Tonovay, KS

In central Greenwood County, Kansas, lies a little place known as Tonovay. Not much more now than a school-turned-antique shop, this place supposedly was named from a take on the spelling of "ton of hay," which makes sense considering its location amidst wheatfields.

The population was 25, according to the Kansas Atlas of 1895, and again in 1910 as per the Cyclopedia. There was once a post office and some of the residents can be traced to an 1887 atlas of Greenwood County. An early history of Tonovay has been written by an unknown author. I'm not sure what the peak population was, but it likely did not increase much after the closure of the post office on November 30, 1912. In 2003 there were 2 residents in the house next to the antique mall.

On May 30, 1982, a tornado landed north of the town. Impressive photographs can be seen here. From my recollection, this was the same timeframe that all the big storms hit northeastern Kansas, including one that was probably the worst Saint Marys has ever seen. Anyway, Tonovay wasn't much affected since there were many buildings around to be blown away!

Having visited the antique store in the old school, I can say I have had a positive experience there. The owners of the Tonovay Antique Mall were very friendly and probably welcomed visitors, who must be infrequent due to its remote location on Hwy 99. I don't know if they're still in business or the same owners, but it's still listed on several sites, including The Finder: A Directory of Unique Shops.