National Historic Landmark

Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead

Halstead, Harvey County, Kansas
Listed
February 15, 1974
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
74000839

About this property

The Bernhard Warkentin Homestead, also known as Little River Stock Farm or Warkentin Farm, is a historic farm complex on East North Street in Halstead, Kansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It was further declared to be a National Historic Landmark in 1990, nationally significant for its association with Bernhard Warkentin, a pivotal figure in the development and wide cultivation of durum wheat in the country. The Warkentin Farm is located on the northern fringe of Halsted, on the east side of Main Street at East North Street. The property consists of 12 acres (4.9 ha), bound on the south by railroad tracks, the north and east by the Arkansas River, and the west by a grain elevator. The farm complex is clustered near the western end of the property, with fields to the east. Buildings in the farmstead include the house, carriage house, barn, a silo, and a small pump house. The house is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, built in 1884 to a design by Kansas architect John G. Haskell. Bernhard Warkentin was a well-to-do Russian immigrant of German extraction, who immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1872. In Russia he had been involved in the family business, the raising and milling of wheat. A de facto leader of a Mennonite emigration and colonization effort, Warkentin purchased over 1,300 acres (530 ha), and established is home and mill here in 1874, while working to assist other German Mennonites in their drive to leave Russia. One of the major improvements in agriculture that Warkentin and the Mennonites brought with them were knowledge of Russian hard wheat varieties, which they brought over in the early years of the colonization. In 1896, Warkentin began working with Mark Carleton of the United States Department of Agriculture to improve American knowledge of Russian wheat varieties, which eventually resulted in the hybridization experiments that produced durum wheat, one of the nation's leading wheat crops. National Register of Historic Places listings in Harvey County, Kansas

Location

Halstead, Harvey County, Kansas
38.00784, -97.50293

Categories

AGRICULTUREEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Bergtholdt House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Halstead Santa Fe Depot
Industrial
0.2 mi
US Post Office-Halstead
Industrial
0.4 mi
Sedgwick Downtown Historic District
Listed
7.5 mi
Newton Stadium
Industrial
8.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead listed on the National Register?

Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 15, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead?

Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead?

The period of significance for Warkentin, Bernhard, Homestead is recorded as the listed era.

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