Homesteading in Barber County

Mr. Jacob Achenbach purchased 6300 acres of land from Dr. John Hardtner in 1884, and it was land that he had been farming. Mr. Achenbach wanted to develop a new community in the area, so he advertised for others to come settle there. Once there were a number of settlers who had arrived, a town site company was formed in 1886. The company purchased 640 acres of land from Dr. Hardtner and laid the town site on that acreage.

The town was named for the doctor. A post office was established that same year, and Jacob Achenbach became the first postmaster. A railroad line was built from Kiowa in 1908.

The ethnicity of its settlers is unknown.

Sources

Barber County History Committee. "The Chosen Land: A History of Barber County, Kansas."
Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1980.