National and State Registers of Historic Places

Results of Query:

County: Cherokee
Records: All Properties

Page 1 of 2 showing 10 records of 14 total, starting on record 1
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Baxter Springs High School

1520 Cleveland Avenue
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 2014-08-08

Architect: Overton, B. C.
Category: school
Thematic Nomination: Historic Public Schools of Kansas

Baxter Springs High School was constructed in three separate building campaigns from 1918 to 1964, and it documents the evolving educational and design philosophies that characterized Kansas public schools during each period of construction. The original block is an example of a Progressive Era City High School that was augmented with the addition of a New Deal-era auditorium/gymnasium in 1939 and construction of a support structure for Industrial Arts education in 1964. The nominated resource was the first purpose-built secondary school in Baxter Springs. It continued to serve an educational function until 2013. It was nominated as part of the "Historic Public Schools of Kansas" multiple property nomination for its significance in the areas of education and architecture.

Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station

940 Military Ave
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 2003-08-29

Architect: unknown
Category: specialty store; commerce
Thematic Nomination: Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas

Big Brutus

6509 NW 60th St.
West Mineral (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 2018-01-05

Architect: Bucyrus-Erie
Category: extractive facility

The physical and cultural landscape of Southeast Kansas was significantly impacted by the coal mining industry. Almost from the first years of settlement, mining became one of Cherokee County’s staple industries. As technology improved and demand for the resource changed, industry adapted from deep-shaft mining, which was labor intensive, to strip-mining, which relied more heavily on machinery. During the last era of coal mining in the region, 1960 to 1974, strip mining was accomplished on a scale not seen before in the state. Built between 1962 & 1963 and weighing 5,500 tons, the Bucyrus-Erie 1850B, known as Big Brutus, uncovered over 900,000 tons of coal in each of the 11 years he worked. His demise in 1974, ushered in by changes to environmental laws, effectively ended the coal mining industry in Kansas.

Brush Creek Bridge

3.4 miles north of Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 1983-03-10

Architect: James B. Marsh
Category: road-related
Thematic Nomination: Rainbow Arch Bridges of Kansas

Columbus Public Carnegie Library

205 N Kansas
Columbus (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 1987-06-25

Architect: George P. Washburn
Category: library
Thematic Nomination: Carnegie Libraries of Kansas

Johnston Library

210 W 10th
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 1976-11-21

Architect: unknown
Category: correctional facility; courthouse

Kansas Route 66 Historic District - East Galena

US 66
Galena (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 2003-08-29

Architect: n/a
Category: road-related; transportation
Thematic Nomination: Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas

Kansas Route 66 Historic District - North Baxter Springs

North Willow Ave. / SE 50th Street
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 2015-04-14

Architect: Koss Construction Co. (builder)
Category: transportation
Thematic Nomination: Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas

This segment of Route 66 north of Baxter Springs, totaling 3.2 miles, are the extant remains of Route 66 between Riverton and Baxter Springs. The entire length of the historic Route 66 in Kansas totaled only 13.2 miles, entering Cherokee County near Galena and exiting south of Baxter Springs. Cherokee County opened bids for the construction of this portion of the road on March 12, 1923. This was part of a larger Federal Highway Project between Joplin, Missouri and Baxter Springs. The Federal Highway Commission designated Route 66 as part of a new national highway network on November 11, 1926. This section of road remained an integral part of Kansas Route 66 until a bypass was completed in the early 1960s. As a result, the road has largely served local traffic and tourists traveling the old route. The Kansas Department of Transportation designated this road a Kansas Historic Byway in 2011. It was nominated as part of the Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas multiple property nomination in the area of transportation. On January 11, 2017, the segment of the route from the Brush Creek Bridge to US-69 (along SE Beasley Road) was listed as a boundary expansion of the district.

Niles, Rial A., House

605 E 12th St
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in National Register 2006-09-06

Architect: Allen Rakestraw
Category: single dwelling

Constructed in 1870, as a one-and-a-half story brick Italianate-style residence, the R. A. Niles House was built by Allen Rakestraw. It is nominated as an excellent example of an Italianate-style residence with a central cupola. It is also nominated for its association with the Baxter Springs Women's Club from 1938 to 1955 when the property served as a clubhouse and was considered to be the cultural center of the community during that time period. It continues to be an architectural tourist attraction for travelers along Route 66.

Ritz Theatre

1145 Military Avenue
Baxter Springs (Cherokee County)
Listed in State Register 2014-11-08

Architect: Martinie, T. E.
Category: theater

The Ritz Theatre opened in 1926 in a converted two-story commercial building along Route 66 in downtown Baxter Springs. The building had previously housed John M. Cooper's Dry Goods and Clothing Store, which opened in the 1880s, and the upper floor had served as a gathering space for various social organizations. Under the guidance of Joplin architect T. E. Martinie, the building was converted to a theater in 1926 and officially opened on April 30, showing "The Ancient Highway," distributed by Paramount Pictures. A packed house heard music from Mrs. Roy Brooks, an organist at the Victory Theatre in Rogers, Arkansas. The popularity of drive-in theaters throughout the tri-state area likely contributed to the closing of the theater in the mid-1950s. The building then functioned as the Blue Castle Restaurant from 1957 to 1980. At the time of nomination, the building is being renovated to reflect its former use as a theater. It is nominated to the Register of Historic Kansas Places under Criterion A for its local significance in the area of entertainment/recreation.

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