Farmhouse Now Suburban Landmark
When the Herman J. and Ella B. Voigts house was constructed in 1923, it was a comfortable farm home surrounded by fields. Now the graceful and well-built residence stands as a reminder of the rural history of what is now suburban Leawood. The building is a significant local example of Prairie style architecture featuring prominent horizontal lines and banks of windows with a broad roof overhang.
The residence also is significant for its historical association with Herman J. Voigts. Voigts was more than a simple farmer. he was a friend and associate of Oscar G. Lee, for whom the city of Leawood was named. Voigts held stock in seven banks including the Westport National Bank and the Overland Park State Bank. he was president of the First National Bank of Olathe and vice-president of the City National Bank and Patron's Bank of Olathe. Voigts was also a long-time member of the District 1 Board of Education serving as district treasurer from 1911 to 1953.
In 1895, the Voigts farm was established in northeastern Johnson County when Mr. Voigts' father purchased 120 acres of land in the northwest quarter of section 10. The property is now situated between Mission Road and Lee Boulevard north of present-day Interstate 435. Although Herman J. Voigts moved to the property in 1900, he did not receive title until 1906. By 1922 he owned a total of 218 acres including a 72-acre tract in the southeast quarter of section 10.
Mr. Voigts recalled that he lived in a “bachelor’s shack” on the property before he married Ella Busch on October 28, 1902. Ella was a music teacher who played organ at Lenexa Lutheran Church. The couple had two children, and for twenty years, the family lived in a two-story frame house east of the site of the present stone building.
Late in life, Voigts described his career in his own words. While attending Missouri Valley College, he said, “I bought a cow for $10.00 and sold her of $20.00. From this time on, I knew what I wanted to do. I told my father that I was coming home to begin handling cattle. And this I have done ever since. I always have had the confidence that I knew as much as the next fellow about cattle. It has been a pleasure to give advice concerning cattle and land to friends in this part of the country.” Although Voigts owned a dairy for a number of years and sold milk to dealers in Kansas City, his primary occupation was raising and selling cattle.
Business acumen and good fortune combined in Voigts' life to allow him to conclude, “This is a wonderful place to live. In Mission Township a blind man could make money by just buying property.” By 1959, all of the farm except ten acres had been sold to the Leawood Building Company, Inc., John Kroh, president, for development.
--ALBUM vol. 7, no. 3 (summer 1994)