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Baldwin City, Kansas

The Midland Historic Railroad began operation August 8, 1987 with a restored diesel engine, a 1923 Rock Island commuter coach and a 1950 caboose. It has since been expanded to include additional historic railroad equipment, including a railway post office car, additional locomotives, coaches, wooden caboose, a steam engine, and more.

The Midland Railway operates an authentic re-creation of an American local passenger excursion train on a line originally constructed in 1867 running southward from Baldwin City to Norwood, Kansas. Using early 1900s vintage coaches, the train makes an 11-mile round trip to "Nowhere," traveling through scenic Eastern Kansas rolling farmland and woods and across a 200-foot trestle 24 feet above a meandering stream. The Railway is an intrastate, common-carrier railroad, operating to preserve and display transportation history as an educational demonstration railroad.

The Midland tourist season begins Memorial Day weekend and continues through the end of October. http://www.midland-ry.org/midland.html

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Douglas State Lake

The Douglas State Fishing Lake is located two miles northeast of Baldwin just off County Road 1055. The surface area of the lake is 200 acres with approximately 600 acres surrounding the lake.

FISHING

Baldwin City, KS Recreation

Collins Library

Collins Library is the Baker University Library but also houses the Methodist Historical Library and two of the nation's top collections - The Quayle Rare Bible Collection and Rev. Coole's Ancient Chinese Coin Collection.

The library also houses an authentic 18

Baldwin City, KS Historic Libraries

Palmyra Post Office

Located at the Old Castle Complex is the Palmyra Post Office and Blood's Grocery which opened in 1857. Originally located north of the highway on the Santa Fe Trail, it served travelers on the trail and the pioneer community of Palmyra, the original townsite later to become Baldwin City.

Baldwin City, KS Pioneer Life

Clarice L. Osborne Memorial Chapel

This chapel's history takes a little more than a glance to read, but the story of its transport from a small town in England to its resurrection at Baker University is remarkable.

In 1864, after nearly six decades of meeting in local homes, a small Methodist congregation in Sproxton (

Baldwin City, KS Historic Churches

Santa Fe Trail Well

Located three blocks north of Highway 56 on Washington Street in Baldwin (the only Palmyra street to still carry its original name), the Santa Fe Trail Well provided the first fresh water for travelers on the Trail.

Hand dug to 40 feet, it was later deepened to 70

Baldwin City, KS Pioneer Life

Things to do near Baldwin City, KS