Kelly got its start in the early 1880's following construction of the Kansas City, Wyandotte and Northwestern Railroad through the area. The railroad, continuously troubled financially, was reorganized around 1915 as the Kansas City, Wichita and Northwestern Railway. Continued financial trouble led to the line being sold to Missouri Pacific, which promptly shut the line down. Rail service was stopped in 1919, and the line was dismantled in the early 1920's.
A post office was opened in Kelly in 1888, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1988.
Passages that mention Kelly, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Nemaha County, Kansas1916 · page 487Read the page →
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partnership with his brother, Charles, until 191 1, when he sold the farm to his father, and engaged in the merchandise business in Kelly. Mr. Jonach has been very successful in his business, and is one <if the li\e business men of the hustling town of Kelly.
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sons, Samuel, Joseph, Jesse, John H. and Batson settled on claims along the Nemaha river south of Seneca. John H. Dennis, father of William Dennis, took up a homestead one mile south of the present town of Kelly, Kans. These Avere pioneer days in Kansas, and William Dennis remembers well the plentitude of wild game which abounded in the woods and plains bordering on the valley of the Nemaha.
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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 →
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