History of Andover Butler County Kansas Genealogy Trails

ANDOVER

Andover is a live little town of five stores and a population of 150. It is located on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway, twelve miles west of Augusta and about the same distance east of Wichita. The land upon which it stands was entered by E. Wagner, but later sold to Charles Glancy, who, in December, 1880, laid out the town. The first building on the town site was the store and residence of G. W. Harrison; the second the store of John Bayless. The first birth in the new town was that of a daughter of G. W. Harrison; the first marriage Joseph Haden and Matilda Riddle; the first death is as yet an event of the future. The first hotel was completed in 1881, by J. C. Lines, who still runs it.

Soon after the erection of the first building of the town, the postoffice, which has been located a short distance from town, was moved in, and the present Postmaster, G. W. Harrison, appointed.

In 1875, prior to the laying out of Andover, a wooden district school was built at a point near where the town now stands. Upon the birth of the town it was decided to move the school to that point. This was done and a fine schoolhouse, of which the old building forms the L, erected at a cost of $2,000. This work was completed in 1882, and the building occupied that fall. The school now has enrolled eighty-six scholars and is in charge of Prof. Haskin.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Andover was organized at the Richland schoolhouse in 1884, by the Rev. Mr. Fry. The first regular pastor was Rev. S. M. McKibbon. The membership was small at first, but has now increased to about forty. A neat frame building was erected by the society in 1881-82, at a cost of #1,700. There is a flourishing Sunday school connected with the church.

Presbyterian Society.--This society is recently organized and has as yet no church edifice, although one is in process of construction. Meantime services are held in the schoolhouse. (Taken from History of Butler County Kansas by William G. Cutler)