A group of people standing around a store - historic general stores

Self-guided · County in Kansas

Historic General Stores in Sumner County, KS

General stores, mercantiles and trading posts near you, the one building every small town could not do without.

Sumner County is one of 105 counties in Kansas. Some of these sites are open to visitors, some are private, and some are ruins. All of them are on the record, and all of them can be seen from the public way.

Interior of an old general store with many shelves - historic general stores — Photo: Mateo Krossler on Unsplash

Old rustic general store with gas pumps and truck - historic general stores — Photo: Ronald Crow on Unsplash

Small general store with a porch and wreaths - historic general stores — Photo: Fabio Sasso on Unsplash

On the record near Sumner County, KS

The 12 nearest

12 listed sites on the record match historic general stores within 120 miles of Sumner County, KS, out of 29 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles. 7 listed sites carry Sumner County as their county.

Grocery/Drugs/Dry Goods/Millinery2.7 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Wellington · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
Wichita Wholesale Grocery Company27 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Wichita · listed 1983National Register of Historic Places
Johnson Drug Store Building28 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Wichita · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
Deer Creek General Merchandise Store35 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Deer Creek · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
Adam, L.C., Mercantile Building52 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Cedar Vale · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
Babe's Package Store68 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Enid · listed 2017National Register of Historic Places
Hjerpe Grocery89 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Lindsborg · listed 2010National Register of Historic Places
Stockbrands and Kemmerer Department Store100 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Yates Center · listed 1985National Register of Historic Places
Last Chance Store106 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Council Grove · listed 1971National Register of Historic Places
Engels' Dry Goods Store114 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Luther · listed 1980National Register of Historic Places
Boston Store115 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Chandler · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
Kress Building (S.H. Kress & Company Store)118 miles from the center of Sumner County · Building · Iola · listed 2022National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Sumner County, KS. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

General Stores in Sumner County, step by step

1
See every listed site of this kind in the area
2
Sort by distance and pick the closest few
3
Read the record for the year, the builder and the use
4
View from the public way and note what has changed
5
Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Sumner County, KS ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Sumner County, KS?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Sumner County

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Sumner County, KS the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Sumner County, KS are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.