We have the original abstract of our Kansas Historic Landmark home dating back to the land grant of 160 acres from the Osage Land Trust.
In past BLOG posts, I have told how three individual lives, immigrants from France and Germany, converged in Wichita, Kansas. Through love, hope, taking risks, and even tragedy, the three bloodlines ended up as three bloodlines merged into a family for which the Steinbuchel house is named.
It took eighteen years from the time the land was acquired via land grant, divided, platted, and developed until 1905 Park Place was built in 1888. It was another nineteen years before the blended Hahn-Stackman-Steinbuchel family made it their home in 1907.
Land Trading and Transfers
The land grant was to Mr. George Sharp in 1869, with the final document signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on April 15, 1873. Over 18 years, the land was divided, sold, and eventually platted into the city of Wichita. Imagine, 160 acres less than two miles north of downtown Wichita! In those 18 years, the land sales and transfers went something like this:
- 1870 – Land designated for grant from the Osage Trust Lands, bought in 1820 via treaty
- 1873 – 160 acres, which included the land, were granted to Mr. George Sharpe
- 1871 – 40 Acres of the original grant were sold to Mr. William Polk
- 1872 – A portion of the land was sold to Doc Lewellen, the same Lewellen who had the trading post a few blocks south.
From 1872 until 1886, the abstract reads like a period piece on Masterpiece Classics with portions of land which included our four lots, passing between George Sharp, James Sharpe, A.W. Callen, and A.A. Moore, with various mortgage transfers, tax sales and liens, marriages, and designations of beneficiaries. Legalese is not fun to read today. It seems some things never change, as one needs a lawyer to understand exactly when and what happened as you read the abstract!
Today’s Values
From what I can tell, most of these transactions were based on trading land for cash on speculation, not unlike day trading on the stock market. The sums of money were not small. For instance, one transaction was for $2500.00. Today, that would be about $56,000.00. Interest rates were 10%! Goodness! In 1886, Lee Taylor bought four lots and built what would become 1905 Park Place or Maison Steinbuchel. He put up the land as collateral to build the house, which cost approximately $10,000 or about $250,000 in today’s terms. Yes, it is a nice house.
The Abstract, a Kind of Sacred Bundle
When we were handed the abstract of our house, it seemed almost sacred. In one sense, it is our house’s sacred bundle. The house’s personal detailed history is built on the family’s stories who lived here. An abstract contains all references to anything having to do with a property back to its roots. This includes wills and other estate documents, court transcripts involving the property, and, of course, sales, mortgages, and liens.
Disputes regarding the property that went to court included these documents. In the case of this property, there were a few of those. Reading the abstract of our home is quite personal. Today, title searches do not include these personal details.
Of course, the abstract does not document the celebrations, the weddings, parties, family dinners, or peaceful conversations on the porch. It leaves a skewed picture of how life progressed. I am grateful for Elisabeth Wilson Gulder’s book, A Living Gravestone, which provides, from her remeberance, the rest of the story.
A Shared Stewardship
The amazing thing is, in 138 years, there have only been 11 owners. We have been here for thirty-eight years. The only family here longer was the Steinbuchels at forty years, but that included two generations. The others ranged from one year to fifteen or so. In addition to meeting the descendants of the Hahn-Stackman-Steinbuchel clan, we have met all but two of the former owners: Lee Taylor, the original owner and builder, and one other who lived here in the 1960s. Each one we met has conveyed a sense of grandeur that goes beyond the house itself. It is as if each sensed the connection to history as a steward of this property, even though not officially named “historic” until the 1970s.
Many have given us photos or copies of photos, bits of information about key events, even mementos of the house. We document each as part of the house’s story. In fact, if someone happens to be reading this and has some photos, or a bit of information, or knows someone who does, we would gladly add it to the archive.
Email personal recollections, scanned photos with dates, times, locations, and descriptions to nhcullen@cfaith.com.
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