Editing Peabody, Kansas (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Peabody Township Carnegie Library in Peabody, Kansas.jpg|thumb|left|1914 [[Carnegie Library (Peabody, Kansas)|Peabody Township "Carnegie" Library]]<ref name="NRHP-Peabody Downtown Historic District"/> (2010)]]
[[File:Santa Fe Park in Peabody, Kansas.jpg|thumb|right|1974 Mennonite Centennial Memorial Monument in Santa Fe Park<ref name="Gazette-19740801-1"/> A [[threshing stone]] was cut and placed on 4 sides of this monument. In the foreground is a brick street; streets in Peabody are typically brick (2010).]]
[[File:Threshing stone cross section, Santa Fe Park, Peabody, Kansas.jpg|thumb|right|Cross sections of a [[threshing stone]] on a [[Mennonites|Mennonite]] monument (2010)]]
Peabody became an important supply point for one of the state's [[cattle]] feeding districts. By 1911, approximately 20,000 head of cattle were imported from other states and fed within {{convert|20|mi}} of Peabody at 50 farms. Because of the cattle industry, local farmers grew more [[Maize|corn]], [[alfalfa]], and other feed crops during the 1900s and 1910s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/marion/library/misc/stephens.txt |title=Henry Stephen - Feed lot history; Peabody News; 1901. |access-date=2010-12-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014112621/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/marion/library/misc/stephens.txt |archive-date=2012-10-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Peabody and Watchorn areas experienced an [[oil boom]] from 1918 to 1920 in the oil fields of the [[Mid-Continent oil province]]. The influence of the petroleum industry remained strong in Peabody, and resulted in the greatest change upon the community in the shortest time. More than 100 residences were constructed in October and November 1919. From 1918 to 1919, the population increased by 75% or more, but later decreased as oil booms in other Kansas areas needed the workers. Currently Watchorn is a ghost town consisting of oil wells but no remaining historical structures.

The [[New Santa Fe Trail]] road was routed through Peabody in the late 1910s. The road entered the north-east side of the city on Old Mill Rd, and exited on the south-west side on 60th Street (known as the ''Old Trail'').<ref name="1918 Kansas Highway Map; KSDOT">[http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/SpecialInterestStateMaps/HistoricalKansas1918.pdf 1918 Kansas Highway Map; KSDOT.]</ref><ref name="1932 Kansas Highway Map; KSDOT">[http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/1932Mapside.pdf 1932 Kansas Highway Map; KSDOT.]</ref> The trail became [[U.S. Route 50 in Kansas|U.S. Route 50]] in the late 1930s when the new highway was routed east to west on 9th Street. In 1998, the highway was moved about 1.5 blocks north so it could go over a new railroad overpass.<ref name="US50bypass" />

In 1943, [[Germans|German]] and [[Italian people|Italian]] prisoners of [[World War II]] were brought to Kansas and other [[Midwestern United States|midwest states]] as a means of solving the [[United States home front during World War II#Farming|labor shortage]] caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large [[prisoner-of-war camp]]s camps were established in Kansas at [[Camp Concordia]], Camp Funston (at [[Fort Riley]]), and Camp Phillips (at [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]] under [[Fort Riley]]). [[Fort Riley]] established 12 smaller branch camps, including Peabody and [[El Dorado, Kansas|El Dorado]].<ref>[http://www.gentracer.org/powcampsKS.html List of Prisoner Of War (POW) Camps in Kansas]</ref><ref>[http://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-historical-quarterly-an-army-hospital-from-horses-to-helicopters/13145 ''An Army Hospital: From Horses to Helicopters, Fort Riley, 1904-1957''; Kansas Historical Quarterly; Spring 1958 (Vol. XXIV, No. 1)]</ref> Up to 150 prisoners were quartered at the Peabody branch camp.<ref name="PeabodyBook"/> Farmers were to have first priority over other industries in requesting prisoner labor. County agents were responsible for processing the application of local residents seeking the use of the prisoners who were to be available only as group laborers. No fewer than four prisoners could be assigned to a farm, and a guard accompanied each group, but later it was common for no guards to accompany the prisoners. The prisoners were not allowed to operate any powered farm equipment. The farmer collected the workers at the camp and returned them at the end of each day. The Peabody branch camp #101 was located in the Eyestone building, now occupied by Heckendorn Equipment Company, and located at 122 West 2nd Street.<ref name="PeabodyBook"/> The prisoner yard was located in the north-east corner of the property and still exists as a storage area. The camp was closed in December 1945, after [[Germany]] surrendered.<ref name="PeabodyBook"/>

There have been numerous floods during the history of Peabody. In June and July 1951, due to heavy rains, rivers and streams flooded numerous cities in Kansas, including Peabody. Many reservoirs and levees were built in Kansas as part of a response to the [[Great Flood of 1951]].

The community gradually increased in size as a [[commuter town]] to support aircraft industries in [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] during [[World War II]] and [[Soviet Union]] [[Cold War]] years.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} Over time the aircraft industry worker requirement has shrank, thus has their influence on numerous commuter towns. Another gradual impact on the community has been the decrease in the size of farm families. Over time as farm equipment has increased in size, so has it decreased the number of family farms in the area, because fewer people are required to farm larger amounts of land.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} Fewer farms families has led to a gradual decrease in children at local schools. Peabody, like most rural towns, has seen a gradual loss of population due to [[rural flight]] to larger cities.

The community has long had great pride in celebrating and promoting its past. Three centennials, the [[Kansas]] centennial in 1961, the Peabody centennial in 1971, and the [[United States Bicentennial]] in 1976 caused surges of historic pride. It led to the creation of the Peabody Main Street Association (PMSA) in 1989 and the Peabody Community Foundation (PCF).<ref>[http://peabodymainstreet.wordpress.com/ Peabody Main Street Association.]</ref>  The Peabody Main Street Association has won numerous awards since it was founded.<ref name=PeabodyAwds/>

In 1998, the downtown area of Peabody was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP), and known as the [[Peabody Downtown Historic District]].<ref name="NRHP-Peabody Downtown Historic District">{{NRHP url|id=98000590|title=Peabody Downtown Historic District - NRHP Application (2.1MB PDF)}}</ref> Peabody had four previous listings on the NRHP: [[Peabody Historical Library Museum]] (in 1973), [[Carnegie Library (Peabody, Kansas)|Peabody Township Library]] (in 1987), [[J.S. Schroeder Building]] (in 1991), and [[W.H. Morgan House]] (in 1996).