Gathering Information>>

>>Start your tour of Downs at Lazy Daisy on Morgan Avenue where owner Marti Wagner has available a large selection of Kansas and area information. She also sells Downs and Kansas souvenirs and can point out interesting tidbits of area history.

Once you know where you're going, hop in your car or set out on foot to see the historical buildings and sites that call Downs home.

Photo is looking South from Lakeside High School

<<The Downs Depot, located on Railroad Street, just one-half block east of Morgan Avenue and the gazebo in Railroad Park, was built in 1917 after the original wooden depot burned to the ground in 1916. The Downs Historical Society is working to restore the depot and has big plans for the future. To learn more, visit the "Depot" link above.

Gazebo in Railroad Park>>

>>The impressive gazebo in Railroad Park, located along Morgan Avenue just north of the Railroad tracks, was built in the early '90s by the Downs Catalysts Club. The group raised $15,000 over a four-year period for the gazebo, and it took three to four years to build. The original gazebo was located in this park, but in a slightly different area, and was no longer in existence. The new gazebo is not a replica of the original, but is similar. The site is used for many events and has become a proud symbol for the community.

<<Richardson Organs

<<Richardson Organs, located on north Morgan Avenue, is home to one of only a handful of organ factories in the United States. Steve Richardson, a European-trained organ master, builds specially-ordered organs in the historic Baptist Church. Richardson welcomes people to stop by and see his craft in action.

Home to Sod and Stubble>>

>>This attractive sign in Memorial Park, along Highway 24, pays tribute to the book Sod and Stubble, written by John Ise, who wrote of his parents who homesteaded northwest of Downs in the late 1800s. The book has become noted in historical circles as an excellent written account of that period of time in rural Kansas.

Maps to the homestead are available.

<<Howell House Bed & Breakfast

<<This attractive, historic Downs home was built in 1883 by George Howell who was a lumber baron who brought the first lumber business to Downs in 1879. Stephen and Joan Heide bought the home in 1998 and, after extensive interior remodeling, opened their bed and breakfast for business in 2000. It is located on Blunt Street, just one block east of Morgan Avenue.

Historic Lipton Hotel>>

>>This building on Morgan Avenue, now occupied by Stuff n Such, was built in 1881 by George Howell, and was originally called the Howell House. But the building is actually remembered for its time spent as the "Lipton Hotel" where guests passing through on the railroad stayed overnight.

<<The Downs Carnegie Library, built in 1905, was constructed from a $5,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie, and still houses the town's only library. The building is listed on the Federal Registry of Historic Buildings.

Memorial Hall>>

>>Memorial Hall, built in 1931 for $30,000, was erected as a monument to the "American Legion boys" and local veterans of wars. The facility is used constantly for events ranging from auctions to concerts and to plays.