The village of Harlan, lying southwest of Gaylord,
in Duston Township, was laid off in 1877, and named in honor of Judge Harlan, a respected citizen of the county.
A. L.Bailey and W. S. Bradford became the owners of the town site by purchasing the land from John White. F. R.
Gruger opened the first store in 1878. The first sermon was preached in Harlan in 1878 by Rev. Mr. Thompson, a
congregational minister. There is but one church organization in town - the United Brethern, who hold their meetings
in the chapel of Gould College. The church has forty-five members. A. L. Bailey was the first Postmaster in the
town, appointed in 1877. He was succeeded in 1881 by the present Postmaster, Joseph Himes. The principal houses
of the village are built of beautiful magnesian limestone, obtained from the bluffs within a half mile of town.
Harlan contains two general merchandise stores, one grocery, one printing office, one hotel, one blacksmith shop,
one livery stable, one drug store, one hardware store, one insurance agency, one physician, five preachers, one
coal dealer, one grain buyer. The first newspaper issued in Harlan was the Independent.. After publishing the paper
one year in that place, Messrs. Garretson & Toplift removed their office to Kirwin, where the paper is still
published. The Harlan Advance was established in February 1882 by Rev. A. W. bishop, president of Gould College.
The main object was to secure a college organ, but during the past few months the paper has been enlarged and the
services of a local editor and business manager (W. D. Lane) secured, who has made the Advance an excellent home
journal. The chief glory of Harlan lies in the fact that Gould College, under the patronage of the United Brethren
Church, is located in the town. Under the wise management of President Bishop, the institution is taking a front
rank among the educational institutions of Kansas. The number of students enrolled the present year (1882) far
outnumbers that of the preceding year. The population of Harlan is about one hundred. (History of the State of
Kansas, published in 1883 by A. T. Andreas page 912)
