Stringfellow, secretary, and Col. James N. Burnes, treasurer. Peter T. Abell, president of the town company, was an able lawyer, and a Southern man, with pronounced views on the question of slavery. But he was a man of judgment, and a natural boomer. He was a very large man, being over six feet tall and weighed almost 300 pounds. When he became president of the town company he was a resident of Weston, Mo., and lived there until a year after Atchison had been surveyed. Subsequently, Senator Atchison assigned his interests in the town company to his nephew, James Headley, who afterwards became one of the leading lawyers of the town. Jesse Morris also became a member.
The town company, having been regularly organized, the townsite was divided into 100 shares. Each of its members retained five shares; the balance of thirty being held for general distribution. Abell, B. F. Stringfellow and all of the Burnes brothers were received as two parties. Henry Kuhn, a surveyor, surveyed 480 acres, which comprised the original townsite. Mr. Kuhn and his son returned to Atchison forty-five years later, and for a short time ran the Atchison Champion. On September 21, the first sale of town lots was held, amidst great excitement and general interest. It was a gathering which had both political and business significance. Senator Atchison, from Missouri, with a large number of his constituents, was there, and Atchison made a speech, in which one reporter quotes him as having said:
“People of every quarter should be welcome to the Territory, and treated with civility as long as they showed themselves peaceable men.”
A View in Commercial Street. Looking East, Atchison, Kansas
Someone in the crowd called out, “What shall we do with those who run off with our negroes?” “Hang ’em,” cried a voice in the crowd. To this Mr. Atchison replied, “No, I would not hang them, but I would get them out of the Territory, get rid of them.” One version of the speech was to the effect that Senator Atchison answered his questioners by saying, “By G—d, sir, hang every abolitionist you find in the Territory.” But the best account of the meeting was printed in a Parkville, Mo., newspaper, and was reported by an eye witness, who said:
“We arrived at Atchison in the forenoon. Among the company was our distinguished senator, in honor of whom the new city was named. There was a large assemblage on the ground, with plenty of tables set for dinner, where the crowd could be accommodated with bacon and bread, and a drink at the branch, at fifty cents a head. The survey of the town had just been completed the evening before. Stockholders held a meeting, to arrange particulars of sale, and afterwards, as had been previously announced, General Atchison mounted an old wagon and made a speech. He commenced by mentioning the bountiful country that was beginning to be settled; to some of the circumstances under which a territorial government was organized, and in the course of his remarks, mentioned how Douglass came to introduce the Nebraska bill, with a repeal clause in it. He told of how Judge Douglass requested twenty-four hours in which to consider the question of introducing a bill for Nebraska, like the one he had promised to vote for, and said that if, at the expiration of that time, he could not introduce such a bill, which would not at the same time accord with his own sense of right and justice to the South, he would resign as chairman of the territorial committee, and Democratic caucus, and exert his influence to get Atchison appointed. At the expiration of the given time, Judge Douglass signified his intention to report such a bill.
“General Atchison next spoke of those who had supported and those who had opposed the bill in the Senate, and ended by saying that the American people loved honesty and could appreciate the acts of a man who openly and above-board voted according to the will of his constituents, without political regard or favor. He expressed his profound contempt for abolitionists, and said if he had his way he would hang everyone of them that dared to show his face, but he knew that Northern men settling in the Territory were sensible and honest, and that the right feeling men among them would be as far from stealing a negro as a Southern man would.
“When Senator Atchison concluded his remarks, the sale of town lots began, and thirty-four were sold that afternoon, at an average of $63.00 each. Most of those that were sold were some distance back from the river, and speculators were not present, so far as it could be determined, and lots that were sold were bought mostly by owners of the town. Prices ranged from $35.00 to $200.00.”
At this meeting the projects of building a hotel and establishing a newspaper were discussed, and as a result, each of the original 100 shares was assessed $25.00, and in the following spring the National Hotel, corner of Second and Atchison streets, was built. Dr. J. H. Stringfellow and Robert S. Kelley received a donation of $400.00 from the town company, to buy a printing office and in February, 1855, the Squatter Sovereign, which subsequently did so much for the pro-slavery cause, was born.
The town company required each settler to build a house at least sixteen feet square upon his lot, so that when the survey was made in 1855 many found themselves upon school lands. Among those who put up homes in 1854 and 1855 were James T. Darnell, Archibald Elliott, Thomas J. C. Duncan, Andrew W. Pebler, R. S. Kelley, F. B. Wilson, Henry Kline and William Hassett. The titles to the lands owned by these residents remained unsettled until 1857, when titles to all lands within the townsite and open to settlement were acquired from the federal government, and subsequently the title to school lands was secured by patents from the Territory, and in this way the town company secured a clear title to all lands which they had heretofore conveyed, and re-conveyed the same to the settlers and purchasers. Dr. J. H. Stringfellow, proprietor of North Atchison, an addition to the city of Atchison, employed J. J. Pratt to survey that addition in October, 1857. It consisted of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 36, township 5, range 20. Samuel Dickson, who was the proprietor of South Atchison, had that addition platted in May, 1858, and John Roberts, who was the proprietor of West Atchison, had his addition surveyed in February, 1858, a few months before Samuel Dickson surveyed South Atchison. C. L. Challiss’ addition was surveyed about the same time. Other additions to the corporate limits of Atchison have been made, and are as follows: Branchton, Bird’s addition, Brandner’s addition, Bakewell Heights, Batiste addition, Florence Park, Forest Park, Goodhue Place, Garfield Park, Highland Park, Home Place, Howard Heights, LaGrande addition, Lincoln Park, Llewellyn Heights, Lutheran Church addition, Mapleton Place, Merkles addition, Parker’s addition, Park Place, Price Villa addition, River View addition, Spring Garden, Style’s addition, Bellvue Heights, and Talbott & Company’s addition.
Atchison was incorporated as a town by act of the Territorial legislature, August 30, 1855, but it was not incorporated as a city until February 12, 1858, after which the charter was approved by the people by special election, March 2, 1858. In the fall of 1856, Atchison had obtained a great many advantages over other towns along the river, by a judicious system of advertising. The Squatter Sovereign printed a circular November 22, 1856, which was scattered broadcast. The circular was as follows:
“To the public, generally, but particularly to those persons living north of the Kansas river, in Kansas Territory:
“It is well known to many, and should be to all interested, that the town of Atchison is nearer to most persons living north of the Kansas river, than any other point on the Missouri river. The country, too, south of the Kansas river above Lecompton, is also as near Atchison as any other Missouri river town. The roads to Atchison in every direction are very fine, and always in good repair for wagon and other modes of travel. The country opposite Atchison is not excelled by any section of Missouri, it being portions of Buchanan and Platte counties, in a high state of cultivation, and at a considerable distance from any important town in Missouri, making grain, fruit, provisions and all kinds of