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The new commercial strip on US54
atufft Says: The new and very busy grocery store, hospital, and Baptist church are all located right on US54. Other construction is in progress. Nearby wind turbines promise an ample supply of electricity as this is a windy place even without the tornados.
atufft Says: I saw in many places whole neighborhoods missing, where only empty pits of former basements locate homes, and only a network of cracked asphalt, broken concrete sidewalks, and rusty iron storm drain grates revealed local streets. Free lots are available for those willing to...
atufft Says: The tornado's 200+ mph winds didn't bring down the huge grain elevator located just north of mainstreet along the railroad tracks, but it did damage to pipes and equipment such that required restoration to be used.
atufft Says: There is a fundraising sign on the plot of land where the town's movie theater once stood. It had actually already closed prior to the arrival of the tornado, but the town has a goal to build and reopen it.
atufft Says: There was a substantial stone and concrete commercial building or private home on Main street that was completely destroyed, leaving only bare remains of it's former grandeur. Because this has yet to be bulldozed, it may be of some historical interest.
atufft Says: The County building and courthouse survived the tornado but required a complete interior renovation. The original corner dedication stone was so eroded that I could determine the original date of construction. Landscaping was still not complete as of my visit.
atufft Says: A little further off US50 there is a substantial subdivision of new homes, many of them duplexes, with open yards. Most of these homes are convention, but at least one I found was not.
Deepest Hand Dug Well in the World
atufft Says: At the time of my visit, the well was closed to the public but I was able to shoot these images through the class cover. The well is lined with locally quarried stone, and in 1913, the iron staircase was added. The well is adjacent to railroad tracks, as the original purpose...
Sole Survivor on Greensburg's Main Street
atufft Says: Just one late 19th century brick building on Main Street survived the Tornado, while the rest was completely demolished. This building has been structurally renovated.
Walk Along Greensburg's Main Street
atufft Says: Main street Greensburg has several banks and other well financed commercial and public buildings which are very modern and energy efficient. Streets are repaved, sidewalks bricked, and so on, but there are still plenty of open lots waiting for new construction.
See the World's Second Largest Pallasite Meteorite
Stephen-KarenConn Says: For many years the good people of Greensburg claimed not only to have the world's largest hand-dug well, but also the world's largest Pallasite (rock and metal) Meteorite. That was before a man in Texas uncovered an even larger meteorite of the same rare "Brenham" type, so...
Kiowa County Historical Museum
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Most people who visit Greensburg, Kansas will come via the East-West route, U.S. Highway 54. The first building they will see as they turn off the highway onto Main Street is the Kiowa County Historical Museum.The Museum houses large collections of dolls, antique quilts and...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: There's only one place on earth where you can see the World's Largest Hand-Dug Well and its here in Greensburg, Kansas. The well is easy to find. Just look for it underneath the water tower which says BIG WELL.The story of the well began in the 1880s when both the Santa Fe...
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Open the front door to Hunter Drug Store in Downtown Greensburg and take a step back in time 50 years. Here you will find an old fashioned soda fountain - the kind that used to be in virtually every drugstore in America, but is now so scarce that the few which remain have become tourist attractions. There's nothing artificial or contrived about the fountain. It's the Real McCoy, with red spinning bar stools and probably the same menu that they've had for as long as anyone can remember.
I loved it!
Favorite Dish: I had the Root Beer Float, and ordered it with cherry ice cream. Maybe Dick, the soda jerk, didn't hear me because he made my float with vanilla ice cream, but I didn't complain. After all, he is in his seventies and has been working behind that same counter for 54 years. I've told a little more about Dick in my Local Customs tip.
Updated Jan 12, 2007
Address: 121 S. Main Street, Greensburg, KS 67054
Phone: (620) 723-2416
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_jerk
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When the Twilight Theatre first opened in 1915 it boasted one of the largest movie screens in the entire state of Kansas. Silent films were shown in those days
The historic old theatre, with a pressed-tin ceiling, is now community-owned. It features first-run movies on the weekends.
Updated Nov 27, 2006
Address: 132 South Main Street, Greensburg, KS 67054
Phone: (620) 723-2416
Website: http://www.bigwell.org/attracts.html
Stephen-KarenConn Says: When I arrived in Greensburg on a brisk Friday morning in mid-November, I was greeted with a brass band. No, I'm not a celebrity, and the band didn't know I was coming. It was the combined Greensburg Jr. Hi. and Sr. Hi. School Marching Band practicing on Main Street.There...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Richard Huckriede, better known as "Dick," has been working behind the soda fountain at Hunter Drugstore for well over half a century. I was very honored to meet this fine gentleman and he agreed to let me take his photo as he was making a root beer float for me.Dick moved...
The Metal Art Work of M. T. Liggett
Stephen-KarenConn Says: Driving westward from Greensburg along U.S. 54 and also KS-400 you will see the colorful metal artwork of M.T. Liggett. There are scores - perhaps hundreds - of these fascinating sculptures made from scrap metal. Many of them carry political themes, such as the one which...
Stephen-KarenConn Says: The Fromme-Birney Round Barn is well off the beaten path but definitely worth seeking out. I found this unusual barn by following the signs from US-54 near Mullinsville, on the western edge of Kiowa County. Drive 3 1/2 miles south and then 1 3/4 miles west, along unpaved...
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Favorite thing: Kansas Governor John Martin organized Kiowa County in 1886 and named it for the native Indians of the area. The town of Greensburg was named for one of its founders, Colonel Donald R. Green, also known as "Cannonball Green."
It is said that Cannonball Green, who owned and operated the Cannonball Stage Line, was a flamboyant, boastful character who liked to dominate a crowd while twirling his diamond-studded watch chain. His sleek horse-drawn coaches blazed trails across the open prairie where railroads and highways later followed.
Cannonball prided himself in the speed of his horses . He advertised that even "Father Time" couldn't keep up with the "Cannonball." His stage line helped bring stability and prosperity to the towns it served. When the railroad arrived in Greensburg, the stage line was upstaged. Cannonball moved on to less tamed territory in Oklahoma.
The railroad still runs through Greensburg, but only for freight trains. U.S. Highway #54 now follows the path of the old stagecoach and passenger train lines.
Cannonball Green
Updated Nov 27, 2006
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Near Perfect Town Destroyed by Tornado
I frequently drive US 50 and 54, when traveling from Kansas City through the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles enroute to Tucumcari, NM, which is on I-40. This route skirts past the Oklahoma toll roads......
Site of the world's largest hand dug well, Greensburg, Kansas. The well is 109 feet deep, 32 feet wide, and was completed in 1888. The only digging tools were a shovel and a pick. Until 1932 this well...
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