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History · Centralia

Centralia dates to 1859, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1880.

1859founded
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Centralia’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Centralia began

When was Centralia founded?

1859

Centralia dates its founding to 1859 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 289 in 18802020 census: 485167 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1860.The full story ↓

What stands out about Centralia’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1986. Watch Centralia change.Boom and bustPeaked at 682 in 1930; 485 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Centralia’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · On the map

Centralia on the map, 1889 to 1986

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

Centralia on the 1889 USGS mapCentralia on the 1894 USGS mapCentralia on the 1969 USGS mapCentralia on the 1986 USGS map1889Seneca 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 Centralia.

People over time

Centralia, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 682

Peaked at 682 in 1930; 485 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Centralia’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Centralia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Centralia.

Read it all →

Centralia was founded in 1859, one mile north of the present town. When a railroad was built through the territory in 1867, Centralia was moved to the site. Centralia was incorporated in 1882. One of the early residents of Centralia was Floyd Perry Baker, a Kansas politician and newspaper editor, who moved there with his family from Andrew County, Missouri circa 1860.

In 1901, Centralia was the scene of violent conflicts between whites and African Americans. By this time, Centralia had a sundown town policy forbidding blacks from living in the area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Centralia, 1859 to 1938

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1859
    FoundingCentralia is established
  3. 1860Post officeThe Centralia post office opens
  4. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 682
  7. 1938In the archiveCentralia, Kansas
By decade

Centralia, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s8 items
Centralia, Kansas1938Centralia, KansasManager of Farmer's Union Coop grain elevator. Centralia, Kansas1938Manager of Farmer's Union Coop grain elevator. Centra…Unloading feed at Farmer's Union Coop elevator1938Unloading feed at Farmer's Union Coop elevatorInterior of farmer's union co-op elevator. Centralia, Kansas1938Interior of farmer's union co-op elevator. Centralia,…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Unloading feed at Farmer's Union Coop elevator1938Untitled photo, possibly related to: Unloading feed a…Farmer's Union Coop grocery store1938Farmer's Union Coop grocery storeManager of Farmer's Union Coop elevator in his office. This cooperative received a loan from the FSA (Farm Security Adm…1938Manager of Farmer's Union Coop elevator in his office…Farmer's Union Coop, elevator1938Farmer's Union Coop, elevator
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Centralia2005KSMap-doton-Centralia
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Centralia, Kansas
Retake this viewCentralia, Kansas, 1938

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Centralia’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Help out

Finish Centralia’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCentralia, Kansas: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Centralia’s history

What year was Centralia founded?

In 1859, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Centralia’s post office opened in 1860, and the census of 1880 counted 289 people here.

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 (1), the Library of Congress (8), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.