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History · Bell Township

59% of Bell Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on.

0on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Bell 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 Bell 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 Bell Township change.Old housesHalf of Bell Township’s homes were built before 1938.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Bell Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bell Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bell 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

Bell Township on the map, 1892 to 1985

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

Bell Township on the 1892 USGS mapBell Township on the 1971 USGS mapBell 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 Bell Township.

The story

How Bell Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bell Township.

Read it all →

The first township in Reno County was Reno Township, which covered the whole county upon its creation in 1872. In 1874 Langdon Township was split off of it. From Langdon Township, Grove Township was split off in 1876, and then in 1878 Bell Township was split off from Grove Township.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bell Township, 1874 to 1904

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Netherland post office opens
  3. 1884Post officeThe Netherland post office closes
  4. 1884Post officeThe Lerado post office opens
  5. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1904Post officeThe Lerado post office closes
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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Bell Township

Nobody well known was born in Bell Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
E
Eugene John GerberCatholic bishop · b. 1931
Everett SheltonAmerican football player, basketball coach, col… · b. 1898
S
Sarah SmarshAmerican nonficiton writer · b. 1980
G
George AitonAmerican baseball player · b. 1890
J
Joe SeiwertAmerican politician · b. 1951
J
Jon GnagyAmerican artist · b. 1907
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Netherland
1874–1884
Lerado
1884–1904
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Lerado
1cemetery inside Bell Township
Lerado

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Loda TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMiami TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEureka TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bell Township’s history

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, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.