Plainville, Kansas

City in Rooks County, Kansas

City in Kansas, United States

Plainville, Kansas

City

Plainville Veterans Memorial (2016)

Plainville Veterans Memorial (2016)

Location within Rooks County and Kansas

Location within Rooks County and Kansas

KDOT map of Rooks County (legend)

KDOT map of Rooks County (legend)

Coordinates: 39°13′56″N 99°18′11″W﻿ / ﻿39.23222°N 99.30306°W﻿ / 39.23222; -99.30306Coordinates: 39°13′56″N 99°18′11″W﻿ / ﻿39.23222°N 99.30306°W﻿ / 39.23222; -99.30306[1]
Country| United States
State| Kansas
County| Rooks
Founded| 1870s
Incorporated| 1888
Named for| Plain
Area

[2]

• Total| 1.20 sq mi (3.10 km2)
• Land| 1.20 sq mi (3.10 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation

[1]

| 2,142 ft (653 m)
Population

(2020)[3]

• Total| 1,746
• Density| 1,500/sq mi (560/km2)
Time zone| UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code|

67663

Area code| 785
FIPS code| 20-56150 [1]
GNIS ID| 472441 [1]
Website| plainvilleks.com

Plainville is a city in Rooks County, Kansas, United States.[1] As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,746.[3] It was named from its setting upon the plains.[4]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Climate
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2010 census
* 3.2 2000 census
* 4 Arts and culture
* 4.1 Points of Interest
* 5 Parks and Recreation
* 6 Education
* 6.1 Public schools
* 6.2 Private schools
* 6.3 Library
* 7 Media
* 7.1 Newspaper
* 7.2 Radio Station
* 8 Infrastructure
* 8.1 Transportation
* 8.2 Healthcare
* 9 Notable people
* 10 Gallery
* 11 References
* 12 Further reading
* 13 External links

## History[edit | edit source]

Washington Irving Griffin settled along a freight trail in an area known as Paradise Flats in 1877. In order to establish a post office, Griffin completed a US Postal Service application that required the signature of the local Justice of the Peace. While reviewing the application, Justice of the Peace Lambert P. Darland suggested the name "Plainville". Griffin operated the Plainville post office and a small store from his sod house, the first structure in what would become the city of Plainville.[5]

In 1888, Plainville filed for incorporation with 500 residents. Dan E. Miller was elected the first mayor. The first city council consisted of Dr. Volney M. Gray, Murray C. Knox, John Mullin, George Brooks and David E. Mickey.[6]

Union Pacific Railroad established an east–west route through Plainville in August 1888. The train tracks ran parallel to Mill Street, approximately one block to the north. The Train Depot was located on the northwest corner of N First Street and Meridian Street. A Roundhouse was located at N First Street and Madison Street.[7]

Plainville Mill & Elevator Co., (est. 1893) was a major employer and purchaser of locally grown wheat. The original mill was destroyed by fire in 1899 and soon replaced by a larger mill. The flour produced by the mill was of such fine quality, the company won a gold medal at the 1904 World's Fair. The mill was again destroyed by fire in 1950. Plainville Mill & Elevator Co. was located on N First Street between Madison and Meridian Streets.[5][8]

In 1909, fire devastated the Plainville business district. The fire apparently started in a butcher shop on the south side of Mill Street in the early morning hours. Fire quickly spread to the north side of Mill Street. Seventeen structures were destroyed before the fire was contained. The burned out wooden buildings were replaced with stone and brick structures, many still standing on Mill Street today.[9]

Oil was discovered in Rooks County in 1927. The oil boom brought significant growth to Plainville in the 1940s and 1950s. The Bemis-Shutts oil field in the Saline River valley south of Plainville is one of the largest oil producers in the state of Kansas.[10][11][12]

## Geography[edit | edit source]

Plainville is located at 39°13′56″N 99°18′11″W﻿ / ﻿39.23222°N 99.30306°W﻿ / 39.23222; -99.30306 (39.232102, -99.303166) at an elevation of 2,146 feet (654 m).[1][13] It lies in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains on the north side of Paradise Creek, a tributary of the Saline River. Southwest of the city, the creek has been dammed to form a small reservoir, Plainville Township Lake. Plainville is approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of the Saline River and 13 miles (21 km) south of the South Fork Solomon River. Located in north-central Kansas at the intersection of U.S. Route 183 and K-18, Plainville is approximately 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Wichita and 253 miles (407 km) west of Kansas City.[14]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.24 square miles (3.21 km2), all of it land.[15]

### Climate[edit | edit source]

Plainville has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The average yearly temperature in Plainville is 51.9 °F (11 °C), and, on average, the city receives 23.2 inches (589 mm) of precipitation a year.[16] Snowfall averages 23.3 inches (592 mm) per year.[17] On average, January is the coolest month, July is the warmest month, and May is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Plainville was 114 °F (46 °C) in 1940; the coldest temperature recorded was -29 °F (-34 °C) in 1989.[18]

Climate data for Plainville 4WNW, Kansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1904–present)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °F (°C)  | 83
(28)  | 87
(31)  | 94
(34)  | 102
(39)  | 103
(39)  | 114
(46)  | 116
(47)  | 113
(45)  | 112
(44)  | 100
(38)  | 88
(31)  | 83
(28)  | 116
(47)
Average high °F (°C)  | 41.3
(5.2)  | 45.0
(7.2)  | 56.2
(13.4)  | 65.4
(18.6)  | 74.6
(23.7)  | 85.9
(29.9)  | 91.3
(32.9)  | 88.9
(31.6)  | 81.4
(27.4)  | 68.5
(20.3)  | 54.6
(12.6)  | 42.6
(5.9)  | 66.3
(19.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)  | 29.3
(−1.5)  | 32.3
(0.2)  | 42.3
(5.7)  | 51.5
(10.8)  | 61.8
(16.6)  | 72.9
(22.7)  | 78.2
(25.7)  | 76.2
(24.6)  | 68.0
(20.0)  | 54.8
(12.7)  | 41.6
(5.3)  | 31.2
(−0.4)  | 53.3
(11.8)
Average low °F (°C)  | 17.3
(−8.2)  | 19.6
(−6.9)  | 28.5
(−1.9)  | 37.6
(3.1)  | 49.0
(9.4)  | 59.9
(15.5)  | 65.2
(18.4)  | 63.5
(17.5)  | 54.5
(12.5)  | 41.1
(5.1)  | 28.6
(−1.9)  | 19.9
(−6.7)  | 40.4
(4.7)
Record low °F (°C)  | −21
(−29)  | −19
(−28)  | −21
(−29)  | 5
(−15)  | 25
(−4)  | 38
(3)  | 45
(7)  | 38
(3)  | 26
(−3)  | 6
(−14)  | −8
(−22)  | −29
(−34)  | −29
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm)  | 0.64
(16)  | 0.83
(21)  | 1.40
(36)  | 2.22
(56)  | 4.10
(104)  | 3.28
(83)  | 3.95
(100)  | 3.64
(92)  | 2.24
(57)  | 1.71
(43)  | 1.15
(29)  | 0.95
(24)  | 26.11
(663)
Average snowfall inches (cm)  | 4.8
(12)  | 5.4
(14)  | 2.0
(5.1)  | 1.2
(3.0)  | 0.1
(0.25)  | 0.0
(0.0)  | 0.0
(0.0)  | 0.0
(0.0)  | 0.0
(0.0)  | 0.6
(1.5)  | 1.9
(4.8)  | 3.7
(9.4)  | 19.7
(50)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.2  | 3.7  | 5.1  | 7.1  | 9.3  | 8.6  | 7.9  | 7.8  | 5.5  | 5.3  | 4.1  | 3.7  | 71.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.4  | 2.8  | 1.7  | 0.6  | 0.1  | 0.0  | 0.0  | 0.0  | 0.0  | 0.2  | 1.3  | 2.7  | 11.8
Source: NOAA[17][19]

## Demographics[edit | edit source]

Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1880| 39| | —
1890| 347| | 789.7%
1900| 378| | 8.9%
1910| 1,090| | 188.4%
1920| 1,004| | −7.9%
1930| 1,058| | 5.4%
1940| 1,232| | 16.4%
1950| 2,082| | 69.0%
1960| 3,104| | 49.1%
1970| 2,627| | −15.4%
1980| 2,458| | −6.4%
1990| 2,173| | −11.6%
2000| 2,029| | −6.6%
2010| 1,903| | −6.2%
2020| 1,746| | −8.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

### 2010 census[edit | edit source]

As of the census[20] of 2010, there were 1,903 people, 819 households, and 516 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,534.7 inhabitants per square mile (592.6/km2). There were 949 housing units at an average density of 765.3 per square mile (295.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 819 households, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

### 2000 census[edit | edit source]

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,029 people, 865 households, and 565 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,683.4 people per square mile (647.4/km2). There were 948 housing units at an average density of 786.5 per square mile (302.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.42% White, 0.39% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.20% Asian, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.30% of the population.

There were 865 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $29,402, and the median income for a family was $35,673. Males had a median income of $29,408 versus $17,245 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,134. About 7.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.[21]

## Arts and culture[edit | edit source]

### Points of Interest[edit | edit source]

File:Plainville Kansas Township Lake.jpg

Plainville Township Lake (2016)

* Plainville Township Hall (1914) [22]
* GAR Memorial (1925)
* Plainville Township Lake dam (1937) [23]
* Rock Gym (1937) [24]
* Plainville Junior High School building (1939) [25]
* Plainville Rural High School (1952) [26]
* Scout House (1964) [27]
* Clarence Audburn Gilbert memorial (1966) [28]
* Veterans Memorial (2016) [29]

## Parks and Recreation[edit | edit source]

Max Malin Memorial Ballpark is a multi-field baseball complex.

Plainville City Park includes a playground, basketball court and swimming pool.[30]

Plainville Township Lake is located a half mile west of town. Fishing, picnics and other outdoor recreation are popular activities.

Rooks County Golf Course is a nine-hole, public course located 5 miles north of Plainville.

## Education[edit | edit source]

File:Plainville Kansas High School Sign.jpg

Plainville High School Sign (2016)

### Public schools[edit | edit source]

Plainville is part of Unified School District 270.[31] The district has two schools.

* Plainville Jr-Sr High School
* Plainville Elementary School

Plainville High School Cardinals has won the following Kansas State High School championships:

* 1980 3A Football
* 1985 3A Football [32]
* 1988 3-2-1A Wrestling
* 1992 3-2-1A Wrestling [33]
* 2012 2A Boys Track & Field
* 2013 2A Boys Track & Field
* 2017 2A Boys Track & Field [34]

### Private schools[edit | edit source]

* Sacred Heart Grade School [35]

### Library[edit | edit source]

Plainville Memorial Library is a public library serving the community since 1902.[36]

## Media[edit | edit source]

### Newspaper[edit | edit source]

Plainville has one weekly newspaper, Plainville Times.[37]

### Radio Station[edit | edit source]

Radio station KFIX is licensed to Plainville, but broadcasts from Hays, Kansas playing a Classic rock format.[38][39]

## Infrastructure[edit | edit source]

### Transportation[edit | edit source]

U.S. Route 183 runs north–south through Plainville, intersecting highway K-18 on the north end of town.

Rooks County Regional Airport is located seven miles north of Plainville.

### Healthcare[edit | edit source]

Rooks County Health Center is located on the north end of Plainville.[40]

## Notable people[edit | edit source]

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Plainville include:

* Brent Collins (1941-1988), Actor [41]
* Dale Dodrill (1926-2019), NFL Player[42]
* Jack Hartman (1925-1998), Basketball Coach [43]
* Jerry Moran (1954- ), U.S. Senator[44]
* Carl Weeks (1876-1962), Entrepreneur and Philanthropist [45]

## Gallery[edit | edit source]

* Plainville Kansas Plainville Township Hall (1).jpg

Township Hall

* Plainville Kansas Rock Gym.jpg

Rock Gym

* Plainville Kansas GAR Memorial.jpg

GAR Memorial

* Plainville Kansas Clarence Audburn Gilbert memorial.jpg

Clarence Audburn Gilbert Memorial

* Plainville Kansas Scout House.jpg

Scout House

* Plainville Kansas City Park.jpg

City Park

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ^ a b c d e f "Plainville, Kansas", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
2. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
3. ^ a b "Profile of Plainville, Kansas in 2020". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
4. ^ Capace, Nancy (June 1, 2000). Encyclopedia of Kansas. North American Book Dist LLC. p. 254\. ISBN 978-0-403-09312-0.
5. ^ a b Dougherty, Harriet. "History of Plainville City and Township", Plainville Times, September 21, 1961, pp. 12-13.
6. ^ "PLAINVILLE'S PROGRESS", The Plainville Times, July 26, 1888, pp. 1, 4.
7. ^ "A GALA DAY", The Plainville Times, August 16, 1888, p. 1.
8. ^ "MODERN CONCRETE STRUCTURE WILL REPLACE MILL DESTROYED BY FIRE", Plainville Times, June 15, 1950, p. 1.
9. ^ "DEVASTATED BY FIRE", The Plainville Gazette, October 7, 1909, pp. 1, 8.
10. ^ "300 Barrel Well Northeast of Plainville", Plainville Times, July 7, 1927, pp. 1.
11. ^ "Ninety Six Producing Companies Pump Seven Million Barrels Oil in Plainville Area Annually", Plainville Times, October 17, 1957, pp. 1.
12. ^ "Stratigraphic and Spatial Distribution of Oil and Gas Production in Kansas". Kansas Geological Survey. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
13. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
14. ^ "City Distance Tool". Geobytes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
15. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
16. ^ "Historical Weather for Plainville, Kansas, United States of America". Weatherbase. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
17. ^ a b "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
18. ^ "Average weather for Plainville, KS". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
19. ^ "Station: Plainville 4WNW, KS". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
20. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
21. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
22. ^ "Township Hall Contract Completed", Plainville Times - May 14, 1914, p.1.
23. ^ "Work at Lake Moving Rapidly", Plainville Times, August 26, 1937, p. 1.
24. ^ "Dedicate the H. S. Gymnasium Tues.", Plainville Times, November 25, 1937, p. 1
25. ^ "Plainville's New $62,000 School Building And Connecting Gym", Plainville Times, November 16, 1939, p. 1.
26. ^ "Plans For New PRHS Building Laid Nov. 22, 1948", Plainville Times, March 6, 1952, p. 1.
27. ^ "Scout House Dedication Saturday", Plainville Times, June 11, 1964, p. 1.
28. ^ "Recall Death of Air Mail Pioneer from Plainville", Plainville Times, December 26, 1974, p. 1.
29. ^ "Plainville honors vets with new monument, dedication ceremony". The Hays Daily News. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
30. ^ "City of Plainville". City of Plainville. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
31. ^ "Plainville USD 270". USD270. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
32. ^ "KSHSAA Football". KSHSAA. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
33. ^ "KSHSAA Wrestling". KSHSAA. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
34. ^ "KSHSAA Boys Track & Field". KSHSAA. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
35. ^ Sacred Heart Grade School.
36. ^ "Plainville Memorial Library". Plainville Memorial Library. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
37. ^ "About this Newspaper: Plainville times". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
38. ^ "FMQ FM Radio Database Query". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on August 25, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
39. ^ "Radio Stations in Plainville, Kansas". Radio-Locator. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
40. ^ "Rooks County Health Center". Rooks County Health Center. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
41. ^ "Brent Collins". IMDb. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
42. ^ "Former Residents Observe Golden Wedding Anniversary". Plainville Times. April 17, 1969. p. 4.
43. ^ "Jack Hartman Papers". K-State Libraries. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
44. ^ "Moran, Jerry (1954- )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. U.S. Congress. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
45. ^ "Armand". cosmetics and skin. Retrieved December 4, 2017.

## Further reading[edit | edit source]

See also: List of books about Rooks County, Kansas

## External links[edit | edit source]

File:Commons-logo.svg

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plainville, Kansas.

* City of Plainville
* Plainville - Directory of Public Officials, League of Kansas Municipalities
* Historic Images of Plainville, Wichita State University Library
* Plainville city map, KDOT

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Rooks County, Kansas, United States

County seat: Stockton

Cities|

* Damar
* Palco
* Plainville
* Stockton
* Woodston
* Zurich

Map of Kansas highlighting Rooks County

Unincorporated
community|

* Codell†
* Webster

Ghost towns|

* Adamson
* Alcona
* Amboy
* Chandler
* Cresson
* Earnest
* Frankton
* Gould City
* Highhill
* Hoskins
* Igo
* Laton
* McHale
* Motor
* Nyra
* Portage
* Slate
* Sugarloaf
* Survey
* Rockport

Townships|

* Township 1
* Township 2
* Township 3
* Township 4
* Township 5
* Township 6
* Township 7
* Township 8
* Township 9
* Township 10
* Township 11
* Township 12

Footnotes|

†This community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

* United States portal

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