SunFlower Galería

Doyle Place

Doyle Place in Italianate style of Architecture

The first white person to claim land in Marion County Kansas, in the vicinity of Florence, was Patrick Doyle. Title to the land was granted to Patrick Doyle, September 3, 1860. The creek which flowed through the Doyle claim was called Doyle Creek. For awhile this area was called Doyle settlement for post office purposes until the town of Florence came into being. That was when it was the wild frontier. Herds of buffalo roamed and grazed on his land and wild Indians were always close. Doyle built a small log cabin on the corner of his claim, living there long enough to establish ownership of the land.


He moved his family to Florence, Kansas in 1871 when the Santa Fe was building its railroad near by. In 1871 there was condemnation of 3.86 and 11.77 acres for right-of-way to the Santa Fe and 36,750 sq ft (.84 acres) sold to Batty and Tabor. In 1882 1/2 acre was sold to Richard Hagan and 3/5 acre to Rasmus Larson.


By 1875, the Kansas and Federal Cencus indicated that Patrick Doyle, age 57, and his wife Mary, age 40, had four children, Ellen, age 16; Mary, age 14; William, age 12; James, age 5; and Pat McGwin, age 18, relative of Mary Doyle, residing in the home. The value of the real estate was $2500, $200 personal property, $25 in farm improvements and machinery and a total amount of wages paid during the year, including board was $500. There was 160 acres not under fences. He had 30 acres of winter wheat, 3 acres of rye, 38 acres of corn, 1 acre of Irish potatoes, 1/4 acre of sorghum, and 6 acres of garden produce. The family made 50 lbs of butter. The value of poultry and eggs sold was $10 and the value of animals slaughtered or sold was $50. They had 2 mules, 2 milch cow, 6 other cows, 5 swine, 4 dogs.


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The home of Patrick Doyle, which was built in 1881-1882, is located on approximately three acres more or less, south of Florence, Kansas. The house has a eastern facade overlooking and nestled in the Cottonwood Valley and surrounded on three sides by Doyle Creek. Along the entire front of the property, out by the road, is a rusticated native limestone wall, capped with a row of flat blocks, which once was shaded by large stately old Elm trees. Due to the Elm disease, the trees have since been replaced with junipers. In front of the home, on either side of the front porch are stately Sycamore and Evergreen trees presumably about the same age as the home. Behind the home is a seed house which was renovated after 1969 and barn in its original form.



 more Doyle Place info (MS Word docx)