Wednesdav. August 21. 1974
7
The Pleasant Grove School House Is One of the Buildings Now Decaying in the Town South of Lawrence
Town's Citizens Like Country Life Pleasant Grove Offers Privacy Few Complications
By MIKE HOLLAND Kansan Staff Writer
University Daily Kansan
Privacy and a desire to return to the uncomplicated country life are among the reasons given for living in Pleasant Grove, according to many residents of the community.
Pleasant Grove is an unincorporated community five miles south of Lawrence on Highway 59.
Alack of vandalism is one of the reasons George Spencer, a truck driver, enjoys living in Pleasant Grove.
"ANOTHER REASON I enjoy living here is it offers a place where we can raise animals and tend a garden with our children."
Spencer said the noise of screaming kids was replaced by the country sound of crickets and an occasional coyote.
"There are also disadvantages to be considered," Spencer said. "The neighbors are farther apart and there are plenty of poisonous spiders and snakes. It doesn't pay to walk around here barefoot."
A disadvantage for Gene Martin is the distance he must commute to work each morning. Martin is an associate
"Although it's a good drive into town, the beautiful and peaceful countryside make the trip worthwhile," he said. "Besides, there is nothing better."
Martin said he considered Pleasant Grove a semi-farm type of settlement instead of a community
"To my knowledge, there is no form of political structure here," he said.
Edward Bowman, a retired radio and TV repairman who has lived in Pleasant Grove the last 20 years, said the company is one of the few in town.
"There used to be a school, a general store and three gas stations here," he said. "Once they paved the county road, it became easier to get the gas in Lawrence. Soon most of the organized town died out."
BOWMAN SAID occasional meetings were still held at the hall town by the Citizen's Protective Association, an
organization established in the latter 1800's for hanging horsestieves.
"They meet now for water meetings, because there aren't that many horses to steal anymore," he said.
Bowman said community "get-togethers" didn't occur as often as in the past.
"We weed to have a local church group, but that's gone now," he said. "The local landowners used to gather at the market place to get supplies. They'd visit for an hour or so and go back home."
"The town was founded by Dunkards, and religion kept a community together. Its halo has gotten weaker every generation."
Wayne Flory, a landowner whose ancestors bound in the area in the early 1800's, said religion bound the community together.
Bowman said neighbors constantly helped each other in times of good.
Many people have misconceptions about goats, Ahman Karr, goat breeder and a Buildings and Grounds foreman at KU, said recently.
"There have been a lot of bad stories about goats," Karr said, "and I believe that if people see them and see how nice they are, then they'll be attracted to them."
Perhaps that's the secret of the town's survival.
Beliefs About Goats Untrue, Breeder Savs
Karr has been a dairy goat breeder for four years and is vice-president of the Kansas Goat Goit Council. He helps to promote goats at the H-4F Grounds every year.
On his 40 acre farm, 20 miles northeast of Lawrence, Karr and his family take care of about 45 goats and use them for milk, cheese, butter and, occasionally, meat.
Karr said the purpose of the H-4 show is to promote interest in and appreciation of pots.
"People have always thought goats as dirty animals," Karr said, "but there is
a domestic animal as clean as the doe goat."
The goat show, Karr said, will be the first in Kansas. Five breeds of goats from Kansas are available at Karr.
Karr has been showing goats for a year and has won awards in Iowa, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and other Midwestern states. He has two breeds of goats. They are the Saanen, an all-wool goat with pointed ears, and the Hansen, an alpaca-like hunging birds. Most of his goats are registered, and all but one have had their horns removed.
Karr said that the milk from goats was rather than the milk from cows. He milked the cows for $10 a kilo.
The milk is weighed, strained, cooled and then is ready to drink. Karr doesn't pasteurize the milk; it does, it isn't, pasteurized. Goals have been checked for diseases and given shots.
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