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History · Arlington Township

Arlington Township dates to 1877, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1900.

1877founded
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Arlington Township began, and where its name came from

When was Arlington Township founded?

1877

Arlington Township dates its founding to 1877 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 312 in 19002020 census: 558149 years

How did Arlington Township get its name?

Arlington Township was named after Arlington, Massachusetts.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1878. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Arlington Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Arlington Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18923 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1985. Watch Arlington Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 631 in 1980; 435 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Arlington Township’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arlington Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arlington Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Arlington Township on the map, 1892 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Arlington Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Arlington Township on the 1892 USGS mapArlington Township on the 1971 USGS mapArlington Township on the 1985 USGS map1892Kingman sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Arlington Township.

People over time

Arlington Township, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 631

Peaked at 631 in 1980; 435 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Arlington Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Arlington Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Arlington Township.

Read it all →

Arlington was founded in 1877. It was named after Arlington, Massachusetts. The first post office in Arlington was established in February 1878.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Herington through Arlington to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later, it was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. It foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980, reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, and merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Arlington Township, 1877 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1877
    FoundingArlington Township is established
  3. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 631
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Baughman Fieldairport
1cemetery inside Arlington Township
Arlington

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Westminster TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTroy TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLoda TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLangdon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Arlington Township’s history

What year was Arlington Township founded?

In 1877, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Arlington Township’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1900 counted 312 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.