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History · Leonardville

Leonardville’s post office opened in 1882, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1909 on.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Leonardville began, and where its name came from

When was Leonardville founded?

1882

The Leonardville post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Alembic (1881), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 432144 years

How did Leonardville get its name?

Leonardville was named for Leonard T. Smith, a railroad official.

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

What stands out about Leonardville’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.Old housesHalf of Leonardville’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Leonardville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Leonardville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Leonardville.

Read it all →

Leonardville was established in 1881. It was named for Leonard T. Smith, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Leonardville since 1882.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Leonardville, 1881 to 1909

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Alembic post office opens
  3. 1882Born hereAlbin Kasper Longren is born here
  4. 1882Post officeThe Alembic post office closes
  5. 1882Post officeThe Leonardville post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1909In the archiveStandard atlas of Riley County, Kansas - including a plat book of the villages, cities an…
By decade

Leonardville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Standard atlas of Riley County, Kansas - including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county, map…1909Standard atlas of Riley County, Kansas - including a …Map
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Leonardville2005KSMap-doton-Leonardville
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Leonardville’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Alembic, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Alembic
1881–1882
Leonardville
1882–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Leonardville’s history

What year was Leonardville founded?

The Leonardville post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

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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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.