The friendly community of Jetmore has been in existence since 1879, first as Buckner. Then
later it was changed to Jetmore in honor of a Topeka lawyer who helped the town become the
county seat of Hodgeman. In 1882 on March 25th, Elizabeth and T.S. Haun platted and laid out
the original Town Site, 16 blocks on the NW¼ 6-23-23. The Hauns latter platted "Haun's
Addition" which included a row of blocks around the original 16, making 36 blocks in all
The first Post Office which was to become Jetmore was established on May 20, 1880, with W.A.
Frush as postmaster. Equipment was moved from Hodgeman Center, a town a few miles east
of Jetmore.
The City of Jetmore was incorporated as a third class city on May 3, 1887. C.E. Roughton was
elected the first mayor.
The first telephone system was started Feburary 19, 1904. On July 14, 1910 the first flagpole on
the west side of the Court House Square was dedicated with appropriate ceremony by the old
Civil War Veterans.
The first building on the town site was the stone house on the West side of Main St. in Block 1.
This building still stands and now in the Haun Museum. The second building was a small frame
building which was moved in on skids from Hodgeman Center. This building was used to house
the county offices. The third building was a stone building on the East side of main across from
the present Haun Museum. The town well was dug at the point of intersection of Main and
Highway streets. This well with curb, rope and buckets was used for drawing water for house
use and watering teams. The well is still there, covered over by a large flat rock over which the
pavement was laid. Supposedly, the well is in the exact center of the quarter section where the
original town of Jetmore is located.
The first school term was taught in 1883 with 3 students and Miss Mina Gordon as the teacher.
The second term was in a building on Main St. and still another on the creek bank near the old
light plant. In the fall and winter of 1885-86 the Stone School Building was erected and used for
many years. It also housed church services, Literary societies, debates and many other functions.
Jetmore was prosperous in the late 1880's. Many limestone buildings, including the stone Court
House were erected. A real estate advertisement in 1889 boasts of three hotels, two banks, three
restaurants, four general stores, three drug stores, three lumber yards, three blacksmith shops,
one carriage shop, an implement store, three millinery shops, two hardware stores, three grocery
stores, one clothing store, two feed stores, three weekly newspapers, five real estate agencies,
several livery barns, barber shops and furniture stores.
