HOW HAVEN WAS STARTED IN 1886

(Names in article below: F. W. Ash; Wr. Astle; Levi Charles; Caleb Cupps; Kos Harris; N. F. Neiderlander; C. W. Peckham; Fred W. Thorp)

How Haven was Started in 1886

The town of Haven was laid out early in the spring of 1886. F. W. Ash, Wr. Astle, Levi Charles and C. W. Peckham were resident members of the Haven Town Co. N. F. Neiderlander and Kos Harris of Wichita men represented the interests of the Missouri Pacific R. R., then called the Wichita & Colorado railroad, which road owned and controlled a 51% interest in the two hundred-acre town-site. The Haven post office which already existed was located t3ow miles east of the present townsite when the railroad was built. Caleb Cupps was postmaster at the original post office, which was started in April, 1873. Fred W. Thorp became postmaster when it moved into town. (Haven Journal Haven's 50th Birthday Haven, Reno County, Kansas May 27, 1936 page - 3 *** column - 4 submitted by Rose Stout)

RECOLLECTIONS OF HAVEN BY FOUNDER OF HAVEN JOURNAL

Word Picture of Early Day Haven, written by George May, founder of this paper, before his death.

Editor Journal:

The writer enjoyed immensely reading your anniversary issue, or "Haven Ten Years Ago and Now," a few weeks ago, and expecting that some pioneer would "get the bug" and write about the early days of Haven, Fred Thorp or Charlie Peckham know just how to do the subject justice, but since they haven't done so I will indulge in a few reminiscences, thinking yourself and the younger generation would be interested in knowing who were the pioneer business men of Haven and where they were located I was pretty much of a youngster when haven was born, but as I unwind the film on my mind's reel there are many things that recall my youth, bringing back vivid recollections.

I recall that Haven was plated and town lots offered for sale on April 6, 1886, and people came from far and near in all kinds of conveyances to the town-site on that day, which didn't have a tree or a building on the whole quarter section. The town company was composed of F. W. Ash, C. W. Peckham, William Astle and Levi Charles, and they opened up for business in the center of Kansas avenue about where the Citizens Bank is, with a home-made table, a cracker box for a chair, a pen and ink, and a stock of blank warranty deeds. Business was good right from the start, lots selling like hot cakes at all the way from $20 to $200. The wind was blowing a hurricane from the south, and a great many purchasers were compelled to get down on the bottom of their wagon beds to sign their papers. It was a great day, but greater ones were to follow. Purchasers of lots began hauling lumber the next day from Hutchinson, Mt. Hope, and Burrton, and carpenters, or anyone who could drive a nail, were imported from every nearby town and building was started with a rush.

Fred Thorp was almost a "sooner" with his 20-foot square building and newspaper plant, about 30 feet north of the present journal office, and was proclaiming to the world, through his Haven Independent, the great advantages of Haven and vicinity before you could say Jack Robinson. He also arrived in town with a commission as postmaster in his inside vest pocket, and he "soonered" on that, too, as he began receiving mail before he had any post office boxes and patrons were obliged to fish their letters and papers out of clothes baskets and bushel baskets for the first few weeks. But finally the boxes came and Fred sawed a hole in the side of his building large enough to hold them and people could step right up in the open, without crowding or lowering their umbrellas, and have their mail passed out to them through the cutest little wire wicket that any Haven post office ever had. It wasn't long, however, until a small addition, large enough to admit two or three people at a time, was built on over the boxes. Which had the appearance of a bay window, and then Haven had its first real post ofice and everyone was proud of it.

The first general store was brought in on wheels by Riddle & Ross from Mt. Liberty, four miles northwest of Haven. Curt Ross died in Colorado a number of years ago, and "Billy" Riddle mysteriously disappeared from Sterling and has never been heard from.

The first hardware store was built by Joseph and C. W. Astle (who bought the first lots sold) on the lot now occupied by the Fisher Motor Co, and they did a wonderful business.

William Astle built an office across the alley where the Masonic building now stands and opened a real estate and insurance office, with Lee Reger as bookkeeper and clerk.

A restaurant was opened up by a party named McDermitt, where the Citizens Bank is now located, and endeavored to feed the multitude.

A bank, financed by Vermont capital, was started up in temporary quarters on the east side of the street, directly opposite the Herlacher café, with Louis O. Smith of Le Suer, Minn., as cashier, and Nellie Ash as the first bookkeeper. The new bank building, where is now located the State Bank of Haven, was completed in the early fall or winter, and J. E. Lang, now of Carthage, Mo., came from Vermont and was made cashier and George Porter of New York was teller. This building, together with all the buildings in the block with the exception of the old Farmers' Home on the north (in later years owned by Mr. and Mrs. Terry) was destroyed by fire in January, 1894. The fire originated in the livery stable west of the bank, owned by "Dad" Burgess. Twelve or fifteen head of horses perished, and some broke loose and dashed out of the flames, running down the streets with their manes and tails ablaze. The bank vault withstood the heat, though some of its contents were slightly singed, but most of the fixtures were destroyed. The F. W. Ash family, living upstairs over the store room adjoining the bank, lost most of their belongings. The writer had just moved the post office into the rear rooms of the bank building and was hardly settled before the conflagration. It was moved out in such a hurry by the citizens, and the wind was blowing so strong, that mail was scattered all over the countryside and was picked up and brought in for weeks afterwards. Dr. Ballou was partially removed from the rooms over the bank building at the time of the fire, and in trying to rescue his human skeleton (whom the doctor always introduced to the public as "Aaron Burr"), he was quite severely injured. This was Haven's greatest fire to date, the loss being estimated at something like $50,000. The present bank building is a duplicate of the old one, with the exception of the north half - the second story was never rebuilt.

L. R. May bought lots the day of the opening and commenced the erection of a hotel immediately, or as soon as carpenters and umber could be procured, just north of the Fisher Motor company, part of which is now occupied by the Bell meat market. It was completed in the early summer and on the opening day fed over two hundred people and not withstanding it had only about twenty rooms, nearly 100 people slept under its roof the first night, the cook sleeping on the range, the dining room girls on the tables, and guests were parked on cots, in chairs, and some on the floor. The Haven House h=did a capacity business for a couple of years. It was destroyed by fire along with the hardware store of Hoffer & Kennedy, in 1904 or 1905.

J. P. Vincent and his son-in-law, Jack Payne, opened the first exclusive grocery store, adjoining the Haven House on the north, having moved in from Olive. They were progressive and popular citizens and were prominently identified with the city's future until their death. Mr. and Mrs. Vincent of Hutchinson was the oldest son and Chester the baby; they were just people of ordinary size, but their combined weight was over a ton (on the stockyard scales); the reader can figure out how many there were in the family.

There one-story buildings were erected on the lots now occupied by the post office, Geo. Astle's cream station and W. F. Williams' harness shop. The south room was leased to the Russell & Wilcox Hardware company of Hutchinson, with Ed Russell and Tom Moore, two popular young men, in charge. Victor Primrose occupied the center room with a general store and C. C. Sweetland had a furniture store in the north room. These store rooms were destroyed by fire in 1891.

The Masonic building, Haven's first skyscraper, on the southwest corner of Main street and Kansas avenue, was erected during the summer and the dedication service was quite and event. The hall on the second floor was 25x120 feet and was said to be the finest Masonic hall in the county at that time. I cannot recall who was the first tenant in this building. Ten or twelve years later the top story was taken off and the brick used to construct the building now occupied by John Miller as a drug store.

Henry Wentz built the first livery stable on the lots where the Haven township hall is located, and Ike Kitsmiller had the first blacksmith shop just west of the livery stable on the corner.

Will Stoalabarger and Dr. Adams opened the first drug store in a two-story building about two doors north of were Will Ash is now located. Will was full of push and pep; and was very popular with all classes. Dr. Howard of Hutchinson was their first registered pharmacist. They did not rebuild after the fire.

Valentine Yoder built a fine one-story adjoining the drug store on the south and this was occupied by Robert Borchert as a shoe store and harness shop until it was burned down. A. O. Parks had a barber shop in a small frame building between Borchert's and the bank building.

The "Two Johns" (John Kincaid and John Vaughn) had a soft and hard drink establishment where the Stagg store is now located.

The Schoonover flats on the east side of the street, opposite Stagg's store, was built in the fall of that year Dr. Ballou, just out of the Physicians and Surgeons college of New York City, and a nephew of Mrs. Frank Maguire west of town, and Mrs. Frank Chrisman of Hutchinson, was the first tenant of the north room, and when not too busy entertained his guests and patients by jingling the bones of "Aaron Burr" and his with Shakespeare. The doctor was a live one and could do more tricks than a monkey on a grapevine. I have been told that no one wore a Gideon badge to these parties and hat it was no place for a preacher's son, though there was always one present. The doctor was Haven's most successful and prominent physician for a number of years. The center room of this building was used principally as a dance hall and the south room as a court of justice for a long time.

Charlie Blake gave Haven the first meat market, coming from Mt. Hope ev4erty day with a supply of fresh meat on his buckboard. Frank and Gus Myers, I believe, 4eerected the first building to be used as a meat market.

August Meier, who was just a kid then, was the milkman; his father had the only dairy thereabouts and that was the only one large enough to supply the hotel and restaurants with milk.

"Billy" Donnell, a typical and thoroughbred Englishman, together with Adam Hollilday, a farmer west of town built the first grain and livestock office, just east of where the Journal office is now located. "Dug" Henderson had a blacksmith shop east of this on the corner.

Guy Astle was the first child born in Haven, if I remember correctly.

The first church services in Haven were held in the building west of Henry Kranz' home, on the corner, now a residence. This was also the first school house.

Many nice dwellings were erected the first summer, among them being the Charlie Astle home owned by Fred Warning in late years, and the Fred Thorp home now occupied by C. W. Talbot.

The first train on the Missouri Pacific pulled into town sometime in July and right then Haven began to take on a metropolitan air. J. T. Dickinson now of Winfield, was the first agent and was one of the best liked agents Haven ever had. He had a charming wife and two young daughters, Bertie and Belle, who possessed unusual musical talent, and who helped wonderfully towards furnishing some entertainment for the residents and guest of the city. The twins, Jim and Dora, were the "show babies" of the town. The arrival of the railroad brought two good lumber yards, which were located on the east side, north of the Haven Mill, a Mr. Snell of Hutchinson being manager of one, and a Mr. Woods from the east was manger of the other.

Haven was visited by some distinguished people shortly after the railroad was completed into Hutchinson. The special train of Jay Gould and a party of eastern capitalists was held up there for some time on account of a derailment up about Yoder. The party killed time by perambulating around town, calling on a number of the business men and were real sociable. The "angling road case" was forgotten for the time being.

It is said that Al Race came in on the cow-catcher of the first train into Haven and "accepted a situation" on the section the next day and has been on the job ever since, and bids fair, I am told, to out-last the road. Jim Ferris was the first section foreman; he died many years ago.

The first dance was held in the new Russell & Wilcox store room and Robt. Laughlin and F. W. Ash supplied the music, the former was an old time violinist and the latter was the best fife player, I believe, who ever crossed the Mississippi. After this first initial "performance" most of the newly completed buildings were dedicated with a dance, and Hank Hilyard and the Bender Brothers and John and Ben Worthington were much in evidence. Harry Smith, a brick mason, was quite a dance promoter also, and Jake Zook was the official dance bootlegger.

Link Hartzler and Wm. McKinley were pioneers and did their part in helping build Haven.

Herb Ash was Haven's first "Beau Brummell" and with his fine driving team and new buggy cut quite a swath with the ladies until George Porter stepped off the train, and then Herb and everybody else had to play second fiddle. I had an interesting letter from Herbert, who is now located in Kokomo, Ind., a few months ago. It didn't sound much like the Herbert of forty years ago, it sounded more like "Silver Theads Among the Gold," and "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" than anything else. He and his sister, Minnie, who married Frank Hill, a popular young Haven boy, a quarter of a century ago, are engaged in the investment and loan business and are doing well. Herbert didn't marry until he was over forty years old; he has two children and Mrs. Hill, who lost her husband in Alabama two years ago, has one child.

Jessie Ash was an exceptionally good writer and her letters in then Mt. Hope and Hutchinson papers were always newsy and interesting. She and her mother took a prominent part in the social and religious life of Haven.

The buildings were not high enough for Will Ash the first year so he hiked out to an eastern metropolis and came back very much polished and apparently prosperous several years later.

The first grand ball was given by the I.O.O.F. lodge on Haven's first birthday anniversary, April 6, 1887. Committee on invitation was Victor Primrose, F. W. Ash and Curt Ross of Haven; S. A. Atwood, W. R. Marshall and Miles Taylor of Hutchinson; J. C. Marshall, S. M. Johns and George Derflinger of Mt. Hope; J. T. McMillen, William Mathewson and Hank Heizerman of Wichita. The reception committee was composed of J. D. Henderson, R. O. Slayton, Mrs. C. C. Sweetland and Mrs. Hank Hilyard. The floor managers were Hank Hilyard, Harry Smith and Jake Zimmers. There were 24 numbers on the program, mostly quadrilles, waltzes and schottisches, with a sprinkling of polk as, cecillian circle, Virginia reel, Racket and "Tucker Home."

The ball was such a success that it was followed by a series of invitation dances and banquets, the next one being given by the members of he Friendship Lodge, A.F. & A.M. The committee on invitation was Dr. Dwight of Mt. Hope, Richard Soper, Geo. Van Buren and John Marshall; committee on reception was all the members of the lodge; committee on banquet was M. N. Copeland, G. R. Primrose, John H. Marshall and Geo. Copeland, assisted by all the lady members of the lodge; the floor managers were W. F. Soper and Will Stoalabarger. A "select social hop" followed this, under the management of the D. M. and L. S., the invitation committee being Fred Ash, J. E. Lang and Fred Thorp. The masquerade ball was given by the A.O.U.W. lodge and as a grand affair. The reception committee was composed of Dr. Dwight of Mt. Hope, G. K. Slough of Burrton, Jesse Asher of Hutchinson; C. A. Whitbeck of Andale, W. T. Stoalabarger, A. O. Parks, E. S. Thompson, A. F. Bennett, F. W. Thorp and C. W. Skelton. The Lotus club concluded the series of balls with Ed. M. Moore of Hutchinson, Lum Race of Mt. Hope, C. A. Whitbeck of Andale, W. B. Powell of Colwich, Joe Harmon of Burrton, Will Stoalabarge and Dan Wentz of Haven, as the invitation committee.

The nearest Haven ever came to having a colored man for a resident, that I know anything about, was the time that a darkey drove down from Hutchinson when the town was several months old, loeking around for a location in which he could engage in business of some kind and make a livelihood. He parked his horse in the stockyards with his buggy nearby and himself in a stall at the livery stable. "The boys" happened to be a little frisky that evening so they boosted his old shay up on top of a box car and docked the tail and roached the mane of his old bay plug. He worked all next day on an empty stomach (he being barred from the hotel and restaurants) trying to get his buggy back on the ground and only succeeded late in the afternoon when a friendly freight crew came along and gave him a lift. He left for home that nite, declaring that he "wouldn't even pass through that town again if they would give him the best business house in the place."

There were scores of people located in Haven during its early days, in 1887 and 1888, who were "not in on the ground floor," so to speak, but who really should be classed as pioneers. Among those whom I can call to mind was the Bennett family, the Burgess family, the Ward family, the Lafe Hiett family, the East brothers (Steve, Will and Link), "Letch" O'Neal, Tom Durbin, the Erwin boys, the Moon boys the Goulds, the Kennedy boys, Frank and Will Elston, the Muck family, (and who doesn't remember poor blind Jimmie Muck, with his accordion, on the streets, playing "In the little Old Sod Shanty on the Claim"), "Billy" Salome, Jim Foraker, "Shorty" Johnson, Dan Hall, H. A. (Judge) Longman, Cass Janning, the Atkinson boys, Joe Kenneck, Orin Wittam, Andy Dean Milt Harris, Abe Schrock, "Billy" Pinnell, Will Clark, the Henderson boys, "Billy" Williams, Frank and Will Mason, Mart and Tom Shea, Dow Holcomb, Joe Deitl, Jim Skelton and Dr. L. S. Kelton (the millionaire oil operator who died in Kansas City about a year ago), Will East, who was a prominent business man there for many years, met an untimely death in Oregon; Mae and Arthur Burgess died in San Francisco nearly twenty years ago; "Billy" and Bert Henderson have both passed away. Bert Atkinson died in camp of fever during the Spanish-American war. Frank Mason has been a passenger conductor on the Pennsylvania lines, running out of Buffalo, for over twenty-five years and his brother Will has been with the same company for nearly the same length of time. I know little about the others mentioned here.

Notwithstanding the fact that there were two or three professional gamblers in town all of the time during the first year and a goodly number of rounders, there was but little law breaking or disturbances. Little pranks like painting of the danger signal at the depot white, or the whitewashing of Warren Foster's red cow, so that she was unrecognizable, or the pulling up of a potato patch, or doing a "Lady Godiva" stunt on a white horse thru town at 2 a.m., passed almost unnoticed. A chorus girl would be safer on the streets alone at midnight in those days than a green onion in a vegetarian's garden. Money was plentiful and jingled around in people's pockets and "on the tables" like buckshot in a baby rattle.

Thirty-six years is quite a long time when reckoned in the life of a men or woman, and many of these good people whose names I have mentioned and who helped to give haven a start, have been garnered by the sickle of Father Times and are in the home above, while some few, perhaps, have joined the Bob Ingersol colony. Those who are left have gone over the top and are on the down grade along with the writer, who has already been "indicted and sentenced" by a couple of quite eminent physicians.

I'm thinking that I had better bring this nightmare to a close before I tell something, or before I get a s far along as a certain colored mass meeting did, when an old darkey in the back of the hall arose and said: "Mr. Charman, I moves yo' dat this heah meetin' be adjourned befo' some #@*# gets up heah and tell the truth."

(a photo of The First Picture of Haven, Made about 1887 on page 10) (Haven Journal Haven's 50th Birthday edition Haven, Reno County, Kansas May 27, 1936 pages - 15 & 16 *** columns - 1, 2, 3 & 4 submitted by Rose Stout)

CHARLES W. PECKHAM

Charles W. Peckham, one of the founders of the city; former vice-president of the Citizens' Bank of Haven, first secretary of the Haven Commercial Club, one of the organizers of the Haven Mill Company, first trustee of Haven township, former owner of "Gem Stock Farm" and one of the real pioneers of Reno county, he having built the first sod shanty on the plain in what is now Haven township, his humble abode at that time being the extreme western frontier of Reno county south of the Arkansas river, was a native of Ohio, having been born in the city of Maumee, Lucas county, that state, March 26, 1849, son of John D. and Alzina (Brush) Peckham, both natives of the state of New York.

Charles W. Peckham was five years old when his mother died and he was cared for in childhood by Mrs. Elizabeth Spencer, a widow who lived near Adrian, Michigan. Later he rejoined his father at Jackson, Michigan, and was educated in the schools of that city, completing the course in high school. In 1871 he came through to Kansas with a heard of cattle destined for Abilene, and was so much pleased with the appearance of things in the Arkansas valley that he determined to locate here. In August of that year he homesteaded the southwest quarter of section 2, township 25, range 4 west in what is now Haven township, this county, two miles east of the present flourishing little city of Haven, and there built a sod shanty and entered upon the task of developing his claim. This shanty was twelve by fourteen feet, inside measurement, with two windows and one door; was covered with boards hauled from Newton and was plastered on the inside with clay from the well, which he dug nearby. That was the first dwelling erected in what is now Haven township, and marked the farthest western habitation in Reno county south of the river. Soon after the sod shanty was completed a party of Texas cattlemen came along with three thousand head of cattle, and that fall and winter Mr. Peckham herded cattle for them. In 1872 he and Doctor Durand went over on the Ninnescah, where he lassoed twelve buffalo and captured them alive, two of the creatures being sent East to a circus in which a brother of Doctor Durand was associated. When a school was organized in district 39, Haven township, not long after he settled there, Mr. Peckham became the first school teacher and for four years was thus engaged. In 1873, when the Grange became organized in that section of the county, Mr. Peckham was elected first mater of the same and in that capacity did much for the advancement of the interests of the early agriculturists and cattlement thereabout.

Charles W. Peckham was the pioneer among the cattlemen of Reno county, having been the first man to feed cattle in any considerable quantity. Hutchinson, the nearest grain market, was twenty miles away, and Mr. Peckham early came to the conclusion that it would be far more profitable to feed the corn he raised on the ranch instead of hauling it to market. He was then the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of choice land, comprising "Gem Stock Farm," long regarded as a model place. The latest farm house on the place was erected in 1900, a large modern frame house with a cupola and generous verandas. One of the features of the ranch was a reinforced concrete silo, sixteen feet in diameter and fifty feet high, with a capacity of two hundred and twenty-five tons. Mr. Peckham made his home at "Gem Stock Farm" until 1909, in which year he moved to Haven, where he built a steel-framed, hollow-walled cement house, modern in every respect, generally regarded as the finest house in Haven. Mr. Peckham patented the process by which his house was constructed and the system of construction promised to become general and popular. The house had metal studding and lath. It was, of course, fire proof, and the hollow walls were deigned to render the house warm in winter and cool in summer.

Charles W. Peckham was a Democrat and took an earnest interest in local politics. He was the first trustee of Haven township and in that official capacity was enabled to gender valuable public service. In 1886 he was on of a committee of two appointed to go East to bring before capitalists the expedience of running the projected Wichita, Colorado & Western Galley 11 railroad, now a part of the Missouri Pacific system, through the town of Have, he also having been a member of the original Haven Town Company, organized for the purpose of creating a town on the site selected, and the efforts of himself and his fellow committeemen proved effectual, the railroad presently connecting Haven with the outside world. Mr. Peckham was one of the prime promoters of the Citizens Bank of Haven, the first bank established in the town, and was elected vice-president of the same at the time of its organization. L. O. Smith, F. W. Ash and Mr. Peckham organized the Haven Milling Company in 1887 and erected the flour mill at the new town, Mr. Peckham for three years being the active manager of the same. He was one of the organizers of the popular Farmers Grain Company of Haven, a concern which had done much to establish better prices for farm products in that neighborhood, and the Haven Commercial Club organized in 1911, Mr. Peckham was elected secretary of the same and for three years served in that capacity, doing much in the way of giving the club a proper start. In other ways he demonstrated his fine public spirit and occupied a very high place in financial and commercial circles throughout this part of the state.

On February 19, Charles W. Peckham was united in marriage to Sarah C. Hess, who was born in Hartford City, Ind., daughter of Abram and Elizabeth (Gadberry) Hess, both of whom died in Indiana, and to this union ten children were born, as follows: John, who lives in Wichita; Minnie, who married Everett Bishop, a farmer of Wauketa, Oklahoma; Bertha who married Ralph Williams and was mistress of the big house at "Gem Stock Farm"; Arthur Leroy, who lives at Wichita; Cora, who married Guy Van Buren and lives on a farm two miles north of Haven; Edward, a farmer, of Caldwell, this state; Ira, who lived near Burrton, this state; Laura, who married Guy Astle; Flora, who died November 15, 1885; and Ella, who died on February 14, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Peckham were member of the Universalist church and Mr. Peckham was a member of the lodge of Ancient Order of United Workmen at Haven, in which he took a warm interest.

Mr. and Mrs. Peckham are both dead. (The Haven Journal Haven's 50th Birthday Edition Haven, Reno County, Kansas May 27, 1936 Page - 18 *** columns - 1, 2, 3, & 4 submitted by Rose Stout)

HAVEN'S FIRST NEWSPAPER AND POST OFFICE BUILDING (Fred W. Thorp)

Salutatory

With this issue the long expected weekly Haven Independent makes it appearance. The Independent will be devoted to the interests of Haven and vicinity, regardless of parties of prejudices and will use its best endeavors and energies to make the city and township of Haven the best endeavors and energies to make the city and township of Haven the best known and best advertised section of this portion of Kansas. The news from the city of Haven and the country tributary thereto will be of exceptional interest to every resident and the Independent will be able to secure this news in advance of any other papers and to publish it in accurate and readable form. Nothing of interest to readers throughout this section will be overlooked or slighted by the Haven Independent. It is not a journal for one man or one gang. It is not controlled by a clique. It is not the mouthpiece for individual prejudices or whims. It is more than any other journal an Independent newspaper. It is the recognized standard-bearer of every man interested in Haven whose best wishes are for the welfare and prosperity of this garden of the world. No long-winded controversies will be published to the detriment of news more important, however The Independent will be open for the discussion of all subjects of value to the readers or of benefit to the town. In no other newspaper will a reader find matters of home concern to the people of Haven and vicinity, so fully and ably presented. Its editorials will be written with care and truthfulness. Its agricultural notes and general miscellany will be unsurpassed of their kind. The Independent proposes to keep abreast of the times and all matters relating to the prosperity and welfare of the people of Haven and the country tributary, and every man in this section who is not on our subscription list should subscribe at once for The Haven Independent, send to us for sample copies, get your neighbor to read them, apply to us for best advertising rates and job work. Remember that The Independent is a desirable supplement to any eastern paper you are now taking. Our subscription price is only one dollar and fifty cents a year, and there is not a man in Haven township so p0oor that he can't subscribe. If there is one who is so poor, and he will swear a mighty oath to that effect he shall have a year's subscription free. Fellow Citizens, interest yourselves actively there fore in behalf of the Haven Independent and thereby boom the country whose true interests The Independent represents and maintains.

Fred W. Thorp

(photo of Fred W. Thorp as he appeared when the first issue of The Independent was printed. Also a photo of The Haven Independent building.) (Haven Journal Haven's 50th Birthday edition Haven, Reno County, Kansas May 27, 1936 Page - 7 *** columns - 1 & 2 submitted by Rose Stout)

MAYOR GEO. D. MERRITT

Who has recently recovered from a serious illness. Mr. Merritt has been mayor of Haven longer than anybody else in town. He is primarily responsible for the sewer system recently installed by the city. (The Haven Journal Haven's 50th Birthday Haven, Reno County, Kansas May 27, 1936 page - 3 *** column - 3 submitted by Rose Stout)

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