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History · Jefferson Township

38% of Jefferson Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on.

0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Jefferson 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 writtenNo old photos of Jefferson Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18896 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1990. Watch Jefferson Township change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Jefferson Township.Old housesHalf of Jefferson Township’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jefferson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jefferson Township’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

Jefferson Township on the map, 1889 to 1990

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

Jefferson Township on the 1889 USGS mapJefferson Township on the 1894 USGS mapJefferson Township on the 1964 USGS mapJefferson Township on the 1979 USGS mapJefferson Township on the 1985 USGS mapJefferson Township on the 1990 USGS map1889Abilene 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 Jefferson Township.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

New Basill
1879–1882
New Basel
1882–1897
18701950today
Gone or out of use
New Basellocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Jefferson Township
Ebenezer BaptistNew Basel

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

The story so far

Jefferson Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Jefferson Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Jefferson Township is a township in Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 216. Jefferson Township was organized in 1873.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 175 to 216 (+23%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Jefferson Township, 1879 to 1897

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe New Basill post office opens
  3. 1882Post officeThe New Basill post office closes
  4. 1882Post officeThe New Basel post office opens
  5. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1897Post officeThe New Basel post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Jefferson Township

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

See all →
Harry BeaumontAmerican film director, actor, and screenwriter · b. 1888
B
Bill WheatleyBasketball player · b. 1909
Don IhdeAmerican philosopher · b. 1934
Earl D. EisenhowerAmerican politician · b. 1898
Milton Stover EisenhowerAmerican university president · b. 1899
R
Ralph FaulknerAmerican fencer and actor · b. 1891
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Newbern TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRidge TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWheatland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBanner Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Jefferson Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.