Historic Hand Dug Well - Westmoreland, Kansas The Historic Hand Dug Well in Westmoreland, Kansas is one of two Kansas wells which claim billing as the 2nd largest hand dug well in Kansas. The Seneca, Kansas well is 34' wide & 65' deep, and the one in Westmoreland is 29' wide & 38' deep, but there is no governing body to certify that. The well was dug by hand in 1914-1915, but the aquifer was inadequate and it was used for only a short time. The original pump house was dismantled and reassembled at the corner of Main and 2nd Street where it is the Westmoreland City Hall. The well was used as a dump for decades. In the 1980s, ownership of the well was transferred to the Rock Creek Valley Historical Society by Charles Duncan, the owner, for one dollar. The well was restored by the Historical Society as a two year PRIDE project. While cleaning the well, a dozen junked automobiles were removed, as well as many other dump truck loads of refuse. During the cleaning, the Historical Society discovered that the wall had been laid at ground level with a steel shoe and lowered into a well by its own weight, until it is support by a four foot think limestone strata at the bottom. The bottom ten feet of the well casing is brick and the remainder is native stone. There are pipes spaced at intervals around the perimeter of the well and visible below the water surface. They extend through the wall to the water bearing strata of gravel and are the source of water to fill the well.
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