Gnadenau, Kansas Explained

Gnadenau, Kansas
Settlement Type:Ghost town
Image Map1:Map of Marion Co, Ks, USA.png
Map Caption1:KDOT map of Marion County (legend)
Pushpin Map:Kansas#USA
Pushpin Label:Gnadenau
Pushpin Label Position:left
Coordinates:38.3262°N -97.1805°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Kansas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Marion
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Liberty
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:1874
Established Title1:Platted
Unit Pref:Imperial
Elevation Ft:1378
Population Total:0
Timezone:CST
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:620
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS ID
Blank1 Info:477356

Gnadenau was a communal village of German-speaking Mennonite immigrants from Russia in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It is currently a ghost town that was located approximately 2miles southeast of Hillsboro. No buildings remain at this former community site. The Gnadenau Cemetery still exists.

History

Early history

See also: History of Kansas. For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Gnadenau.[1]

In 1874, the German-speaking Mennonites of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren of Annefeld near Simferopol, Crimea, Russia decided to relocate in the United States because Russia removed their exemption from military service. In August, the group arrived at the site and named it Gnadenau, meaning Meadow of Grace or Grace Meadow.[2] [3] Unlike the majority of Mennonites, this body adopted trine forward immersion as the mode of baptism.[4] [5]

In 1879, the beginning of the demise of the village occurred when the Marion and McPherson Railway Company built a railway north of village and established the nearby town of Hillsboro.

21st century

Currently no buildings exist in Gnadenau, thus it's considered a ghost town. A Gnadenau Village Memorial monument still exists.

Geography

Gnadenau was located at 38.3262°N -97.1805°W (38.326226, -97.180523), along 175th Street between Jade Road and Kanza Road in Marion County, Kansas. Most residents lived on the north side of 175th Street. A descriptive monument for the Gnadenau Village currently stands on the south side of 175th Street,[6] and the Gnadenau Cemetery is immediately south of it.

Area attractions

See also

Further reading

External links

Historical
Maps

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The History of Marion County and Courthouse . 2014-04-23 . 2018-02-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180227021903/http://www.marioncoks.net/AboutMarionCounty/History/tabid/7634/Default.aspx . dead .
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20040108130115/http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1945/45_5_pantle.htm Settlement of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren at Gnadenau, Marion County; Alberta Pantle; Kansas Historical Quarterly; Vol. 13, No. 5; pages 259-285; February 1945.
  3. http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-settlement-of-the-krimmer-mennonite-brethren/12990 Settlement of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren at Gnadenau, Marion County; Alberta Pantle; Kansas Historical Quarterly; Vol. 13, No. 5; February 1945; p259-285.
  4. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/K75ME.html Krimmer Mennonite Brethren, Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.
  5. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/gnadegnadenau_krimmer_mennonite_brethren_church Gnadenau Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church, Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.
  6. Web site: Gnadenau Village Memorial; Donald I. Good. . 2013-06-10 . 2013-10-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020080845/http://www.dgatx.com/family/people/Don-Good/pubs/2012/07-10b/hs.html . dead .
  7. Web site: Mennonite Settlement Museums . 2013-06-10 . 2012-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121212193824/http://www.hillsboro-museums.com/ . dead .
  8. Web site: Mennonite Settlement Museum . 2013-06-10 . 2011-08-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110827095252/http://www.hillsboro-museums.com/Mennonite-Settlement-Museum.html . dead .