Monticello Community Historical Society

Home
Monticello Community Historical Society

Call Directions Website

MCHS is dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and celebration of the history and heritage of Monticello Township in Johnson County, Kansas.

Monticello Township, in North central Johnson County, once was home to the towns of Monticello, Wilder, Holliday and Zarah. Monticello was the largest town and was founded in 1857. It was the center of the community until 1874 when the Kansas Midland Railroad (later to become the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad) began laying out and building a railroad in the area. The railroad bypassed the town of Monticello, while the towns of Wilder and Holliday and Zarah sprang up along the iron rails. Each town had a post office, one or two stores, plus other businesses, to serve the farming communities. Ten one room school houses dotted the early rural landscape and the towns of Monticello, Wilder and Holliday. One of the schools, the Virginia School, was placed on the National Register in 2005 and is now preserved on the grounds of the Mize Elementary School, which is located within the DeSoto School District. While living in Monticello, in 1858, James Butler Hickok was elected Constable. This is prior to earning his famous nickname of “Wild Bill” Hickok.

==

The Monticello Community Historical Society was chartered on December 8, 1988 and was incorporated on February 19, 1999. MCHS is dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and celebration of the history and heritage of the Monticello Community in Johnson County, Kansas. As outlined in the MCHS Constitution, “The purpose of this society shall be to bring together those people interested in history and especially in the history of the Monticello Community”. MCHS publishes quarterly newsletters, has regularly scheduled meetings with history related programs, which are always open to the public, has staged several local historical reenactments, and special events. Officers and Board Members:

Cheryn Swanson, President
Michael Wray, Vice-President
Bill Hawkins, Treasurer
Cindy Ashby, Secretary
Terry Love, At-Large Member
Keith Garrett, At-Large Member
Roberta Ross, At-Large Member

14/06/2026

This weekend, a group of MCHS members and friends took a field trip to the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, MO.

12/12/2025

Last night at the MCHS Annual Business Meeting, officers and board members were elected or re-elected for a two-year term, including Cheryn Swanson (President), Bill Hawkins (Treasurer), Terry Love (Board Member), Keith Garrett (Board Member), and Roberta Ross (Board Member).

Also at the meeting, outgoing Board Member Janet Rokusek, who has served on the board since 2013, was honored.

Our organization would not exist with out all the hard work of our members, especially board members.

28/11/2025

This historic marker in western Shawnee, Kansas is for Round Prairie School where students attended kindergarten through grade 8 from the 1879 to 1962. The building was demolished in 1972 following an explosion and fire. Charles "Buddy" Rogers, whose acting career peaked in the 1920s and 30s, attended the school.

The actual location of the school is now a private residence and the marker is on the east side of the property at the southwest corner of the Lakecrest Rd. and Johnson Dr..

08/07/2025

Address

Telephone

+19136673706

Website

http://www.monticelloks.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Monticello Community Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization?

Country:

City: