The story
Read it all →How Hamlin came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hamlin.
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
Hamlin’s post office opened in 1857, and 60% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the Bethany Brethren Church. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1880.
1857first post office
1on the National Register
60%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Quick answers
How Hamlin began, and where its name came from
When was Hamlin founded?
1857
The Hamlin post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 135 in 18802020 census: 25169 years
How did Hamlin get its name?
Hamlin was named in honor of Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln's vice-president.
Founding year: the first Hamlin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Hamlin’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 change.Old housesHalf of Hamlin’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’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hamlin’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 on the map, 1888 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hamlin. 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.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hamlin in 1876
Passages that mention Hamlin, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History and statistics of Brown County, Kansas, from its earliest settlement to the present time, embracing incidents and hardships of pioneer life, the rise and progress made in twenty-two years, location, resources, fertility of its soil, etc., etc.1876 · page 28Read the page →
Read the text
That spring many town sites were laid off and many men got immensely rich prospectively selling town lots. Hiawatha, Hamlin, Powhattan, Robinson, Skeenona, Denohu and others were located by men who felt confident that thriving little villages at least could be built up in a short time. At Hamlin, on the farm now owned by A. M. Aldrich, a steam saw mill was erected by Ross & Morrill.
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
Hamlin, 1857 to 1973
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1857Post officeThe Hamlin post office opens
- 1880
In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas (KS) - Brown County - Hamlin - ED 7-3 - 1888
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 20th century
- 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 258
- 1909
In the archiveHamlin KS Nov 26 1909 - 1973Post officeThe Hamlin post office closes
By decade
Hamlin, 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’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
1 historic place in Hamlin
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
first listed
2012
Bethany Brethren Church
Buildings
All 1 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Hamlin, 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’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Hamlin had its own post office from 1857 to 1973.
Hamlin
18501940today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hamlin’s history
What year was Hamlin founded?
The Hamlin post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Hamlin?
One place: the Bethany Brethren Church (listed 2012).
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.