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BHistory
History · Conway Township

34% of Conway Township’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1889 on.

0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About Conway Township’s history

How historic is Conway Township?

B

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Conway Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Conway Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Conway Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194034.4% of homes (±9.2) · typical KS town 10.3% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical KS town 5.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 59%
NewerOlder

Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Conway Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.2 points).

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Conway 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 Conway Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Conway Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Conway Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Conway 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

Conway Township on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Conway Township on the 1889 USGS mapConway Township on the 1893 USGS mapConway Township on the 1971 USGS mapConway Township on the 1985 USGS map1889Caldwell 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 Conway Township.

The story

How Conway Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Conway Township.

Read it all →

In 1878, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and parties from Marion County and McPherson County chartered the Marion and McPherson Railway Company. In 1879, a branch line was built from Florence to McPherson; in 1880 it was extended to Lyons and in 1881 was extended to Ellinwood. The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to Marion, was abandoned in 1968. In 1992, the line from Marion to McPherson was sold to Central Kansas Railway. In 1993, after heavy flood damage, the line from Marion to McPherson was abandoned. The original branch line connected Florence, Marion, Canada, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Conway, Windom, Little River, Mitchell, Lyons, Chase, and Ellinwood.

Chapters19th century20th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 Conway Township

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

See all →
H
Henry K. BeecherAmerican medical academic · b. 1904
H
Harvey H. NiningerAmerican lay scientist · b. 1887
Ernie MaunAmerican baseball player · b. 1901
L
Lloyd BishopAmerican baseball player · b. 1890
Red BerryAmerican professional wrestler, manager · b. 1906
M
Mike CoykendallAmerican audio engineer · b. 1963
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Illinois TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpringdale TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEden TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townViola TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Conway Township’s history

How does Conway Township rank for history?

Conway Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Conway Township?

34% of Conway Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.2 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1965.

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).

From Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.