Curious Outbuildings
Stephen F. Jones spared no expense in the construction of his Spring Hill Ranch outbuildings.
The Flint Hills provided the main building materials for both the house and outbuildings - high quality limestone quarried and hand cut here in Chase County.
Like today's garages, the carriage house, the small building with the wooden doors, protected a carriage or buggy from the prairie sun, wind, rain and snow. Next to the carriage house stands an unusual chicken house - even the poultry on the Spring Hill Ranch had substantial limestone quarters! The combination of the arched, sod covered roof and thick stone walls provided insulation from extreme prairie temperatures. The attached open front shed was an innovative covered scratch pen for the chickens.
The Ice House on top of the hill is another lavish features of the ranch. Large blocks of ice cut in winter from a nearby stream or pond were carefully insulated with straw or sawdust, providing the luxury of ice into the summer months.
Courtesy hmdb.org
