User:Twistertwiddles/Somerset, Kansas

Somerset was founded by the Reverend John Stothoff Beekman and incorporated by the Somerset Town Company in 1871. In the late 1800s, Somerset was a fairly prosperous community. It was the home of several churches, blacksmith shops, local stores, a train depot, a grist mill, a post office and a public school. However, the invention of the automobile coupled with good county roads prompted local businesses and facilities to move to larger nearby towns.

The school was closed after a statewide school consolidation effort in Kansas during the 1950s. The train line that serviced the town was removed in the mid 1950s, and soon after, the state highway that passed directly by Somerset (State Highway 68) was relocated. With these trends and activities, Somerset began to languish. It was identified on the Kansas List of Dead and Dying Towns in the 1940s but has since enjoyed something of a comeback.

Though most of the businesses left Somerset, the roads and houses remained. In the late 1980's a new lake was created in the town, and several new homes were built. A few newer businesses have also been established, making the Somerset of today a small but pleasant rural community.

Somerset is located in Central Miami County at 38°36'18"N 94°46'08"W, about 25 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is surrounded by farmland, small rolling hills and woods.

Somerset has a cemetery and a few local businesses, but no local government or community organization.

Cutler, W. G. . History of the state of Kansas. Chicago, IL: A. T. Andreas, 1883. Available online at http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/.

Blackmar, F. W. (Ed.). Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. Vol 2. Chicago: Standard Publishing Company. 1912. Available online at http://books.google.com/.

Richey, Manuel F., Somerset, Kansas; Near the Millenium. Paola, KS. 2007. ISBN: 978-0-9817176-0-9.

Montgomery, E. M., Little known or extinct towns of Kansas. Retrieved 2007-03-01 from http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/places/deadtowns.htm.

Miami County Historical Society. Family histories and stories of Miami County, Kansas. Paola, KS. (1987).

"US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2011-01-25 http://geonames.usgs.gov.

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Local Businesses in or near Somerset:

• Casa Somerset [http://www.casasomerset.com/index.php]
• Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery [http://www.somersetridge.com/]