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History · Jennings Township

Jennings Township’s post office opened in 1879, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1978 on and the census since 1910.

1879first post office
0on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Jennings Township began, and where its name came from

When was Jennings Township founded?

1879

The Jennings Township post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 259 in 19102020 census: 109147 years

How did Jennings Township get its name?

Jennings Township was named for Warren Jennings, a landowner.

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

What stands out about Jennings 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 Jennings Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Jennings Township’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 344 in 1930; 81 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jennings Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jennings 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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The story

How Jennings Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jennings Township.

Read it all →

The first post office at Jennings was established in 1874, but the post office there was called Slab City until 1879.

Jennings was laid out in 1888. It was named for Warren Jennings, a landowner.

Jennings was located on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

Jennings was a popular area for Czech immigrants to settle and start their farms.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Jennings Township, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 344

Peaked at 344 in 1930; 81 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

By decade

Jennings Township, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Jennings, Kansas2013Jennings, KansasMap of Decatur Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Decatur Co, Ks, USAMap
On the map

Jennings Township on the map, 1978 to 1985

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

Jennings Township on the 1978 USGS mapJennings Township on the 1985 USGS map1978Jennings sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jennings Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lyon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPleasant Valley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCuster TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAltory TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Jennings Township’s history

What year was Jennings Township founded?

The Jennings Township post office opened in 1879, 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 →
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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 Wikimedia Commons (2), 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.