Posted on the FRAHS Facebook site on May 12, 2022, was an entry from the Towanda Area Historical Museum, which explained that the current eight townships of the northwest corner of Butler County were originally included in one Towanda Township. By 1872-1874, this area was divided into its current eight townships. Listed among the former towns was Holden.

But where was Holden located? There was no prairie crossroad settlement called Holden with a mercantile store, a livery stable, and a hotel with an eatery and lodging. However, there was a Holden Post Office established December 14, 1870 on the north side of Section 18, Milton Township (NW 100th St) in the home of B.C. Leveredge with B.C Leveredge as postmaster. (1) The Walnut Valley Times, May 26, 1871, reported that “Holden is the name of a new post-office established on West Branch of Whitewater [River], with Mr. Leverage as postmaster.”

The Holden Post Office was subsequently relocated one mile east to the Southwest 80 of Section 8 (Butler Rd/NW 100^th St) on the Thomas H. Storms farm with Thomas H. Storms as postmaster. The address for those serviced by the post office used the address Holden, Kansas. Holden was simply a postal service in the home of the postmaster. Holden, Kansas was a community. The Storms farm was purchased by Peter Zuercher on September 19, 1883. In the background of a 1900 photo of the Zuercher family is the building structure of the former post office. (2)

By August, 1876, when my Harder ancestors purchased Section 17, Milton Township, the Holden Post Office was already located on the north edge of the southeast quarter of Section 20 (Prairie Creek Rd) on the Eaton farm (Walter Busenitz farm in my day) with E. T. Eaton as postmaster. I always felt my ancestors were fortunate upon arrival in their new country of choice and isolated on their farm to have convenient access to postal service for communication with their relatives in West Prussia and Holden School for my grandfather who was 11 years old at the time. Grandfather could immediate go to school to learn English! (3)

The Holden Post Office was serviced from Towanda, Kansas once or twice a week. Mail was carried by horseback, wagon, or on foot. Towanda was an early Indian trading post and had a post office beginning in 1865.

On January 25, 1886, the Holden Post Office was moved one mile east to the newly established town of Brainerd, and renamed Brainerd Post Office. It continued in service until 1907.

Two and a half miles west of Brainerd, the town of Whitewater originated in 1886-1887. The Whitewater Post Office was initiated on May 15, 1888 in the S. L. Motter general store with Isaac Howard Neiman as postmaster. Daily rural mail delivery from Whitewater started in 1902 with Isaac Neiman the mail carrier on Route 1 and George Corfman on Route 2. (4)

The Holden School, No. 95

In 1871, Mrs. E. T. Eaton taught the first term of school in a small house built on the southwest quarter of Section 20, Milton Township. Later in 1871, a school house was built on the north side of Section 20, just west of the half-mile marker. The school was named Holden. In 1873, this school became District 95, the district for western Milton Township. Mrs. Eaton continued to teach for a number of years. Classes were held at this location for about 18 years.

The school house was also used as a community meeting hall. The Holden Literary Society held its routine meetings in the school house for years. The Holden “Times,” a product of this society, was read at each meeting. The “Times” discussed farm, home, and literary topics.

The Holden School became Whitewater District 95 and subsequently relocated to the new city of Whitewater in 1889. Apparently, this concluded the unique Holden community. (5)

The source of the name Holden remains a mystery.

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1. Baughman, Robert W. Kansas Post Offices, May 29, 1828 – August 3, 1961. Kansas Postal History Society, Kansas Historical Society.

2. Zuercher, Dwight & Wilma. Peter Zuercher Heritage Sketchbook, 120 years in America (1883-2003). Private collection.

3. Epp, Melvin D. The Petals of a Kansas Sunflower, a Mennonite Diaspora. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012, pp. 31-32.

4. Epp, Melvin D. The History of Whitewater: Accolades for Whitewater. In: Frederic Remington Area Historical Society Archives, Frederic Remington High School Library, 2009.

5. Stanton, Sheersty Rhodes. Early History of Whitewater School District #95. In: Frederic Remington Area Historical Society Archives, Frederic Remington High School Library, 2014.

July 8, 2022

Melvin D. Epp