Old Emporia Public Library

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

From the record

One of 21 National Register listings published here for Lyon County · listed in 1981 · category: Building.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 118 E. 6th St., Emporia, 66801
When was it listed? November 1981
Category. building
City. Emporia city
National Register reference number. 81000279 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

93 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 93 fires within 5 miles of Old Emporia Public Library between 2015 and 2020, burning about 1,239 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 6 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	39
Debris and open burning	25
Power generation/transmission/distribution	7
Arson/incendiarism	6
Smoking	5
Equipment and vehicle use	4
Fireworks	3
Misuse of fire by a minor	2
Natural	2

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
27 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	2634
13 September 2017	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Lyon County	2562
5 August 2018	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	2312
5 August 2015	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	2161
4 August 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	2300
23 August 2015	Natural	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	2304
9 July 2017	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Lyon County	1890
8 July 2018	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	2030

Every fire recorded in Lyon County

Storms near this property

60 of 215 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Emporia, the town this property stands in, in 215 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 90 thunderstorm wind, 83 hail, 23 flash flood, 5 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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
November 1998	Flash Flood	Emporia	$2,500,000	no account filed
May 2007	Flash Flood	Emporia	$200,000	Report of water flowing over K-99 north of town. This portion of the road has been barricaded by law enforcement. Unofficial reports of 5 to 6 inches of rain received. The police department reported water damage and several evacuations took place.
May 2007	Flood	Emporia	$100,000	Moderate or greater flooding...including flooding of rural roads...in the immediate reach of the gages on the Cottonwood near Emporia, the Neosho river near Emporia, the Neosho River near Neosho Rapids and near Reading on the Marais Des Cygnes.
May 2006	Flash Flood	Emporia	$100,000	Thunderstorms dumped heavy rainfall on the city of Emporia, causing widespread street flooding. 2 to 3 inches of rain were estimated to have fallen in the mid to late afternoon hours. Many roads were closed due to the rapidly rising water, and underpasses were filled with water as well. Water levels rose past the bumpers of many cars, and several water rescues had to be performed from people stranded on the roofs of their cars. Homes and businesses were also flooded as a result of the heavy rains. The heaviest street flooding and some water rescues were reported at the State Street underpass, the intersections of 6th and Congress, and the intersections of 12th and Burlingame Rd. There were no deaths or injuries reported.
June 1995	Tornado (F1)	Emporia	$100,000	A small tornado hit in the 3100 block of Road N, damaging trees, power poles, fencing, farm buildings, and hog sheds.
June 1996	Flash Flood	Emporia	$100,000	no account filed
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$50,000	Gusty winds damaged a barn and knocked shingles off roofs of other buildings. Lightning also caused many power outages.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$50,000	Winds clocked to 73 mph at the Emporia Airport caused widespread and severe damage to trees, power lines and some buildings around much of the county.
October 1998	Flash Flood	Emporia	$35,000	no account filed
June 2025	Flash Flood	Emporia	$20,000	Numerous roads closed across the Lyon County, including roads that rarely flood.
July 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$10,000	Tree limbs were down, blocking roadways in Emporia. Also a grain bin was destroyed and blown over 3 miles northeast of Emporia.
July 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$10,000	no account filed
June 2006	Lightning	Emporia	$7,000	Lightning struck and severely damaged the cross atop St. Andrew's Episcopal Church as well as caused damage to the stained glass window and narthex.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$4,000	Strong winds blew the roof off a house.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$3,000	Strong winds blew the roof off a trailer home.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$3,000	no account filed
July 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$3,000	no account filed
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$2,000	Strong winds downed power poles south of Emporia.
June 2002	Lightning	Emporia	$2,000	Lightning struck a power line knocking out power for a time.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$2,000	Strong winds knocked down power poles in Emporia.
June 1998	Lightning	Emporia	$2,000	no account filed
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$2,000	no account filed
July 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$2,000	no account filed
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$1,000	no account filed
July 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$1,000	no account filed
September 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	$500	An 8 inch tree limb broke near 12th Street and Chestnut in Emporia, Kansas.
July 1996	Lightning	Emporia	$500	no account filed
July 1996	Lightning	Emporia	$100	no account filed
April 2026	Hail	Emporia	-	Emporia city manager reported quarter to half dollar size hail.
August 2024	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Emergency services were called to six locations in Emporia to help motorists who had driven into flood waters and become stranded.
August 2024	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Commercial street flooded near and south of 8th avenue. Water that is several inches deep were affecting businesses.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Reports of tree damage and power lines down in the city of Emporia.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Measured by personal weather station.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Trained spotter estimated 60 mph winds on northeast side of Emporia.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Large limb of tree (around 12 inches in diameter) snapped near base.
June 2024	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Broadcast media is reporting multiple road closures in and around Emporia due to heavy rainfall.
April 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Report from mping of small tree limbs broken or shingles blown off.
May 2023	Hail	Emporia	-	Quarter sized hail reported.
June 2023	Hail	Emporia	-	Ping pong ball sized hail reported.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Measured on a personal weather station.
May 2022	Hail	Emporia	-	Report from mping.
September 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Numerous tree limbs and power lines down. One house had a tree fall onto the roof.
May 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Shed blown down.
August 2021	Hail	Emporia	-	Nickel size hail reported. Report relayed from KVOE radio.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Report of a 10 inch diameter tree blown down onto a vehicle.
August 2021	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Report from mping of homes and buildings flooded.
December 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Tree limbs 1 inch in diameter broken, shingles blown off roof.
December 2021	Hail	Emporia	-	Quarter sized hail reported.
December 2021	Hail	Emporia	-	Tennis ball sized hail reported at I-35 and R1 east of Emporia.
December 2021	Hail	Emporia	-	Quarter sized hail.
December 2021	Hail	Emporia	-	Golf ball sized hail reported at Fanestil original plant on K-99.
December 2021	Hail	Emporia	-	Apricot sized hail reported.
December 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Emporia	-	Tree limbs 3 inches in diameter broken, power poles broken.
May 2020	Hail	Emporia	-	Nickel size hail reported at KVOE studios.
May 2020	Hail	Emporia	-	Quarter size hail reported via broadcast media at KVOE.
May 2020	Hail	Emporia	-	Quarter size hail reported via broadcast media at KVOE.
May 2020	Hail	Emporia	-	Reported on social media.
July 2020	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Report of flood waters flowing over Road 150 in the 900 to 1000 block area.
July 2020	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Roadway covered with water at the 2000 block of Highway 99 just north of Emporia.
April 2019	Flash Flood	Emporia	-	Several roads and streets were closed in and around Emporia.

Every storm recorded in Lyon 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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Col. H.C. and Susan Cross House	0.1 miles	2011
Snowden S. Mouse Service Station and Tourist Home	0.2 miles	2018
Snowden S. Mouse Service Station and Tourist Home	0.2 miles	2018
Granada Theater	0.2 miles	1985
Emporia Downtown Historic District	0.3 miles	2012
Keebler-Stone House	0.3 miles	1992

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 81000279 in Record Group 79.
Lyon County	All 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.
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.