WHY GO THERE?

Baldwin City celebrates its roots, which extend back to the breaking of the Santa Fe Trail in 1824. It was on the trail that the settlement of Palmyra sprang up on a watering hole with a hotel, harness shop, tavern, blacksmith and two doctors serving the needs of those making the long trip back and forth to New Mexico. A post office was recognized in 1857.

In 1858, a group of Methodist ministers meeting in Palmyra saw the need for a college in Kansas Territory, a decision that led to the founding of Baker University to the south of the settlement. When the Palmyra town site shifted to near a new center of activity near the school, Baldwin City was born.

Like other communities tracing to the state’s late territorial days, Baldwin City’s early history was intertwined with the conflict between pro-slavery and Free State supporters. On June 2, 1856, abolitionist John Brown’s forces intercepted those of Capt. Henry Clay Pate about 3 miles east of present-day Baldwin City on a site on the Santa Fe Trail. The ensuing skirmish became known as the Battle of Black Jack and was the first conflict between organized forces of the Civil War.

Visitors to Baldwin City today will find a city of about 4,500. Century-old homes and the community’s signature maple trees line brick streets at its historic core, while residential neighborhoods have sprung up beyond.

WHAT TO SEE:

The main downtown intersection of Eighth and High streets offers quick access to the Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce office, which occupies a quaint, long-closed filling station, on the intersection’s northeast corner, and City Hall on the southwest corner. Visitors will find plentiful written materials on local attractions at both.

The downtown is home to Mexican and Chinese restaurants, a coffee and sandwich shop, three antique and consignment stores and a comic book store serving an active gaming community. The Baker campus is a block to the north.

The Lumberyard Arts Center is just east of the chamber office at 718 High St. Visitors will find a rotation of art shows in its gallery, open Tuesday through Saturday. The Lumberyard also sponsors monthly Friday evening art walks, starting June 19 and continuing the third Friday of each month through September. The evenings include musical entertainment, crafts and art vendors and a special activity, such as a cupcake decorating contest, in the arts center.

The chamber will sponsor two events this summer. The first will be a daylong car show on downtown streets. Organizers expect about 100 hot rods and antique vehicles to be on display. On July 18, the chamber will have its annual Winefest from 1 to 5 p.m. in downtown’s Joe Spurgeon Park. The products of Kansas wineries will be available for sampling and purchase.

MAPLE LEAF FESTIVAL:

Timed each year to coincide with the peak fall foliage displays, the Maple Leaf Festival annually draws more than 30,000 people on the third full weekend of October. The big attraction is the Saturday and Sunday craft show that brings more than 300 vendors from as far away as New York. Other festival features include a parade, quilt show, carnival, musical entertainment and petting zoo.

LIVING TRANSPORTATION HISTORY:

In 1867, the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Fort Gibson railroad pushed south from Lawrence to Ottawa. Although the route was a vital transportation link for decades, service ended on the line in the late 1970s. However, the section from Baldwin City south to Norwood and Ottawa survives as the excursion nonprofit Midland Railway. It has become Baldwin City’s biggest tourist attraction, drawing 24,000 visitors last year.

Two years ago, the Kansas Belle Dinner Train started offering Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon rides on the Midland line. Passengers ride in reconditioned 1940s-era passenger cars, on which formal meals are offered on Saturday and informal family meals on Sunday. Passengers have the choice of riding in cars in which the experience and scenery are the main attraction or those with theater and live entertainment. Rides can be booked at kansasbelle.com.

Midland Railway continues to offer rides Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the first weekend in May through October. This year, Sunday rides will be in cars the Kansas Belle Dinner Train owns. No meals will be served, but passengers will be able to enjoy the scenery in air-conditioned comfort. Ticket information can be found at midlandrailway.org.

Midland Railway’s biggest weekends are those when the full-sized facsimile of Thomas the Tank Engine visits. The visiting Thomas, which now speaks, will be in Baldwin City the weekends of May 29 -31 and June 5-7.

FOR THE KIDS:

Visitors will find two city parks equipped with playground equipment, picnic tables and shelters. The city’s modern pool has a kiddie pool, zero-depth entry and slides. Baldwin City Lake at the intersection of North 100 Road and East 1900 Road has an 18-hole disc golf course and is open for fishing.

EXPLORING THE PAST:

The Black Jack Battlefield is 3 miles east of Baldwin City, just south of U.S. Highway 56 on East 2000 Road. Visitors can take self-guided walking tours of the battlefield from dawn to dusk daily. From May through October, free guided tours are available at 1 p.m. the first Saturday of each month. A walk and talk will be available on the battle’s June 2 anniversary, beginning at the actual 4:45 a.m. start time of the battle.

Across the road from the battlefield, visitors can view deep ruts dug by wagons on the Santa Fe Trail.

Also of historical interest is the Quayle Bible Collection housed in Baker University’s Collins Library. The collection, pieced together by former Baker University President Bishop William Quayle, is probably best known for its two original King James Bibles, but it contains other rare manuscripts, religious texts and artifacts that reflect Quayle’s wide interests. To make an appointment to view the collection, call 595-8414.

Also on the Baker campus is Osborne Chapel. Once located in Sproxton, England, the limestone chapel was disassembled, transferred and rebuilt in 1996 on the Baldwin City campus. The chapel is open to visitors most days the university is open, and tours for 10 or more can be scheduled by calling 594-4553.

Artifacts from Baldwin City and Baker history can be viewed by appointment at the Old Castle Museum, 511 Fifth St. Near the building are reproductions of the old Palmyra general store and post office and Kibbee Cabin, in which the decision to found Baker was made. To make an appointment to tour the museum, call 594-8380.

A trolley ride leaving at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays from The Lodge, 502 Ames St., visits Baker, Black Jack Battlefield, the Santa Fe Depot and other historic sites.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Baldwin City is on U.S. Highway 56, four miles east of that highway’s intersection with U.S. Highway 59. Travelers from Lawrence should use that route this summer rather than CR 1055, which is closed north of Baldwin City for construction until October. The community can be accessed from Interstate 35 from US 59 in Ottawa or from Kansas Highway 33 in Wellsville.