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History · Eskridge

Eskridge dates to 1868, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Security State Bank and the Eskridge Bandstand. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1890.

1868founded

2on the National Register

47%homes built before 1940

2old photos & papers

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From Eskridge’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Eskridge began

When was Eskridge founded?

1868

Eskridge dates its founding to 1868 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 548 in 18902020 census: 439158 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓

What stands out about Eskridge’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18854 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1983. Watch Eskridge change.Boom and bustPeaked at 797 in 1910; 439 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Eskridge’s homes were built before 1946.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eskridge’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewEskridge, Kansas (1886): stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

On the map

Eskridge on the map, 1885 to 1983

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

1885Eskridge 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 Eskridge.

People over time

Eskridge, census by census

Peaked at 797 in 1910; 439 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Eskridge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Eskridge.

Read it all →

Eskridge was laid out in 1868. The town experienced growth in 1880 when the railroad was built through it.

Eskridge is named for Charles V. Eskridge, an Emporia journalist and politician. Colonel Ephraim Sanford, the founder of the town company allowed Eskridge to buy the first lot and have the town named after him. Eskridge served in both houses of the legislature and was elected as lieutenant governor under Governor James M. Harvey in 1869.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Eskridge in 1901

Passages that mention Eskridge, cut from the printed page as they were published.

**Early history of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, with stories of pioneer days and glimpses of our western border..**1901 · page 334Read the page →
Read the text
Eskridge (the new town) platted in April and first house hauled on the town site by Dr. Trivett and placed on corner where bank now located. First residence built by Dr. Trivett, for O. T. Lamb.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The Land Mark, E. H. Sanford, editor. First published at Eskridge, in 1871. It was published at intervals— first at Eskridge, then at Alma, and again at Eskridge until the publication was discontinued. The Eskridge Star, Vol. ], No. 1, J. J. Mitchell, editor, October 19, 1883; Mitchell & Dowd, Janu… — **Early history of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, with stories of pioneer days and glimpses of our western border..**1901 · page 352Read the page →
Read the text
The Land Mark, E. H. Sanford, editor. First published at Eskridge, in 1871. It was published at intervals— first at Eskridge, then at Alma, and again at Eskridge until the publication was discontinued. The Eskridge Star, Vol. ], No. 1, J. J. Mitchell, editor, October 19, 1883; Mitchell & Dowd, January 31, 1884: Rickel & Dowd, March 27, 1884; D. V. Dowd, June 21, 1884; Dowd & Shelton, August, 1885; E. L. Shelton, October 22, 1885: Perry & Gardiner, July 1, 1886; E. n.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Eskridge, 1868 to 1910

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

19th century
1868
FoundingEskridge is established
1869Post officeThe Eskridge post office opens
1885On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1886In the archiveEskridge, Kansas (1886)
20th century
1906BuiltSecurity State Bank is built
1907In the archive1907 ads
1910CensusPopulation peaks at 797

By decade

Eskridge, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s2 items

1886Eskridge, Kansas (1886)

19071907 ads

1910s–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

Today3 recent

2021Security State Bank

2021Eskridge bandstand DSC 8725

2005KSMap-doton-Eskridge

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.

Retake this viewEskridge, Kansas (1886), 1886

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

Retake this view · +15

On the National Register

2 historic places in Eskridge

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

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1982

Security State Bank

BuildingsSites

Security State BankBuilt 1906

All 2 listings

Eskridge BandstandSite · listed 2017

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

Questions about Eskridge’s history

What year was Eskridge founded?

In 1868, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Eskridge’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1890 counted 548 people here.

What is on the National Register in Eskridge?

Two places: the Security State Bank (listed 1982) and the Eskridge Bandstand (2017).

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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