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History · Hoyt

Hoyt’s post office opened in 1871, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1920.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Dylan Edwards · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Hoyt began, and where its name came from

When was Hoyt founded?

1871

The Hoyt post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 282 in 19202020 census: 593155 years

How did Hoyt get its name?

Hoyt was named for George Henry Hoyt, an abolitionist and attorney for John Brown.

Founding year: the first Hoyt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hoyt’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 Hoyt are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1982. Watch Hoyt change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hoyt’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Hoyt on the map, 1889 to 1982

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

Hoyt on the 1889 USGS mapHoyt on the 1894 USGS mapHoyt on the 1975 USGS mapHoyt on the 1982 USGS map1889Topeka 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 Hoyt.

The story

How Hoyt came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hoyt.

Read it all →

Hoyt was founded in 1886. It was named for George Henry Hoyt, an abolitionist and attorney for John Brown.

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad originally passed through Hoyt and in the late 1890s and early 1900s, Hoyt was a large cattle and hay shipping point between St. Joseph, Missouri and Herington, Kansas. The Rock Island Line, as it was often referred to, last operated in 1980. Today there is little trace left of the railroad line except through aerial photography.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Hoyt, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Downtown2023DowntownDowntown2007DowntownKSMap-doton-Hoyt2004KSMap-doton-Hoyt
People over time

Hoyt, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 669

Between 228 and 669 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Hoyt

Nobody well known was born in Hoyt itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Annette BeningAmerican actress · b. 1958
Charles CurtisVice president of the United States from 1929 t… · b. 1860
Gwendolyn BrooksAmerican writer · b. 1917
G
Gregg BinkleyAmerican actor · b. 1963
Pat RobertsUnited States Senator from Kansas · b. 1936
Lois SmithAmerican actress · b. 1930
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Hoyt’s post office has been open since 1871.

Gone or out of use
Hoyt Elementary Schoolschool

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

Questions about Hoyt’s history

What year was Hoyt founded?

The Hoyt post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (3), Wikipedia, 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.