Kansans, it seems, have dug themselves into a hole, and they couldn't be happier about it.
Boasted as the world's largest hand dug well, and known as "The Big Well" it was begun in 1884, with farmers, cowboys and transients in crews of 10 to 15 working from sun-up till sun-down using only shovels, picks, a half barrel, pulley and rope to dig the well. Their pay was 50 cents to a dollar a day.
At 32 feet wide and 109 feet deep, it is indeed a very big well, though despite its claim, the Big Well isn't quite the largest hand-dug in the world. The Pozzo di S. Patrizio or St. Patrick's Well, built in 1527 in Orvieto, Italy is, at 200 feet by 42 feet, larger. The big well is certainty the largest hand dug well in the US.
Recently named one of the eight wonders of Kansas, the residents of Greensburg have long been proud of their well, but maintaining it hasn't always been easy going. The well was a popular stop in the 1970s and 1980s, with thousands of visitors buying the two dollar ticket to take a journey down into the well and throwing a coin, shoe, or other lucky item into the bottom. In the 90s the town hired divers to clean the bottom of the well and a among other things, a silver onyx crucifix was found. But by the 1990s it seems that the well's supply of tourists had dried up.
Even worse in 2007 a tornado, destroyed almost the entire town, including the Well's visitor center, leaving only a few buildings and, of course, the well itself. But what was initially a disaster became a chance for Greensburg to put themselves and their well, on the map. The town began rebuilding as the most "environmentally friendly little town" in America. Solar panels and composting toilets were installed and with the help of TV show "Planet Green," which was about the towns recovery and conversion to green tech, the town began to receive attention and visitors many of whom made a stop by the Big Well.
Greensburg decided that as well as renovating the town, it was time to renovate the Big Well and a 3 million dollar museum has been planned. Not all the residents are so sure though that a fancy museum will attract enough visitors to come to the Big Well to make it worth the cost. Nonetheless the plans are moving forward and hopefully, the new Big Well Museum will do well, big time.