St. Boniface Catholic Church – 1907 Vincent, KS
Pearl of the Prairies
Ebenezer Church – 1876 Clay County, KS
Falun Lutheran Church – 1887 Falun, KS
Churches Of The Prairie 23
7 Replies
Category Archives: Day Trips
Grave Hunting
A while back I was up at a great Antique store visiting with the owner, talking about blogging and traveling around, she asked me if I knew about the website Find A Grave. She said I really should look into it. Here is a link to their site: Find A Grave
I signed up!! Anyone can go on the site and request a photo of a grave, then you are sent an email notice that there has been a request. If you want you can “claim” it and then you have a few days to go locate and photograph the grave. Yesterday Wylie and I went to locate 2 graves. These were burials from 1930’s so they were easier to locate than some older graves. The site’s mobile app is great. When you are out and about, it’s so easy to look up the nearby cemeteries to see if there are any requests for photos.
I just received my new Reba McIntyre album “Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope” I can’t wait to go out hunting again with her hymns guiding us along!
This was not one of the graves we located, but I couldn’t pass up this beautiful monument.
Unmeasured Journeys recently posted some beautiful Angels. You can view them here: Angels
Churches Of The Prairie 22
Holy Family Catholic Church – 1899 Odin, KS
Churches Of The Prairie 21
Holy Cross Church – 1918 Pfeifer, KS
Construction started on the Church in 1915 and it was dedicated on May 3, 1918. Known as the two-cent church, because families paid two cents for every bushel of wheat they produced to finance the construction. They also donated their time for labor, quarrying and delivering the stone.
Coming into town from the north, the church’s gothic tower soars above the wheat fields. The main tower is 165 feet tall, believed to be the tallest gothic spire in Kansas.
In 1993 the Catholic diocese dissolved the parish. The parishioners started the Holy Cross Charities, Inc a non-profit organization to preserve the majestic church. Donations can be mailed to:
Holy Cross Charities, Inc. PO Box 5 Pfeifer, KS 67660
Back view of the church and school.
Holy Cross Cemetery
This area of Kansas was settled by German speaking people from the Volga River area in southern Russia. Iron crosses are part of their heritage.
Churches Of The Prairie 20
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church – 1880 Strong City, KS
Bazaar Methodist Church – 1909 Bazaar, KS
Churches Of The Prairie 19
St. Mary’s Catholic Church – 1911 Ellis, KS
Romanesque style built of native limestone
Out and About
This beautiful watch dog lives a few miles from us. I love seeing him guarding his sheep. If I sit and watch him too long, he will move his herd away. I wished Wylie could spend a day with him!!
Glad someone is restoring this beautiful home.
Watching over the prairie
Stone arch railroad bridge
I don’t often see a barn with the silo attached to it.
Churches Of The Prairie 18
St. Phillip’s Catholic Church – Hope, KS
Hebron Lutheran Church – 1884 Burdick, KS
Walnut Valley Presbyterian Chruch 1870 – North of Winfield, KS
United Methodist Church – Rock, KS
EV Lutheran Church – New Gottland, McPherson County, KS
Churches Of The Prairie 17
Catharine, KS
In 1876 Volga German immigrants founded and settled Catharine, KS. Located in Ellis County, it currently has a population of around 100. All the streets in Catharine are named after Saints, St. Martin, St. Leo, St. John, St. Anton, St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Francis, St. Adolphus, and St. Catherine.
St. Catherine Catholic Church – 1892
Riley, County KS
It was a beautiful day for an adventure on the backroads. With no real destination in mind we headed north-east. I opened up my topo map and saw that I had a little sticky note that pointed to an area that said, abandoned railroad bridge. Arriving at the sticky note, was the ghost town of Lasita.
Lasita
Settled in 1880 Lasita once was a small town of 35. The farming community that surrounded the town supported the businesses and school. The elevator, cemetery and one home is all that is left of the town that once had a 2 story school, general store, blacksmith, and stockyards. There was an abandoned railroad, but the terrain didn’t support the type of railroad bridge that I was looking for. Load up Wylie, let’s head south, I see a little town and creek on the map.
South of Lasita a few miles is
Bala, KS
Settled in 1870 on its original site, it was moved 1 1/2 south when the railroad come in 1887. In the 1960’s Fort Riley expanded to the edge of town and the village died out. Only the Presbyterian Church and a few houses are left.
Found the abandoned railroad
Turn around!!
One of the largest stone arch railroad bridge in Kansas
What a treasure to have found!! Such a beautiful warm (80) autumn day.
Smaller stone arched railroad bridge about 2 miles west.
Farmer Days 