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History · Goessel

Goessel’s post office opened in 1895, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1960.

1895first post office
0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: JonHarder · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Goessel began

When was Goessel founded?

1895

The Goessel post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1910.

First census: 327 in 19602020 census: 556131 years
Founding year: the first Goessel post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1910.The full story ↓

What stands out about Goessel’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 Goessel are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18893 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1989. Watch Goessel change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Goessel’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Goessel’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

Goessel on the map, 1889 to 1989

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

Goessel on the 1889 USGS mapGoessel on the 1894 USGS mapGoessel on the 1989 USGS map1889Newton 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 Goessel.

The story

How Goessel came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Goessel.

Read it all →

The Kansas Territory was organized in 1854, and Kansas became the 34th U.S. state in 1861. In 1855, Marion County was established within the Kansas Territory and included present-day Goessel.

ChaptersEarly history19th century20th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Goessel, 1889 to 1951

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1895Post officeThe Goessel post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1928Born hereWes Buller is born here
  6. 1936Born hereShirley Knight is born here
  7. 1942Born hereIra Anders is born here
  8. 1951Born hereDuane D. Thiessen is born here
By decade

Goessel, decade by decade

Today11 recent
Hesston Handoff map2026Hesston Handoff mapMapGoessel mural2015Goessel muralStouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion County2013Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Marion Co…MapWheat Threshing Demo at Goessel Threshing Days in2010Wheat Threshing Demo at Goessel Threshing Days inThreshing stone near2010Threshing stone nearDetailed map of Marion County, Kansas2010Detailed map of Marion County, KansasMapDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapAlexanderwohl-church2007Alexanderwohl-churchAlexanderwohl-church-22007Alexanderwohl-church-2Map of Marion Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Marion Co, Ks, USAMapKSMap-doton-Goessel2004KSMap-doton-Goessel
People over time

Goessel, census by census

01002003004005006001960198020002020Peak: 565

Between 327 and 565 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Goessel

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

See all →
Shirley KnightAmerican actress · b. 1936
Duane D. ThiessenUnited States Marine Corps general · b. 1951
I
Ira AndersAmerican politician · b. 1942
W
Wes BullerAmerican football coach · b. 1928

Questions about Goessel’s history

What year was Goessel founded?

The Goessel post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1910.

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 (11), 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) 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.