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C−History
History · Hesston

Hesston dates to 1886

More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #114 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it

Most of Hesston was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1930.

1886founded
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: JonHarder · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Hesston began

When was Hesston founded?

1886

Hesston dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 526 in 19302020 census: 3,505140 years

How historic is Hesston?

C−

More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hesston’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hesston is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #114 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 Hesston’s overall grade.
Founding era1886, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19406.6% of homes (±3.9) · typical KS town 10.3% · U.S. 8.4%C+National 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 22%
NewerOlder
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 25%

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 Hesston’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 (±3.9 points). Two sources give 1886.

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 Hesston’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18895 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Hesston change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hesston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hesston’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Hesston on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Hesston on the 1889 USGS mapHesston on the 1894 USGS mapHesston on the 1965 USGS mapHesston on the 1978 USGS mapHesston on the 1985 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 Hesston.

The story

How Hesston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hesston.

Read it all →

A post office was established as Elivon on February 10, 1873. It then moved near the current city site on April 24, 1878.

In 1886, Hesston was founded and named after the Hess brothers who owned the land where a depot on the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built. The post office was renamed to Hesston on December 16, 1887. Due to the railroad, Hesston became an important regional shipping point.

In 1909, the Mennonite Church founded the Hesston College, because many of the early settlers were Mennonite farmers.

In 1947, Lyle Yost and Adin Holdemann founded the farm equipment company Hesston Manufacturing Company. In 1991, AGCO Corporation purchased the company. In 1960, John Regier founded the lawn mower company Excel Industries.

ChaptersEarly history19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hesston, 1873 to 1986

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Elivon post office opens
  3. 1886
    FoundingHesston is established
  4. 1887Post officeThe Elivon post office closes
  5. 1887Post officeThe Hesston post office opens
  6. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1913Born hereLyle Yost is born here
  9. 1986Born hereKatie Sowers is born here
By decade

Hesston, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Map of tornadoes in the March 1990 tornado outbreakDate?Map of tornadoes in the March 1990 tornado outbreakMap
Today6 recent
Hesston Handoff map2026Hesston Handoff mapMapStouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Harvey County2013Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Harvey Co…MapDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapPro yuko naito2008Pro yuko naitoPro leslie cullen2008Pro leslie cullenKSMap-doton-Hesston2004KSMap-doton-Hesston
People over time

Hesston, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,00019401960198020002020Peak: 3,709

Between 403 and 3,709 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Hesston

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

See all →
Katie SowersAmerican football coach · b. 1986
L
Lyle YostAmerican inventor · b. 1913
M
Mike KingBusinessman
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Hesston’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Elivon, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Elivon
1873–1887
Hesston
1887–today
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Hesston’s history

What year was Hesston founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hesston’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1930 counted 526 people here.

How does Hesston rank for history?

Hesston is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #114 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 Hesston?

7% of Hesston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1984.

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 (7), 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.