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C−History
History · Goddard

Goddard dates to 1883

More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #124 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it

Most of Goddard was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2005. Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1890.

1883founded
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Goddard began

When was Goddard founded?

1883

Goddard dates its founding to 1883 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 210 in 18902020 census: 5,084143 years

How historic is Goddard?

C−

More historic than 20% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Goddard’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Goddard is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #124 of 151 in Kansas. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Goddard’s overall grade.
Founding era1883, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19404.5% of homes (±3.7) · typical KS town 10.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational 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 20%
NewerOlder
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 18%

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 Goddard’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). Two sources give 1883.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Goddard’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 Goddard are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18897 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1990. Watch Goddard change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Goddard’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Goddard’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

Goddard on the map, 1889 to 1990

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

Goddard on the 1889 USGS mapGoddard on the 1891 USGS mapGoddard on the 1901 USGS mapGoddard on the 1965 USGS mapGoddard on the 1975 USGS mapGoddard on the 1985 USGS mapGoddard on the 1990 USGS map1889Cheney 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 Goddard.

The story

How Goddard came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Goddard.

Read it all →

In 1883, Ezekiel Wilder purchased farmland on the planned railway of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway south of Blendon, Kansas, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of Wichita. There, he established the town of Goddard in honor of J. F. Goddard, former third vice-president of the ATSF Railway. The railroad reached Goddard in 1884, and a post office was established there the same year. Several buildings were relocated from Blendon, including the town hall and the planned Methodist church. Goddard was officially incorporated in 1910.

On June 23, 1969, an F4 tornado struck Goddard. No fatalities occurred, but six people were injured.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Goddard in 1910

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

Goddard has one bank, the Goddard State Bank, with a paidup capital of $10,000. This bank was organized in 1907. S. L. Nolan is its president, S. L. Hutchinson its vice-president and V. A. Reece its cashier.
History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county1910 · page 106Read the page →
Read the text

Goddard has one bank, the Goddard State Bank, with a paidup capital of $10,000. This bank was organized in 1907. S. L. Nolan is its president, S. L. Hutchinson its vice-president and V. A. Reece its cashier.

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

Goddard, 1875 to 1989

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875Born hereEd Siever is born here
  3. 1875Post officeThe Blendon post office opens
  4. 1883
    FoundingGoddard is established
  5. 1884Post officeThe Blendon post office closes
  6. 1884Post officeThe Goddard post office opens
  7. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1989Born hereDerek Norris is born here
By decade

Goddard, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Downtown2026DowntownPic of2018Pic of28225204065 Jpg201528225204065 JpgDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Goddard2005KSMap-doton-Goddard
People over time

Goddard, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,50019001920194019601980200020205,084

Grew from 210 people in 1890 to 5,084 in 2020, more than tenfold.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Goddard

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Derek NorrisAmerican baseball player · b. 1989
Ed SieverAmerican baseball player · b. 1875
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Goddard’s post office has been open since 1884. Another post office, Blendon, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Blendon
1875–1884
Goddard
1884–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Linnell Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Miller Farm Airportairport
1cemetery inside Goddard
Pleasant Ridge

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.

Attica Township1 historic placeCWichita140 historic placesB

Questions about Goddard’s history

What year was Goddard founded?

In 1883, according to Wikidata. Goddard’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1890 counted 210 people here.

How does Goddard rank for history?

Goddard is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #124 of 151 in Kansas. 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 Goddard?

5% of Goddard’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 2005.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.