1990 to the Future

Had you driven into town in your gasoline-powered horse-less carriage with rubber tires to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Whitewater in 1990, you would have perceived that the residents were proud of their town, its accomplishments and its place in history. Yet, looking around, you would sense that things had changed and the needs of the community are very different now, one hundred years later. Although the population size has remained static since 1889, the train depots, the livery stables, the general mercantile stores, the hotels, the saloons, the lumberyards, the blacksmith shops, the barber shops, the hardware stores, the car dealerships, most implement dealerships, and now with time even the last remaining grocery story and service station are only historical remembrances. Driving to the shopping malls of Wichita takes less time and is considerably more convenient than driving three to five miles to town with a horse and buggy. Local shopping may now include Wichita, Newton, El Dorado, or even Kansas City. The times have changed. Most employment is out of town with the major employers located in Wichita, Newton, or El Dorado. Indeed, the times have changed and Whitewater is no longer a frontier town. Whitewater is now a bedroom town.42

After meeting some of the current town’s people, while you took in the Centennial Celebration Parade on July 4, 1990, you would have without doubt been tempted to ask some of them during the lulls in the parade the same questions you asked 100 years earlier: could they live a somewhat normal life here on the wide open farmlands? Is there a school for the children, a church for Sunday, and what do you do on a Friday or Saturday night for relaxation? The answers would have been varied, but always very positive. But the look on the faces would have expressed—“and where are you from?”

The local schools are active and flourishing, and equipping the young people to meet the challenges of an ever changing world. Through available information technologies, the students can access the world and its large source of information. The athletic and academic programs provide endless activity and involve many people in the community. The high school is named to honor the life and work of Frederic Sackrider Remington who was a resident of the rural community from 1883-1884; a commemorative plaque was placed at the high school by the Frederic Remington Area Historical Society in 2006. See Figure 8.

Two churches, the Swiss Church and the Federated Church, continue to meet the spiritual needs of the community. Additionally, there are several more churches in the countryside.

The current library, Whitewater Memorial Library, is very busy and provides collections, services, and programs to meet the informational, educational, and recreational needs of the community patrons. The library is fully automated and has an active Friends of the Library support group.

The Whitewater Lions Club organizes the Fourth of July fireworks and the Fall Festival activities. The CJ’s (unaffiliated group formed from the disbanded Whitewater Area Jaycee Organization) are helpful with removal of yard debris from spring cleanup. The American Legion sponsors an annual Ground Hog-Pancake Dinner, and bingo in season. The Whitewater Seniors meet twice a month with a potluck lunch and fellowship on the 2nd Tuesday and a movie and popcorn on the 4th Tuesday.

The Bank of Whitewater and the Whitewater Post Office give the town continuity to earlier days and continue to provide services that are taken for granted.

There are new social and medical service within the community. Wheat State Manor was dedicated on April 7, 1974 and is a nursing home established as a shared undertaking of nine area churches to provide continued loving care and excellent support with Christian orientation for the elderly who may need nursing home care. It is a sixty-six bed home on twelve and one half acres donated by Mr. & Mrs. Donald B. Joseph. Adjacent immediately south of the manor are the Sunflower Apartments, Senior Citizen Housing. Residency requirements are 65 or older, or handicapped and the 12 units are totally electric. Main Street now also has a resident Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine.

Main Street also sports a collection of businesses vital for the 21st century Whitewater: a realtor, a café, a pizza parlor, an insurance broker, an implement dealership for hobby farmers, self-storage units, a day-care center, a mortuary, several beauticians, a floral shop, a convenience store, and the district school administrative offices. A bit off Main you can find a locker and cold storage, grain storage and brokerage, farm chemical sales, and an auto repair shop. There is a veterinary service nearby in the country. There also are a collection of home businesses offering activities like photography and charitable support groups.

From the past and present, it would appear that Whitewater has always attracted wonderful people who appreciate their neighbors, have a positive outlook, and relish the pace of a rural Kansas town43. There is every reason to think that this tradition will continue for a long, long time to come.

Melvin D. Epp, Ph. D., President

Frederic Remington Area Historical Society

January 6, 2009

Also contributing:

Sylvia K. Epp, M.S.

Donald J. Martin, Ph.D.

Marilyn Nigg Umbach, B.A.

Contact Us:
P.O. Box 87
Whitewater, KS 67154
Phone: (316) 799-2137