Clinton, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Clinton is an unincorporated community
situated on a peninsula in the middle of Clinton Lake
in Douglas County
, Kansas
, United States
.
. In early 1857, the north half of Bloomington was moved to a new location and the south portion of the town was renamed Winchester.
as was Bloomington. Later in the year Bloomington acted to become an incorporated
city with Winchester following suit four days later. Winchester was incorporated on February 20, 1857 under the name of Clinton.
and is considered one of the oldest burial grounds in Douglas County.
The St. Louis, Lawrence & Denver Railroad was constructed through Bloomington and Clinton in 1873 but proved to be virtually worthless and was abandoned by 1894. In 1876, most of Bloomington had reverted back into farmland and was considered vacated. Started in the mid-1960s, land was purchased for the construction of Clinton Lake and the entire town of Bloomington was bulldozed leaving only the J.C. Steele house and a milk shed standing. The house has been torn down but the shed still stands as the Clinton Lake Museum near Bloomington Beach in the Bloomington Recreation Area.
supply route was cut off and the townspeople were forced to travel to Lecompton
which was vastly pro-slavery. Henry Hiatt
and several other people were taken prisoner and fifty proslavery ruffians began marching to Bloomington. A team of 400 or 800 men marched toward Lecompton and although a confrontation was avoided it resulted in the looting and burning of Colonel Henry T. Titus' home (referred as Fort Titus).
A splinter group from William Quantrill
's raid on Lawrence in 1863 rode through Bloomington but caused more damage and harm when passing through Lone Star
which is about five miles south of Clinton.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
situated on a peninsula in the middle of Clinton Lake
Clinton Lake (Kansas)
Clinton Lake is a reservoir on the southwestern edge of Lawrence, Kansas. The lake was created by the construction of the Clinton Dam, and the 35 square miles of land and water is maintained by the U.S...
in Douglas County
Douglas County, Kansas
Douglas County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 110,826...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Bloomington
The town of Bloomington was settled in June 1854 but was not called as such until April 1855 when Harrison Burson applied to the U.S. Government for a post office. Within eight months of the area being settled some 530 settlers were in the area that would become Bloomington-Clinton. The people of Bloomington were greatly anti-slavery and helped slaves escape through the Underground RailroadUnderground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. In early 1857, the north half of Bloomington was moved to a new location and the south portion of the town was renamed Winchester.
Winchester
Winchester was named after a city in IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
as was Bloomington. Later in the year Bloomington acted to become an incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
city with Winchester following suit four days later. Winchester was incorporated on February 20, 1857 under the name of Clinton.
Clinton
Clinton and Bloomington quickly became rivals since they were only separated by about three miles. Bloomington started losing ground in 1858 when on August 30, the post office was moved to Clinton. Within the first five years of existence, Clinton constructed two schoolhouses, two churches and a town hall. In 1869, the Clinton Cemetery was established on land already used for a cemeteryCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and is considered one of the oldest burial grounds in Douglas County.
Bleeding Kansas
In August 1856, the LawrenceLawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
supply route was cut off and the townspeople were forced to travel to Lecompton
Lecompton, Kansas
Lecompton is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 608 at the 2000 census. Lecompton played a major historical role in pre-Civil War America as the Territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861...
which was vastly pro-slavery. Henry Hiatt
Twin Mound, Kansas
Twin Mound was a townsite in western Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It was named for two natural mounds that rise gently from the landscape.-History:...
and several other people were taken prisoner and fifty proslavery ruffians began marching to Bloomington. A team of 400 or 800 men marched toward Lecompton and although a confrontation was avoided it resulted in the looting and burning of Colonel Henry T. Titus' home (referred as Fort Titus).
A splinter group from William Quantrill
William Quantrill
William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. After leading a Confederate bushwhacker unit along the Missouri-Kansas border in the early 1860s, which included the infamous raid and sacking of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, Quantrill eventually ended up in...
's raid on Lawrence in 1863 rode through Bloomington but caused more damage and harm when passing through Lone Star
Lone Star, Kansas
Lone Star is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Kansas located 7 miles southwest of Lawrence. Lone Star was firmly established in 1897 but the first settlers arrived in 1854. The area did have a post office established under "Bond" from 1875 until 1899 when the name was changed to...
which is about five miles south of Clinton.