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History · Center Township

56% of Center Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1885 on.

0on the National Register
56%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Center 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 Center Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18854 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1985. Watch Center Township change.Old housesHalf of Center Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Center Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Center Township’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
On the map

Center Township on the map, 1885 to 1985

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

Center Township on the 1885 USGS mapCenter Township on the 1962 USGS mapCenter Township on the 1979 USGS mapCenter Township on the 1985 USGS map1885Sedan 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 Center Township.

The story so far

Center Township, in brief

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

Center Township is a township in Chautauqua County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 81.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 63 to 81 (+29%).

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

Timeline

Center Township, 1872 to 1885

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Belknap post office opens
  3. 1878Post officeThe Belknap post office closes
  4. 1885On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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 Center Township

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

See all →
Harry Hines WoodringAmerican politician · b. 1890
Emmett KellyAmerican clown · b. 1898
M
Madelyn DunhamMaternal grandmother of Barack Obama · b. 1922
Charles T. PayneSoldier from America who fought in World War II · b. 1925
Trixie FriganzaAmerican actress · b. 1870
I
Isaiahh LoudermilkAmerican football player · b. 1997
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Another post office, Belknap, opened and closed inside today’s town.

1cemetery inside Center Township
Belknap

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.

Lafayette TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElk Falls Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWildcat TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Center 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 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.