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History · LeRoy

LeRoy dates to 1855, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1860.

1855founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How LeRoy began, and where its name came from

When was LeRoy founded?

1855

LeRoy dates its founding to 1855 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 222 in 18602020 census: 451171 years

How did LeRoy get its name?

LeRoy was named after the city of Le Roy, Illinois.

More on the name

The first post office in LeRoy (a name also spelled historically as Leroy) was established in 1856.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1856. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about LeRoy’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 LeRoy are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18855 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1990. Watch LeRoy change.Boom and bustPeaked at 893 in 1890; 451 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start LeRoy’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how LeRoy’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

LeRoy on the map, 1885 to 1990

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

LeRoy on the 1885 USGS mapLeRoy on the 1894 USGS mapLeRoy on the 1971 USGS mapLeRoy on the 1985 USGS mapLeRoy on the 1990 USGS map1885Burlington 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 LeRoy.

People over time

LeRoy, census by census

02004006008001,000190019502000Peak: 893

Peaked at 893 in 1890; 451 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

The story

How LeRoy came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of LeRoy.

Read it all →

LeRoy was founded in 1855. It was named after the city of Le Roy, Illinois.

The first post office in LeRoy (a name also spelled historically as Leroy) was established in 1856.

During the Civil War the town had a military post from 1861 to 1864. LeRoy's post was one of a number of posts in eastern Kansas that existed to guard against Confederate guerrilla attacks and attacks by unfriendly Indians. On May 22, 1862, the 1st Regiment, Indian Home Guard was organized at Le Roy.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

LeRoy, 1855 to 1900

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingLeRoy is established
  3. 1856Post officeThe Le Roy post office opens
  4. 1885On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 893
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900Born hereRoss F. Jones is born here
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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Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Desloover Mobile Home Park

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

Questions about LeRoy’s history

What year was LeRoy founded?

In 1855, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. LeRoy’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1860 counted 222 people here.

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 Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.