For years Greensburg, Kansas’s claim to fame was the hand dug well, 109 feet deep and 32 feet in diameter, that supplied water for the steam engines that ran through the town. It was completed in 1888 but capped in the 1930s as trains were converted to electric and diesel power. In 1937 a successful campaign to draw tourists to town tempted visitors with the novelty of descending down into the well.
Life continued peacefully for the small community of fewer than 2,000 people until May 4, 2007 when disaster struck. A 1.7 miles wide EF5 tornado leveled the entire town, destroying 95% of the buildings and killing 12 people. Today the town has been rebuilt as a green community with all city buildings following environmentally friendly standards. Only half of the people returned and there are many empty lots where houses once stood.
A new museum was been built to tell the history of the town, the big well, and the tornado. Visitors can once again descend into the big well on a new spiral staircase.
The museum is accessible. The staircase provides the only access to the depths of the well and the rooftop observation deck.
Parking for RVs is available on the street.
Well 37.60368, -99.29456
OMGosh, an EF5 tornado? Too scary to imagine! Glad the town tired to resurrect itself.
ReplyDeleteThe photographs of the aftermath were amazing.
DeleteA hand dug well of that size and a huge meteorite, you found a unique town!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's in Kansas so no one knows about it :-)
Thanks for passing that along, the town is going on my list.
So many places to go! :-)
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