Built in 1886. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
“The Harper Standpipe is a standpipe built during 1886-87 in Harper, Kansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.”
Wikipedia article Harper Standpipe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 10 National Register listings published here for Harper County · listed in 2017 · category: Structure · built in 1886.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Harper Standpipe between 2015 and 2018, burning about 2 acres in total. None 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/undetermined | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 201864 |
| 20 June 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 201855 |
| 15 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 201528 |
| 16 March 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 201513 |
| 16 March 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 201512 |
| 14 March 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 201824 |
| 11 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 201510 |
| 4 January 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 20152 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Harper, the town this property stands in, in 108 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 44 hail, 42 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 7 flash flood. The reports record 5 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | 3 hurt, $75,000 | Historic Red Barn, 115 years old and under renovation, collapsed. All three men pinned in the rubble were injured. One man required air med-evac to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita where, upon arrival, he was listed in critical condition. (By Friday Night, his condition had been upgraded to "fair".) A 2nd required ambulance transport to Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita where he was listed in fair condition. The 3rd man did not seek medical attention. In addition, the following sustained significant damage: 12 homes, 4 businesses (including the Elko Building on west side of town that lost a 20 by 30 foot section of roofing on the west side of the structure causing the west wall to buckle inward), one shop, a camper that was blown over and rolled nearly 100 feet, and the roof of a carport that was dislodged and blown over the roof of the mobile home to which it had been attached. Obviously, damage to trees, power lines, and power poles was extensive. The latter two severed power to Harper for approximately 5 hours. (Narratives courtesy of Wichita Eagle, Winfield Daily Courier, Anthony Republican, and Harper Advocate.) |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | 1 hurt, $350,000 | Large tree fell onto mobile home. One woman injured, sustaining fractured vertebrae, requiring ambulance transport to Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita where, upon arrival, the woman was listed in fair condition. (Narrative courtesy of Wichita Eagle, Winfield Courier, Anthony Republican, and Harper Advocate.) |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F4) | Harper | 1 hurt, $275,000 | Large destructive tornado completely demolished a two story farm house and 5 other barns associated with the homestead. Five cars were also dismantled as the engines were spread across the shaven wheat fields. Very few automobile body parts could be located. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Harper | $1,000,000 | Flash flooding was reported across the county. Numerous roads were closed due to high water and sand bagging was conducted in the city of Harper. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Harper | $220,000 | Tornado moved northeast across an open field before taking direct aim on Chaparral High School. The tornado ripped off the pressbox of the football stadium and peeled back part of the roof. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F2) | Harper | $140,000 | Large tornado moved over open country before hitting a farmstead and shearing off the roof of a veterinarians clinic and the top floor of a two story home. |
| September 2008 | Flash Flood | Harper | $100,000 | A foot of water was reported over Highway 160 in the town of Harper. Water ran curb to curb along Highway 160 through town. Portions of South Pine and South Central were barricaded. A Harper police partol car had to be removed from service after water flooded the interior. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F2) | Harper | $100,000 | Tornado moved NNE on the outskirts of Harper. The tornado sheared off the top portion of a two story home and sending debris for several hundred yards. |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $50,000 | Measured by KSN Weatherlab, Chaparral High School, where hail, although only 1/4 inch diameter, occasionally reached 6-inch depths. Between 50 and 75% of the wheat crop, between 150,00 and 172,500 acres, destroyed. The destroyed wheat crop fell into two categories: 1) Headed wheat that was sliced and 2) Wheat that was completely shredded. Approximately 75% of the alfalfa crop, totalling 3,000 acres, was shredded. No dollar estimate in crop losses was available at the time of this report. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $30,000 | Metal roofing torn from hangar at Harper County Airport. Private plane parked inside the hangar sustained minor damage. Unspecified number of power poles and power lines downed. However, power was severed to Harper's primary water well, which would be out of service until Monday afternoon (8/25). A second water well failed Sunday Night (8/24), with service also restored Monday afternoon (8/25). The Harper Advocate contributed greatly to this narrative. |
| July 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Harper | $25,000 | Minor wind damage to trees and power lines. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $15,000 | Armory, one building, and one residence sustained roof damage. (Report and narrative courtesy Central Region Significant Event Report.) |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $10,000 | Machine shed blown over. Numerous trees downed. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $8,000 | Eight power poles blown down along highway K-2. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $5,000 | Power outages were reported. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $5,000 | The estimated 70-mph winds caused power outages in Harper. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $5,000 | Several shed roofs were blown off from high winds. |
| October 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | $500 | Trees were uprooted. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Harper | $100 | Street flooding was reported in Harper. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Harper | $100 | Water was reported flowing over Kansas Highway 2 northeast of Harper, Kansas. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Harper | $100 | Four to five feet of water was covering northeast 100 road, due to Sand creek being out of its banks. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Several limbs were reported down and blocking roadways. |
| June 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Harper | - | A brief tornado was reported by the emergency manager which pulled two stop signs out of the ground, and an ad bulletin sign was snapped off at the post. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Harper | - | Quarter to golf ball sized hail fell for a few minutes near Harper. A video was sent in via social media. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | A large tree was reported down and blocking Highway 160 near NE 40th street. Time is estimated from radar. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Time is estimated from radar. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Harper | - | This was an updated 24 hour rainfall total of 3.5 inches. |
| June 2019 | Tornado (EFU) | Harper | - | This was a very brief touchdown outside of town that did not cause any damage. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Wind speeds were estimated. Several small branches were blown out of trees across town. |
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Harper | - | Multiple streets were overflowing to curb-level. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | The gusts were estimated from 60 to 65 mph. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | No damage was reported. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Minor roof damage was done to he hospital in Harper. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Speeds were estimated from 50-65 mph. No damage was reported. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | No damage was reported. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | This report came in via social media. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Several 6 to 8 inch tree limbs were blown down. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Reported by a trained spotter. |
| May 2017 | Flood | Harper | - | Water was reported across NW 100 Road just to the west of Highway 14. No threat to life or property. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Multiple tree limbs were downed from six to eight inches in diameter. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Eight to ten inch diameter tree limbs were knocked down. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Wind was measured at 61 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Tree branches of 6 to 8 inches in diameter were downed and partially blocking the road. |
| July 2015 | Flood | Harper | - | The flooding occurred in the town of Harper that no doubt included most of the town's streets. |
| July 2015 | Flood | Harper | - | KWCH Channel 12 reported street flooding was in progress in Harper. No damage was reported. |
| December 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Harper | - | Tornado moved to the north causing minor damage to trees and round hay bales. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Harper | - | The hail was reported from the public through KSN-TV media. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | No damage was reported. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Harper | - | Small limbs were downed from strong wind gusts. Power was also reported out. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Harper | - | Winds gusted to 45 mph. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | The strong winds knocked dowm some small tree limbs. |
| October 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Thunderstorm winds occurred near the junction of K-2 and highway 160. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | KSN Weatherlab, Chaparral High School. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | Limbs downed county-wide. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harper | - | KSN Weatherlab, Chaparral High School. |
| March 2005 | Hail | Harper | - | CO-OP observer. |
| July 2005 | Hail | Harper | - | Hail diameter increasing. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Harper | - | Brief touchdown in open country. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Harper | - | Tornado moved through open country only causing damage to trees. |
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.
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.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Old Runnymede Church | 0.3 miles | 1973 |
| I.P. Campbell Building | 0.3 miles | 2006 | |
| Thompson-Wohlschlegel Round Barn | 3.5 miles | 1985 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 100001288 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Harper County | All 10 listed properties in this county. |
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