Netawaka to celebrate 150th birthday
The town of Netawaka will commemorate its 150th year with a weekend of celebration May 28 and 29.
Founded in 1866 and located in northern Jackson County, Netawaka’s estimated population is 143.
Current and past residents are invited to come together to celebrate the town’s history with a variety of activities that weekend, including a talent show, parade, alumni banquet and dance.
Activities will be held at the Netawaka City Park and Netawaka Fitness Center that weekend. The celebration will kick off that Saturday with games in the park at 10 a.m., including a horseshoe pitching contest and a haybale toss. The games will be followed by a talent show at 2 p.m.
A parade will be held at 5 p.m. with the alumni banquet at 6:30 p.m. A dance will be held at 8:30 p.m. at the park.
On Sunday, a church service will be held in the park at 9 a.m. and then a pancake breakfast served by the Netawaka Fire Department will be held at 10 a.m.
Additional food items will be served on Saturday, including sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast, pulled pork, sloppy joes, hot dogs, chips, beans and other items for lunch. Birthday cake will be served at the Netawaka Fitness Center.
A variety of vendors will be set up on Saturday starting at 8 a.m. Those attending the celebration are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.
Some town history
The town of Netawaka was laid out in 1866 next to the central branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. Benjamin F. Baughn was the first settler on the town, and he built part of the hotel that became known as the Netawaka House Hotel. It was the first building in the town.
The town was originally a part of the Kickapoo Reservation, and the town’s name is taken from the Indian word for “High Prairie.”
The Netawaka State Bank started in 1877. Merchants, doctors, blacksmiths, land agents, attorneys, boot and shoemakers and grocers settled in Netawaka and filled the buildings on the town’s main street. At one time, the town also had three saloons.
The “Battle of the Spurs” reportedly occurred three miles south of the town and a historical marker has been erected to note the event in which abolitionist John Brown liberated 11 slaves just before Christmas 1858. Late in January, Brown’s entourage reached Albert Fuller’s cabin on Straight Creek and a federal posse barred their way. Both sides sent for reinforcements.
Still outnumbered, Brown, the freed slaves and some abolitionists from Topeka crossed the creek in spite of high water and the enemy entrenched on the other side. The posse mounted their horses and spurred away - without firing any shots - thus giving a name to the bloodless battle.
A variety of newspapers were published out of Netawaka in the early days, including “The Netawaka Herald,” “The Netawaka Chief,” “The Netawaka Bee,” “The Netawaka Star,” “The Netawaka Reporter,” “The Netawaka Talk” and “The Netawaka Times.”
Gas streetlights were installed in the 1890s, with telephone service via the Netawaka Telephone Company added in 1908. After three community votes, electricity was brought to the town in 1916.
When the Netawaka State Bank closed, the Citizens State Bank of Netawaka opened several years later.
The Great White Way, a stretch of road that spans from Chicago to Colorado Springs, was established through Netawaka in the 1920s. The white bands on some utility poles along Kansas Highway 9 are a few of the last remaining remnants of the first organized roadway through Missouri and Kansas.
From 1946 until 1979, the town held an annual citywide picnic, which was a three-day event that included a carnival, nightly programs, a 4-H cattle show and ballgames.
A one-room schoolhouse opened in 1869, and a two-room school building was opened in 1873. Ten years later, following the diphtheria epidemic, the building was torn down because it was thought to be a possible source of the disease. A new two-story building was constructed in 1884, followed by a larger building in 1909.
In 1966, Netawaka Rural High School was consolidated with Whiting at Whiting and then became part of Jackson Heights High School, located on the former Atlas missile site, in 1969.
Netawaka Grade School closed its doors in 1974, when it was consolidated with Whiting, Soldier and Circleville in a new building, Jackson Heights Elementary School, located just east of the high school.
In 1990, the Netawaka Senior Center was built, followed by a new Netawaka City Building, a new Netawaka Fire Station, Muddy Creek Family Clinic and the impressive Zwonitzer Health and Fitness Center.
The town has two churches, Immanuel Lutheran Church and the Netawaka United Methodist Church.
