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History · Bethany Township

Bethany Township’s post office opened in 1871, and 56% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1893 on.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
56%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Bethany Township began

When was Bethany Township founded?

1871

The Bethany Township post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 162155 years
Founding year: the first Bethany Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Bethany 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 Bethany Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18933 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1985. Watch Bethany Township change.Old housesHalf of Bethany Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bethany Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bethany 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

Bethany Township on the map, 1893 to 1985

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

Bethany Township on the 1893 USGS mapBethany Township on the 1961 USGS mapBethany Township on the 1985 USGS map1893Smith Center 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 Bethany Township.

The story so far

Bethany Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bethany Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Bethany Township is a township in Osborne County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 162.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 176 to 162 (-8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

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 Bethany Township

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

See all →
B
Bruce GoffAmerican architect · b. 1904
E
Edward L. KesselAmerican biologist · b. 1904
Elsie Lincoln BenedictAmerican psychologist · b. 1885
Joe MillerAmerican politician in Alaska · b. 1967
Mary Nicholas ArnoldyRoman Catholic nun and mathematician · b. 1893
F
Fred CornwellAmerican football player · b. 1961
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lawrence TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRoss Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPenn TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGarfield TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLincoln TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bethany Township’s history

What year was Bethany Township founded?

The Bethany Township post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.