What to See in Baxter Springs - Top Sights and Attractions

Bridge in Cherokee County, Kansas. The Rainbow Bridge is an old bridge over Brush Creek approximately two miles west of Riverton, Kansas on former U.S. Route 66, now a county road. The bridge is a single-span concrete Marsh arch bridge and is the sole surviving bridge of this type on the entire length of the former highway. Two other Marsh arch bridges were also located on US-66 in Kansas, both over the Spring River. It was built in 1923.

The bridge has often been covered with graffiti, but was recently re-painted white. The bridge has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Brush Creek Bridge) on March 10, 1983, due to its connection with US-66 and is also a Kansas state landmark. In 2014, Kansas Rt. 66 Historic Byway nominated a bypassed 2.1 miles (3.4 km) section of original 1926 highway, which ran south from the Brush Creek to the Willow Creek bridge near Baxter Springs, for an NRHP listing.

The bridge is fairly narrow, and due to traffic on the road, a replacement bridge has been built. The road curves toward the new bridge toward Baxter Springs, but a short, one-way road carries traffic to the Rainbow Bridge, which may still be crossed. This was part of a compromise after a disagreement between the county and the Kansas Route 66 Association as federal funds used for construction of the new bridge required demolition of the old. The bridge had been listed with the National Register, which prohibited condemnation of the old bridge.

In the year 2000, country singer Brad Paisley performed "Route 66" on the bridge for the TLC special, "Route 66: Main Street America".^[1]

The Rial A. Niles House is a historic house at 605 E. 12th Street in Baxter Springs, Kansas, United States. The house was built in 1870 for Rial A. Niles, a local businessman, and his wife. The house was designed in the Italianate style and features a hip roof with a cupola, a front porch with decorative wooden posts and arches, and four brick chimneys. After Niles went bankrupt, Colonel William March, an officer in the Union Army and two-time Baxter Springs postmaster, bought the house in 1875. March lost the house after his wife's death in 1902, and it passed through a number of tenants until the 1930s. In 1938, the Baxter Springs Women's Club rented the house, which it used for meetings and social gatherings until it disbanded in 1956. The house was then purchased by the local Episcopal congregation and became St. Mark's Episcopal Church until the congregation also disbanded in 1977. The house has since reverted to its previous use as a residence.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 2006.^[2]

The Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station is a historic gas station located at 940 Military Avenue in Baxter Springs, Kansas, along the former route of U.S. Route 66. The station was built in 1930 by the Independent Oil and Gas Company; the company merged with Phillips Petroleum the following year, and the station became a Phillips 66 station. The station was designed in the Tudor Revival style so to resemble a small cottage; this style was popular among gas stations at the time, as oil companies wanted their stations to fit in with nearby residential architecture. An addition which served as an auto repair shop was added to the station between 1930 and 1942. Phillips operated the station until 1958, and it continued to sell gasoline until the 1970s. The building now serves as the Kansas Route 66 Visitors Center.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 2003.^[3]

Public library in Baxter Springs, Kansas. The Johnston Library is a historic library located at 210 W. 10th St. in Baxter Springs, Kansas. The building was constructed in 1872 to serve as a courthouse during Baxter Springs' unsuccessful attempt to become the Cherokee County seat. Though Baxter Springs had lost an election to choose the county seat in 1869 to Columbus, supporters of both cities had attempted to fraudulently swing the election in their favor, and Baxter Springs hoped it could still become county seat in the future. The building initially served as the county jail and sheriff's office until Columbus completed its jail in 1880. After this, Baxter Springs ultimately gave up its attempts to become the county seat, and the building became its city hall. In 1905, resident Niles P. Johnston bequeathed $5,000 to the city to start a library, and the city hall building was chosen to house it.

The two-story brick building's design is a mixture of the Classical Revival and Richardsonian Romanesque styles. Key features of both styles appear in the library's main entrance; its pediment and pilasters are typical Classical Revival elements, while the Syrian arch doorway is a Richardsonian Romanesque feature. The library also includes a gable roof and a cornice with ornamental corbels and brackets.

The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976.^[4]