Attractions

From Main, 2/1/2 miles northwest on K-7. Stop here to read the historical marker that relates the story of the Public Land Surveys of the Sixth Principal Meridian. From here, another 120 yards north on K-7 a little footbridge leads to a path that takes you 150 feet to the top of the bluff (handrails help navigate the steep grade). At this hilltop you'll see the cast iron monument erected in May 1855 by U.S. Deputy Surveyor Charles Manners to mark the beginning point of the 40th Parallel--the border between the future state of Nebraska and Kansas.

In 1912 local carpenter and contractor Ely Saunders interpreted the popular Prairie School and Craftsman architectural styles to design a distinctive home for wealthy merchant A.L. Wynkoop. The Shingle style exterior is an unusual feature of this two-story house with third-story dormers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From Main, 1/4 mile north on Friendship Rd. Take the long driveway to the 1925 barn remodeled into a bank in 1985. Stop in and say hello to the cashiers and see a historic photo of the original barn and other memorabilia.

A conical roof, rounded tower, wraparound porch, and ornate keystones are just a few of the features that make this 1895 red-brick Queen Anne home a handsome structure.

In front of Irvin Hall find the large bronze of Dr. William Boone (1860-1936), physician, community leader, educator, and Highland College trustee, was sculpted by his granddaughter Carey Boone Nelson.

Settlers and fortune seekers heading west traveled through parts of Doniphan County from the early 1840s through 1865. In 2014, 59 signs were installed to make the California Trail through the county. To find the first trail marker, from S. 3rd in Wathena, go 1/4 mile east and south on U.S. 46, just east on Saint Joseph, then north on Treece. Proceed to subsequent markers by following the arrows. You will end up east of Fanning at K-7 and 230.

City Hall is an impressive 1942 WPA stone structure.

In Bellemont Cemetery, an impressive 1915 bronze statue of a soldier standing atop an engraved granite base honors those who gave their lives during the Civil War. From U.S. 36 (Wathena), 3/4 mile north on N. 9th.

Gracing these environs are a replica Statue of Liberty, a plaque to a sheriff and an undersheriff who drowned in 1943, veteran memorials, a plaque recognizing the patent holder of the Burgundy Belle maple tree, and a Pony Express marker.

Highlights of the 18-site, self-guided walking tour include the 1900 opera house (106 E. Walnut; the 1900 former Hotel Avon (122 E. Walnut); and the 1870 Sol Miller Building (1010 S. Main). The 100 block of Chestnut is home to several historic houses and businesses. Brochures are available. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Denton post office is a classic, and it will continue to operate as long as enough stamps are purchased here! Make your transaction over the brass plate covering the counter. Monday-Friday 12-4pm. Lobby open 24/7.

The view from the cemetery of the Missouri River, bluffs, valley and the ghost town of Doniphan is magnificent! The largest and most elaborate monuments in the cemetery are those of brothers, Jacob and Adam Brenner, whose vineyards were a major part of the area economy from the 1860s to 1912. From 95, 3/4 mile north on Mineral Point, 1/2 mile east on 100, then 1/4 mile south on Moon Light.

Revered Kansas architect George Washburn designed this Romanesque Revival building completed in 1906. Historic pictures and display cases line the hallway inside this picturesque red-brick structure with limestone trim. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.

A few ghostly buildings let you know you've arrived at Doniphan. From E. Walnut in Troy, go 1/4 mile south on Main, 1/4 mile east on Lower State, then 10 miles south on Mineral Point.

Some of the largest flea markets you'll ever encounter happen in Sparks, White Cloud and Troy every Labor Day weekend and the first weekend of May. Expect huge crowds!

A viewing platform offers a panorama of the broad Missouri River Valley, as well as of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. Take a 360 turn to view the rolling loess hills of the glacial hills region with the Missouri River rolling by on the north side of the platform. From Main, 1/4 mile north and west on 3rd, and at the fork take either turn up the hill. Voted one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography.

From the Kansas-Nebraska line in Doniphan County to the intersection of K-7 and K-92 in Leavenworth, this 63-mile route takes you through the scenic and rolling Glacial Hill region. Often bluffs parallel the road on one side and the river or cropland in the flood plain borders the other. Notice the large red rocks, or quartzite, remnants of glacial deposits. This byway leads you to some of the oldest towns in Kansas, treats you to early architecture and historic sites, and presents account so f major events including the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Pony Express.

When completed in 1904, the church was deemed the "handsomest in Highland." The architecture is significant because the Shingle style exterior is rare on a church building. Ely Saunders, designer of the Wynkoop home oversaw the construction. The building's red-brick veneer accented by the buff-brick quoins make this church quite a beauty! Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

You'll find this charming "Scottie" dog figurine in the Highland Community College Library along with other historical artifacts telling the history of the state's oldest college. Friendly staff will greet you and answer all your questions. Don't miss a stroll around the grounds before or after your visit to the library. On the grounds you'lll find statues, historic buildings, memorials, a sun dial and other fascinating stories that make the history here come alive.

This church has the earliest formed Presbyterian congregation in the state, dating to 1843. After the 1888 church burned down, the new church, constructed around 1914, was designed with a flat roof and without a steeple which was highly unusual for that time period and location in a rural community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Six barns in the county are featured on this self-guided tour, several of which are on the national register. Signs at each barn provide information. You are welcome to take photos, but due to the barns' fragile condition, visitors are asked not to enter the buildings. Tour brochures are available on the first floor of the county courthouse at 120 E. Chestnut in Troy.

Acquaint yourself with Troy by reading the historical marker at this roadside pullover. A nearby granite marker tells about a Pony Express station that operated for a few months near here. From Locust, 1 mile east on U.S. 36.

A Kansas Historical Marker relates that in 1856 Elwood (first calle dRoseport) prospered with steamboat and ferryboat trade. But floods are part of this community's story, and eventually the river washed away much of the old town. Near the marker an inscribed Glacial Hills granite stone serves as a monument to the Pony Express.

The 1845 Presbyterian Mission was originally built to educate the Iowa and the Sac & Fox children. Although the mission is no longer open to the public, exterior interpretive signage tells the story of the American Indian tribes that were relocated to this area. The exhibits have been moved to Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site in Fairway, Kansas. From Kansas Street, 2 miles east on Main, turn north on Elgin, then west into the driveway. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This six-mile route takes you on winding roads through hills and valleys and wooded landscapes, along little creeks, and past old wooden barns. From Main, go 2 1/4 miles north on Kansas (becomes Colorado), 1/2 mile east on 265 Rd, 1 mile north on Denmark, 3/4 mile east on 275, then 1 1/2 miles north on Dove Creek to Iowa Point. From Iowa Point, continue 4 1/2 miles north on K-7 to White Cloud.

In a small park by the river, a pavilion, marked by a metal sunflower, commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition that came through this area on July 10, 1804. Interpretive signage provides background of this historic event.

It is said that on December 1, 1859, when Abraham Lincoln delivered a campaign speech in Troy, he stopped at the Sidney Tennant home on E. Walnut. A memorial to Lincoln's visit is erected just west o the house, now the Nelson Roger's home, which is the first and oldest residence remaining in Troy.

Sol MIller, who founded the Kansas Chief newspaper in 1857, constructed the eastern section of this Italianate building in 1866 for his newspaper office. The remainder of the structure was added in 1868. Miller abandoned the building in 1872 when he moved his paper to Troy.

A dry goods business was the original occupant of this 1869 structure. By 1893 a general store and a bank had opened on the first floor, and an opera house operated on the second. By 1930 the second floor had been vacated and has been empty ever since.

Don't run into the old water pump in the middle of town! A flagpole stands guard near the red pump, which in the spring and summer is surrounded by a little flower garden.

Alexis Poulet, a prominent businessman in White Cloud, built this Italianate home in 1880. The wrought iron balconies on the back of the house reveal Poulet's French background. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The brick wall bearing the Highland College name stands as a memorial to Sophie Rubeti, a young Sac of the Iowa and Sac & Fox Mission. A plaque tells Sophie's story and why, following her death around 1861 at age 18, a lodge for Indian girls was built in her honor. When the lodge was razed in 1978, the hand-hewn bricks from its fireplace were used to build the memorial wall.

This is the oldest Masonic lodge in Kansas, dating to 1854. Across the street, a plaque in Degginger Park commemorates this fact.

Part of the Brenner Vineyards Historic District (NRHP), this red-brick church was built in 1867 on land donated by Adam Brenner. Adam and Jacob Brenner came to the area in 1857 and 1860 and established prosperous vineyards and wineries. The historic district reflects the Brenners' agrarian farmsteads and remnants of the winery. From Mineral Point, 1/2 mile west and south on 95th Rd.

It is believed that African Americans settled in Doniphan County around 1860. This simple frame church, built around 1882, was named for Martha Hubbard, a former slave who escaped to Kansas from Missouri via the Underground Railroad. She made a living as a cook and worked with great devotion to help establish the "little church" in Highland. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From a distance the 112-foot steeple guides you to St. Mary's Church. Built in the Late Gothic Revival style, this 1896 red-brick building is the only remaining structure of a religious complex that once stood here. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In front of Irvin Hall on the Highland Community College campus you'll find a round cement sundial on a concrete table. Both were made by Richard Schuman when he was in art class at Highland in 1969. What do the circles mean on the side? The tops of plastic cuts were used as indentations for decoration.

A citizen of Troy met Hungarian artist Peter Toth while he was sculpting outside of Kansas. Toth told him that his goal was to sculpt an Indian monument in each state. Thus, the artist was invited to Troy and in 1978 created the 27-foot sculpture of an Indian chief with headdress. Sculpted from a bur oak log and christened Tall Oak, the monument is a striking landmark in Troy. Located on the courthouse grounds.

Stop by this downtown grocery and stock up on goods that will travel well as you explore the area. Call ahead and find out what they can make for a sack lunch to take on your exploration.

This 1864 clapboard frame building was a barbershop for much of its days beginning in 1875. Currently the structure is unoccupied. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

This small historic river town comprises 67 buildings that represent the development of the town since 1850. The historic district is roughly bordered by Poplar, 6th, Chestnut, and K-7. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 1872 two-story, Italianate building was designed by Kansas architect Erasmus T. carr. Today it houses the Ma-Hush-Kah Museum. "Mah-Hush-Kah is a phonetic spelling of the name of Mahaska II, "White Cloud" (ca. 1810-1851), the chief of the Iowa Tribe for many years." Hours irregular.

In front of the Christian church, a bronze plaque set in a unique stone pedestal pays tribute to Wilbur Chapman and relates a most unusual story of this 10-year-old boy and his pig, Pete. In 1913 Wilbur sold his prized pig to raise money for a leper colony. This news of one boy's generosity captured the public's fancy, and soon school children throughout the world began collecting money for this worthy cause. They saved their coin in, what else, little iron banks shaped like a black pig-created in memory of Pete. The 1880 brick home, 308 Chestnut, where Wilbur grew up is sometimes referred to as the Gingerbread House.