DOWNTOWN

 

1. The ‘short block.’ In the 1850's the two towns of Marysville and Palmetto were laid out side by side, resulting in just half a block between Broadway and Center (Highway 36). Marysville was south of Center Street and Palmetto was north. Visitors may be told that one town was pro-slavery and the other against. Actually both towns were founded by supporters of slavery, although few or no slaves were ever brought here. The Palmetto settlers soon lost interest and Palmetto merged with Marysville.

 

The ‘short block’ is easy to see outside the tourist information office at 10th and Center Streets (Highways 77 and 36). Visitors can also pick up a brochure and map there for a walking tour of downtown Marysville.

 

2. Charles Koester House (1873), now a museum. National Register of Historic Places. Many original furnishings from the late 19th century. Collection of 12 pieces of white bronze statuary. Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family passed this way in 1894 and she described the lion and dog gates in her journal. Open in summer Mon.-Sat., 10-4:30, Sun. 1-4. 919 Broadway, 785-562-2417.

 

Koester Block. National Register of Historic Places. The south Koester House (1906) was built for Charles Koester’s son. The row of commercial buildings on the north side of the block includes the 1880 Masonic Hall. Block is bounded by Broadway, Elm, 9th and 10th Streets.

 

3. Pusch house, built by cigar maker Charles Pusch in 1904. National Register of Historic Places. Pusch’s factory across the alley to the north is now the home of the Marysville Mutual Insurance Co. House is private property; drive-by only. 10th and Elm Streets.

 

4. Lee Dam Center for Fine Art. 1903 brick and limestone building, formerly a Methodist church. Restored in the 1990s, original tin ceilings. Art shows and classes, scrapbooking classes, rug hooking workshops, family reunions. S. 9th and Elm Streets. Contact for tours and hours: 785-562-3087.

 

5. Pony Express Home Station No. 1. National Register of Historic Places. This 1859 stone barn was used to stable the ponies during the 18 months of the Pony Express, 1860-61. Marysville was the first ‘home station’ west of St. Joseph (a station where riders as well as horses changed). Museum open April-October Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 12-4. 106 S. 8th Street, 785-562-3825.

 

6. Pony Express statue. Sculpted by Richard Berger in 1984. Had to be moved from its original site west of town because of the railroad relocation project. The statue is the centerpiece of a new park downtown at 7th Street between Broadway and Hwy 36.

 

7. 9th Street steps. A WPA project in the 1930s. East side of 9th Street at Carolina.

 

8. Doll Museum. Dolls from 18th century to the present, also a collection of authentic Otoe-Missouria Indian artifacts. Open by appointment. 785-562-3029 or 562-3103. 912 Broadway.

 

9. Historic Courthouse (1891). Built after a previous courthouse on the same site was destroyed in a suspicious fire. National Register of Historic Places. The local historical society has a county history museum and genealogical research library here. Open year-round Mon.-Fri. 1-4 p.m.; also Sat.-Sun. 1-4 p.m. in summer. 1207 Broadway, 785-562-5012, mchs@bluevalley.net

 

10. City Park and environs. West side of South 10th Street.
Bommer School. Moved to Marysville from a rural site. Originally painted white. Open in summer.
Steam engine. Engines like this brought trains into Marysville until the 1950's.
Playground. Built by local volunteers in 2001. Contains play-sized versions of three historic Marysville buildings.
High school stadium, across 10th Street. Built in 1936 as a WPA project, still in use.

 

  

OUTLYING AREAS

 

11. Hutchinson house (1872). National Register of Historic Places. French Second Empire house built by mill owner Perry Hutchinson, whose mill was just across the highway. In the 1920's the house was used by the Marysville Country Club, which replaced the front porch with a veranda for open-air dancing. In 2006 the current owners rebuilt the porch to match the original. Private property. Drive-by only. West out of Marysville on Hwy 36, north on Hwy 77 ½ mile.

 

12. Trails Park, featuring a full-sized replica of a rope ferry like the one Frank Marshall used in the 1850's to carry emigrants, soldiers and stagecoach travelers across the Blue River. Eight trails crossed the river here: the Oregon, Pike’s Peak and Mormon Trails, the St. Joe Road, the stagecoach, military and Pony Express routes, and the trail followed by Otoe Indians going to a reservation in Oklahoma. Take U.S. 77 south out of Marysville. Turn left immediately after the south overpass onto the levee road and go 1.5 miles. (The levee road is sometimes closed after heavy rain.) Turn left into park after going under the west overpass.

 

13. Marysville Cemetery. 16th Street between Debbie Lane and Park Street. Main gate and chapel. Both WPA projects in the 1930s, using local limestone. The chapel was dedicated in 1942 and intended for funeral services, but has never been used.  Union soldier statue in center of cemetery, the first such monument in Kansas (1885).