Who Were These People?

Part 2: Lowrey Park

By Carol Jenkner

August 10, 2022

 

The other half of Schnack Park is Lowrey Park, at one time a separate park with a road running between the two. Eventually, the two were combined to form today’s Lowrey-Schnack Park. The Lowrey’s were one of Larned’s prominent families. Mr. F.D. Lowrey owned an early harness and hardware store, was a proponent of advanced farming methods and a landowner himself. Later in life he became president of The First State Bank. He gave the land on which Lowrey Park stands to the city of Larned.

            There was a Lowrey Bros. Hardware and Implements that sold Studebaker wagons, barbed wire, pumps, pipes, and fixtures for the home and farm. They also sold fine buggies, tinware and stoves. This ad appeared in a Larned City Directory dated 1886. In 1886, the directory listed E.W. Lowrey as a merchant at Main and 8^th Street, but Fred Lowrey was listed at the corner of 9^th and Toles also a merchant. By 1910, Mr. F.L. Lowrey was listed in a city directory as a hardware dealer at 903 Toles. By 1921 Edith and a son, George, were listed at 903 Toles. F.L. (Fred) and wife Erma were listed as living at 203 E. 7^th. Are they all related? Let me know if you figure it out!