Belpre | Kinsley
| Lewis | Nettleton
| Offerle | Wendell
Homesteading in Edwards County
Nettleton
The town was started by the Santa Fe
Railroad in 1872 and was named for an official of the railroad,
Mr. Nettleton. John Fitch, from Chicago, wanted to established
a plantation in Kansas, so he purchased some land in the northeast
edge of the county which included the settlement of Nettleton.
The name was changed to Fitchburg, and the Fitch home was probably
the first of its kind in Western Kansas with plumbing and other
conveniences.
Mr. Fitch constructed a flour mill
which was operated by steam power and windmills. However, beginning
in 1874 the area went through several years of hard times with
the grasshopper plague and the drought. Mr. Fitch lost his fortune
and eventually lost his life in a farming accident in 1877. Shortly
thereafter, his baby died, and a few weeks later, Mrs. Fitch died.
All three graves were on the front lawn of their magnificent home.
The post office, established in 1877,
was named Fitchburg, then changed to Nettleton in 1878. The town
name was changed back to Nettleton, as well. The post office remained
there until shortly after 1900.
The ethnicity of its settlers is unknown.
Sources
Richardson, Myrtle H. "Oft' Told Tales:
A History of Edwards County, Kansas, to 1900". Lewis, KS:
The Lewis Press, 1976.
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