Kansas church welcomes families drawn by promise of free land
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon Courtney Heitter moved to Marquette, from California, and works at the Valley Caf�.
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Courtney
Heitter moved to Marquette, Kan., from California with her family, and
works at the Valley Caf�. "It's a lot more slow paced than it was in
California. People aren't as uptight about everything," she says. "It's a
better community." A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo #05-310.
Accompanies UMNS story #235, 4/19/05 |
April 19, 2005 By John Gordon* MARQUETTE,
Kan. (UMNS)—There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but something
much more valuable—free land—is drawing a new wave of settlers to the
Kansas farm belt. And the idea may just lay the groundwork for rejuvenating small-town life in the sparsely populated region. “(Marquette
is) a town that wanted to stay alive,” says Mayor Steve Piper. “A lot
of small towns are dying, quite frankly, in the Midwest.” Marquette is one of eight small towns listed at www.KansasFreeLand.com and offering free lots and other incentives to attract residents. As
owner of Marquette’s local grocery store, Piper often interrupts his
duties at the meat counter to take applications for the free-land
program. Or he might be rounding up neighbors to help unload the truck
of a family arriving in town. The stakes are high. After all, Piper is counting on the bargain-priced acreage to save his town. Piper’s
church, First United Methodist, is surrounded by some of the lots
offered to families promising to build a home within a year. The Rev.
Larry Brock, the church’s pastor, has even been known to give away a
refrigerator and furniture to some of them.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon New homes are being built on land donated by the town of Marquette, Kan.
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A
land giveaway by the town of Marquette, Kan., is prompting the biggest
building boom since a tornado devastated the community 100 years ago.
The building effort is bringing in new families-and enough students to
keep Marquette's only school from closing. A UMNS photo by John Gordon.
Photo #05-311. Accompanies UMNS story #235, 4/19/05 |
“I don’t know if I
would describe it as ‘Mayberry, R.F.D.’ but it’s awfully close,” Brock
says, referring to the fictitious TV town. Marquette
has struggled since a powerful tornado killed 31 people and flattened
much of the town a century ago. It has tried competing with larger
cities for companies and jobs. With just more than 500 residents and a
declining school enrollment, the school board threatened to close the
Marquette elementary, middle and junior high school. But the mayor warned that losing the school could turn Marquette into a ghost town. So
Piper and several other town leaders started Marquette Development
Corp., a nonprofit group offering free lots to families. The idea was
enough to convince the school board, by a single vote, to keep the
school open. Piper
says 20 lots were given away in 2004. The economic development group
borrowed $100,000 to buy another 50 acres near the church, with room for
58 more homes. “We’ve
increased from 540 people to 640 people in a year’s time, which may not
sound like a lot, but percentage-wise, that’s a pretty good number,”
Piper says. School enrollment is up by about 45 students—especially important since the state bases school funding on student enrollment. Marquette’s
small-town atmosphere has drawn families from Virginia to California.
Many of them abandoned big cities hoping for a quieter, simpler and
safer life.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon James Colley, who moved his family from California to Marquette, works on a light switch at a new home under construction.
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James
Colley, who moved his family from California to Marquette, Kan., works
on a light switch at a new home under construction in town. Marquette is
offering free land to families willing to move to the community and
build homes. A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo #05-312. Accompanies
UMNS story #235, 4/19/05 |
“It’s a true sense
of community here,” says Angela Behanna, who moved from northern
Virginia with her husband and three children. “Everyone cares about
their neighbor; they ask how you are. We’ve met a lot of good people.” While
the Behannas were in their Virginia apartment debating a move to
Kansas, they heard gunshots outside and learned later that police had
shot and killed a suspected bank robber and murderer. The family soon
started packing. “You
still have to watch your children, but I don’t think you have to watch
them as close,” says Roy Behanna, a machinist who quickly found work in a
town near Marquette. “Compared to where we came from, this is very,
very safe.” Courtney
Heitter, an employee at the Valley Café, compares Marquette to
California, where she and her family used to live. “It’s a lot more slow
paced than it was in California. People aren’t as uptight about
everything,” she says. “It’s a better community.” James
Colley moved his family from Sherman Oaks in southern California and
plans to start work soon on his new home. Marquette’s smaller class
sizes for his school-age children played a big role in the decision to
move, and so far the decision’s proved right. “They’ve got good grades,
and they’re learning more than they would in California,” Colley says. Brock
challenges his congregation to welcome the newcomers. Church members
deliver freshly baked cookies and other treats. “Marquette’s just trying
to battle back and keep the school and keep the small-town quality of
life,” the pastor says.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon These new homes, built on free land offered by the town of Marquette, await occupants.
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New
homes, built on free land in Marquette, Kan., await occupants. The
homes are in the town's main street. The community is offering free land
to families that move to Marquette. A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo
#05-313. Accompanies UMNS story #235, 4/19/05 |
The free lots are appraised at $8,000 to $10,000 each, while new homes are being built for around $100,000. All
lots in the first developments have been claimed, but applications are
still being accepted. Twenty additional acres have been donated for
houses, with 20 more acres set aside for business development. “Some
people might call it a gamble when you go out and buy $100,000 worth of
land and give it away, but we don’t look at it that way,” he says. “We
think that God has a purpose for us here in Marquette.” *Gordon is a freelance producer and writer in Marshall, Texas. News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5458 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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