RUNNYMEDE,

NAME: Runnymede, COUNTY: Harper ROADS: 2WD GRID: 4 CLIMATE: Typical Kansas Weather BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime

COMMENTS: None, other than roadside historical marker approx 2 miles NW of Harper, Ks on Highway 2. REMAINS: Church building which has been moved to Harper, Ks

Unlike most of the national groups that came to Kansas, the English did not come in colonies but emigrated mostly as families or individuals. One of the exceptions was Runnymede in Harper County. An Englishman named F.J.S. Turnly bought land in 1887 (where a post office had-been established earlier) and he offered (for a $500 fee) to teach the sons of British gentlemen the secrets of successful farming. After learning what they needed to know to survive in the West they could buy farms of their own and Turnly would advise them. Unfortunately, most of the young men from England were so well supplied with money that they found it easier to be idle than to work. They raced their horses, had frequent parties, and they "rode to the hounds" but it lasted no longer than 1892 when most of the families in England decided that their sons were learning very little about agriculture. Although Runnymede is still shown on the map, in a slightly different location, the only reminder of the colony is a church building, which has been moved to Harper. Submitted by: Richard Fields

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