The story
Read it all →How Hamlin Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hamlin Township.
Hamlin was laid out in 1870. It was named in honor of Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln's vice-president.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Hamlin Township
Hamlin Township’s post office opened in 1857, and 71% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1880.
1857first post office
1on the National Register
71%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Quick answers
How Hamlin Township began, and where its name came from
When was Hamlin Township founded?
1857
The Hamlin Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 135 in 18802020 census: 275169 years
How did Hamlin Township get its name?
Hamlin Township was named in honor of Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln's vice-president.
Founding year: the first Hamlin Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Hamlin 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 writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18885 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1990. Watch Hamlin Township change.Old housesHalf of Hamlin Township’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 258 in 1900; 25 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Hamlin Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hamlin Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Hamlin Township on the map, 1888 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hamlin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Hiawatha sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hamlin Township.
Timeline
Hamlin Township, 1880 to 1909
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
By decade
Hamlin Township, 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
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 albumToday1 recent
2004Then & 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 view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas (KS) - Brown County - Hamlin - ED 7-3, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hamlin Township’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
1 historic place in Hamlin Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Hamlin Township, census by census
Peaked at 258 in 1900; 25 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hamlin Township’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Hamlin Township’s history
What year was Hamlin Township founded?
The Hamlin Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (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.