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Location
County Seat: Lawrence 
Founded: 1855 
Population:
    · 99,962  (2000) 
    · 81,798  (1990) 
    · 25,096  (1900) 
Area: 461 Square Miles 
Standard Abbreviation: DG 

Douglas County

 Douglas Co. Courthouse in Lawrence, Kansas

 
Douglas county, located in Northeastern Kansas west of the Kansas City metropolitan area, is home to major Kansas universities including the University of Kansas.

History

Map of Douglas County, KS in 1899
Organized in 1855.  County seat Lawrence.  In honor of Stephen A. Douglas, United States Senator from Illinois, and candidate for the presidency in 1860.  As a Senator, Douglas, in 1854, took a leading part in securing the adoption of the "popular sovereignty" principle in the Act organizing Kansas Territory, which gave the particular form of the issue involved in the Kansas struggle.
 
Map and text from History of Kansas, Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)
 
William G. Cutler's History of Kansas, first published in 1883, tells about early Douglas County.
 
The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Baldwin. Eudora, Lawrence, and Vinland.
 
The Kansas State Historical Society also has more historical data for Douglas County online including a rich bibliography and lists of cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.

Cities, Towns, & Villages of Douglas County

                           2000
    Town                Population  ZIP         Year  Elevation
    =================   ==========  =========   ====  =========
    Baldwin City             3,400  66006               1050
    Big Springs                                 1854    1113
    Bismark Grove                                        816
    Black Jack                                  1856    1090
    Broken Arrow Park                                    830
    Clearfield                                           999
    Clinton                                              946
    Eudora                   4,307  66025                880
    Globe                                               1060
    Grover                                               851
    Hesper                                               921
    Kanwaka                                             1064
    Lawrence                80,098  66044-66046          850
    Lecompton                  608  66050       1855     950
    Lone Star                                            885
    Midland                                              839
    Noria                                                812
    Pleasant Grove                                      1086
    Sibleyville                                          820
    Stull                                                940
    Vinland                                              884
    Weaver                                               802
    Worden                                              1093
Census Bureau Profile & Map

Special Places in Douglas County

  • You can catch the train to Nowhere on the Midland Railway at Baldwin. The excursion train now runs all the way to Norwood with plans for future extensions to Ottawa. Even if you don't ride, visit the neat station.

Special Events in Douglas County

  • Each October, Baldwin celebrates the fall beauty of its many maple trees with a Maple Leaf Festival.

Libraries

Museums

  • Old Castle Museum   (785) 594-6809
    515 5th Street / Baldwin City, KS 66006
  • Natural History Museum
    Dyche Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045-2454
    Visitor services (785) 864-4450 / Administration (785) 864-4540
  • Spencer Museum of Art   (785) 864-4710
    1301 Mississippi St., University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045
  • Museum of Anthropology   (785) 864-4245
    Spooner Hall (at 14th and Jayhawk Blvd), Lawrence, KS 66045
  • Watkins Community Museum of History   (785) 841-4109
    1047 Massachusetts Street (11th & Massachusetts), Lawrence, KS 66044
See Baker University's Chapel in Baldwin

Colleges & Universities

Douglas County School Systems

Hospitals

Newspapers

  • Baldwin City Signal
    News & other items: (785) 594-7080
    Advertising: (785) 594-7083 & (800) 578-8748
    703 High Street / P.O. Box 970, Baldwin City, KS 66006
       A weekly; serving Baldwin City.
  • Eudora News   (785) 542-2747
    729 Main / Eudora, KS 66025
  • Lawrence Journal-World
    609 New Hampshire Street / P. O. Box 888, Lawrence, KS 66044
  • University Daily Kansan (785) 864-4810
    111 Stauffer-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, Kansas 66045

More Data About Douglas County

Economic Development
  • Kansas County Profile Reports
    Statistical data from The Institute for Policy and Social Research, the University of Kansas
Health Data

Genealogy

Douglas County Offices

  • Douglas County (785) 841-7700
    111 E. 11th St., Lawrence, KS 66044
  • Extension Service (785) 843-7058
    2110 Harper, Douglas County Fair Grounds, Lawrence, Kansas 66046-3242

For more about Douglas County contact:

  • Lawrence CVB   (785) 865-4411
    734 Vermont / P. O. Box 586, Lawrence, KS 66044
 
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Last updated on November 29, 2009 by COUNTIES@KSLIB.INFO
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