Silkville, Kansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silkville
Silkville's school
Location Williamsburg Township, Franklin County, Kansas
Nearest city Williamsburg, Kansas
Coordinates 38°27′00″N 95°29′21″W / 38.45000°N 95.48917°W / 38.45000; -95.48917Coordinates: 38°27′00″N 95°29′21″W / 38.45000°N 95.48917°W / 38.45000; -95.48917
Area 6 acres (2.4 ha)
Built 1870
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 72000504[1]
Added to NRHP December 15, 1972

Silkville is a ghost town in Williamsburg Township, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. Its elevation is 1,161 feet (354 m), and it is located at 38°27′0″N 95°29′21″W / 38.45000°N 95.48917°W / 38.45000; -95.48917 (38.4500149, -95.4891477),[2] along U.S. Route 50 southwest of Williamsburg.[3]

Established in 1870 by Frenchman Ernest de Boissiere, it was intended to be a utopian commune. Although the community initially prospered through silk farming, many members left to join mainstream society,[4]:2 and Valeton led his people into dairy and livestock production. When this failed, the community dispersed, and the property was given to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Financial reasons compelled the Order to give up the property, and after a long court battle, it passed into the hands of lawyers from Topeka.[4]:5

Today, little remains of Silkville. Many buildings were destroyed by a 1916 fire, and only three stone buildings survive.[4]:5 In 1972, these buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places under the name of "Silkville," because of their significance in the history of Kansas.[1] The aspects of the community seen as most significant historically were its nature as an intentional community and its practice of sericulture.[4]:5

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silkville, Kansas
  3. ↑ DeLorme. Kansas Atlas & Gazetteer. 4th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2009, 52. ISBN 0-89933-342-7.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Pankratz, Richard. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Silkville. National Park Service, 1972-05-15. Accessed 2010-01-31.

Further reading

  • "Mons. E.V. Boissiere's Silk Factory — A Magnificent Enterprise". Ottawa Journal, 1871-06-01.
  • Nordhoff, Charles. The Communistic Societies of the United States. New York: Harper, 1875, 375-382.
Topics
Lists by states
Lists by insular areas
Lists by associated states
Other areas
  • Category
  • Portal
  • WikiProject
Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Kansas, United States
Cities
Townships
Unincorporated
communities
  • Centropolis
  • Homewood
  • Imes
  • LeLoup
  • Norwood
  • Peoria
  • Ransomville
  • Richter
Ghost town
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.