John Graber House

John Graber was a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1874 and moved to Reno County in 1890. In 1903, after having established himself in the farm implement business, Graber moved to Hutchinson to become an insurance agent. By the end of the decade he had aquired a furniture company and became a real estate agent. Through his real estate holdings, Graber was able to have enough financial backing to be elected to the State House of Representatives in 1912. He was instrumental in legislation that ended a 20 year battle on the location of the Kansas State Fair. Graber died in 1954 and the house remained in the family until 1961. This house was built in 1915 in the style of American Foursquare and at the time was a popular construction style. For 20 years there was a garage with four rental apartments at the back of the property.