The Carroll Mansion

John McCullough Foster came to Leavenworth, Kansas Territory in 1858, less than four years after the establishment of the town. Foster and his wife, Letitia, purchased Lots 8, 9, and 10 on the NorthWest corner of Fifth Avenue and Middle Street from William and Abby Marshall for $900.00. The purchase included a two story, four-room frame house with a one-story rear kitchen wing constructed by an unknown builder. In 1870 Foster became partners in a lumber yard with A.J. Angell. In about 1867 Foster replaced the frame house with a large brick Italinate. In August 1876, the Fosters sold the property to Major David Taylor for $6,100. Taylor, who was a U.S. Army paymaster, died in February 1878 and four years later his widow Mary sold the property to Lucien and Julia Scott for $5,200.
Lucien Scott was the president of the First National Bank of Leavenworth, the president of the Leavenworth Coal Company, and the vice-president of the Kansas Central Railroad. He hired local carpenter George McKenna to expand the house into a sixteen room Queen Anne Victorian mansion. Additions were built on both sides and McKenna added the back of the house, porches were expanded and the roof altered. The elaborately carved woodwork to many of the rooms, plumbing and gas lighting were also installed in the dwelling. The Scott’s lavish entertaining made their home one of the city’s social gathering places in the 1880s.
In December 1887 the Scott's sold the property to Edward Carroll, an officer of the Leavenworth National Bank for $20,500. The Carrol family lived in the house for seventy-seven years. Edward's daughter, Ella, donated the home to the Leavenworth County Historical Society in 1964.
Leavenworth County Historical Society

The tale has been told that on one Sunday in 1964 Ella, the last Carroll to live in the house, announced at church that she was leaving the mansion and people could come get anything from the house they wanted. After the last item was removed, Ella gave the key and the house deed to the then President of Leavenworth County Historical Society ("Chappie" Chapman - LHS Class of 1950).
The Old Man

Click on the mansion to take a tour...