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Ford kansas post office 2009Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · Ford Township

Ford Township’s post office opened in 1885, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1890.

1885first post office
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Ford Township began, and where its name came from

When was Ford Township founded?

1885

The Ford Township post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 148 in 18902020 census: 329141 years

How did Ford Township get its name?

Ford Township was named for Col. James Hobart Ford, a notable Union colonel and brevet brigadier general during the Civil War.

Founding year: the first Ford Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ford 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 Ford Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18923 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1985. Watch Ford Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 382 in 1930; 203 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Ford Township’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ford Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ford 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

Ford Township on the map, 1892 to 1985

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

Ford Township on the 1892 USGS mapFord Township on the 1969 USGS mapFord Township on the 1985 USGS map1892Spearville 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 Ford Township.

People over time

Ford Township, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 382

Peaked at 382 in 1930; 203 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Ford Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ford Township.

Read it all →

Ford was founded circa 1885. It was named for Col. James Hobart Ford, a notable Union colonel and brevet brigadier general during the Civil War.

The first post office in Ford was established in February 1885.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ford Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Ford-High-School2022Ford-High-SchoolFord kansas post office 20092009Ford kansas post office 2009KSMap-doton-Ford2004KSMap-doton-Ford
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Ryansvillelocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ford Township
FordFord

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.

Spearville Township1 historic placeB+Grandview Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBucklin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEnterprise TownshipIts storyC−Sodville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ford Township’s history

What year was Ford Township founded?

The Ford Township post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.