Twin Mound, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Twin Mound, Kansas
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Twin Mound
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 Twin Mound, Kansas
Location in Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Douglas |
| Elevation | 1,056 ft (322 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 785 |
| GNIS ID | 482172 |
Twin Mound is a ghost town located in western Douglas County, Kansas, in the United States. It got its name from two natural hills that gently rise from the flat land nearby. Today, Twin Mound is no longer an active town.
Contents
The Story of Twin Mound
How Twin Mound Began
The story of Twin Mound starts with Henry Hiatt. He was born in Dublin, Indiana, in 1816. In 1856, Henry, his wife, and their five children moved to Kansas Territory. They first settled in a place called Bloomington.
Soon after arriving, Henry Hiatt and two other men started a saw mill. But after about a year, Henry decided to move his family again. They traveled seven miles southwest. There, he saw two hills that looked almost exactly alike. These hills inspired him, and he decided to start his own community, which he named Twin Mounds.
Henry Hiatt's Ideas
Henry Hiatt never fully explained why he left Bloomington. However, he had some strong beliefs. He didn't like how organized churches worked in American society. Instead, he preferred Confucius's idea of the Golden Rule, which is about treating others how you want to be treated.
Henry also didn't like too many rules. He believed in a lot of freedom for people to make their own choices. He even started a cemetery in Twin Mound in 1858 after his first wife passed away. He was buried there himself in 1900, in a coffin he made.
A Big Dream for Education
Over time, the "s" was dropped from the town's name, becoming Twin Mound. The small farming community was growing, and Henry Hiatt had big plans for it. He dreamed of opening the Twin Mounds Harmonic College.
This college would teach science, facts, and laws. It would not focus on religious groups or specific beliefs. Henry wanted the college to be open to everyone, no matter their race, religion, or gender. Sadly, this college was never built. Henry might not have had enough experience, and there were stronger groups who wanted a university in Lawrence instead.
Twin Mound Today
The Twin Mound post office opened in 1858. However, it closed down in 1903. Today, the area where Twin Mound once stood is still a small farming community. The only things left from the original town are the old one-room schoolhouse, the cemetery, and, of course, the two natural mounds that gave the town its name.
