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History · Canton

Canton’s post office opened in 1874, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Canton Township Carnegie Library.

1874first post office
1on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Canton began

When was Canton founded?

1874

The Canton post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1879.

2020 census: 685152 years
Founding year: the first Canton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1879.The full story ↓

What stands out about Canton’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 Canton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Canton’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Canton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Canton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Canton.

Read it all →

From the 1820s to the 1870s, one of the most significant land routes in the United States was the Santa Fe Trail. It was located southeast of Canton. Two DAR markers were located on the trail near Canton, one at the Jones Cemetery east of Canton, and another south of Canton. The trail was active across McPherson County from 1821 to 1866.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1867, McPherson County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Canton.

ChaptersEarly history19th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Canton, decade by decade

Today3 recent
CantonCarnegieLibrary2013CantonCarnegieLibraryDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Canton2004KSMap-doton-Canton
On the National Register

1 historic place in Canton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1987
Canton Township Carnegie Library
Canton Township Carnegie Library, built 1921
Buildings
Canton Township Carnegie LibraryBuilt 1921

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Canton

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

See all →
Shirley KnightAmerican actress · b. 1936
W
Wendell JohnsonAmerican psychologist · b. 1906
E
E. T. KlassenAmerican Postmaster general · b. 1908
B
Bill McGillAmerican baseball player · b. 1880
Duane D. ThiessenUnited States Marine Corps general · b. 1951
I
Ira AndersAmerican politician · b. 1942

Questions about Canton’s history

What year was Canton founded?

The Canton post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1879.

What is on the National Register in Canton?

One place: the Canton Township Carnegie Library (listed 1987).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.