Iola's fort

Iola's fort - Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Iola, Kansas, was founded in 1859 and soon after a two-story stone building was built on the southwest corner of Jefferson and Madison streets. Davis Parsons, one of the first town settlers, built this building, which was to serve as a rallying point and defense headquarters in the event the town was threatened by Bushwhackers or Indians. The area's Indians proved reasonably peaceful and no Bushwhackers threatened the area. The stone building was not truly fortified until the Civil War began.Baxter D. McClain, written copy of address delivered to the Old Settler's Association of Allen County, Kansas, June 20, 1914 (in the Manuscript Div. of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kans.)."Brief Chronology of Past Century in Allen County," The Iola Register, Centennial Ed., May 30, 1955, p. 2. Read more on Wikipedia

type: military structure
date from: 1859

Source: en.wikipedia.org