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Read on to learn more about the city and its chimneys:
A Quick History of Paola, KS
Several years before it was platted in 1855, Natives and settlers alike were living on the land we know today as Paola. It was first settled by the Confederated Allied Tribe, or members of the Wea, Peoria, Kaskaskia, and Piankeshaw tribes who were relocated there between 1827 and 1832. The tribe was led by Baptiste Peoria who was both French and Native American. The settlement was called Peoria Village. In the 1840s, white settlers and missionaries built homes and churches in the area, as well as an Indian school. In 1852, an Italian priest named Father Paul Ponziglione moved to Peoria Village. He called the town Paola, based on a town by the same name on the coast of Italy. The Indians of the area continued to call the area Paola because they respected Father Ponziglione so much. The town was peaceful and luckily spared attack during William Quantrill’s raids in the area. When Kansas entered the Union in 1861, the native people were left to choose between staying in the area and becoming citizens of the United States or being exiled to Oklahoma. Some stayed but most, including Baptiste Peoria, left with the tribe.
The town continued to grow throughout the next few decades and townspeople built a school, jail, and bank. Paola was the first town west of the Mississippi River to utilize natural gas to light the town. Throughout its changes, Paola has stayed relatively small with only 5,600 residents on its 5.2 square miles. The town is proud of its heritage and honors it to this day. The town square that Baptiste Peoria gave to the Paola Town as a peace treaty is still used as the center of downtown and now features a statue of Baptiste Peoria and his wife. Townspeople gather here for the annual Roots Festival, farmer’s market, and music during the summer months.
The Chimneys and Fireplaces of Paola, Kansas
BY ROBERT BERRY, OWNER OF FULL SERVICE CHIMNEY
With many folks choosing Paola as their home prior to 1900, the age of the homes varies from over a century old to active construction as we speak. The chimneys and fireplaces are varied in design as well. Many designs are of a utility nature; that is providing venting to the home for the purposes of heat and hot water. Other designs have additional chimneys that serve as ornamental fireplaces used for entertaining and removing the chill of a parlor.
Full Service Chimney is the Fireplace Expert
The Immigrants and pioneers who settled here brought with them the traditions of hearth construction to their new homes. Common in function but unique in style, some of these ornamental fireplace hearths are not often seen in other areas of the metro. Full Service Chimney is well experienced in the hearth and venting products of Paola, as we have been servicing them for over 30 years. Where possible, we encourage unique fireplaces to be restored to the original design to preserve pieces of the one of a kind fixtures.
Design with function
With the growth of the town only picking up speed from the late forties to today, chimney and fireplace design became similar to what can be seen across the country. The median age of a venting and hearth in Paola is in excess of 50 years. The average age of a typical chimney and its vent is 10-20 years before maintenance, or sometimes, reconstruction is needed. It is not recommended to actively use a fireplace or venting system until it has been evaluated for sound function.
Year-round enjoyment
Today, homeowners are utilizing many of the commercially available heating and hearth appliances that customers with busy lifestyles have come to value. Whether new construction or Victorian remodeling, these factory-built hearth and chimney units provide versatile heating qualities and affordable usage.
Allow Full Service Chimney to Serve you
Caring for a fireplace in the home is best not left to amateurs. Carelessness or misunderstanding of proper construction, repair, or maintenance could allow an otherwise safe appliance to operate in a hazardous fashion. Full Service Chimney is honored to serve the families of Paola. After all,”We love Chimneys!” It is for this reason we make a point to include Paola in our roster of cities we service. Do as others in Paola have done and trust your home’s fireplace to the best. Call today so we can meet you and your chimney.
Take a look at Full Service Chimney satisfied customers in Paola:
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