Minneola, Franklin County, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minneola, Kansas
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 Minneola, Kansas
Location in Kansas
Minneola, Kansas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Franklin |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Minneola is what we call a ghost town in Franklin County, Kansas, United States. A ghost town is a place where people used to live, but now hardly anyone does. Minneola was once a busy spot. It even had a chance to become the capital city of Kansas! Today, almost nothing is left where it used to be.
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Where Was Minneola Located?
Minneola was about one mile east of another town called Centropolis. If you were to visit the spot today, you would find it on private land. It's on both sides of Stafford Road, between Kentucky and Iowa Roads. In 1988, there were only a few old ruins and some farms there.
The Story of Minneola
How Minneola Began
Minneola's story starts with an older settlement called St. Bernard, founded in 1855. The postmaster there, J. M. Bernard, supported slavery. This made many people in the area, who were against slavery, very angry. Eventually, Bernard left, and St. Bernard grew into Minneola.
At this time, Minneola became a big competitor to nearby Centropolis. Both towns wanted to be the new capital of Kansas. Kansas was deciding if it would be a "free state" (no slavery) or a "slave state" (slavery allowed). In 1857, voters who wanted Kansas to be a free state won. They decided not to make Centropolis the capital because it had supported slavery.
The Dream of Becoming Capital
The new free-state government still wanted to move the capital from Lecompton. So, they met in Lawrence to choose a new spot. A man named Perry Fuller, who was good at building up towns, bought a lot of land near Minneola. He hoped to make Minneola the future capital. Around this time, Centropolis's newspaper, the Kansas Leader, moved to Minneola and changed its name to the Minneola Statesman.
Fuller tried to convince the lawmakers by offering them free town shares and land. On February 10, 1858, his plan worked! Minneola was voted as the new capital. However, the governor of Kansas at the time, James W. Denver, said no. He used his power to "veto" (reject) the choice.
Fuller then asked the Attorney General of the United States, Jeremiah S. Black, for help. The Attorney General said that the law making Minneola the capital was against U.S. rules and was not valid. Even so, the lawmakers decided to meet in Minneola on March 22-23, 1858. They planned to write a new constitution there.
Building the Capital City
Work began quickly in Minneola. Several buildings were put up, including a house that might have been for the governor. They even started building a huge seven-story hotel! The city was also planned to be a major center for train lines.
But when the lawmakers arrived in Minneola, they quickly decided to move their meeting to Leavenworth instead. Later, a court officially ruled that the law making Minneola the capital was completely invalid.
Why Minneola Disappeared
Even though Minneola lost its chance to be the capital, it still did well for a few years. This was mostly because people thought railroads would soon come through the town. It even served as the county seat (the main town for the county government) for a short time.
However, after a very bad drought (a long period without rain), the town started to fall apart. The newspaper, the Statesman, stopped printing. The building meant to be the legislative hall was moved to Ottawa in 1864. It was used for different things there until it was moved again and later burned down. Other buildings in Minneola were simply torn down. Today, it's hard to find anything left of the original town.
