Baldwin City, Kansas
| Baldwin City, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown Baldwin City (2008)
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 Location within Douglas County and Kansas |
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 KDOT map of Douglas County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 38°46′39″N 95°11′15″W / 38.77750°N 95.18750°WCoordinates: 38°46′39″N 95°11′15″W / 38.77750°N 95.18750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Douglas |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.64 sq mi (6.84 km2) |
| • Land | 2.62 sq mi (6.79 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,037 ft (316 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,515 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 4,669 |
| • Density | 1,700/sq mi (660/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 66006 |
| Area code(s) | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-03900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0479524 |
| Website | BaldwinCity.org |
Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States about 12 miles (19 km) south of Lawrence and 15 miles (24 km) west of Gardner. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,515. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university.
Baldwin City began as a trail stop on the Santa Fe Trail named Palmyra. The small town consisted of a harness shop, blacksmith, hotel, lawyer, drug store, two doctors and a tavern. In 1858, a group of Methodist ministers gathered at Kibbee Cabin and founded Baker University. The town of Palmyra bought land to the south for the university and surrounding city. A main benefactor was John Baldwin and the town was named in his honor. Baldwin built a saw mill which was at present-day Fifth and Indiana Streets.
The first post office in the town, then called Palmyra, was established in June, 1857. Baldwin was incorporated on September 22, 1870.
Baldwin City unwittingly found themselves surrounded by the events that led up to the American Civil War. Three miles east of Baldwin was the town site of Black Jack where the Battle of Black Jack took place on June 2, 1856. The night before that battle, John Brown stayed in Prairie City. In 1863, Quantrill's raiders passed within three miles (5 km) of Baldwin after the burning of Lawrence.
In 1867, the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Fort Gibson railroad laid tracks and became the first Kansas railroad south of the Kansas River. In 1906, the Santa Fe Depot was built and today the Midland Railway offers over 20-mile round trip excursion rides to Ottawa via "Nowhere" and Norwood. Midland's Scout program is one of the few in the country to offer a railroading merit badge and Midland has hosted a Thomas the Tank Engine attraction the last few years.
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Wikipedia