Merriam, Kansas
Population: 11,008
Located in Johnson County
In 1812, the Shawnee Indians settled in Gum Springs, which is now known as Shawnee. In 1833, they were joined by another Shawnee tribe who had been living in Ohio. The Shawnee Indians in Ohio had a Quaker mission school and requested the Quakers build a mission school in Kansas as well. In 1836, the Quakers were granted temporary rights to 320 acres, most of which were within what is now the city limits of Merriam. In 1864, the settlement of Campbell Town, named for Tennesean, David Gee Campbell, was well established. In the 1890's the area was renamed Merriam, taking the name from Charles Merriam, an executive with the Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad. In those early years, Merriam played an important role as the fun capital of the Kansas City area. The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad purchased 40 acres to build a grand amusement park near Shawnee Mission Parkway. The Merriam Park was dedicated by Ulysses S. Grant in 1860. Merriam became known as a resort town and drew thousands of people traveling by rail each summer. In addition to the amusement park, the Merriam Park contained a lagoon, a zoo and dozens of concessions and games. The entire 40 acres was enclosed by a picket fence. A baseball diamond, tennis courts, Merry-go-round, later mechanized, were all popular. The lagoon was used for boating in the summer and skating in the winter. George Kessler, a young German engineer, was one of the first superintendents of the park. He was later hired by Kansas City to design its park and boulevard system. Around the turn of the century, Kansas City had constructed its own amusements and Merriam Park went out of existence. The image of Merriam grew and changed when the trolley line was brought through Merriam from Kansas City by Richard Weaver Hocker. Large stone homes were built around the trolley line in the Hocker's Grove area, and Johnson County had its first true subdivision. In 1907, Hocker Grove Park was established with transportation provided by the trolley line. The main attraction was a picnic ground, skating rink, dancing pavilion and baseball diamond. In 1920, 50 percent of the population lived within 1/2 a mile of the trolley line which ran all the way to Shawnee. Merriam has been a pioneer and a leader in the development of the entire Kansas City area. Merriam is one of the oldest developed communities in Johnson County. The list of firsts for Merriam is not only impressive but it shows how crucial Merriam has been to the success of this region. Merriam was the site of the first Bell Telephone Office in Johnson County, 1908; the first high school, Shawnee Mission Rural, now Shawnee Mission North, 1922; the first public library, 1956; the first major park in Johnson County (Antioch), 1956; the first full service hospital, Shawnee Mission Medical Center, 1962.
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