Ness County, KS
The legislature of 1867, carved western Kansas into counties, giving Ness County the form and name it still retains today. The County was named in honor of Noah V. Ness, who was a corporal in Company G, Seventh Cavalry and who died of wounds received at Abbeyville, Mississippi on August 11, 1864, having served two and one-half years for his country. Historians should note Ness County is the only county in Kansas named after a corporal.The Indians lived on the land that is now Ness County before the time of Christ. Artifacts and pottery found on the village sites and burial grounds confirm the presence of Indians who belonged to what has been classified by Waldo R. Wedel of the Smithsonian Institute, as the "Woodland" Culture.
These Indians resided here from about 400 BC to 700 AD. About this time the county experienced a "dust bowl" lasting 32 years. During this time the Indians left; when the wet years came, the Indians returned and Wedel Classified these Indians as the "Hopewellian Culture" and they resided here during the years 750 AD to 1000 AD and then another extensive dust bowl occurred with the usual result.
In 1946, a burial site on the North side of the Pawnee River, in the southeast part of Ness County, was discovered by P.L. Pembleton and pottery was sent to Professor Albert C. Spalding of the University of Kansas and this site was classified by Mr. Spalding as being "Upper Republican." These Indians lived here during1300 AD to 1450 AD. These Indians have been named as ancestors to the Pawnee.
Explore Ness County
Ness County Bank Building
The four-story, 18,700 sq. ft. stone building at the intersection of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, in Ness City, Kansas, was called, upon its completion in 1890, "The finest and most imposing structure west of Topeka." In February, 1972, the building was placed on the
Ness City, KS Historic BuildingsNess County Historical Museum
The Historical Museum is housed in the old Beardslee Brothers General Store which originally was a building owned by Ross Calhoun, the father of Ness City. When a fire destroyed the building in 1899, the present building was built with supplies from the razed Calhoun House and sugar mill.
Ness City, KS Museums
Ness County Country Club
The Ness County Country Club is the first golf course in the United States to be equipped with OmniSport artificial greens. The nine-hole course is open to the public for a $5.00 green fee.
Ness City, KS Golf CoursesGeorge Washington Carver Memorial Marker
Granite Marker at the Carver Homestead
One of Beeler's most famous pioneer settlers was George Washington Carver, who journeyed by wagon from Highland, Kansas to Eden Township in Ness Countv with J.F. Beeler.
In August 1886, Carver established a claim on the SE ¾ of 4-19- 26
Ness City, KS MemorialsCorporal Noah V. Ness Statue
A vital link that ties centuries and generations together are the stories of our heritage and the documents and monuments that recapture them.
Ness City, KS Arts
Outdoor Recreation
Recreational facilities include a modern municipal swimming pool, hard-surfaced tennis courts, city park playgrounds, theatre, the Cedar Bluff reservoir recreational area on K-147 highway only 27 miles northeast. Good fishing is provided from the waters of the Cedar Bluff reservoir, Goodman Lake (
Ness City, KS RecreationNess County Veterans Memorial Park
This memorial honors Ness County Veterans, with a special remembrance to those who made the ultimate sacrifice when answering their country'
Ness City, KS MemorialsNess City's First Schoolhouse
The pioneer Pembleton family purchased the Old Echo Print Shop, a small native stone building built in 1882
Ness City, KS Historic SchoolhousesGoodman State Fishing Lake & Wildlife Area
Goodman State Fishing Lake and Wildlife area boasts a 40 acre lake and 225 acre upland wildlife area. The area is owned by the Wet Walnut Watershed District and managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Ness County.
Ness City, KS Recreation