History and Demographics for Prairie Village, Kansas:
Kansas was originally home to three Indian tribes; the Kansas, Pawnee, and Osage. The people of these tribes hunted buffalo and raised corn, beans, and squash.
In 1541, Spanish explorers lead by Francisco Coronado passed through the area now known as Lindsborg, Kansas. They were looking for gold.
In the 1700’s, both France and Spain claimed Kansas as their territory. In 1809, the United States purchased the land now called Kansas as part of the Louisiana Purchase except for the southwest corner of the state, which was acquired from Texas in 1850.
Between 1825 and 1840, Kansas was declared Indian Territory and a variety of tribes came to the region include the Kickapoo, Shawnee, Delaware, Chippewa, Iowa, and Wyndotte. Meanwhile, in 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth, established the first white settlement in Kansas. Folks began passing through Kansas during the gold rush era and between 1840 and 1878, there were a number of indian raids and bloody battles.
In 1854, President Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act which made Kansas into its own territory. At that time, this gave regional settlers the opportunity to decide whether the Kansas Territory should be free or slave. People in the Kansas Terriroty fought bitterly over this issue and the time period over which the bitter fighting took place is known as the “Bleeding Kansas” era. In 1855, it was decided that Kansas should be a slave state. Rivals set up an alternate government, but it was never recognized federally.
No battles were fought in Kansas, but Kansas sent a large number of troops to the Union army and battles were fought near the eastern border of Kansas.
By 1900, most of Kansas was settled. And people were driving large herds of longhorn cattle through the western region of Kansas from Texas to Nebraska.
Prairie Village is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to about 20,000 citizens. Prairie Village is located in Johnson County in northeastern Kansas.
Construction of Prairie Village didn’t commence until 1941. J.C. Nichols first developed the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, and then turned his focus toward the development of Prairie Village just a few miles away. The National Association of Home Builders named Prairie Village the best planned community in America in 1949. Prairie Village was officially recognized as a city in 1951.
Ghosts and Hauntings for the Homestead Country Club in Prairie Village, Kansas :
People report that at a particular table in the restaurant at the Homestead Country Club, in Prairie Village, Kansas, there are strange cold spots. Staff at the Homestead County Club have reported feeling touched by unseen hands, strange disembodied voices, and the movement of objects without explanation. The ghost of a man who died on the tennis court has apparently been reported by various visitors to the Homestead Country Club.
Staff report that knives fly through the air without explanation on a somewhat regular basis as well as other objects from time to time.
Resources:
Hubris Communications (2000). Southwestern Kansas. Retrieved January 22, 2011 from http://www.gardencity.net/info/history/weskan/
No Author (n.d.). A Brief History of Kansas. Retrieved January 22, 2011 from http://www.mcpherson.com/~kansas/history.html
The Shadowlord (1998). Shadowlands Haunted Places Index. Retrieved January 19, 2011 from http://theshadowlands.net/places/kansas.htm
Wikipedia (2011). History of Kansas. Retrieved January 22, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kansas
Wikipedia (2011). Prairie View, Kansas. Retrieved January 23, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_Village,_Kansas