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Photograph of Justus Bissing Jr. Historic District
Photograph by Ammodramus, CC0 1.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Justus Bissing, Jr. Historic District

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

From the record

“Historic District, in Hays, Kansas in Ellis County, Kansas, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.”

Wikipedia article Justus Bissing Jr. Historic District, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 21 National Register listings published here for Ellis County · listed in 2004 · category: District.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 502-504 W. 12th St., Hays, 67601
  • When was it listed? January 2004
  • Category. district
  • Township. Big Creek township
  • National Register reference number. 03001495 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

69 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 69 fires within 5 miles of Justus Bissing, Jr. Historic District between 2015 and 2020, burning about 218 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined30
Equipment and vehicle use13
Smoking8
Debris and open burning5
Fireworks5
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Arson/incendiarism2
Recreation and ceremony1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Other causes1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service15-0153
28 September 2015Other causesunder an acreKansas Forest Service1655
28 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service15-0162
27 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service1648
26 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service1635
22 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service1604
21 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service1597
11 September 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreEllis County1566

Every fire recorded in Ellis County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Justus Bissing, Jr. Historic District: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Allied Incorporated Limestone QuarrStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Ellis County

Storms near this property

60 of 237 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Hays, the town this property stands in, in 237 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 129 hail, 87 thunderstorm wind, 10 heavy rain, 4 tornado. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2003LightningHays2 hurtTwo Fort Hays students (female) received minor injuries when light struck a tree about 20 feet away. They were treated and released from an area hospital.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindHays1 hurtA door flew open and injured one person
August 2010Thunderstorm WindHays$1,500,000The most expensive damage was at Fort Hays State University, where the high winds blew off most of the roof from Weist Hall. Vehicles in an adjacent parking lot were damaged by roof debris. Extensive water damage occurred to the interior of the building. Some students and offices were relocated as a consequence of the damage. |The rainfall was so heavy that drains on Lewis Field were overwhelmed, and water accumulated under the special astro turf covering the field and lifted it from the field. |salvaged.
May 1995HailHays$50,000Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph reported. Lots of broken glass.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindHays$50,000Roof damage occurred on some buildings at the Ft. Hays State Historic Site. Large trees were uprooted and snapped in the Hays area. A wind gust to 70 mph was recorded at the Hays Airport.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindHays$20,000Several roofs blown off by wind of at least 70 kt.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindHays$10,000Twenty power poles were blown down.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindHays$7,000Dugout moved off foundation and football shed demolished.
June 1997LightningHays$5,000Lightning bold destroyed a chimney. The debris fell on a car.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindHays$500A power pole was blown down which started a small fire in the back yard.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindHays-Kansas Mesonet site - Hays recorded a 62 mph wind gust.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindHays-Law enforcement reports power lines were downed.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be 65 MPH.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindHays-Power lines were blown down on the west side of Hays.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be near 60 MPH.
July 2020Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 2.25 inches was observed.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-A railroad crossing was snapped off by the high wind.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-Two power poles were broken by high wind.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-At least 20 semi trucks were blown over on the interstate in the vicinity. One had power lines blown onto it but fortunately there were no injuries.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-A mobile home was blown over but no injuries were reported.
August 2019Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 2.80 inches was observed.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. One inch diameter tree branches were broken.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be at least 60 MPH.
August 2019Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 3.50 inches was observed.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindHays-A roof was blown off a church and the debris landed on vehicles.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindHays-Tree limbs were blown down and there was some shingle damage.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindHays-There were several metal buildings damaged or destroyed. Numerous power poles were reported down across the vicinity.
September 2018Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 1.50 inches in a short time.
August 2018Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 2.40 inches was observed.
July 2018Flash FloodHays-Rainfall of over 3 inches fell during a short period causing street flooding. Several cars were stranded in 3 feet of water.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be 70 MPH.
April 2017Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 2.79 inches was observed in 1 hour 17 minutes.
April 2017HailHays-The hail covered the ground.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindHays-Numerous tree branches and power lines were blown down by the high wind.
September 2014Thunderstorm WindHays-Winds were estimated to be 70 MPH.
September 2014Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 3.37 inches was reported.
September 2014Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 3.37 inches was reported.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindHays-Several power poles were blown down by high wind.
April 2013HailHays-The hail lasted roughly 5 minutes.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindHays-A tree blew down across a street on the north side of Hays.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindHays-A 2 foot diameter tree was blown over.
August 2011Heavy RainHays-There were several reports of heavy rainfall from 4.5 to 5.0 inches on the northeast side of Hays.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindHays-A 4x4 canopy with bricks stacked on it was blown away. Post caps on a PVC picket fence were blown off also.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindHays-Power lines were blown down.
May 2007Tornado (EF0)Hays-The tornado was visible on the ground for just a short period of time but the funnel was present for longer.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindHays-The roof of the Comfort Inn was taken off by the high wind gust.
May 2007Heavy RainHays-Rainfall of 2.50 fell in less than 1 hour.
September 2006FloodHays-Heavy rainfall overnight resulted in considerable runoff. Some county roads were barricaded.
August 2006Tornado (F0)Hays-A landspout was reported by a chase team out of Oklahoma.
April 2005Tornado (F0)Hays-Even though this tornado existed for six minutes and travelled over 3 miles, it never hit anything.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindHays-Two to three inch diameter tree limbs were blown down.
June 2005HailHays-Also had "torrential rainfall"
July 2004Thunderstorm WindHays-Five semi-trailers were blown off Interstate 70 from 1 mile northwest of Hays to 11 miles east of Hays during a 5 minute period
July 2004Thunderstorm WindHays-Half of a house's roof was blown off and landed across the street
July 2004Thunderstorm WindHays-A house was destroyed 1.5 miles north of I-70 by these downburst winds. The structure lost the roof, garage and two complete walls.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindHays-Several large trees blown down.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindHays-A downburst blew down five to six inch diameter tree limbs. A camper was overturned and several stop signs were blown down.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindHays-A power pole was blown down.
September 2003Flash FloodHays-Numerous county roads were flooded.

Every storm recorded in Ellis County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 03001495 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Ellis CountyAll 21 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.