 |
The Seneca High
School was built in 1890, located in 400 block
between Nemaha and Pioneer. In 1968 this
building was condemned because of structural
failure and was demolished. It was a beautiful
building that had to be trashed which made many
sad. It is a lost treasure which can never
be replaced. |
 |
The Gilford Hotel was an outstanding
building for a town of this size. The builders
must have great visions for the future of
Seneca. The end of the 19 century was a boom
time for Seneca as there were many building
added to the town from 1890 in to the early
1900s. |
 |
This photo of
St's. Peter and Paul Church and Rectory must
date back to the early 1900s and the addition
to the church is completed and that was done in
the after the tornado of 1896 and the year of
1900. There
were bricks on hand to build the school and they
were used for the Church after the tornado of
1896. |
 |
The First
National Bank Building is located on the corner
of Fifth and Main, although not a bank today
it is still a very interesting structure and
adds historic value to Seneca's Main
Street. This building is not on the
Historic register and is being restored by
Christ and Dotty Holthaus and is called the
Cornerstone. |
 |
The Old
Nemaha County Jail and Sheriff's Residence is
not the home of the Sheriff any more but the
Nemaha County Historical Society. This building
was constructed in 1879 and served as the County
Jail until 1977. The oldest sheriffs residence
and jail standing in Kansas is located at 112
North Sixth Street in Seneca. The building is
not on the Historic Register. |
 |
The
Opera House which is pictured above was
located where the present day Seneca Theater is
located at Third and Main. There was
a previous Opera House on 600 block on the south
side o f the street where the Greenhouse now
stands. The 1996 tornado destroyed this
building. |
 |
Main Street from
near Sixth Street looking east. This would
appear to be a very impressive main street at
the time this picture was taken. Seneca was but
some fifty years old at that time and there
are buildings second to only the larger cities.
The street was paved with brick in about
1919. At this time a new city Hall was also
built.
|
 |
Electric Plant and Water Works which included
the Water Tower or Stand Pipe as it was referred
to in the early days. There is a large hand
dug well which measures 35 foot in diameter 65
feet deep which still remain under the pointed
roof structure in the this block.
After a fire of 1903 when the well went dry it
was made ten foot deeper and the pump had to be
lowered as it was a suction pump and could not
lift water the distance needed and would loose
its prime. . |
 |
This
Nemaha
County Court House was built in 1905. The
previous Court house was badly damaged in the
tornado of 1896. The 1896 tornado which destroyed the previous
court house and a bond vote failed and the
damaged court house was repaired . in 1905 the
bond was approved and the the Nemaha Court House and The
Register of Deeds building were build on the
same location as the previous building was
located. .
|
 |
The Nemaha County Courthouse
Yard looking east from 7th street. as it
appeared before the Elm trees surrounded the
block until the Elm Beetles destroyed all the
tree in the 60s. This court house failed
in the sixty's and long planks were placed
on the west side to keep the building from
falling. The offices were moved to different
locations about town untill a bond was approved
for replacing the building. |
