Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Lyndon Carnegie Library and the Osage County Courthouse. Below: old-book passages.
The Lyndon post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Osage Centre (1870), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
Lyndon was named after Lyndon, Vermont.
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lyndon is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lyndon’s 29.3 sits above most of its state (86% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lyndon’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Lyndon.
Lyndon was founded in 1869 after the land in the area was taken from the Sac and Fox Nation by the government for homesteading. It was named after Lyndon, Vermont.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Lyndon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
In the fall of l!584, a very successful reunion was held in the eastern part of the city of Lyndon. Some three or four hundred old soldiers being present and plenty of tents set up to make a large camp. Commander Howe and Lyndon Post had plenty of work to do.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The organization of the Valley Brook Veteran Company at Lyndon about September 5, 1881 by Capt. Whinrey and others as one of the companies of the Osage County Battalion so inaugarated a martial spirit here in Lyndon that the boys, young men and men of middle age caught the desire to be or-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
E. of Lyndon, See his narra ive on early days here in Lyndon, p. 77. Dorsey Green, a boy of 15, lives with them.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Ezra Kirkbride 27, and wife, Cora did live 1 mile east of Lyndon but removed Mar, 1st to A, T Hoop's farm, 10 miles south of Lyndon on Long Creek, in Melvern twp, Mable B. 23» m. Chas, Linniger, of Lyndon, Hannah Jane, James, George,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereRip Hagerman is born here
BuiltLyndon Carnegie Library is built
BuiltOsage County Courthouse is built
Born hereBarry McDaniel is born hereThe country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Lyndon’s post office has been open since 1870. Another post office, Osage Centre, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Lyndon post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Lyndon is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Two places: the Lyndon Carnegie Library (listed 1987) and the Osage County Courthouse (2007).
36% of Lyndon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.9 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1958.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2013
2009
2009
2005