Historical Information
With its foundation laid in Kansas Territory, the Terwilliger Home was built alongside the famed Santa Fe Trail as Kansas became the 34th state. To commemorate this event. you will see the Kansas Flag and the US 34 Star Civil War Flag flying in front of the Terwilliger Home.
Built by Abraham and Mary Rawlinson in 1860-61, this stone home was the last house freighters passed going west when leaving Council Grove as late as 1863.
From their home on the edge of the frontier, the Rawlinsons witnessed long trains of freight wagons loaded with goods, heading to or from Santa Fe. This home was a welcome sight to the freighters, as it signaled their return to civilization.
The property was purchased by William Riley Terwilliger in 1870, who added the south wing by 1873. The Terwilliger family came to Morris County in 1859, and he was at times a farmer, stock man, freighter, and owner of a livery stable.
The Terwilliger Home is the oldest stone home and the second oldest home remaining alongside the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas.
This 1880 photo of the Terwilliger Home shows William Riley and Mary Terwilliger standing in the yard along with 4 of their 15 children.
The next photo shows the Terwilliger Home in 1927 when it was converted into a gas station that year.
The Terwilliger Home was a gas station for 50 years. It took on the name of Maple Camp due to the large shady Maple trees on the grounds and the travelers who pitched their tents under the trees at night.
Soon cabins were built on the grounds to house travelers. Then during WWII more cabins were built to house Herington Army Air Field personnel.
In this 1977 photo you will notice a large garage door on the right front of the building which is where they drove cars inside and painted them. This is where the Terwilliger Home fireplace was located. The fireplace had been mostly removed and concrete blocks covered what was left.
After 1977, and it was no longer a gas station, the Terwilliger Home continued to suffer many changes. The next set of photos shows how it looked by 1993.
The Terwilliger Home was up for sale and in danger of being bulldozed down. Shirley McClintock called everyone on the phone she could think of, trying to get someone to save it from distruction. No one was to be found that wanted to take on the task of saving it. Her husband told her "If you try to save it, do not expect me to help you". Shirley struggled with what to do. She took a walk around the sad old stone structure and noticed some 1940's dates cut roughly in the stone. As she walked, she realized all the stories this place had hidden, waiting to be discovered. She prayed to the God above, during that prayer her heart spoke to her, and she knew she could not live with herself, if she did not try to save this place.
First Shirley sweet talked her husband into doing the legal work to form a nonprofit organization called Historic Preservation Corporation. She then rounded up a few board members and donations for a down payment and a few financial commitments each month. The owners graciously arranged to carry the loan, and thus began a long and difficult journey to save the Terwilliger Home and all of Maple Camp that had survived to that point in time.
