You’ll find Ravanna’s haunting ruins scattered across the Kansas prairie, where a notorious 1887 county seat battle led to one of the state’s most scandalous election frauds. Originally named Bulltown in 1882, this frontier town once boasted over 700 residents, a cheese plant, and even connections to P.T. Barnum’s famous Siamese twins. Today, only crumbling brick walls and weathered headstones hint at the fascinating tales of ambition, corruption, and decline that shaped this ghost town’s destiny.
Key Takeaways
- Ravanna was established in 1882 as Bulltown and became a thriving Kansas settlement with over 700 residents at its peak.
- The town lost its county seat status to Eminence in 1889 after a controversial election marked by fraud and ballot stuffing.
- Notable features included a cheese plant, drugstore run by Siamese twins’ descendants, and an unfinished stone courthouse.
- Economic decline began in the 1890s, leading to complete abandonment by the 1930s when the schoolhouse closed.
- Today, only scattered brick ruins, crumbling arches, and a historic cemetery remain where the frontier town once stood.
The Birth and Early Days of Ravanna
As a growing settler community, Ravanna didn’t waste time establishing itself.
You would’ve find a bustling town with early infrastructure including a bank, newspaper, general store, and schoolhouse.
Initially named Bulltown in 1882, the growing settlement required numerous name changes before finding its permanent identity.
The town even boasted unique features like a cheese plant and a drugstore run by a descendant of Siamese twins, showing the diverse spirit of its frontier residents.
The town later became part of Garfield County when it was officially established in 1887.
The Great County Seat Battle
When Garfield County organized in mid-1887, the battle between Ravanna and Eminence for county seat status ignited one of Kansas’ most notorious political feuds.
Both towns, with populations around 300, mysteriously recorded over 1,000 votes each in the November election. You’d have found blatant election fraud on both sides – from ballot box stuffing to using dead people’s names.
In a comical display of frontier democracy, two tiny Kansas towns each conjured three times their population in suspicious votes.
Though Ravanna initially won by 35 votes, Eminence contested the results. The dispute grew so heated that famous lawman Bat Masterson had to bring 20 deputies from Dodge City to keep the peace. The settlers in both towns were primarily engaged in farming and hunting for their livelihood.
After a two-year legal battle, the Kansas Supreme Court awarded the county seat to Eminence, but Ravanna’s defiance continued until 1892, when the county itself was dissolved. Even after losing, Ravanna’s county commissioners stubbornly refused to surrender records until the State Adjutant General intervened.
Peak Years and Notable Residents
You’ll find Ravanna’s story particularly fascinating during its heyday when the population swelled beyond 700 residents, supporting local businesses like a general store, bank, and cheese plant.
The town’s commercial significance drew diverse settlers, including some unlikely residents – the sons of P.T. Barnum’s famous Siamese twins Eng and Chang, who made their home in this Kansas prairie community.
James Cross, who suggested renaming the town after his Ohio hometown of Ravenna, exemplified the pioneering spirit of early residents who shaped Ravanna’s identity during its prime years.
A planned stone courthouse was started but never completed, becoming a symbol of the town’s unfulfilled aspirations.
The town’s prosperity was short-lived after losing a fierce county seat battle with neighboring Eminence.
Population Growth and Commerce
During its peak years in the late 1800s, Ravanna flourished with over 700 residents and a vibrant commercial district that included essential infrastructure like a hotel, newspaper office, hardware store, and the ambitious $10,000 “Great White Elephant” courthouse.
Like an éminence grise, the rival town of Eminence worked behind the scenes to secure its position as county seat.
You’ll find that population dynamics shifted dramatically after the town lost its bid for county seat status to rival Eminence.
When Garfield County was disincorporated in 1893, economic factors triggered a mass exodus of residents and businesses. By 1930, only 166 people remained in what was becoming a ghost town.
The Kansas Pacific Railroad’s failure to connect Ravanna to Dodge City dealt another blow to the town’s commercial prospects.
Even the post office, a lifeline for any frontier town, shut its doors in 1922, marking the end of Ravanna’s hopes for revival.
Barnum Twins’ Family Legacy
Among Ravanna’s most intriguing historical residents were the descendants of Eng and Chang Barnum, the famous conjoined twins who toured with P.T.
As a cultural phenomenon of their time, the twins’ legacy lived on through their children, who became prominent figures in this frontier town. Their son Fred established himself as the town’s druggist, while other Barnum descendants contributed to Ravanna’s growing professional class. The twins had gained widespread recognition during their six-week exhibition at Barnum’s American Museum in 1860. Like his grandfather Phineas Taylor, P.T. showed remarkable financial savvy in managing the twins’ performances.
During the late 19th century, when Ravanna’s population swelled to over 700, the Barnum family helped anchor the community’s social and economic fabric.
You’ll find their influence reflected in the town’s ambitious $10,000 courthouse project and various civic developments. The family’s presence elevated Ravanna beyond a typical frontier settlement, linking it to a fascinating chapter of American entertainment history.
The Slow Decline and Abandonment
The story of Ravanna’s decline began when the Kansas Supreme Court stripped away its county seat status in 1889, following a scandalous election that included votes from 60 deceased residents.
The scandalous 1889 election, where 60 dead residents somehow cast votes, marked the beginning of Ravanna’s tragic demise.
You can trace the town’s downfall to multiple economic factors, from the shift away from grain farming to the challenges of sustaining local businesses in the harsh Great Plains environment.
While John Bull’s cheese plant won state fair prizes and the town boasted a newspaper, bank, and general store, these ventures couldn’t overcome the environmental impacts of bad farming seasons and tough soil conditions.
Originally called Cowland, the town reached a peak population of 700 before its steady decline began.
By the 1890s, settlers began leaving in droves. The schoolhouse held on until the 1930s, but eventually, even it succumbed to abandonment.
Today, you’ll find only scattered brick ruins where this once-promising town stood.
What Remains Today
Standing in stark isolation amid the Kansas prairie, Ravanna’s ghostly remnants tell a poignant story of frontier ambition gone quiet.
You’ll find only two major ruins still visible – the skeletal brick walls of the schoolhouse and the courthouse’s crumbling arches, both slowly surrendering to nature’s embrace.
For the adventurous ruins explorer, accessing the site proves challenging with no direct roads leading in.
The most significant landmark you’ll discover is the old cemetery, where weathered headstones chronicle the lives of Ravanna’s pioneering families.
While scattered farm buildings dot the landscape, the town’s once-bustling streets have vanished beneath prairie grass.
No signs mark this lost settlement, leaving you to imagine the stories held within these silent ruins as you wander among the few traces of frontier life.
Legacy of a Frontier Town
Despite its brief heyday as a frontier boomtown, Ravanna’s legacy endures as a cautionary tale of ambition and hubris in America’s westward expansion.
You’ll find in its story the quintessential elements of frontier resilience: ambitious settlers who built a $10,000 courthouse, established thriving businesses, and created a self-sufficient community in the harsh Kansas prairie.
The town’s cultural significance extends beyond its physical remnants. From housing descendants of the famous Siamese twins to becoming a battleground in a dramatic county seat war that drew the likes of Buffalo Jones and possibly Bat Masterson, Ravanna embodied the spirit of the American frontier.
Its rise and fall mirror countless other settlements where dreams of prosperity collided with the harsh realities of territorial politics, environmental challenges, and economic isolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were There Any Major Crimes or Notable Lawmen in Ravanna’s History?
You won’t find much crime history or lawmen legacy here – historical records show no major criminal activity beyond fraudulent voting in the county seat dispute, and no notable law enforcement figures emerged.
What Happened to the Bank’s Money When the Town Was Abandoned?
Like dust in prairie winds, you’ll find no clear answers about the bank’s money. Financial records don’t reveal if assets were withdrawn, transferred to other towns, or lost during Ravanna’s slow decline.
Did Any Native American Tribes Live in the Area Before Settlement?
Yes, you’d have found Native Tribes like the Kanza, Osage, Pawnee, and Comanche in the region. These tribes established historical settlements across Kansas long before European colonizers arrived in the area.
What Natural Disasters or Weather Events Contributed to Ravanna’s Decline?
Like a parched field yearning for rain, you’d have seen severe droughts in the late 1800s and early 1900s devastate Ravanna’s farms, forcing families to abandon their dreams and seek greener pastures elsewhere.
Are There Any Documented Paranormal Activities at the Abandoned Town Site?
You won’t find any documented ghost sightings or paranormal investigations at this site. Despite the atmospheric ruins and cemetery, there’s no verified supernatural activity in local records or paranormal databases.
References
- https://www.quincyvagell.com/2019/09/25/ravanna/
- http://kansasghosttowns.blogspot.com/2011/03/ravanna-kansas-former-county-seat-of.html
- http://genealogytrails.com/kan/finney/history_ravanna.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv0HZHoIBgE
- https://www.visitgck.com/eminence-and-ravanna-the-story-of-finney-countys-ghost-towns/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravanna
- https://lostkansas.ccrsdigitalprojects.com/sites/lostkansas/files/private_static/2022-12/LT_FI_Eminence_Doll.pdf
- https://fhsuguides.fhsu.edu/kansasheritage/finneycounty
- https://legendsofkansas.com/garfield-county-kansas/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminence
