Auburn Township’s post office opened in 1859, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #80 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Most of Auburn Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Its Register listings are the McCauley Bridge and the Thomas Arch Bridge. Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Auburn Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Auburn Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Auburn Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #80 of 151 in Kansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Auburn Township’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Auburn Township’s 9.1 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Auburn Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In July 1854, John W. Brown came to this area and found it highly suitable for a homestead. He acquired 800 acres (3.2 km2) through bartering with local Indians and later returned home to Missouri to tell his family and friends about the area, some of whom returned with him. In 1856, Mr. Brown, along with M. C. Dickey, Loring Farnsworth and Henry Fox pre-empted 320 acres (1.3 km2) for the purpose of a town. They christened it Brownville, although it was changed in 1857 to its present name of "Auburn" due to the fact there was another settlement with the same name. This was before the introduction of postal codes. It was located on the California Road and work began at once on the many buildings needed in a town of Brownville's size. Two daily stage lines brought mail and people to the town and business was very good.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Auburn Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1952Auburn sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Auburn Township.
On the National Register
3 historic places in Auburn Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Auburn Township post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Auburn Township rank for history?
Auburn Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #80 of 151 in Kansas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Auburn Township?
3 listings: 2 structures.
How old are the homes in Auburn Township?
7% of Auburn Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1984.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
2008
